You can only handle so many "you live in NE and haven't been to Mayslack's?!" remarks before caving in and dragging The Wolfpack to this renowned Northeast dive. I had read and heard about the history here - the change of ownership and ensuing drop (supposedly) in quality of the roast beef. So I opted for The Ranchero, a 1/2 pound pepper jack cheeseburger with an onion ring and bourbon BBQ sauce on it. I was floored by this burger. Like knocked off my stool I wish I could eat this burger all night floored. I had to set it down several times during the meal - pausing to reflect on its wholesome magnificence - to make the experience last longer. The waffle fries were seasoned perfectly: enough to add some salty goodness, but not too much to out-muscle the taste of delicious potato. Best $10.50 I have spent on a meal in quite awhile. That burger ranked right up there in my Top 5 Ever. Two of the fellas ordered the roast beef...and were left a bit disappointed. Mi hombre with the wings was pleasantly surprised; the buffalo wings packed a real punch. And for the male readers out there - a few of the female servers we saw were gorgeous. And I'm talking NE kind of gorgeous...like I have some character/brains/spunk intelligence. A definite plus. As to the other Yelpsters wide-ranging opinions on this spot: I see where everyone is coming from. It was pretty loud and apparently some of the dishes (read: roast beef) are 3-star kind of fare. But the burger was banging, and if you're into the drinking scene, this would be a great place to throw down. read more

Food was amazing. Best tots/fries I've had in the cities. The server sadly was less than happy that we were there and in her presence. She assumed we didn't want drinks and huffed when we asked for a drink menu. Took fifteen minutes to check back on us after ordering, and another 15 to bring out our check. Only time I've ever considered walking out on a ticket. Not sure we'll be back read more

I'm sure Covid has had an effect on this historical Minnie bar and it's been devastating. The food was horrible. Known for roast beef? Maybe at one time. I dined with 3 friends for lunch and we all were very disappointed. One even sent her food back. (Philly Cheese steak) My Roast beef & Cheddar was chewy and didn't fit the description from the menu and the Reuben was so dry, my friend had to dip it in the seasoned sour cream to eat it. On the flip side, the service was decent, as it should be when you're the only table in the place, (quickly figured out why) and the waffle fries were yummy. Oh, and the beer was cold. I'll never go back or recommend Mayslack's. Sorry, I really wanted to like it. read more

Good bloodies, lots of space, and I would say pretty typical/decent bar food. I have had good experiences with the servers as well. I think the issue for me is that often I have not felt safe/comfortable due to some of the patrons, aka predatory men. I've seen a couple fights break out before between drunk folks who probably should have been cut off.. overall I enjoy the patio during the day for a bloody but not a place I wanna hang out late night on the weekends. read more

The classic roast beef is amazing, the Cajun wings are also very good. I definitely recommend this place. Food is served late as well. read more

Mayslack's - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

It's an institution for a reason -- the bar is well-stocked and the decor is a throwback. The sandwich was piled high with roast beef -- hard to describe just how full it was. Unfortunately, it didn't agree with one of our party's stomachs and we likely won't return. Fries were forgettable. We'd stick to drinks next time. read more

Slack's is the dive bar of nordeast. Cheap boozy drinks, good bar food, pull tabs, and eclectic people. A great place to start or finish a night. Their bar staff is friendly and will serve you quickly. The parking lot is great to leave your car in if you have too much and not have to worry about it. read more

Went to enjoy the best roast beef sandwich in town and have never been disappointed. The staff was wonderful and the timing of the meal delivery is always reasonable. Could invest in updating the restrooms a bit. Overall, I rate it an "A". read more

Excellent roast beef sandwich- the pride of Mayslacks, and a must! The wild rice soup was incredible too. The building was established in 1887 and the bar has been there since '55. Used to be a polka bar in the 70s, but now features live cover bands, such as The G 'n R cover band Dust and Bones. :-) This is an excellent stop for those wanting to experience authentic culture in historic northeast Minneapolis. read more

Mayslack's - Shot of the bar in early afternoon - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

This place smells like a urinal cake. The entire place. It's disgusting. Mayslacks used to be the spot, but now it's not worth going to. read more

