Always in search of a nice speakeasy experience, we came across Anoka Hardware Store while in…read moreMinneapolis before heading off to visit friends. It was a bit of a trek through rush-hour traffic from our hotel but so completely worth the trip. Discretely located through a door marked only by a red light above it we were warmly greeted by gentleman behind the hardware counter. We were prepared to answer with the password to let us in but for some reason it wasn't asked. No big deal. You are then sent through a door into the beautifully dimly-lit space of the speakeasy. There is plenty of seating, with small tables and some booths. We were shown to our table and greeted by one of the great, friendly hostesses. Drinks are ordered directly at the bar with one of the attendants. You immediately pay for your order which will then be brought to your table. Different but really a nice idea. The music was also nicely unique, with a mix of oldies from the 50's and 60's. An old black and white James Cagney movie played silently on one wall. In terms of the cocktails I have to say these are some of the most delicious and finely crafted drinks I've enjoyed. I began with the Start Your Engine, a delicious gin-based drink. My wife had an absolutely fantastic smoked Old Fashioned, smoked in a large box for a minute or two. Wow! Probably the best we've ever tasted. My second drink was another gin cocktail, the Last Word, which I'd been wanting to try for some time. A fine gin supported by green Chartreuse and lime, this was simply sublime. Highly recommended. The bar and menu is quite varied and extensive, so you're sure to find something to your liking. The space has a great vibe and mellow ambiance. Sufficiently dark, cozy and very nicely and eclectically decorated. Service was outstanding and informative. Reservations are recommended. Like many such places you are "limited" to 90-minute timeframes, which sometimes seems like not enough but ultimately works quite well. The quality of the cocktails, space and service all make for a really enjoyable time. Well worth many visits.

Such a fun vibe! My husband and I finally got a date night, and we decided to try it out. There's a…read morered light over the door in the alley, and that's where you enter. We didn't have a reservation (and we would highly recommend that you make one before going), but we were lucky enough to get the two seats at the end of the bar. Beautifully crafted cocktails with high-quality ingredients, really friendly floor manager, awesome ambience and decor. I can't wait to go back!

Very cool environment. Very romantic for valentines drinks and apps. Small dark and intimate with…read morefriendly service. Bartender was very helpful in choosing nonalcoholic drinks! We will be back again.

A hidden gem for the area. I actually am hesitant to give them a five star just to keep the place…read moreavailable for us. Great cocktails and atmosphere. In the basement of the wine bar so your party has options. Great owner and staff too.

Frequented this spot on a Wednesday night w/a few girlfriends. They had great live music,…read moreappetizers and flights were half off until 6pm, festive décor and service was alright. Prices/ Food 4/5 The meatballs marinara sauce was very well made, nachos were packed with meat and cheese. I enjoyed this quaint intimate spot. arrive early for good seating, it fills up fast. We had a blast, would definitely visit again.

I'm always impressed by the lighting and the service 10/10. Can't wait until next timeread more

Tucked away in the most unsuspecting spot, this is one of the hidden gems of Stillwater!…read more Plenty of street parking available outside or paid lot access across the street, sneak into the door and travel down to a whole underground speakeasy! The bartenders and servers keep the theme front and center in this prohibition-era spot! Plenty of comfy couches and seating arrangements to support small to medium groups! Cocktail menu has the classics and inventive new takes! Haven't had a bad drink from this spot in many a visit! Can't wait to see what they mix up next!

On a beautiful day, we decided to make a stop for cocktails at The Velveteen. Upon arriving, we…read moreentered the door and descended dimly lit stairs, then passed through a stone hallway to reach the entrance. The wait at the table was longer than we anticipated but luckily for us, there were some bar seats available. The bartender at the moment was Cameron. He gave us the rundown on the food and drinks and made several recommendations. We started off the evening with the Don Corlone. It was very tasty and also an Andorran Martini. Both drinks were delightful and were semi-sweet but not too sweet. The mixture of the Don Corlione had a perfect blend of citrus and sweetness. We then ordered the pastry puff poppers and they were amazing. The sauce complemented the pastry puffs and the filling left you wanting more. To finish the night we ordered tiramisu, cheesecake, and some bubbles. Thank you Cameron for the amazing service and experience we hope to be back again soon.

I'm still convinced I'm Serum's biggest fan. I can't get enough of this place. The chicken wings…read more The rooftop. The drink specials during happy hour. The upstairs area with live music. The popcorn. The TATERTOTS. Extra ranch please. Try to get me to shut up about this place!

