Best of Minneapolis: Bars & Restaurants

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At Rentable, we’re obsessed with the best. We want to be the best, and we want renters to have the best apartments, cities, and lives they can.

We want to steer new Minneapolis renters — and all residents wanting to try something new — in the right direction, but we needed your expert knowledge and impeccable taste. Throughout September, we sent surveys to thousands of Minneapolitans, asking for their favorite restaurants and bars in the city.

And the results are in.

Top 10 Minneapolis Restaurants

Two restaurants stand above the rest. In first place, Murray’s Restaurant garnered 27% of the votes, and in second place, Jax Cafe got just over 25%. In third place, with 16%, is Manny’s Steakhouse.

Although it’s not likely that anyone interested in the Minneapolis food scene hasn’t been to Murray’s, it’s worth another trip. The steakhouse, lit up by its recognizable red neon, is known for its silver butter knife steak — the tenderness of which speaks for itself.

Jax Cafe is another restaurant known for its steaks, as well as seafood, served in a historic environment that dates back to the restaurant’s opening back in 1933 — when Prohibition ended.

This is not the first time Manny’s Steakhouse has been chosen as one of the best. In 2011, it was also chosen as the best by readers of Mlps.St.Paul Magazine. Its 3-pound “bludgeon of beef” steak is reportedly one of the largest steaks offered on any Minneapolis menu, short of an extreme food challenge.

What have we learned? Minneapolis really loves a good steak.

Here’s the full top 10:

  1. Murray’s Restaurant
  2. Jax Cafe
  3. Manny’s Steakhouse
  4. Bar la Grassa (tie)
  5. Red Cow (tie)
  6. Butcher & Boar
  7. Smack Shack (tie)
  8. 112 Eatery (tie)
  9. Spoon & Stable
  10. Revival

Top 10 Minneapolis Bars

For bars, the race was a bit tighter. The Local won #1 with nearly 30% of the votes, followed closely by Kieran’s Irish Pub (28%) and Brit’s Pub (24%).

Smelling of rich mahogany and promoting the “lore of the Irish,” The Local is a predictable choice for favorite Minneapolis bar. It has a lively social media presence and a gorgeous, Old World-feeling interior that surrounds a hand-carved back bar. Its whiskey lounge will be one of your most-frequented favorite places in no time.

Kieran’s Irish Pub is another old-fashioned favorite with regular live music and a reliably-delicious plate of fish and chips.

Brit’s Pub, another bar to transport you across the pond, has what you need year-round. In winter, their fireplace will keep you toasty, and in the summer, head up to the rooftop deck to catch a game or play some rugby. And they welcome all types: Their tagline is “serving scholars and scoundrels since 1990.”

Here’s the full top 10, bumped up to 11 for a four-way tie for eighth place.

  1. The Local
  2. Kieran’s Irish Pub
  3. Brit’s Pub
  4. Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge
  5. Palmer’s Bar
  6. Grumpy’s Bar & Grill
  7. Stanley’s Northeast Bar Room
  8. The Cabooze (four-way tie)
  9. Marvel Bar (four-way tie)
  10. Matt’s Bar & Grill (four-way tie)
  11. Mayslacks (four-way tie)

If you’ve been to them all, you really know your stuff. If not, now’s the time to make weekend plans through the rest of the year.

Congratulations to our winners, and thanks for all of your votes!