Mayslack's - This is a terrible excuse for an appetizer - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Oh Mayslacks, how I hate you so. Actually I don't hate all of you, just the part of you that's open past supper time. I find it a bit pretentious which is hard to do it the dirty nordeast. Some the wait staff seems to think their shit doesn't stink and that just doesn't fly in the NE hood. They also have a lot of live shows there which means there is quite often a cover. Problem is, a lot of those live shows are shitty. However, after going and doing something so stupid, they went and created The Original and TOTALLY redeemed themselves! This roast beef masterpiece makes my me feel kinda funny, like when I used to climb the rope in gym class. It's about a lb. of roast beef simmered in beefy juicy goodness for hours and hours and it's loaded with garlic. Get it with a side of tots and you've got yourself seven meals (or one if you're a little piggy like me.) read more

Man, this stuff is just awful now. I got the mayslacks dip. It wasn't good, but not terrible. Very dry and kinda bland. The shoestring fries were riddled with green like they don't know when to use potatoes. Girlfriend got the Cuban and that was straight up awful. I thought it was bland and we both agreed the turkey on it was wayyyyy old. Dry, tough and just bad, as thought it had been frozen long ago. And green spots on half the slacks frys. Somehow the curds didn't taste very good either. I don't want to hate on mayslacks, but I just spent forty bucks on a terrible dinner. If I hadn't don it as a pick-up order, I would have sent it back. read more

Not your Daddy's Mayslacks! I remember the long lines when the sandwiches would start to be served by "Stan the Man". The beef was fresh, juicy and HAND CUT by STAN. You would stand in line to get a sandwich. Stan would always say Two Hands when he filled your plate. The sandwich they call "The Original" would make Stan spin in his grave. It is machine cut with the grain, VERY stringy, tough, dry and rubbery. The person cutting the beef does not know what they are doing. The service was very slow, due to being under staffed. Two servers working hard and one bartender who spent most of the time talking to some of his Friend's. I ruined a old memory by returning. read more

I just moved into the neighborhood and was excited that Mayslack's is just a few blocks away. Was excited. Now, before I go any further, let me say that I went here with an appetite. I wanted food. I didn't go for happy hour with a group of friends or to watch a live band. If that were the case, this review might be different. But I went there for the food, and I was very disappointed. The cheese curds tasted like they came frozen in a bag (Psycho Suzy's is still unbeaten), the onion rings were overly fried, the burger was tasteless and overcooked, and to top it all off, it did a nice job on my normally iron-clad stomach. I'll continue the search for a good neighborhood restaurant option. Suggestions welcome. read more

One star doesn't do this place justice. I heard that this was a live music joint with a penchant for rock music, including punk rock. I went on a weeknight awhile ago and it was pretty quiet so I figure I had to go on the weekend to get the full experience and I wish I didn't. Upon walking in I was greeted with bubblegum country pop and almost did a 180 there, but thought I might as well stay for this bizarre experience. The musical selection that assaulted my ears was no joke. Oh no, the clientele is dead serious: they love their Jason Aldean, so much so that he's one of the top ten "artists" played on the internet jukebox (over Hank Williams, seriously?). I had it in my head for some reason that this was like 331's grungy brother, but instead I mostly just saw bros in Affliction-like dress shirts and jeans and annoying country boy yokels pissing off the young shapely bartenders who did not hesitate to retaliate swiftly. The remaining demographic was a strange mish-mash of sorts. I love the fact that Mpls' bars are integrated for the most part and all sorts can feel comfortable, but I was expecting the opposite of mainstream garbage and that's all that I got. In this case, if this was a good divey rock bar it has since been taken over by philistines who have horrible taste in music and use the internet jukebox to their advantage to keep the rest of us out. Whereas some bars have a limited jukebox selection to ensure quality control you get the opposite here. So I had my 2nd and last beer ever in Mayslack's as a farewell to the divey live music joint that is no more or perhaps never was. read more

