A Senior’s Rating of Every UMN Campus Bar (Sally’s Saloon – 10/10)

BleedGopher

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per John:

Stub and Herbs – 7.5/10

Stub and Herbs, called “Sterbs” by some, might be the most classic bar left on campus. It’s old enough that my alumni parents tell stories about it from the 80s. Inside there is a cozy vibe with old wood panels and Gopher memorabilia. To get to the bathroom, you need to go downstairs to the basement which used to be an old dance floor and it makes you think “If these walls could talk…” The best times I have had at Stub and Herbs have been the casual school night drinks. It’s also a great spot for alumni on game days with tailgates in their parking lot.

Blarney’s – 6.5/10

Blarney’s checks the box as campus’ Irish pub. It boasts a decent dance floor and has fun events for special holidays. Most times I have been here for private events and date parties. It has seen a demographic shift in my four years. As a freshman, it was known as a spot for seniors that was forbidden for campus minors, but Covid has seemed to reverse this trend. Overall they have solid food and a decent number of good tap beers. It’s kind of pricey. Never the first option, but I’ll sometimes stop in.

Burrito Loco – 9/10

“Bloco” may be the dark horse of UMN bars. At first, your friends will be apprehensive if you try to convince them to come with you, but they will be amazed. Every night there is some sort of deal. Amazing selection of beer on tap and cheap rail margaritas and fishbowls. You can have a good time for a little money. This is the unbeatable spot for weeknight drinking. Nothing tops sitting at the patio sipping on a Modelo on a warm summer night. Burrito Loco will always have a place in my heart.

Kollege Klub – 8/10

While arriving on the scene in 2019, Kollege Klub has quickly become the spot on campus. Notorious for being strict on fake IDs, the KK has become the spot for upperclassmen. While I do have sympathy for my younger self trying everything to get in, it’s nice to have a dedicated watering hole for upperclassmen only. FACs, Wine Wednesdays, 2-4-1’s on Tuesdays, the Kollege Klub knows how to attract business. In its short tenure on campus, it has become the old reliable for Gopher veterans.

Sally’s Saloon – 10/10

I’ve saved the best for last. Sals is the GOAT of bars on UMNs campus. It holds a sentimental place in my heart and the hearts of many from years of memories and cheap drinks. Freshman year, we would make the pilgrimage to Superblock to try our luck at getting into Sals. After months on campus, your crew would start to develop strategies to maximize success at getting in. If the bouncer let you in, you were in for a legendary night. While you tend to go to Sals less as you get older, there’s always a reason to keep coming back. 3 to 6 happy hours, watching the game, going just for the hell of it. Sally’s Saloon is a place we will tell our kids about decades from now.


Go Gophers!!
 




Sally's rating seems a bit aggressive, but i'd imagine my younger self would be more on board with it. amazing the number of 18 year olds that seem to find a way in there and get far too drunk
 




Okay, I miss Stadium Village and the Big Ten, but there I go, I am dating myself to the 1978-1984 timeframe. We all spent a fair share of time/money at Sterbs.......

In 1978, the drinking age in Minnesota was 19 and there did not seem to be much of an effort to catch 18 year olds and deny them access to the bars, especially the BigTen which seemed to specialize in serving freshmen.

As I recall.


And I vaguely recall a drinking experience after the Nebrasks 84-13 shellacking of the Cophers in the fall of 1983. I think it was Sgt. Preston's. I think I drank a pretty fair amount of booze. Ahh the memory - It still hurts......

Some of Jerry's teams and of course P.J.'s recent teams have helped ease the Nebraska hurt of course.
 

U of Georgia's downtown has like 80 bars or something crazy. This list has five.

Would imagine the U (TC) is fairly down the list of party schools.
 






U of Georgia's downtown has like 80 bars or something crazy. This list has five.

Would imagine the U (TC) is fairly down the list of party schools.
Athens has 80 bars in total, not just downtown. This list is only those directly adjacent to campus and even then isn't close to comprehensive. Though party schools don't typically make their reputation based on number of bars..
 



