Visiting from Houston - my daughter took me to one of her go to spots. Super cute patio and dog friendly. Wait staff were super nice, quick food prep. Our lunch choices were very good. **only thing i would recommend is doing double corn tortillas on the street tacos - one tortilla fell apart after one bite read more

See all

Parking: plentiful street parking, with a lot in the back Ambiance: great outdoor seating with colorful murals, green ivy, and a canopy of beautiful leaves from the trees in the back patio Service: slow since it was a busy night, but we weren't in a hurry anyway. Good for vibing and conversation because we were pretty much left alone, but probably not ideal if you have an engagement afterward or are crunched for time. Food: cheese curds were excellent! They served Stillwater's Lift Bridge root beer, and I ate street birria tacos to go along with it. The birria tacos were okay, I wished that the consommé had more flavor, and the meat was dry. But the salsa de arbol that came with it was delicious! read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Street tacos: birria - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

It's a dive bar, and it's not. It's a neighborhood joint that welcomes anyone. It's original and not too fancy. On a summer or fall evening, the back patio is the place to be. It's upstairs is a great location for a group event. It has limited, mostly on street, neighborhood parking. This can be a challenge if you are running late, but it'll work out. Good drinks. Great beers. A solid good time. Cheers! read more

I've been to Sweeney's twice now, and I want to love it so bad! My friend speaks highly of this neighborhood bar/restaurant, but each time I've been pretty disappointed. The wings are overhyped, and my vodka soda was watery. My friend's burger was dry, and you have to pay an extra $1 for cheese?! We were served salsa instead of marinara with our cheese curds, and it look forever to get it corrected. The service was slow altogether, but it seems to be better when sitting on the patio (like I did last time). Speaking of the patio, it's the main reason I'd come back again. It's a cozy little oasis :) read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Patio - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

The Visit St. Paul Patio Passport program took me here. We did sit on the patio & it was a cool chill vibe. It was literally like a backyard/courtyard. We decided to just grab drinks. I got a drink and a shot. The shot was really good, it was called the Love Bomb the drinks were decent overall. The waitress was pretty attentive and nice. Not sure if the parking lot across the street belongs to them but we parked there and it was very convenient for us otherwise it was pretty busy in the area for street parking. read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

See all

I decided to give Sweeney's one more try because it had been a year so I thought maybe the place had improved. Nope! Sloppy bartenders and overall gross vibe. We overheard a table talking about the bartenders (managers?) and all I can say is I'm shocked that this place is still running. read more

Terrible service and experience. Been coming here for around 20 years. Won't return. Tacos are still good.

I had a walleye sandwich And it was the absolute worst I have ever had don't waste your time here you will not be happy

Went here for a private event and loved the place! We were on the second floor which was so nice and has a great space for a buffet and an area that would make a great dance floor. Bartender gave good recommendations for drinks, prompt and kind service, and kept the area clean throughout the event. The food we had was simple but tasty and the first floor had gotten pretty full by about 10. Good options for drinks on tap and chill vibe, I would recommend this place. read more

See all

Well if you are looking for horrible service, service with attitude, servers who could care less that you are being served and food out of the back of a food truck this might be a place for you. Stopped in last night, found an opens booth and my family and I sat down. 15 minutes later a server with such an attitude dimly showed up to take our drink orders, dropped 3 menus for 6 people and returned 15 minutes later with our drinks of which two were wrong (how does a vodka soda look yellow, should have caught that before bringing it to the table). Appetizers, curds, ice cold fries and chicken fingers took another 15 minutes (now there 45 minutes) and served by another server who could give a crap. Our original server never came back, did not bring the water we requested and never stopped by to see how the apps were, would you like another drink and did we want to order dinner. My husband went to the service station to get a few waters for our grandkids and our server show up and was like what do you want? He said water. She said I can get that and he said; I know how busy you are and no big deal. (Granted she had attitude the whole time!). He went to step aside from the service stations and tapped her shoulder to get by and she acted like he was hitting on her and jumped back and then kept 4' away from him like he was a perv. (Girl, know your audience!!!) I called back to talk to with the manager and the bar manager said he witnessed the whole interaction and told me this is a know attitude from that server. To me that says it all! So many other amazing local restaurants on Selby Ave either way you look!! read more