I got a recommendation for this place from a friend and cruised out for some grubbin' roast beef. It'd been a gorgeous day, but the sun was just starting to drop so we sat inside at one of the classic booths. "A bit small for the average American ass these days," we'd been warned. True enough, but we persevered even as our asses grew under the pressure of the immense "Original." That's what we both ordered. The original. Slow-cooked roast beef with garlic and spices, served up tall on a large roll, stacked higher with yellow deli peppers and onions. Some good, hot horseradish on the side, along with the meat juice sauce. The size of the sandwich was somewhat intimidating at first, especially when trying to squeeze it into the relatively tiny au jus container. But the juicy goodness soaked into the bread without ever compromising the integrity of the bread. Service was friendly. I was disappointed that the restrooms had been modernized and lacked any real character. read more

This place has fantastic food. I love it. I keep coming back for it. The service, on the other hand, is awful. I spent 20 minutes trying to call an order in for pickup earlier this evening, eventually realizing they took the phone off the hook. We decided to actually go there, order, and wander around until our food was ready and promptly discovered they weren't even busy. As we stood near the entrance, not one, but two waitresses looked at us and quickly hustled away. Awesome. On top of that, as we tried to figure out whether or not we would just leave, we couldn't hear each other due to the blasting "mmmbop" on the jukebox. We decided to go to the register at the end by the bathrooms and another waitress ignored us until we shouted "Hey" to her. We place order, walk around the neighborhood, return, get food, notice that four waitresses are sitting on the customer side of the bar just hanging out. This seems to be the whole issue with this place. Customer service isn't even close to a goal here. On every trip I've taken to get sandwiches here, the waitresses are always fucking around and talking to the other staff members or bartenders. Last time I was here, we sat for ten minutes after our meal was finished and watched the waitress talk to the bartender while we waited for the check to come. This was a thursday afternoon, we were one of only a handful of tables. Anyways, a few minutes ago I called again. The phone is still off the hook. For almost two hours now they've had the phone off. Does that seem appropriate? You're so lucky the food is tasty, but seriously, what's your fucking problem? read more

Mayslacks is a square building with a decent parking lot attached - no bells or whistles. The square building is split down the middle. When you enter, you see a shotgun room lined with booths on one side and a bar on the other. A wide, open doorway leads to the second half of Mayslacks. This evening the second space was quiet, but on weekends it is filled with live music and bargoers. Atmosphere: Classic dive bar. Dark lighting, greasy smells, and lots of kitschy decor. Service: I've been to Mayslack's more times than I'd like to admit and always have good service, the right balance between being attentive and giving guests space to relax and enjoy their experience. Presentation: Bar food served in baskets, beer served in pint glasses. No embellishments. Taste: Just the right amount of salty, greasy food to compliment those cheap beers. Make sure to try Stan's famous roast beef sandwich. Value for Dollar: I come back to Mayslack's for many reasons, but affordability is on the top. Check out all their weekly specials including $2.50 pints, 35 cent wings, and $4.50 bloody's. We took our time enjoying food, beers and good company without the guilt of other customers waiting to take our seat like I often experience at newer spots. Our waitress willingly split up our bill, helping all of us card users with the math. As always, it was a great night at Mayslack's. Affordable drinks, satisfying bar food, and a service that would make Stan proud. read more

You either know Mayslacks from their beef sandwiches or for their nightlife and live music. David and I are very familiar with the former. We have yet to find an Italian beef that lives up to Portillos, but Mayslacks' sandwiches fill the void. Our favorite? The French dip with giardiniera and au jus $10.50. We've also tried the Hot Italian Beef (A Chicago classic. The beef & Giardiniera relish are served with a side of au jus on a hoagie bun, $10.50), French Dip (a monster pile of beef & melted provolone cheese served with our au jus on a hoagie bun, $10.50), and Philly Cheesesteak (roast beef piled high & accompanied with sautéed onions, peppers & melted Cheese Whiz on a hoagie bun, $10.95). read more

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Roastbeast in my tummy! Yummy! Calling all carnivors, this is the place to go. Mayslacks has been serving up juicy good Mayslacks sndwiches since 1955. This sandwich is goooood. The roastbeef is tender and served on a bun, spilling out the sides. Condiments are horseradish and roasted garlic...getting hungry, drooling. The atmosphere is working class, appropriate since the notheast side of the city is a solid working class area, but with condos and luxury shops going in everywhere, it's good to have some great places like this to remind people of their roots. Sure, they serve good cold beer to wash it all down with, and yes, live music many nights - but ohhh, that sandwhich. Slip into a wooden both (original to the place, as is the tin ceiling and mosiac floor) and order up a sizeable amount of food on one plate. Date alert; If you are trying to impress your date with your table manners, leave off ordering the roastbeef until you have passed the stage where you accept each other as human beings and accept garlic infused kisses as love. read more