Athens has 80 bars in total, not just downtown. This list is only those directly adjacent to campus and even then isn't close to comprehensive. Though party schools don't typically make their reputation based on number of bars..
Bolded is a fair point. The U has frat row. I have zero idea how much they're allowed to party these days, in these times.
 



Bullwinkles

Went to Bullwinkles after a Gopher football game this year and it was absolutely awful. Dirty, awful stench and no one was there. It was sad, as I have so many fond memories of that place in the 80's and 90's.
 



U of Georgia's downtown has like 80 bars or something crazy. This list has five.

Would imagine the U (TC) is fairly down the list of party schools.

Minnesota is just different, as an urban school an $8 Uber ride from a grown-up downtown big city party scene. Athens probably doesn't have much of that. It's always put a damper on the Greek system, the on-campus bar scene, college football, etc. It's the salty with the sweet.
 

Okay, I miss Stadium Village and the Big Ten, but there I go, I am dating myself to the 1978-1984 timeframe. We all spent a fair share of time/money at Sterbs.......

In 1978, the drinking age in Minnesota was 19 and there did not seem to be much of an effort to catch 18 year olds and deny them access to the bars, especially the BigTen which seemed to specialize in serving freshmen.

As I recall.


And I vaguely recall a drinking experience after the Nebrasks 84-13 shellacking of the Cophers in the fall of 1983. I think it was Sgt. Preston's. I think I drank a pretty fair amount of booze. Ahh the memory - It still hurts......

Some of Jerry's teams and of course P.J.'s recent teams have helped ease the Nebraska hurt of course.
Big Ten (Brick House) was a mainstay until 2016-17. I miss the subs...sandwich bar at Preston's was fabulous and I don't think it had a TV the whole time it was open including Republic years.
 

Big Ten (Brick House) was a mainstay until 2016-17. I miss the subs...sandwich bar at Preston's was fabulous and I don't think it had a TV the whole time it was open including Republic years.
The patio there is too amazing to just let it sit unused. Did Town Hall or someone take it over to at least provide summer service on the patio?
 


Call me a "back in my day" guy, but I miss the old Sally's set-up, with the Moonshine Shack bar in the back.

Sterbs is really the only link to the old days that still exists. Fowl Play, Sparky's, Sgt Prestons & Grandma's; nothing but memories in my mind.

Not all change is bad; I do think Blarney's is a pretty decent place.
 

Minnesota is just different, as an urban school an $8 Uber ride from a grown-up downtown big city party scene.
I'm always amazed (and disappointed) how few options there are on campus (worse now than ever), but perhaps you've hit the nail on the head here. It just sucks that you can show up over 2 hours early for a hockey game that has less than 10,000 fans attending, and still not be able to get a table anywhere.
 

Went to Bullwinkles after a Gopher football game this year and it was absolutely awful. Dirty, awful stench and no one was there. It was sad, as I have so many fond memories of that place in the 80's and 90's.
Haven't been there in years, but it was probably the spot I frequented most often back in the day, so I am sorry to hear the current iteration didn't live up to the past. To be fair, in the 80's and 90's during my Bullwinkle's heydays, it was sort of a dirty place and it did have a noticeable funk to it. It wasn't empty though.
 

Fox 9 reporters spotted drooling...,
Yep. My daughter is a recent U of M grad and she and all her friends hung out at Sally's their freshman and sophomore years. Sally's knows what is going on -- just like most of the bars in Dinkytown deny the fake IDs.

Every college neighborhood seems to have one bar that looks at fake IDs without much scrutiny (Tiffany's in Highland Park is one for the St. Paul schools). Fox 9 could figure out where those are and make some hay if they spot U of M athletes there.
 


Yep. My daughter is a recent U of M grad and she and all her friends hung out at Sally's their freshman and sophomore years. Sally's knows what is going on -- just like most of the bars in Dinkytown deny the fake IDs.

Every college neighborhood seems to have one bar that looks at fake IDs without much scrutiny (Tiffany's in Highland Park is one for the St. Paul schools). Fox 9 could figure out where those are and make some hay if they spot U of M athletes there.
Sorry, It's an old reference. They had this big multi day segment about the U of M hockey team and drinking. IIRC The video showed ONE upper classman with what appeared to be a beer. It was a ratings week "expose'".
 





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