Photo: Jack Andersen, Getty Images.
One way or another, you’re going to need a drink (or several) on Super Bowl Sunday. If your team wins, you’ll want to toast their success. If your team loses, you’ll need an imbibe-able pain reliever. Super Bowl LII is ideally located for either scenario. Minneapolis, and its neighboring metropolis St. Paul, are both hotbeds of watering holes. No matter what kind of environment you like to get blasted in, there’s a venue for you. From activity-driven bars (Pinball! Mini-golf! Live music!) to gritty dives to upscale establishments, you’ll find a place where everybody knows your name…or at least a place where a bartender is eager to fulfill your drink order.
10 Best Bars for Super Bowl Fans
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Tilt Pinball Bar
If drinking alone isn’t fun enough for you, visit Tilt Pinball Bar and bring your arcade A-game. Drinks are reasonably priced, the craft beer menu includes local brews, and pinball is 25 cents a play. Clever cocktails such as the Batman's Secret Gadget (cherry-infused bourbon, sweet vermouth, orange bitters) or the Pro Tip (Tattersall sour cherry, vodka, vanilla, lemon) will get you loosened up to kick ass and get that coveted high score.
Photo: @tiltpinballbar on Instagram.
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Can Can Wonderland
An out-of-towner favorite, Can Can Wonderland combines artist-driven mini-golf with a creative selection of crazy cocktails. Choose from themed drinks, highballs, or beer and cider floats. Sip on boozy slushies like the Brain Freeze in the Afternoon or make like a primate with a Monkey Business boozy malt. Prefer to suck your alcohol? There’s an aquavit nitrogen freeze pop on the menu for that. Where else can you tap into your inner child and simultaneously enjoy an adult beverage?
Photo: @devyn.rae on Instagram.
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Marvel Bar
If you’re looking for a speakeasy-style watering hole, look no further. Marvel Bar is one of the best-kept secrets on the Minneapolis drinking scene. If you successfully navigate your way to this underground venue, reward yourself with high-caliber cocktails like the Gatsby (salt, apricot, Bénédictine, Tomatin 12, water), the London Bridge (cascara, licorice root, Beefeater, water), or the Old Man and the Sea (nori, distilled water, Laphroaig 10).
Photo: @marvelbar on Instagram.
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Parlour Bar
If you want to get cozy and block out the world, Parlour is your place. Named one of America’s Best Bars by Playboy magazine, this lower-level haunt with cushy banquettes offers craft cocktails whipped up with artisanal spirits, syrups, elixirs, and fruit juices. Wines, shiftees, and shooters are also on the menu.
Photo: @parlourcocktails on Instagram.
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Tullibee
Calling all craft cocktail lovers! Raise a glass to Tullibee’s signature drinks bearing names as complex as their contents: Careless Whisper, I’m Trying to Break Your Heart, Faith Healer. Even the non-alcoholic offerings are enticing, featuring flavors like pomegranate and honey and spicy agave. Have a little too much? Just crash at the Hewing Hotel, one of Minneapolis’ newest and hippest hotels.
Photo: @hewinghotel on Instagram.
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Nolo's Kitchen and Bar
The North Loop neighborhood is the Brooklyn of Minneapolis, and that’s where you’ll find Nolo’s Kitchen and Bar, housed in a restored century-old hardware store. Many of the signature cocktails here contain fresh-squeezed fruit or vegetables, making them way healthier than you ever knew a cocktail could be. A solid wine list and bottomless mimosas round out the reasons why this bar’s worth a pit stop.
Photo: @noloskitchen on Instagram.
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Bar La Grassa
There’s something to said for sticking to the tried-and-true cocktails but executing them with precision every time. That’s what you get at Bar La Grassa, where the cocktail menu rarely ventures into “They did what?” territory but is of the reliable, consistently well-made variety. Vino is also a strong suit of this establishment; there are plenty of Italian varietals to choose from.
Photo: @jakeyjakenthefunkybunch on Instagram.
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Erik The Red
Located directly across from the US Bank Stadium where the Eagles and the Patriots will duke it out on Super Bowl Sunday, Erik the Red is billed as a “Nordic BBQ and Barbarian Bar.” Kick back in this casual atmosphere and order up one of 30 beers on tap, craft whiskeys, or the one-of-a-kind Bloody Mary bottle service (available on weekends).
Photo: @eriktheredmpls on Instagram.
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Palmer's
If you like grimy dive bars, Palmer’s is your alcohol haven. It’s dark, packed with history, and pours cheap, strong drinks. Expect to run into talkative regulars, see a diverse cross-section of Minneapolis’ population, and encounter a few rough customers, so keep your shit-talking to a minimum. Be forewarned: it’s a cash-only establishment.
Photo: @m_i_c_k_e_y_g_a_r_z_a on Instagram.
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Turf Club
Booze is better with musical accompaniment. That’s why there’s the Turf Club, a mainstay of the Minnesotan music and bar scenes. You’ll have to cross the river (or just hop on the light rail) to get to this no-fucks-given St. Paul establishment where the bartenders are curt and the lights are low. Perch on a stool at the bar or hold your beer high and maneuver close to the stage. No matter where you’re parked, you’ll be able to hear the latest in local and national acts that’ll complement your buzz.
Photo: @extrapalemale on Instagram.
