I was referred to this place by a buddy of mine who has been a regular for a long while. I was…read morestoked to find out about the hidden booze upstairs at my local theater. I took the wife upstairs at Paragon for the first time and was amazed at the decor and effort put into the ambiance up there. The bar area has a backsplash of windows and is quite unique. The seating in the bar area is nice with dim lights and plenty of room to move around. We sat at the bar and ordered the recommended Mezz Mac pizza (which tastes like a Big Mac in pizza form. A must try). We also got into some artichoke dip. The pizza was magical as you just don't expect that taste in that form. You can see and taste the effort that goes into its creation so you know they are serious about putting this iconic burger onto some flatbread. The artichoke dip itself was good. What we were given to dip into the sauce was not our favorite. Tortilla chips. Bleh. Hey, they were multi-colored though so it was fun to look at. I would really like to see them switch to a pita bread (toasted or warmed). We try artichoke dip everywhere and we just cannot choke (get it?) down this dip anywhere on tortilla chips. The rest of the menu items ranged from basic to interesting. The food menu is quite small but there is definitely something for everyone. There is a wide variety of specialty drinks, beers and wines to order and this is where Mezz shines. Although it may be hard to get a server/bartender's attention at times and customer lines do build up, it is still worth it. We loved being able to sit around and have a drink before and after the movie. We also were ecstatic to bring our drinks into the theater with us. We will now not see any movies elsewhere or any other way. I need a snack and drink from Mezz and a cushy, oversized VIP leather seat in the theater.

What a disaster! We…read morehad a living social voucher for dinner and a movie. We arrived at the theater to find all the ticket stands were closed. We wandered around not knowing where to go, and eventually headed upstairs to the bar area. There was no hostess or waiter, just a guy working the bar. The bartender explained we had a limited selection of appetizers to choose from, so we picked the Bruschetta. It was.... interesting. Not traditional Bruschetta at all. The bread seemed like it was a day old. Not crisp and toasted anymore - although it might have been at one point. Just sort of firm and soggy at the same time. It wasn't bad. It definitely was very gorgonzola infused. Very sauce heavy. I thought it was ok though. We also got two glasses of wine - the house chardonnay. It was not a very good wine, it was headache inducingly sharp. Definitely the cheap stuff. The better half gave me her glass and ordered a drink from the bar instead - a Victoria's Secret. The bartender had to make it by looking at the recipe on the drink card. It didn't turn out very well. It hard a sharp sour raspberry taste - like raspberry pucker with sort of a nutty taste as well. The voucher included 2 medium sodas and 2 popcorns. They sent a kid to go fetch the popcorn and he only returned with one. We had to send him back for the second one. The sodas also didn't come in the big movie cups (you know how big a "medium" is at the theatres right???). Instead the bartender just poured them in regular glass tumblers. He said he'd check on us later to see if we needed refills (which we most certainly would - they are like 8oz glasses with half of it being ice). He never did come back in to the theater to check on us though, and we really didn't want to have to leave the theater and walk back to the bar for a refill, missing parts of the movie. (I'll review the movie theater and seating on the actual theater page - this is just for the restaurant) We returned to have our entrees after the film. We sat down at 6:52. I know this precisely, because I returned a call I had received while in the movie and I have the timestamp on my phone. Let me also point out that there were never more than 5 tables of people at any given time, and there was 1 waitress working along with a couple errand boys and the bartender. The waitress never came and greeted us, and I had to go fetch menus myself from the empty hostess stand. She took forever to come take our order. When she arrived, she apologized for the wait and took our order. I had the tenderloin and the better half had the walleye. We also decided to try two more drinks off their specialty menu. I had an "O-Poppy" and she had a "Love Pink". The drinks took 20 minutes to arrive (we were timing by this point - as the better half moonlights as a server occasionally). The O-Poppy was terrible, and the ice had already mostly melted in it. It was supposed to be absinthe mixed with orange. It was colored orange alright, but all you could taste was black licorice. There were no other flavors present. She sort of liked her Love Pink, but said it wasn't very good. We resorted to going back to our sodas. The food took ONE HOUR. I repeat ONE HOUR to come out. With only 4 other tables present. We had our food arrive at 7:55. Her walleye was cold, and she had asked for tartar sauce but was told the restaurant doesn't offer tartar sauce. My tenderloin was actually quite good. It was cooked perfectly and the rub they used was very flavorful. It didn't have any sides though. Just like 2 spoonfuls of burned carrot slices and some weird purple potato thing (like half the size of a cigar). I don't know what kind of vegetable that was. We asked our server to bring out our desert right away as well. We ordered "monkey bread". The menu was not descriptive at all as to what it was. They really should just have called it cini-mini's. It's exactly the same thing as the cinamon roll bites at McDonalds. After waiting 20 minutes for our desert, and being unable to flag down the waitress (she was chatting with a bus boy), I left the table and walked up to her to remind her to go fetch our desert. She apologized again for forgetting and went and immediately returned with it. We asked for our check at the same time. She came back another 10 minutes later (we were now right around TWO HOURS since the movie ended and we sat down in the restaurant) and said she would comp the whole thing because of the slow service. That was nice of her to do, and we appreciated that they acknowledged that they screwed up, but man what a terrible dining experience!!!! Two hours of sitting around for 1 drink each, 1 entree each, and a cinnamon roll. Incredible! Just incredible. Since they let us keep the living social voucher and asked us to try them again and give them a second chance, I guess we will. I mean it's free after all so why not. I'll post an updated review after that, but things are not looking good for The Mezz so far!!!!

