I am sure I really can't add to all the thoughtful superlatives heaped upon this MN landmark…read more Basically, it is all true. Incredible Art Deco interior that will occupy your mind while you are waiting in quiet desperation for the act you came to see. Beer, wine and a limited bar offers the patrons something to enjoy your event with. The audio is generally pretty good, depending on where you sit. The same goes for event viewing - no obstructive view in the theater.

Recently came here to see Purple Rain. Felt familiar... later on I realized I seen Miguel in…read moreconcert here years ago. The theatre itself is nice, has an old charm to it. The seats are extremely tight, not much leg room and a bit uncomfortable after a while. I feel like the guides weren't very helpful at getting people to their seats. I I'm still not sure where they label the sections, I had to ask several people and that made some other people realize they were in the wrong seats/section. The lobby opens 1 hr before the show but the doors to be seated don't open until 30 min prior. I suggest getting there 15-20 min before the show starts for smoother entry. You will still have time to grab a drink and find your seats without the hassle of the pre show crowd. It was so chaotic. The drinks are spendy for what you get but they don't take tips so I guess it somewhat evens out. You can request a lid for your drink which for me is a must in these crowded spaces. Not my fav theatre but the if there's a play I'd like to see, I'd go here!

Armory is now my fav venue to see a concert in the Twin Cities! The acoustics are amazing and the…read morebathrooms are super clean! Bar service was quick and friendly so we were able to get back to enjoying the music ASAP. I loved that they had hot food available on the menu. Had I known, I may not have eaten so early before the concert. I'd love to try their food next time.

He Said: I have attended many concerts at The Armory, and I…read morealways enjoy the experience. The venue is a converted...wait for it...armory. The place is huge and smack in heart of downtown Minneapolis. There are street and parking ramp options. The Armory holds events other than concerts. Take a look at your personal calendar, see if there is a show you like, and buy a ticket. *Hint - if you can, go to their on-site box office to buy your tickets, so you save on the online fees). My friends have been in the suites, and they say they are great. There is, also, and small outside spot to grab some fresh air, so you do not have to exit the venue. Pros: - The place is huge, clean, and easy to get to - The sound system is great - When the crowd is really into it, you can feel the ground shake! Cons: - Some shows can be pretty expensive

Top 5 spot in the Twin Cities for theatre or concerts!! Went…read moreto a comedy show here and it sounded amazing. Lots of seating, very clean bars and restrooms. Staff was accommodating of anything we needed. Plenty of food/drink options nearby as well. Parking: on street or ramp, very reasonably priced.

Love seeing a show here. Lights and sound are fantastic. Downside is the outrageous beer prices and…read moreno reentry (smoking area) so people just vape constantly inside. Would be a 4/5 if not for those two big negatives.

This venue is nice and small, which gives the vibe of a house show or intimate performance. It's…read moremagical to see artists you really love here! Bar is in the back corner and also gives good vibes.

Such an iconic stage. So many bands. I've easily have seen over 100 bands here…read more My first time there was in the 80's and I saw Impaler. It was a beautiful way to lose my virginity to this venue. Metal with actual raw pieces of meat and fake blood. My teenage self was on the road to having ringing in my later years. Biggest name for me? Jane's Addiction before they moved to the Main Room and that Lala Palooza thing. Hell, the pretenders played there in 2023 as a warmup place to kick off their big tour and to get close to fans. How kick ass is that? The place holds 250 people. 250! Think about that. Nirvana also played that room before they blew up. The last amazing show I saw there was Melissa Carper in the late summer of 2024. Three piece band. A fiddle player, Melissa on a standup base and a dude strumming on a hollow body. It was one of those shows where the audience was there for the music and there was no chit chat. The music was beautiful and I was rocking ear plugs, even though they weren't really needed for that show. It was f'n beautiful. I can't believe I'm only associated with two photos (at the writing of this review) and I will be correcting that. Cross over between the Main Room is now kind of a pain in the ass as people typically don't do it and staff are a little in the muck but it is what it is. If you can see a show there, do it.

There's only two reviews for this gem? Sheesh!…read more So here's my confession: I buy my State Fair tix early (November each year via Instagram for a hefty discount) just because of the bands that play on this stage. Granted, I can bike to the Fair but it is THIS STAGE that has so many amazing and talented artists every single year. I only have pics of three of the bands but here's a brief line-up of the bands that I've seen here free (minus my State Fair entrance): - EnVogue - Blue Oyster Cult - Marty Stuart - Jayhawks - Marky Ramone - Semisonic What else can you say? It's general admission so if you want a great seat, you can camp out all day if you want. Plus the bands are always there for 2 nights. In addition, the Food Building is right across the street and you have Leinie's serving their tasty swill right there and the lines are always reasonable. Do yourself a favor and catch a show here if you never have.