Stopped in on a cold snowy evening for dinner with friends. Nice atmosphere and comfortable seating. Great and knowledgeable wait staff. I ordered the soup first -which was chicken and dumplings. It was just like my grandma used to make! It was delicious and thick and creamy and the dumplings were so light and fluffy. I also ordered the 1/4# burger which , unfortunately was a huge disappointment! It came with cold fries and even though I ordered the burger medium, it was way over cooked and dry. The massive pile of lettuce on the burger also made it chilled. I know they can do better and maybe the 1/2# is the way to go. read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Chicken dumpling soup...yum!! - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

It's a great little neighborhood bar! The dark ambiance is of the cozy variety, and the staff are willing to help out (even if you do show up with a large group--just tip generously, okay?). The drinks were normal and the food was solid bar fare. I'd swing by Sweeney's again! read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Quesadilla With Chicken And Black Beans - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

we tried to get seating for early dinner Saturday about for 6 of us, (1 grandchild) plenty of room and tables. Noticed immediately bartenders and staff were not friendly. We and was told room was reserved. We tried large table by front window, was told we could not sit there either, We found two tables pushed eight, rude unattractive, unsmiling, pincushion of a woman came over and told us to squeeze onto one of the tables. we picked up and left and went down to DeGidios . oh well we tried to keep it local. Maybe a suggestion for the the bar manager, hire a Dale Carnegie trainer give a course to the staff on how to win friends and influence people. Might help greatly. read more

The food was great but the service has really gone downhill recently. Took forever to put in an order and several things were missing when the food came. Was also pretty much impossible to get the check. We had a great experience holding our wedding reception here a few years ago but today was really disappointing. read more

Came for drinks, and it was a good night. Nice ambiance with great oldies music. The service was great and I never felt like I wasn't being served. My drink was okay. My only complaint was that given the price of drinks my drink was too much mixer and no alcohol. Overall, besides the drink, Sweeney's Saloon is a nice bar to go with friends and have a good time. read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Windsor Seven - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

I alway come in Late so the kitchen is closed never had food. The patio is good, music probably on the loud side for my taste. Service is really good. read more

Great place to meet new people. Drinks are reasonably priced and their Birria quesadilla is the best but it's one of those rotating special dishes that changes. My favorite new spot to enjoy a nice cold brew. read more

Sad, cuz it's not hard to make a decent burger.... they were never great here to begin but if you came back you knew what was up and it was cheap. Thought with new owner over the last few months we might have something better? Instead we increased prices and now it's $16 bucks for the same preformed frozen cheeseburger hockey puck thing. Sweeneys I'm a neighbor and I love you but c'mon. read more

I heard this place was owned by a mean old alcoholic who used to have gay orgies here. Now he put it into a trust to give it to a baby. Cool! As a person experiencing destitute poverty, I love getting the Poor Man Special for lunch. This would have more 5 star ratings if the patrons did not get so drunk that they forgot to review it. Excellent staff read more

First time here, I've heard lots of great things for a local neighborhood bar. Parking is not bad, I found a spot down the neighborhood street, about a 2 minute walk. I met some friends and they were out in the patio. I walked through the bar to the back! The inside looked a little crowded with seating, but that's to be expected in a smaller location. It definitely gives the saloon vibe with the wood floors and ambiance. I like it! The patio is so cool. Lots of smaller sections to sit, lighting is awesome, and there's a bar outside as well with servers walking around. Such a great spot!! Definitely worth a visit just for the patio. Beer selection was alright. They were out of ciders and sours at the time. I got a berry wheat ale and it was super refreshing! Our server was attentive, but with a packed patio, we were hoping he would come around more often then he did. He was great though and patient with our ever growing table! Food was also delicious. I just ordered a basked of fries (their mustard Mayo was quite good) and it was surprisingly good and large, but someone else I sat with had a chicken quesadilla that looked great. read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Scan for the menu! Menu had lots of great options. - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