No better place to go, relax, eat great food and sip on cheap drinks. I've been here on multiple occasions and have never had a bad experience! Whether I'm there with a group or sitting at the bar with a friend, the staff is quick to get my order and joke around. The Original Roast Beef Sandwich is a monster of a meal and lives up to the hype. Piled of juicy meat topped with onions and coleslaw, the sandwich is a enough to feed a few people. And you have to get the tater tots on the side. Nothing beats the tater tots at Mayslack's. Nothing. (Sorry mom). The last time I went a ordered the Cajun Chicken Caesar salad and loved it. Fair warning - it's very spicy (and I have a pretty high tolerance). But I loved it. Unfortunately, salads do not come with tater tots but convince your friends to order the roast beef sandwich and you can sneak tots off of their plates. In typical Northeast fashion, the drinks are strong and cheap. Each day of the week has a drink special and if your bar tab is more than $20 you're either an alcoholic or are doing something wrong. The clientele ranges from lifers who have been going there for decades to younger neighborhood residents there for a good time. I'm pretty sure the Pedal Pubs stop there on the weekends during the spring/summer/fall so be fair warned of that, but even with those crowds you'll always find a seat at Mayslack's. read more

This place has excellent burgers, don't think anyone can match the roast beef at Wally's but it is decent at Mayslacks as well. Never have seen live music here, and am not sure if I'd wan't to because I'd probably go deaf, too small a space for rock music anyway. I always see alot of motorcyclists here, it's got a really rough look to it unfortunately. If you came upon this place and weren't familiar with the area you're in, it would probably scare the crap out of you. Not really my style of place but they do have good food. read more

On the few occasions I've actually planted my ass in a seat and held a menu in my paws, the results have been surprisingly delicious (except the coleslaw-- RUN AWAY). Not a huge selection for breakfast, but all the essentials and an excellent Bloody are present and accounted for, so no worries. Mostly, though, we're here to drink, because they pour 'em tall and they pour 'em strong. Try to show up after midnight, as there is usually a $5 cover before then but rarely a reason to pay it. The bands that play 'Slacks are typically comprised of the excessively chipper fellow from high school who added you on Facebook three years ago even though you never verbally interacted (guitar), the strange boy you knew as a kid who used to hang out in his parents' basement wearing overalls and splicing garden animals together, (drums) and Rob Lowe's less attractive doppelganger/ undiscovered third cousin (vocals/tamborine). Expect a lot of Phish. read more

The Wednesday night 35cent wings come highly recommended. I am partial to the Asian and Cajun as they compliment each other quite well. The service is always speedy despite how busy it can get. I've never had to wait more than 10 minutes for my wings. The breakfast is also pretty rockin if you're there early enough. The bloodys come with a massive beef stick, which is always a treat. The breakfast burrito is massive with the prefect hashbrown/egg/misc ratio. Weekends can be a little busy and full of the loud "whoo" types, but what place isn't these days? read more

Mayslacks is known for its meats (aka don't get the fish & chips). Stick to the burgers & roast beef, for your own good. Also, the steak fries are superior to the house waffle-cut fries. Music and beer selections were good, and the live music area was nice, but I'm not going out of my way for this one. read more

The last time I came here was for a food stop during a NE bar crawl. I stuffed myself silly but still only managed to chow 1/2 my plate down. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving the rest of my amazing sandwich behind but no room for a takeout box. What a pickle I was in, but I'm no dummy! I wrapped it in napkins and stuffed it in my purse for the road. Perhaps you can tell how far into this bar crawl I was by the behavior, but regardless, what a delectable treat at the end of the night! And worthy or not, I give that leftover philly credit for my lack of hangover the next day :) read more