Beautiful restaurant inside and out! Loved the high ceilings and fireplace. The bar inside was…read moregorgeous and I look forward to sitting at the bar outside this summer! Our service was great, our server was training a new employee and both were very attentive. The food was plated well and tasted great! We look forward to returning.

Came to Omni to get an Xmas themed cocktail at Blitzens but there was an 1.5 hour wait so we went…read moreto Ember & Ice to waste time They were full as well but they said they would double check to see if they could squeeze us in and they did Such a cool vibe! Good for groups or a date night! Food: Cheese fondue for 2 - you could definitely share with more people *lots of different food options to pair with the cheese* Drinks: Duluth Cider and wine Fireplace, patio during patio season, bar, couches/lounge by fireplace Service was slow but they were busy. Staff was nice!

Standard brew pub food. However, they have a great staff and great beer. We always have a good…read moretime.

Came here a bit ago with a friend for happy hour and we ended up staying for some trivia which was…read morevery fun. They have a limited food menu but also while we were there they had a food truck as well that we had some very flavorful tacos from. There was plenty of seating and I would definitely recommend if you're in the area!

Our monthly happy hour hang out brought us to Volstead House this month to check out the snacks and…read moresips! Plenty of parking available in the shared lot out front! Enter through the Burger spot and look for the Coca Cola machine! Once you enter Volstead House, you can't help but be transported into what feels like a Spirit Library. A huge accent wall lined from floor to ceiling with spirit bottles is the perfect back drop to this cozy hang out. Perfect for a date night, friend catch-up, or solo Whiskey adventure, Volstead House is a vibe! Pair the atmosphere with top notch, educated bartenders and mixologists...you know you'll be taken care of! We started with the A La Louisiane, a spirit-forward, whiskey cocktail with some funk from Peychauds and Absinthe. It was delicious and well balanced. We also shared the Glazed Carrots and the Parm Fries. The carrots didn't hit for me, as the glaze and sauce lacked a punch of flavor but the fries were crispy and delicious. If you have a spirit enthusiast or someone that likes to explore the world of cocktails, I think this is the perfect vibe!

Super fun spot at the back of the restaurant Burgers and Bottles!…read more Everyone enjoyed their drinks and our server was super helpful with decisions. My NA drink had house grenadine that I was skeptical of in theory, but I trusted our server who promised it was not the sickeningly sweet stuff I was imagining. I am glad I trusted him- combining the grenadine with pineapple and lime too made it amazing. The fries were under-salted but the drinks, service, and atmosphere made up for it.

FANTASTIC food, drinks, service, patio area, and ambiance!…read more I'm from Arizona and visit my in-laws in central MN 1-2x per year. However, this trip we had a wedding southeast of "the cities" where wife and our two kids loved that menu online and decided to check it out on our way to the wedding the next day. Honestly, this has been my fav restaurant in all of Minnesota. Ribeye, walleye, pretzel, and drinks were perfect! Unfortunately, I likely won't be in the area ever again to revisit it; however, we liked it so much I had to post a positive review. Cheers from AZ.