Walking in, it is clear that this is a place full of regulars! We were greeted within moments of…read moreentering and were surprised at how inexpensive the food is. The decor is fun with things to look at with every turn. We just missed happy hour but we were here for the wings as we had heard so much about them. These are not your saucy, messy wings. They are full of flavor and so good! As someone who prefers the messy experience, I would still order them again! Go up one spice level from where you are comfortable as the spicier they are, the more flavorful they become. I normally am very mild and got one mild flavor and one hot. The hot was amazing! The mild was good but not as good as the hotter one. My husband had the boneless wings which were also wonderful! The server was attentive and kept our drinks full. Over all, it was a great experience. Next time I will try some of their other food. The pizza looked so yummy as it was brought out to the table next to us. It is impossible to leave here hungry!

My aunties and I went to check out this speakeasy bar that was down the street from the restaurant…read more It's kind of tricky to get in, enter through the building, walk past the bar towards the back and go downstairs. There should be a portrait on the left wall which opens to another room. That room is a decoy, a nonfunctioning bathroom. There's a black door to enter to the secret bar. Beautiful bar and cozy seating. The service was amazing, my server was preparing a cocktail with a smoke bubble gun and we were curious about it. She brought it over to show us. Fun cocktails and there is also food on the menu, but we were full from dinner. Definitely recommend if you're in the area.

Drinks were good but service was SLOW! 30 mins or so to take an order. More disorganized than…read moreanything else. More experienced server felt bad and tried to make it up with a discount. However when the bill arrived there was no discount and she wasn't around. Too bad, cool place.

Wonderful, intimate spot in Minneapolis. On our last night before returning home, Flora Room seemed…read moreas if it would fit the bill for our cocktail fix. Relatively easy to find, though you do have to hunt a little bit, Flora Room sits behind a nondescript metal door leading down a short hallway to the entrance. Take a long moment to allow your eyes to adjust if you're coming before sunset; this space is DARK. It's also perfect. Once your "night vision" kicks in you're surrounded by a nice bar, numerous bistro-style tables and booths. Candles adorn the tables creating a nice, cozy place to settle in for drinks. Once seated in comfortable chairs at a table, we were quickly greeted and provided with menus. The cocktail selection is relatively "small" but really nicely varied. Prices seemed a tad steep but frankly, given the quality of the drinks I'd say quite worth it. I started out with the Evita, a nice flavorful gin-base cocktail topped with a nice egg white foam. Very tasty. My wife opted for the Tapaculo, with gin, mezcal, pineapple, banana and bitters over ice. Also quite good. There are also bites available from the associated restaurant I can't recall the name of mine but I can say it was delicious. Bread-like bites with a really tasty dipping sauce. To close out the visit I selected Palo, a smoked aged rum cocktail that was really nice and rich. My wife chose the Nahualito with rum, walnut, amontillado and white chocolate. All should be on your radar. Flora Room really fit the bill for a nice, intimate speakeasy-style spot to spend time. Dark and cozy. Savory cocktails and friendly service will stand out and make you want to return. I know we'll seek it out if we return to Minneapolis again. I hope so.

Flora Room is a gorgeous cocktail bar located behind and beneath Chef Del Prado's steakhouse…read morePorzana. Fortunately, I arrived at 5:30 PM on a Saturday, which was early enough to avoid a line and a velvet rope. I don't wait in line for anything unless I'm at a pharmacy, bakery, post office, or airport. Lines at restaurants and bars strike me as pretentious or bad management, and I don't tolerate either. However, I'm old, and at my age, nothing is worth waiting for unless it's a necessity. I found a seat at the beautiful and expansive bar and looked around at the Del Prado design. The colors might be different, but Flora was reminiscent of Minari and Noma. All three add to the Twin Cities' cachet. However, I was taken aback by the attire I saw around me. People were dressed in shorts, T-shirts, and sneakers. It's friggen Saturday night Minneapolis. Have some class! Flora Room was a lovely cocktail lounge, perfect for wooing, but don't expect to strike up a conversation with any of the bartenders. At these Del Prado joints, the staff must be trained not to engage. I'm out alone and enjoy talking. Bartenders used to be part of a lounge's attraction when I grew up in NYC. They learned your name, knew what you did, and gave you a hearty welcome. That, I guess, is not part of the culture in Minneapolis. Well, at least not at the Del Prado restaurants and bars. Chef Del Prado is from Argentina, and certainly, Argentina is one of the warmest and friendliest countries in the world, so I don't get it. I now live up the block from the Flora Room. I'm a neighbor and would like to be treated like one. Neighborly and the Flora Room are distant concepts.

