A Night Out in Nordeast: The NE Minneapolis Bar Scene
Every time we finish a big project, we celebrate the same way: dinner and drinks somewhere we didn't have to build. Lately that means Northeast Minneapolis, or as everyone here calls it, Nordeast.
The NE Minneapolis bar scene
Nordeast mixes old-school corner bars, polka-friendly dives and some of the best craft breweries in the state, all within a few blocks of each other. A typical night for us: a taproom flight, a dive bar for a game of pool, and late-night tacos.
- Taprooms first. Minnesota's taproom law opened the floodgates, and NE has a brewery around nearly every corner.
- Dive bars second. Cheap beer, meat raffles, zero pretension.
- Walk or ride. Parking is easier than it used to be, but the neighborhood is best on foot.
Day trip: Hammerheart Brewery
For a road trip, we drive north to Hammerheart Brewery in Lino Lakes. It's Viking-themed, smoky and dark, and the beers lean toward bold, smoked and barrel-aged styles. Grab a seat by the fire and you'll forget it's January.
Meet El Jefe Guapo
Readers keep asking about "El Jefe Guapo" (pronounced el HEH-feh GWAH-po: "the handsome boss"). He's the neighbor's very large orange cat who supervises every outdoor project from our front stoop. He doesn't help. He just judges. He is very handsome, and he is definitely the boss.
Dinner at Bistro Le Roux
For a quieter celebration we booked a cozy dinner at Bistro Le Roux. Candles, a small menu and a long conversation about which room is next. (The basement. It's always the basement.)