Oh boy...where to start? I guess I will start with the pros…read more First, I always like to mention what day and time I visited a restaurant. I decided to get takeout for lunch on a Monday afternoon. I have been on a kick lately trying Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches, or in Barley and Vine's case, the Tennessee Hot Chicken Sandwich. That was the main reason I wanted to stop by for lunch. I placed a to-go order, but we have also dined inside several times before. Starting with the positives, the staff is always very friendly and welcoming. There is really no issue there. The staff is fantastic. The overall vibe and ambiance of the restaurant are incredibly nice as well. It leans toward a fancier, higher-end, upscale atmosphere. I honestly think that may be part of the reason several reviews are so positive and why people may perceive the food as being higher quality or better tasting. We have also had brunch here more than once. We are generally not brunch people, but we have really enjoyed the brunch items we have ordered in the past. I am hoping we can come back for brunch again, and maybe I can eventually write an updated review with a higher rating. So why only 3/5 stars? My most recent to-go visit left me incredibly disappointed. To start, the Tennessee "Hot" Chicken Sandwich is not hot at all. "Hot" is absolutely not the correct word to use. It should probably just be called a Tennessee Chicken Sandwich, and honestly, even using "Tennessee" or "Nashville" does not seem accurate. This seemed like a basic Fried Chicken Sandwich made from a frozen chicken filet with far more breading than actual chicken. It is not the most pleasant photo to look at, but I attached a picture of the partially eaten sandwich to this review. You can clearly see how little chicken meat there actually was. They put white BBQ sauce on the sandwich, but I do not really have anything particularly good or bad to say about it. It was just kind of there. It did not improve the sandwich, but it did not necessarily make it worse either. The fries were also just fine. They seemed to be lacking flavor and may have been slightly burnt. Speaking of overcooked, the chicken sandwich also tasted overcooked. Overall, the sandwich and fries were simply not very good. I would never order the sandwich again, and I would probably substitute the fries for a different side in the future. Another issue is the repeated delay with to-go orders. I have ordered takeout from Barley and Vine maybe three or four times, and every single time the order has been late. I usually arrive only one or two minutes before the scheduled pickup time. Sometimes I even wait in the parking lot because I do not want to arrive too early. Every single time, the order is not ready at the scheduled time. This time, I only had to wait about six minutes past the pickup time. However, during my previous to-go experience a few weeks earlier, I waited more than 15 minutes past the scheduled pickup time. This has also happened during other visits. Finally, everything usually comes down to whether the meal is worth the price. I paid $17.77 for the Tennessee Hot Chicken Sandwich with fries. That included a 48 cent credit card surcharge. They add a 3% surcharge to all credit card payments, which automatically leaves a bad taste in my mouth at any restaurant. It's not something they have to do, to support higher wages or whatever they want to tell you. It's something they CHOOSE to do. Other restaurants don't do, or they simply increase their menu prices 3%. Which I would rather have than yet another fee in this world. Regardless, the meal was simply not worth the price. The sandwich was not flavorful, was not spicy, did not contain enough chicken, and tasted overcooked. The fries also seemed overcooked and lacked flavor. It was not a good value. You could drive a little farther down the road to Dave's Hot Chicken and get a more flavorful meal, a larger portion, and a lower price. This review feels harsh, but I am hoping it comes across as constructive criticism if management happens to read it. Overall, I cannot recommend ordering takeout from Barley and Vine. I cannot recommend the Tennessee Hot Chicken Sandwich, and I do not particularly recommend the fries either. They were not absolutely terrible, but they were not great. I am still hoping to visit Barley and Vine again. I will likely avoid ordering takeout because it has consistently been a poor experience. However, I hope we have a better experience the next time we dine inside, and I will definitely be ordering something else.

Such clever recipes! Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Delicious drinks. Nice space. Plenty of off…read morestreet parking.

The pizzas are GOOD and cheesy! The drinks are also very good and come out quick! It gets busy so…read moremake a reservation if you want to sit down, plus they have a lot of events and great ambiance!