This place is just called the Bandshell now. No beer sponsors anymore. It used to be called the…read moreGrain Belt Band Shell and was chartreuse or grinch green in color. I've seen Montgomery Gentry and Paulette Carlson of Highway 101 here in the past. Today I saw a John Denver Tribute band and a Jimmy Buffett Tribute band and both had the same lead singer. It is a nice place to sit and watch bands for free.

If you're considering the dinner-and-show experience at Acme Comedy Co., I'd suggest looking…read moreelsewhere. The only bright spot of the evening was our server at Stix, who was friendly, attentive, and did a good job. Unfortunately, the food was disappointing. The chicken was overcooked and unseasoned, and the meal was not worth the price. The comedy show was far worse. Tim Slagle's act included offensive jokes about women, LGBTQ+ people, and Somalis that were misogynistic, racist, and homophobic. Instead of being entertaining, the performance was mean-spirited and uncomfortable. We got up and left before the show ended, and we weren't alone. Hearing from staff on the way out that this is how he performs every time was especially concerning. Since Acme continues to book him, it's fair to assume they are comfortable associating their brand with that type of material. This was my first visit, and it will definitely be my last.

I've now seen a couple of different comedy shows at the Acme Comedy Club. I like how intimate the…read morevenue is, but some of the seats/rows are very close together. The lighting and sound has always been decent as well (not too loud or too bright). You don't get to pick your seat. It gets assigned after you pick up your ticket and check in. They will take in your preference on how close you want to be to the stage (remember those in the front couple row may be picked on lol). I haven't eaten at Acme before, but I've always gotten a drink. Servers walk around during the show, so there is no need to get up and go to the bar. Which is good, because you can't get served at the bar window inside of the venue. They have brought in some comedians I've heard of before and seek out to attend and others I've never heard of before, but went to anyways and I've enjoyed both equally.

I was SO looking forward to this festival as I love Asian food. The quality of the food was very…read moregood and the ViP bag & pin were cute but tickets at $85 for two was high. But the food prices were through roof. When your only options for wontons is one for $4.00 and $18.00 for 8 is unreasonable. Can I get 2 for $7.00, so I can have other small tastes of other food? $21.00 for a cup of beef ramen (commemorative noodle cup which is very cute-see photo)? The drinks were also pretty highly priced. Mt other feedback was the security check. We paid for VIP tickets and expecting a VIP entrance. Nope, everyone goes through the same line which OK, I get it, it's police policy. However, the officer went way too far in searching. Not only did he pull my wallet out, he started opening up my wallet and looking though the compartments. What was he thinking he'd find? No wonder the line was long and we were there right at 4:00 pm. And I wasn't the only one, another guest commented on the extra security needed because she had never had her wallet inspected either. Probably won't return, unless, it can become a "tasting menu" vs. $70 for 3 dishes.

