We enjoyed great music at a divey style bar. They have a nice stage and large dance floor. Seating is basic and hardly enough. Good beer on tap. read more

Wilebski's Blues Saloon - Music Venues Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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It's like your favorite dive bar with excellent music! Parking lot gets crowded when there's a good band (like last night with Drinkwine & Friends Band)-parking IS available in the shopping center across the street! Lower level has pool tables. There is a separate food vendor on site (wings were good, as well as the unusual fries). Bar service at the bar, no wait staff tonight. It may have its shortcomings (cold bathrooms, messy floors) but you can't beat it for a music venue! read more

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cheap drinks, loud music, plenty of room to dance, couple pool tables and some kitschy art on the walls. My kind of spot really.

This place is one of those great dives that turns out to be a hidden gem. Full disclosures: I didn't try the food, and I don't know my beers, so if you're looking for that, this isn't the review for you. On the other hand, if you like live blues bands, seedy bars, grease and West Coast Swing, I highly recommend Tuesday nights at the Blues Saloon. Every Tuesday, they host the "Greatest Jam On Earth" from 7 - 11 pm, no cover. You can show up, sign up, say what you're there to do, and play. Or, if you're like me, just show up and watch what happens. Located at 1638 Rice Street in St. Paul, just off of Wheelock Pkwy, you'd be forgiven for missing it. You'll see the Popeye's sign, but probably not the half burnt, dimly lit clunker of what is probably antique motel signage for this place. Also, pro tip, the door is in the back of the building behind a weathered plywood partition. You'll feel like you're approaching a liquor shop during prohibition. Once inside, though, you'll be treated to a cavernous space with multiple rooms, a bar, a big dance floor, a pool room - but the pool tables don't work, apparently abandoned by the previous owner - gritty restrooms (think rural gas station), and a feeling that you may have made a wrong turn. Until, that is, about 9 pm. What happens at 9? The most diverse collection of people I've seen since my days in New York start trickling in about 8:30. By 9, they're dancing to the music. I don't mean club dancing, though. I mean sweet West Coast Swing - and some of them are quite phenomenal, as were the live bands. I was too shy to try, at first, but my date (far more extroverted than I) pulled me out and we kind of moved around a bit - and no one cared. It was so accepting, and fun, and filled with so many different people just filling the space and having a good time. If you're looking for a place to practice your steps, add this one to your list. Oh, but don't try the hard cider on tap. It's bleh. read more

Wilebski's Blues Saloon - From the business website - Music Venues Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Last night I went here for the first time ever. A couple of years or so ago I used to live right next door to this place. It has always seemed a little intimidating! I mean where do you enter? Is there a main door? How many stages are inside? How many acts perform in a night? What Acts perform here? What's the cover, if there is one? After living in McCarrons Village as intriguing as this place seemed, I never got the courage to go inside and check it out. Thankfully last night I had the opportunity to do so! DAVINA AND THE VAGABONDS were performing! A coworker invited me to come along as she was attending Wilebski's to swing dance with some friends. Apparently Davina started around 7, but I didn't get there till 8-ish. Perfect timing though, the group was on a break so I was able to walk in pay my $15 cover charge and find my coworker with no hassle or confusion at all. There were many stairs leading to different tables, and sections of tables. There is a black light booth area where my coworker and her friends were sitting close to the stage. There is a nice open dance area for people who want to swing, jump and jive along to the music. There were 2 bars and a kitchen inside that I saw. One bar looked open while the other by the kitchen seemed to be closed. There is also a pool table section of this establishment. Seemed to be 2 or 3 tables for guests to entertain themselves. After this night I don't know why I was so intimidated before. I'm glad I went and I know I will not be shy again to attend. Especially if Davina and the Vagabonds are going to be there! For sure a night to remember! read more

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Great live music, good fast service even when busy, multiple bars open on different levels, fair prices.

I enjoy this saloon because of the live music and space to dance The ambiance is not remarkable.

Tuesday night blues was great. No cover would come back next week! Kitchen with standard bar food. read more

Wilebski's Blues Saloon - Early evening jams - Music Venues Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

I love Wilebski's! Biggest and most poppin' dive I've seen. Without a doubt, this is my favorite nightplace in the twin cities. They play a variety of music - both live and recorded - to get you out on the dance floor. They're steady busy so it stays lively; drinks are strong and cheap, and their food is sooooo good. And I've only seen a couple of fights break out! Lol. read more

This place has the worst policies I have ever come across. I will never return to this place and suggest you don't as well. I paid $20.00 at 8:30 pm and was told at 10:00 pm I had to leave my table. They said my event was over. This is a horrible policy and just a rip off of a paying customer. read more

I went to see a friends local band, Dodd Road. A good way to spend a blue Monday evening. Thaddeus covered the details. We had a snack of catfish bites, and it included a homemade tarter sauce, of all places. I got the attention of the chef when I told him I wanted to take the leftover home. Then Chef Gino starts telling me about their homemade food, and gave me a sample of blue cheese dressing and thin celery sticks. I can't wait to get their signature burgers, fresh not frozen, and huge. The pulled pork is made fresh in small batches. A friendly bartender. I don't like soft drinks in plastic cups, though. Nice bathrooms, and very private walled stalls with plenty of room. Only complaint, lighting is way too dark. There's an ATM right in the place. read more

This place was way too empty for the Sunday open blues jam. Go. The first guys that started the jam were really good. Stevie Ray's brother is going to play there, shouldn't you pay it a visit? read more