After many years I went back to this place last night with a couple of friends for some beers. The place was pretty empty so we were able to sit down right away. It took our server 10 minutes to take our beer order. We got our order in and watched our server stand behind the bar chit chatting with others for 15 minutes before he finally went to the bartender to give him our order. We sat for maybe 20 minutes and ordered another round only to wait for our server once more. We watched him flirting with others around him before placing our order once again. Needless to say we won't be going back. Also, be aware that a pitcher of IPA ( small pitcher too ) will run you around $30 with tax which is kinda nuts tbh. read more

Three stars is a-ok in my book. Sweeney's Saloon is an old timey neighborhood bar in a beautiful Victorian building in one of the loveliest and most historic neighborhoods in the United States (Cathedral Hill in St. Paul). It has a small number of sidewalk seats and a cool back patio with large trees growing through the platforms. We got a couple beers and appreciated the slightly above-average selection (it's not just Coors and Miller Lite here). Among others, they had Bent Paddle, Modist, Urban Growler, 3 Floyds and a bunch of others. The chips and salsa ($6) features great homemade chips, but the salsa was sugary sweet and not right. Skip this. I also got a build-your-own-burger with Beyond Meat ($12 + $2 for the Beyond patty). This was a classic pub burger and fine, I guess, but the char-grill stripped out the flavor of the Beyond patty. The french fries that came with the burger were dry and under-salted, so they didn't really hit the spot. Sweeney's also has one tater tot dish, but it's not vegan (covered in dairy products). Strangely, they won't just make you a plain order of tater tots. Come to Sweeney's for a drink with the locals in an atmospheric space in an amazing neighborhood, but don't expect much from the food. read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Chips and salsa ($6), vegan by default. Chips were decent but the salsa was sugary sweet and weird. - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

See all

Classic place for a beer but the food isn't worth the stop. Had the so called fish and chips. Should say fish sticks frozen from a box and the fries lacked any kind of seasoning or salt. Will get a beer but no frozen food for me read more

Great dive bar! Their food and service are fast. We have been on many occasions and returned this week craving a late night drink. Don't expect any extra fluff but the place is clean, service is efficient, and the clientele seems to be a good mix of local people and service industry workers. They have a mystery shot for $4 which I love - great fun way to get rid of bottles that aren't getting flipped! Drink prices are very reasonable and they have a poor man's special for a daily food choice to save some money as well. Food is American fare done well, not the cheapest but good quality and definitely a bargain compared to some of the bars that charge an arm and a leg for a simple sandwich. We will continue to frequent this place and bring our friends. Great place to chat if you don't mind a little background noise. TVs also often playing weird movies which is fun too. Overall just a nice ambiance to grab a beer! read more

Wings on point, beer list is good, vibe is cool... lots of nostalgia at this one. Give it a go read more

Patio in the back is awesome, you'll appreciate the tree cover on a sunny day. Happy hour specials make it feel like 1990's pricing on tacos and tap beers. Service is on par with what you'd expect from a saloon. Definitely worth paying a visit to Sweeney's. read more