This is such a fun vibe. Especially if you can get a seat at the booth. There's usually live music…read morewhich adds to the ambience as well

Such a cool and fun experience! We were in the area for dinner and on a whim decided to check out…read morethe "speakeasy" in the area. We had no idea where to go, but heard to go down an alleyway behind up-down and then saw a random door that we had no idea was the entrance until another group came over! We knocked and they slid the door hole open to speak, it was so fun! Felt like a real speakeasy. Once we were in, we were seated in the back. There was an hour and 1/2 limit, but that was plenty of time for us to have a drink. I ordered the Me Espresso and my husband ordered the special of the day, which was a scotch with a special twist. Both were delicious! Definitely a little pricier, but the atmosphere made up for the cost. Overall I would definitely recommend! Next time we may wait for a booth to be served out of a window in the wall, did not know about that until we got there! Such a fun touch.

Great ambience!! I came for a tropical themed party loved the vibe in the event space it connects…read moreto a long indoor patio area that has a fireplace! I think it was perfect during happy hour and then could turn off when the dancing started. Food: The jerk chicken egg rolls were huge and had great flavor. Also enjoyed the little sliders. The meat on the skewers was a super weird texture like almost a mushy bite maybe it was like a vegan meat I wasn't sure. The service at the bar was a bit slow at times there was two back there but the staff worked really hard at the end as the party went late and the staff was awesome cleaning up around us til the last minute so thanks for that!!! I liked the rum punch I had and the back space looked small but still fit a Photo Booth, the food table and dj table

If you read the last part of my first review, you'll see that I unfortunately was afraid they…read morewould do exactly what they did. We went back today and while it was still good, definitely wasn't as good as it was last time. The jerk chicken plate removed the beans, changed the rice, and got rid of the sauce so it wasn't as good though it was a bit less dry than last time. They also removed the Ropa Vieja from the menu which was our favorite. My husband had the Cuban sandwich and was not impressed. The fries with it were good. The drinks were still great. Service was friendly but slow (drinks, food, and waitress all slow). Another in our party got the blackened salmon which was really good. Unfortunately, I was so nervous they would remove or change the menu to be worse, which is a common theme I've noticed with 4 different restaurants by these owners now, so I was so bummed to see that's exactly what happened. Such a cool vibe, great drinks, and a really cool new patio - but the food needs a bit of work - bring back the Ropa Vieja and the better jerk chicken!

Where swanky meets chill vibe. First time going to the Mudd Room. I was excited to go to a speak…read moreeasy, and though this one isn't super secretive or have hidden doors, the vibe was amazing. Low lighting, amazing drinks, and excellent performers with their live music. The servers were all friendly and their service was top notch. I ordered an espresso martini and it was smooth and delicious. Prices are on par with other speakeasy's. Their select food means, though I didn't try it, looked really good and I like that it is a rotating menu. Already planning my next visit back there.

My first visit to The Mudd Room last night for an acoustic gig. After some googling to confirm,…read moreMudd Room is below the Lucky's 13. When you arrive there Mudd Room is painted on the east side of the building above a small four space parking lot. Fear not; you can park on the west side of the building, also an overflow lot right there as well, a few spaces on the street in the front or across the street from there is designated parking. I entered through the west side of the building that noted Lucky's, fear not, when I entered and told the host I was looking for the Mudd Room she gave me precise directions to get downstairs! Once downstairs I came upon the nice single toilet ladies room. I proceeded in to the bar, asked the blonde bartender where the music would be? She pointed to the stage @ the end of the bar and said it could be loud right by the speaker so she'd recommend sitting a few tables away. She said the parties near the stage were tabbing out if I wanted to sit there? I said I would take a seat @ the end until they were through. Shortly after I sat down the very friendly brunette server brought me a glass of ice water... thanks! She remained attentive all night, filling my water three times. Despite not looking over the menu she was very thoughtful when she popped by just to say it was last call for the kitchen, did I want anything? I meant to get the gals names, I did not, sorry. Music wasn't too loud; the acoustics and lighting were great since the speakeasy is already dimly lit. I don't anticipate this was my last visit; very much looking forward to catching another gig here or meeting friends for drinks! The friendly and attentive service are my number one fast and hard rule for a venue... no matter how good or bad the drinks or food are.... they 90% determine if I will return. These two knocked it out of the park... thank you for such a welcoming and attentive inaugural visit, cheers!