Everything here is great!…read more Can't wait to try it with the patio opening up as waits won't be as long...they used to have a bar called Sensers in Bloomington that catered to the sports crowd...this is like Sensers Jr in that it has TVS everywhere and great sports bar vibe but without douche bags and fights! Highly rec for a Sunday with the guys or a family night out !

We've been here before, but I guess we've been sleeping on this place because we had a great recent…read morevisit on a Saturday afternoon. I want to go back! The restaurant itself has a nice style, but it has more of an open concept vibe. It can get loud indoors, especially if there's a sporting event on. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a Taphouse, after all, but it's something to keep in mind if you're looking for a quieter restaurant. The staff has always been very nice. We've never had any issues with the service. We were starving, so we ordered quite a bit of food. We started with the crispy fried pickles. These are pretty dang great, and my wife described them as the "best fried pickles" she's ever had. I thought they were good too, but maybe not the best. You get a decent amount, a little expensive at $12. We decided to splurge on a second appetizer and ordered the jumbo bacon cheddar chive tots. These are absolutely amazing. "Heavenly" is probably the best way to describe them. I feel like I could eat 30 of these in one sitting because they're that good. They have to be some of the best jumbo tots I've ever had at a restaurant, and the house aioli makes them even better. They're $13, and while they're still a little expensive, you do get a good portion. They're good enough that I'd call them an absolute must order. My wife got the Spicy Honey Salmon Bowl and really liked it. Since it's salmon, it's obviously going to be a little more expensive, but I was impressed with the portion size. She even had leftovers to take home, and she said they reheated really well. I've been searching for the best Nashville hot chicken sandwich in the area, so I decided to order theirs. It's also available in a "Minnesota Nice" spice level, but I ordered the regular spice version. Overall, it was pretty good, but it's not the best Nashville hot chicken sandwich I've had. That said, it's probably one of the better ones in the area and MUCH MUCH better than Barley & Vine's version. I do wish it had been a little hotter because it really isn't that spicy. There's a little heat, but not much. As for the flavor of the sauce, I thought it was good, but I've definitely had better and I've certainly had worse. Overall, it's a solid sandwich, and I'd order it again. I got it with their fries and have no complaints there either. We sat outside since the weather was nice and really enjoyed the patio. The bugs were a little annoying, but there's only so much the restaurant can do about that. The service wasn't slow, but it also wasn't particularly fast. Our waitress was kind. Altogether, we ended up spending over $80 after tax and tip. It felt a little pricey, but we did order two appetizers, and my wife had salmon. There are definitely more affordable options on the menu, and considering what most restaurants are charging these days, I can't complain too much. One thing I can and will complain about, and it's partially why I deducted a star, is the 3% credit card fee. They're passing part of their overhead operating/processing costs on to the customer, on top of the higher menu prices we've all seen over the past few years. That's disappointing to see. All that said, I recommend this restaurant, and we'll definitely be back. The credit card processing fee is incredibly annoying, and while the Nashville hot chicken sandwich wasn't amazing, it was still good. The jumbo bacon cheddar chive tots are an absolute must order, and the staff has always been friendly.

My husband and I love coming here for a date night. It is casual, but the food is so good and feels…read moreelevated. The space is bright and sunny and I don't think there's a bad spot in the house. Service has always been attentive and most importantly, I've literally never had anything that wasn't delicious. This time, we ordered the coconut shrimp to start. They were so crisp and juicy and large. This is something that we get many places because it's my husband's favorite and we both agreed this was our favorite coconut shrimp so far in the Twin Cities. I got the Asian slaw salad with Aji tuna. I've had this before, it is so good especially the shoyu dressing. It sounds boring to come here and get a salad, but it's just delicious especially with the crunchy macadamia nuts. My husband got the loco Moco with short rib and loved it. We got fries on the side. The kabayaki aioli was so unexpected and good! The fries were hot, salty and crisp. Solid fries on their own. We also asked to try the ghost pepper aioli, which was fab and not too hot.

Pau Hana is a cute little, well-lit venue that really packs a unique flavor punch! The dishes are…read moreHawaiian-influenced and absolutely phenomenal. The drink menu also matches these elements and is a home run, even if a bit off-kilter from your standard fare. The Loco Moco was fantastic, the prices are somewhat reasonable, and the drinks will cap things off perfectly! Well worth the visit!