Sad to see humiliating service at a Saint Paul staple. I went in with some family, 9 people, this past Sunday after Palm Sunday mass. When we arrived we were seated with server Mitch. The first think he greeted us with was a snarky comment about how parties this large should call before coming in. This was the beginning a meal whose service was embarrassing to Sweeney's to say the least. It took him 15 minutes to get out order, and when he did he seemed so frustrated with us and angry taking our order, we were not quite sure what to do. He kept making passive aggressive comments toward us, and making our business seem like a burden on him and the restaurant. I vividly remember watching him put our order in the computer, here he kept putting his face in his hands seemingly anguished. He made all of us feel unwelcome there, and gave us disrespectful service. We can only assume that this disrespect emulated from the automatic 20% gratuity at Sweeney's. I am not someone who would let my service go without a good tip. However, this service was so deplorable that Mitch would be crazy if he thinks we would have given him one. Mitch was very rude, and judging by his service I think he is not apt to be in hospitality, his attitude making him better equip for something like the DMV. I frequent Sweeney's and will not be eating there any time I see Mitch there with me. He really is a disgrace to the establishment. We are a Catholic family, and over half our party is now, or once was severe themselves. We all frequently eat out around Saint Paul and are not a difficult group to please. I hope that Sweeney's will reconsider their servers. I do not believe it will be hard to find people better than Mitch as he truly did provide the wort service that I have ever had. Just to reiterate, we felt as though the automatic gratuity made him fell as though he could treat us however he wanted. Please do better Sweeney's Mitch really is scraping the bottom of the barrel read more

The patio is amazing. The evening vibe on the patio feels cozy and intimate in a fresh but old setting. The service was great paced. We had the gyro and it was delicious. The meat was tender and flavorful. The taziki sauce was the best I've had in the metro. They have a great beer selection. This would be a great place to meet up with friends or go on a date. It's totally a hidden gem of the city. read more

We recently held a small, casual retirement party at Sweeney's in their Ashland Room. Everything was perfect. Nikki, their events organizer, was a joy to work with. The room was well-suited for our gathering, their list of beers and ciders on tap was adequate, the appetizers were very good and plentiful. (Don't miss the Cajun chicken wings!) And the price was very reasonable. They allowed us to bring cupcakes, and provided a separate table for them, a tiered display for the cakes, and a basket of small paper plates, napkins and forks. But best of all was our waitress! Mackenzie is a gem -- managed to keep drink orders straight for our cash bar (without a note pad!), run drink tabs for our guests (no need for them to pay each time they ordered), and responded quickly to any special requests we had. (Plus serving a few tables in the bar at the same time.) She kept her cool and her sense of humor. Our guests are still talking about the party and Mackenzie. And several of them are considering Sweeney's for their next gathering. read more

See all

This bar is phenomenal, the service is outstanding! But please please dont sell this crap as a Reuben sandwich. Probably the worst thing I've eaten! House made chips with no season not even salt! It was pretty bad! But I loved loved loved the service and the place! Great drinks! But dont get the Reuben! read more

Sweeney's Saloon - What they call a Reuben! - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

I went there for lunch today. It wasn't busy but it took forever to get menus and another long wait to place the order. Our food arrived and I took one bite of my flavorless chicken sandwich. I tried several times to get the server's attention to request a salt shaker. Unfortunately it would have taken much more than salt to help the dried, overcooked bird. One more bite before I called it quits. The server never checked back to see if we wanted/needed anything else and we had to ask twice for our bill. Bad food and terrible service. It's been years since I've been at Sweeney's and I will never return. 0 out of 10. read more

One of Saint Paul's old neighborhood bars. You're gonna like the back patio...start there if it's nice out. Cold out? Snuggle up to either the outdoor or indoor fireplaces. Hockey fan? Expect knowledgeable fans watching the game on the TV's. Large group? Reserve the back room. In a hurry? Go somewhere else. read more