OMG. Mayslacks. This was my Facebook status after my fateful dining experience here. My mouth is watering just thinking about it, and it's 9 AM. We had almost gone the night before but went to Anchor instead - but a twist of fate brought us together the next evening. Get the Classic or Original. Original = giant sandwich, no fries. Classic = two smaller sandwiches, with fries. About enough to split unless you're raging hungry. Common gripe: They charge $2.50 to split a plate. This is annoying. Restaurants everywhere, don't charge me more for the same amount of food, especially since you don't even split it for us - you just hand over an extra plate. Extra plates cost nothing more to you. Either make your giant sandwich smaller, or let people split for free. /gripe. However, considering the $10 sandwich, + $2.50 split = still a cheap meal for two people, you just have to relent and pretend it doesn't exist. Regardless of annoying policies, the food is really spectacular. Waffle fries are great, the beef is incredible, and they have a nice selection of tap beers to boot. read more

Came here last week and had a blast! They had 4 blue grass bands playing live music, the ambiance was fun and upbeat, the drinks weren't too expensive and there was adequate space to maneuver around the bar. Saw a friend there that was pregnant and she managed to make it the whole night with catching an elbow to the ol' bun oven, meaning people were considerate of her and no blantant a$$holes jumping around like a bunch of idiots. Cleanliness of bathroom was a plus, especially for a bar. read more

Super divey. Super good. I've been here a few times for the occasional drink/stop on a pub crawl, but never for dinner. Hubs and I split the Mayslack's Dip. I'm not a huge fan of roast beef but this was delicious. Fresh french bread, sauteed mushrooms & onions and provolone cheese - YUM. We ordered the waffle fries and seasoned sour cream for a side. The menu has many options but everyone mentioned the roast beef being their signature, and trust me - it was super savory! Service was awesome. We were with a large group and the servers were able to stay on top of our drink orders even after we moved tables. Live music on Friday, so things were a bit loud, but nothing I didn't expect. read more

Overlooking the fact they devote one of their 4 garbage tv's (seriously update these things, one of them has had a crack across it for 3 years now) to generic TouchTunes bs... Mayslacks can be alright. Breakfast is done best in the hood here! For the full experience search the clip of The Wrestler bar scene - filmed here! Also some part of Grumpier Old Men but they over fancified the place for that scene. Hope you don't like or need extravagant or even functioning bathrooms, might be out of luck here. All in all, the staff are what earns this place the 5 stars. Super friendly and knowledgeable, accommodating, hospitable etc. Sarah and Aly are the best! They recently added pull tabs if that's your thing. read more

For a music venue, and this is how I would characterise it, it's really not that bad, I saw a rock/metal band and drank some brews; the place can hold a decent amount of people and the beer is as good as most dive-style bars. I don't hang out at bars so I can't speak to how good of a neighborhood choice it may or may not be, but it is a cool place to see live music if you happen to know who your seeing. read more

I really don't like this place. The music is really not my favorite, so that plays a big part in it. That being said, I really don't like the whole "Cover at the door" thing.. I didn't come here to listen to music, I came here to eat, drink and chill with some friends. The staff here, hates me! I don't get it either.. I swear they do, though... talk about awkward. Oh well, the food is OK, it has never been a COMPLETE wast of time.. I'll give them that! read more

Well I really can't budge on my star value here folks. Went to Mayslacks for dinner last night and was not completely impressed. This time the Walleye sandwich did satisfy my hunger and was delicious but the wings were nothing to brag about. The service was very good however! Our waitress made sure we didn't run out of beer and was very quick and pleasant to deal with. The volume level of the music and dude running trivia was far too loud for me as a dinner patron. read more

"Oh my god! You live near Mayslack's!": what I hear every time I'm in the car with a friend or parent while peeling out towards University Ave. After a long day of drinking at the Autumn Brew Review, we popped into Mayslack's for some stick-to-your-ribs food and to see what all the hub-bub was all about. Our server was friendly and prompt - she checked in just the right number of times even though she was obviously very busy (9PM on a Saturday night). Additionally, the people watching was marvelous! I'm reasonably sure this is one of the last hold-outs of northeast that ISN'T crawling with hipsters. The food was actually quite good. I was somewhat concerned that it would just be puffed-up nostalgia, but I was proven wrong! My husband got the Original, which I'm pretty sure would have counted as multiple meals in most cultures, and I got a melt with onions, provolone, and onions (with tater tots, of course!). Yes, it's true the beef was a little dry - this is to be expected after 8+ hours of cooking - but it was delightfully garlicy and the au jus tied everything together so nicely. The one complaint I had was that there was live music. I am a musician myself so this should not bother me, yet as soon as the band started playing, I found myself instantly wanting to get out of there. Any live music that creates a conversation punctuated with, "What?!" is a deal breaker for me in a restaurant. Will definitely return, probably for the much ballyhooed meat raffle. read more