Wilebski's Blues Saloon - Sunday Open Blues Jam - Music Venues Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

I loved this place the moment I stepped inside. It's definitely a dive, but it has a certain quality about it that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Tuesday nights are my jam, blues jam to be exact! No cover and lots of great blues music to dance to, or just listen if dancing isn't your thing. Can't tell you how many great nights I've spent here recently, hope this place stays around forever! read more

I love this place. Great ongoing music of all genres. Good food you get a small buffet of food with your cover charge on Friday nights. Free Jam Sessions on Tuesday nights. Other great bar foods to buy. Exceptional wait and bar staff, very friendly and knowlegeable. Wilebskis is the Hottest Hotspot in the Twin Cities area. Big dance floor and four levels of seating. Wow! read more

This is such an awesome huge dive bar. everyone here is friendly and the bartender can really make a filthy martini. it looks like the food wouldnt be good but its actually really great and huge portions! The sound is killer and the bands are great. I just played there and we had an awesome time. cool dance floor and great place to see music. read more

Great place to go and unwind after a hard week on the rock pile ..

Wow, this place is huge. 5 different levels, 3 bars and two stages. I stopped by on the Friday of their first annual winter blast out Blues festival. I love the layout and the aging decor. It fits what a blue bar should be. There are a lot of good viewing angles for the main stage. So even if the place gets packed, most people will have a decent view. That being said, this place is so large it needs a lot of people to keep it from looking empty. I hope this does not deter people from staying when the local acts draw fewer crowds. On the bright side the summer schedule has a lot of top notch national act on the way. I highly recommend checking this place out. And at the same time you can feel good about supporting the blues. read more

This place needs some improvement - went there Saturday night to enjoy Derek St. Holmes, that was the ONLY good thing about the night. Their kitchen was closed, A/C was not working, the credit card machine did not work. Felt bad for the servers -they were very gracious in spite of all the negative. The backup band who played the entire night - had to endure the first singer (still can't figure out who he was - just awful); 2nd singer Jimmy Jamison/Survivor - still a great voice and finally Derek - the best. Felt bad for all those band guys in the heat and a handful of people. We were there in May and it was about 3 stars - very disappointed this time. Needs new website, new marketing, etc. read more

It's ok. Very crowded on Fridays. The music after 10pm is awful. The DJ needs to be consistent. Plays the same music over and over. The bartenders are awful. The alcohol appears to be watered down. The only reason I gave two stars is (1) If you are over 35, they are open til 2am and (2) A place to go. I really think they could do better. They appear to just rake in the money on Fridays and don't care about the service they provide. The service is probably the same on Saturdays. read more

Terrible, terrible service. Went there on Friday, March 26 w/some friends for dinner and to hopefully hear some good music later on in the evening. We were so appalled by the service that we didn't stay, despite having paid a $15 cover charge. We got there at 6:30 - an hour before the first act was supposed to start and 2 hours before it actually started. Only about 1/2 of the tables were full at that time. After waiting 25 minutes with no server stopping at our table, we had to walk to the bar to get drinks, and had to go to the kitchen window to order our food. My friend was interested in the "Kick Ass Ribs" that are advertised on the website, but weren't on the menu. He asked the cook if they had ribs, and was rudely told "I don't see them on the menu, do you?" When he mentioned the website, the cook grabbed the menu from his hands, feigned reading it over, and said "I still don't see them on the menu." So, we ordered burgers instead, and a $6 side of onion rings. We were required to pay cash to the cook at the time of ordering -- no chance of them writing up a ticket for us to pay w/credit cards when we left. We were told that the food would be delivered to us when it was ready. After waiting 30 mins, we went back to the kitchen to see our food sitting on the window ledge, where it had been sitting about 15 minutes. A server finally noticed us and helped us carry the food back to our tables. The food was cold (from having sat out so long), and despite there being only about 20 items on the menu, and only 4 different types of burgers, the cook managed to screw up three of our burgers. (We didn't do any special requests on the burgers, either). Plus, we didn't get the extra side of onion rings we already paid for -- the cook replaced the included fries on one of the burgers with about 5 onion rings. When we complained to the server that helped us carry the food to our table, she told us that she couldn't help us because she didn't take our order. She also said she was afraid of saying anything to the cook because he had already yelled at her three times that night. But after seeing how upset we were, she had the bar's owner come over. We explained what had happened, told her that it was unacceptable, and said that we at least wanted our $6 money back for the extra side of onion rings which never came. She said she'd take care of it but never came back to our table. All we got was one free beer from the server who "helped" us. And it was only because she said the bar tender poured the wrong kind of beer for another customer. The people at the table next to us had a similar experience. They ordered food at the kitchen window, and we advised them to have someone check back after about 15 min so their food wouldn't just sit there like ours did. Well, despite checking back every 15 minutes, it took the kitchen an hour and a half to cook their food. At least they had a server that was willing to take their drink orders. We didn't even have that. It's a shame. I really like blues, but I will never ever go back to that place. read more

Nice spacious place with character but the service is terrible. After standing at the bar for twenty minutes I gave up and thought I would wait for the waitress. After another half hour I did get a beer and never saw her again. For a $15 cover I would expect some sort of service. I am done with Wilebskis. There are better places for live music. read more

First time visiting last night to see Boom Boom Stevie V....Great venue with alot of space whether you want to sit or dance. The fun began around 6 with a free buffet and live music. $5 cover, but the drinks aren't spendy. Will definitely stop by again. read more