Where do I begin.. I am at a complete loss of words with my experience last night. Just to begin I was very excited to revisit Sweeney's after it being over five years since I have been there. My friend and I went to grab a drink after a long week with sick kids, so I was just happy to be sitting down with a good friend having some good drinks and appetizers. The night went well. Our server was very friendly. Midnight comes around and my friend and I were finishing up our drink, as were quite a few others in the establishment. At about 12:05 PM there was someone clearly very drunk, sitting at the bar, but seemed to know the staff and started playing screamo music over the speakers and screaming "get the F*** out of here" it happened twice.. so we were trying to wrap up our story, and all of a sudden he approaches our table grabs the menus and tells us we need to leave right now very aggressively. My friend explained we were just finishing up our drink, and he continues to grab her drink and shakes it in her face and says she is done. He continued to stand over our table while we were getting our jackets on when my friend asked him to please step away as she felt uncomfortable. He said no, and continue to stand there over us. From there, he started hysterically laughing at us in a very scary and uncomfortable way clearly trying to intimidate us and my friend again asked him to please step back as she was scared. We quickly got our jackets on and started leaving and I asked the bartender if he had worked there and she said that he does. I am appalled by what I experienced last night. It was totally out of left field and honestly very scary. I don't know what this man's name is but This was completely unacceptable and looking to pursue further action. This man should not be working here and unfortunately, we will not be returning and will be spreading the word about this so other don't end up in this situation as well. read more

Sweeney's has always been a go to choice for our friend group. The patio is one of the best around, and we have been pleased with the food, drinks and service over the years, especially given we are usually a larger group. We recently attended a comedy event in the upstairs area and are excited about the idea of additional new and fun social opportunities in the neighborhood. We will be back! read more

The barkeep was very accommodating. My mother and I had a great time after being turned away from another local eatery. The chili is really good. Pro tip: top the chili with cheese curds. So yummy. read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Cheddar mushroom burger mmmmmmm - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

This is one of my favorite neighborhood pubs. The patio is gorgeous and a great place to hang in the summer. There is a solid beer list. The food is typical pub fare but very well done. Because I like this place so much, I reserved one of the event rooms for a baptism luncheon this past summer, and was very happy with the catered food and service. The event staff was pleasant to work with and the price was very affordable. I would definitely host another family event here in the future. read more

This place is such a hidden gem! The food here is way better than expected every single time, yet not overly priced like other joints in the area. Drinks are delicious and well poured, yet also much more reasonably priced. Beer choices are endless, atmosphere is super cool, local, and relaxed. The people that work here are so chill and nice, feel like you made quick friends! Hubby and I love this place more each time we come, and I'd say we've been here about a half dozen times. read more

See all

Stopped by for dinner. Good food, and service. Prices reasonable, and decent beer selection. Had the hangover burger--good bun and cooked the perfect medium--which is rare. Quesadillas are very good and just different enough. Tried the soup of the day too--holy flavor (it was green pork chili)!! Will try and come back for highly recommended happy hour and tacos, since everything was great tonight! read more

The outside patio is probably the best thing about this place. It's a good place to go on a cooler night with the fire crackling in the big fireplace or to have a few on the deck sitting under the lights strung in the trees. Food is nothing to write home about. Drinks specials are alright. Service can be hit or miss. read more

I definitely see why this place is popular. It's got a nice relaxed vibe and a super cool patio with wonderful overhead heaters that help keep you warm even if it's a cool night. I really enjoyed the atmosphere at Sweeney's, but the rest of our experience was kind of so-so. First of all, parking is a mess. Near the intersection of Selby and Dale, street parking can be tough. There is a lot, but it's small and there's only one entrance/exit, so it's easy to get stuck in there if there are no spots available. Second, though the atmosphere on the patio is lovely, that's about all. The beer selection is decent - a nice selection for beer lovers. But it really turned me off that the beers are served in plastic cups. I know we were on the patio, but really? A plastic cup? That is so NOT the same as an ice cold frosty pint glass. I also felt that the beers were small -- not the normal amount of ounces either. So I've got a small, warm beer in a plastic cup that I'm being charged the normal $5 or $6 for that most bars would charge. Third, the food is just OK. We sampled a number of the appetiezers, including the chicken fingers, both kinds of egg rolls, the spinach and artichoke dip. They were all mediocre and overpriced. I doubt we will be back unless some of our friends want to go there. And even then we might try to persuade them to go elsewhere. read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota