Happy hours
By: Matt Seidholz
Issue date: 5/1/09 Section: Features
For a little while in March, the Minneapolis City Council gave us a scare. They were entertaining a horrible idea: banning happy hour in all bars across the city. Thankfully those goons came to their senses and happy hour is now alive and well, but after that little shock, I thought I should take some time to appreciate what I had, in case happy hour ever came under threat again. Last Friday I visited four places in downtown Minneapolis to see what they had to offer.
Some friends and I took the bus into downtown Minneapolis. We didn't really have a clear idea where to go (except for one place-we saved it for last), but we knew we were hungry, so we hunted around for a bar with some deals on food. It didn't take us long to stumble upon Brit's Pub. Loyal to their theme, Brit's has a distinctly British atmosphere, with brass rails at the bar, fish and chips on the menu, and a selection of British candy bars available near the front door. Their happy hour runs from 3:00 to 6:00 on Monday through Friday, and the gettin' is good. The drink special is unexciting-a $10 pitcher of Amstel-but it comes with a free appetizer! We discovered that the kitchen at Brit's is a serious operation. We got artichoke dip and toasted baguettes with our pitcher and they were absolutely delicious.
But by the time we left Brit's, the Amstel had gotten us a bit tipsy, so the hunger we felt before never really went away. We asked a passer-by for another good appetizer spot, and he recommended Bulwinkle's Saloon. From 3:00 to 6:00 every day of the week, Bulwinkle's will knock $1 off the price for every domestic bottle, $2 off every pitcher, and it will give you any appetizer (other than chicken fingers) for $3.50. This bar had a cozy feel to it. The word "tavern" came to mind, because the whole atmosphere reminded me of Cheers. We all split a pitcher and an order of mini-burgers, which hit the spot but didn't blow me away. They were a strong improvement on White Castle, but that's about all I can say about them.
Some friends and I took the bus into downtown Minneapolis. We didn't really have a clear idea where to go (except for one place-we saved it for last), but we knew we were hungry, so we hunted around for a bar with some deals on food. It didn't take us long to stumble upon Brit's Pub. Loyal to their theme, Brit's has a distinctly British atmosphere, with brass rails at the bar, fish and chips on the menu, and a selection of British candy bars available near the front door. Their happy hour runs from 3:00 to 6:00 on Monday through Friday, and the gettin' is good. The drink special is unexciting-a $10 pitcher of Amstel-but it comes with a free appetizer! We discovered that the kitchen at Brit's is a serious operation. We got artichoke dip and toasted baguettes with our pitcher and they were absolutely delicious.
But by the time we left Brit's, the Amstel had gotten us a bit tipsy, so the hunger we felt before never really went away. We asked a passer-by for another good appetizer spot, and he recommended Bulwinkle's Saloon. From 3:00 to 6:00 every day of the week, Bulwinkle's will knock $1 off the price for every domestic bottle, $2 off every pitcher, and it will give you any appetizer (other than chicken fingers) for $3.50. This bar had a cozy feel to it. The word "tavern" came to mind, because the whole atmosphere reminded me of Cheers. We all split a pitcher and an order of mini-burgers, which hit the spot but didn't blow me away. They were a strong improvement on White Castle, but that's about all I can say about them.
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