Ah, Panda Festival 2026 at the Mall of America. I believe this is the second year they have had…read morethis in Minnesota. We missed out last year because the tickets sold out (my fault), but we made sure to attend it this year. Here is the good, bad, and the ugly from our adventure. We, as in me, my wife, and 11 year old daughter, made it our mission to make it this year. I got the 1000 am check in time, and paid for 4 tickets to PANDA FEST 2026! This was the earliest check in time for day 2, Saturday, August 1st. Luckily we didn't get tickets to day 1 on Friday, because it rained almost all day. Saturday was rain free, but a bit warm. The temp was in the high 80's. The 4th ticket went unused because my daughter's friend didn't make it. We made sure we arrived about 20 minutes early, because I had no idea where to park. The event was in the far north parking lot of the MOA (Mall of America). I was happy to see that there was plenty of parking about 2 blocks from the festivities, and the parking lot was enormous. We walked to the entrance, and there was already a long line that had formed, and it was pretty regulated with the typical cattle guard fences and MOA security overlooking everything. We didn't have to wait long, and the MC of the event got on her "toy" bull horn and welcomed everyone to the second annual Panda Festival. The countdown started, and everyone shuffled through the security checkpoint that was manned by MOA personnel, and Bloomington Police Officers. This was a pretty secure checkpoint that looked like Terminal One of the MSP airport. Yes, they even had metal detectors, and all bags/purses were checked. No vapes, lighters, guns, or weapons, outside beverages or food were allowed in. But no worries, it looked like a few vapes were tossed on the ground before the check in. Confession time. I'm a retired copper of 30 years, and always carry a knife on me. Today was no exception. I figured my chances were about 50/50 on whether my very expensive knife was going to trigger the metal detectors. But I decided to play the odds, and then flash my Police ID if the detector went off. I'd hand over the knife, but return later to get it after we left the venue. However, I passed through the metal detectors no problem, despite having my cell phone, and a janitor sized keychain on my belt loop. Read that as you may, but methinks the sensitivity of the metal detectors were set a bit too low. Anyway, we passed the checkpoint, got our collectable panda pins, and the inflatable panda headbands. It was a nice touch that the headband station had hand pumps to pump up the headbands. My daughter loved the headbands. Now, it was time to eat! If you are a foodie, this was the place to be. Evidently there were over 80 food vendors here, and the variety was enough to satisfy almost everyone. We started off with 2 fruit juices since it was pretty hot out. The two juices were okay, and set us back about $10 a piece. We then decided to get something to eat. My daughter (who took all the pictures, thanks Dixi!) got some fresh fruit that was caramelized in a sugar shell. I got a marinated steak skewer that was about 14 inches long that was pretty fatty (very fatty) but tasted pretty good. The wife abstained from eating but got a potato tornado drenched in blue Taqui dust later (didn't like it). We then proceeded to check the rest of the place out, and I won a trivia contest that yielded a bamboo Vietnamese rice hat for the daughter. Then we ate more food. The highlight was a weird concoction of an ice cream cone that was shaped like a question mark that my daughter had seen on YouTube. It was messy, but tasted pretty good. She also had a conversation with the YouTube influencer that was there, so she was happy about that. We lasted about 2 1/2 hours due to the heat, but managed to visit the entire venue, albeit about $150.00 lighter, much to my chagrin. We had fun, ate a lot, but it was not cheap. Case in point: a panda container of fresh watermelon juice set us back $25. The average cost of a single item was around $15. With that said, the best deal was a Thai style papaya salad made to order for $10. It was very good, and was good for about 3 servings. All in all, we had a good time, but it was expensive. Will we go next year if Panda Festival comes back? Probably. This place made bank, and it was a huge crowd. A word of advice: Don't do the VIP treatment. It's not worth it, and basically gets you a slightly shorter line on entrance, a small swag bag, and more access to the port a potties. Shell out for the general admin tickets. The line goes quick. All in all we had a good time. Thanks to the kiddo for the pictures taken, and she got interviewed by a reporter from the Star Tribune on camera. Expensive, but it was an experience.

I came to the Sunday Market with my uncle. We arrived relatively early (around noon), so there was…read morealmost no waiting. It was absolutely perfect for lunch. The portions are generous, the food comes out quickly, and both my uncle and I loved our meals. My uncle went for the Pad Thai, and I snagged the cream cheese won tons. They were huge! Crispy and warm on the outside and stuffed with smooth cream cheese. The dipping sauce was glorious (and had exactly the right amount). I was a very happy camper. In addition to the food, there were a handful of vendors selling clothing, crafts, and desserts. We might possibly have picked up some custard buns, which were out of this world. Imagine the best sweet Hawaiian roll you've had, then imagine it's full of a creamy custard. I opted for the regular and my uncle got the pandan. We were both utterly delighted. It's absolutely worth a trip at least once to support a great local community and enjoy some delicious food. Pro tip: if the parking is full around there, you can park across highway 100 near the synagogue. It's an easy walk, and there are almost always spots.

This pop up buffet is so good! It's very simple and small but has everything I crave. They have it…read moreat the temple and it gets really busy so they have an online check in. It's really easy to let them know we are on the waitlist and it tells you how many people are in line. Very easy to let them know when we are there and they let us know when to go in. The entrance is a little sketch since there's a few doors to go through but once we are in we were greeted with big smiles. Everyone was really nice and I was surprised they were high tech with their seating. When we went it wasn't that busy and we got in pretty quick. The waitlist said only 2 people ahead of us. It's not safe in Minneapolis with ICE here right now so makes sense it was not as busy. Unfortunately they are closed for now but I'm glad we got a chance to try. My siblings and I have been looking forward to it for a year. The food itself was really good!!! Most of the time buffet foods that sit for a while are not good but this all tasted really fresh and the hot food was still steaming hot which I enjoyed. The papaya salad had a good spice but was mild enough to where you could add more if you wanted. The curry had spice too but it was so flavorful. The boat noodle was full of flavor, I added more spice to that. I'm glad they add the broth in when you are ready instead of giving us soggy noodles. I appreciated all the bamboo that was in the stir fry dishes. The wontons were very tasty! The chicken wings were cooked perfectly. Crispy and flavorful. You get a lot for $22! I don't think we would even get this at a restaurant anymore with dishes being $20+ kids are only $11. They had a variety of drinks available too for purchase. Thai tea and Thai coffee are always our go-tos. We were planning on coming back soon but since ICE is here we cannot enjoy it until they open up again! Hoping everyone stays safe!