This always our starting point for our NE bar crawl! The food is amazing and their "Club Special" never disappoints! The staff is amazing and love the atmosphere! See you again soon! Kris Miller read more

I'm a Nordeast girl loud and proud, and I've been living in Nordeast longer than the average age of the patron who currently frequents Mayslack's on any given night, so I can remember every owner since Old Man Mayslack himself. (It does help that I'm fairly close to the previous owner, and I frequent his newest establishment instead.) I can also remember Polka Sunday's and have noticed that over the last few years this formerly classic neighborhood bar has turned into the local dive bar. Mayslacks used to be home of the World Famous Garlic Roast Beef Sandwich. Prepared with a pumpernickel rye bun plied high with slow roasted shaved garlic roast beef, served with the standard classic coleslaw and shoestring fries, it was something that brought people into the close-knit neighborhood to check out the local scene and see what Nordeast and it's classically hard working blue collar Eastern European people and shops were all about. The sandwich was still a classic when the bar was sold to a new owner a few years back in 2006, and I hate to say the sandwich, like the bar, has lost its old world charm. On the typical busy nights - Thursday, Friday and Saturday, it's best to avoid unless you're looking to dine in a crowd of late twenty-somethings. It's really hard to make it through to the door when you want to leave through a sea of people, and drinking in the sea of people is even worse since you may come out wearing your drink rather than drinking your drink. The tables and seats on those nights are usually fairly sticky, and have left wondering what was on my hands since I knew it wasn't food. Don't get me wrong, busy is good, which might mean service is good, right? Not always. Service can be hit or miss depending on the time and day you go in, but giving the girls a break, it is a bar, and they have to serve a lot of people on the busy nights, so you may want to be prepared to wait a bit. Tap prices really haven't changed over the last few years, and there's always a special running on drinks. The music calendar is usually pretty full, and unless you're willing to deal with a cover just to go drink, it may not be worth it. Mayslack's is still around. Pros = decent drinks at decent prices. Cons = large weekend crowds, iffy service and table sanitation. My voice says check Mayslack's out. It's still kind of Old World Charming, even if the charm has faded a little. You might go there and find a totally different experience. Mine, alas, was left crying for the the good 'ol days of good food, good service and a good time with my old neighborhood chums. read more

Nordeast dive bar with super yummy food. The inside is quite dark, with those cool patterned ceilings you don't see much anymore. The place has a grimy feel to it, but again, it's a dive bar. Live music on the weekends with a five buck cover. The wings here are consistently rated in the "top wings of the TC" for various magazines/websites. My personal favorite is the jalapeno buffalo, just the right amount of kick. They are famous for their roast beef sandwiches - and for good reason! Last time I had the philly cheesesteak, topped with sauteed onions and melted cheez whiz. (Fake cheese is my guilty pleasure.) Oh, and the portions here for the roast beef are HUGE. Happy Hour is amazing, with generous pours for only 2.50. Can't get much better than that. The bartenders are super friendly and attentive. Added bonus is the off street parking - a rarity in NE. read more

If you love a good dive bar, this is a must. Great happy hour and love the atmosphere. It's quirky and wonderful. Last time I was there, I ordered the deep dish pizza to compliment my beer... One of the best pizzas I've had. Fun place. The bathroom is gross though. read more

Good food fun location. I love the history behind this place. And all the other patrons are so friendly.

So they have a few good mood foods like their reuben and bartenders are nice. however later in the day slowly growing tight knit groups who're friends with the bartender appear and you'll feel less comfortable as they rampage the juke box and fill it with blue grass and country. Last night during bar close (2am) as were all finishing our beers(me and 12 of the bars friends) a door guy yells "finish up your beer harry potter!" i hastily finish my beer and respond "well that was pretty rude, but have a good night." as i walk out(keep in mind theres still 10 of there friends with no hurry to finish beers) the whole staff is poking fun at me read more