Library Bar & Grill

It’s a college bar. What more can I say? Packed on the weekends, but usually not as bad as Blarney’s down the street. Never had the food there, but the drinks I’ve had are made pretty strong. We encountered a really nice bartender downstairs the last time I was there. The bartender got my boyfriend’s beer order wrong, so he let him have the wrong beer as well as the correct beer-​no extra charge. Seemed like a super nice guy. My long island was made with quite a bit of booze in it, so given my minimal size, I felt it pretty darn quick.
When we were there this past Saturday night, the downstairs had the best music selection I have heard at a bar in a long time. The dance floor wasn’t what you’d call «poppin» but the guys I went with said that it was more people dancing than usual. It was fun watching the little dance circles that formed… no matter how awkward they were. Made for some solid entertainment.
Fun level of this place is at a 2 for me. Nothing makes it stand out from a standard bar, but hey, maybe it’ll grow on me.
Oh and parking is a pain in the butt. The parking garage we chose to park in (right around the corner from the Library) wouldn’t even let us out, so that was a dilemma for about 30 min. Some idiots are working in those parking garages, I swear. We were told by the security guard in the parking garage that we «might have to leave our car there overnight and get a taxi home since we couldn’t get out.» He proceeded to tell us that that’s what happened last time the little bar wouldn’t lift for someone to get out. We had to make multiple «help button» calls and eventually told him to contact his supervisor. The supervisor came within 10 minutes and physically lifted the bar, so we could finally leave. Problem solved.
Moral of the story? Be careful where you choose to park because you may get trapped like we did for a good chunk of time and have angry bitter people honking at you even though the situation is out of your control. It ain’t pretty y’all.

The bartenders were very rude and it took a while to help us. There were 4 of us there on business and definitely got the cold shoulder as an outsider. I am not sure why they were not wanting to sell beers, but we quickly left.

Everything is always cheap, definitely a place to go when you’re a broke college student. The food is great and the best night of the week is $ 5 fishbowl Wednesday. Only downside is that the service can be slow.

My problem is not with the food quality, service, or prices. It is with the cleanliness. My boyfriend and I were there last night, and I had to use the ladies room, and I was so disgusted that I did not even use it. 3 out of the 4 toilets had chunks of dried vomit on them, and all 4 stalls had walls that were grimy with who knows what type of bodily fluids. The paper towel dispenser was empty and the floors were sticky. I understand that this is a college bar in a college part of town, but that is not an excuse to not maintain the bathrooms. I do not understand how the management and employees cannot at least occasionally clean the bathrooms from the drunken nights of college kids who can’t hold their liquor all that well. There are plenty of other places to eat/​drink in Dinkytown and the surrounding areas, and I won’t be returning to the Library.

Pretty good drink deals I must admit. My main problem comes with how they charge customers. I was there and had an 8 dollar bill. It was a couple of beers and nothing more. I left them a 15% tip which I thought was pretty generous considering all they did was pour a couple of drinks. I look at my bank statement a couple of days later and they have increased the tip to 20%. So awesome if they don’t like your tip they will just steal from you. Great business practice.
Tl;Dr: If they don’t like how much you tip they will charge however much they want to your credit card aka steal from you.

I really don’t understand the really poor reviews for the library. I’ve mostly seen reviews of people realizing this is a cheap, crowded, college bar. What were you honestly expecting? You are literally right next to one of the largest colleges in the nation. Rant over.
I enjoy this place for the deals. The specials are unmatched here in dinkytown. My personal favorite is the $ 2.50 burger and fries on Tuesday. Is it an amazing burger? Not even close, but it’s well worth it for that price. It washes down nicely with a $ 2 Surly Furious.
Party scene is weak here though. Most people start at library and move onto other bars in dinkytown.

Everything a MN college bar should be. Misleading name to make sophomoric jokes over the next few hours? Check. Drink specials that just pretty much say «get hammered»? Check. Beer and misunderstood sexual tension spilt everywhere? Check. Deer hunting game and awkwardly created dancing area downstairs? Check and check. The place was very busy, they made solid shots and cocktails even though I didn’t expect much, great energy from the place. I’ve never actually tried their food but it looks alright. I rated it not from my perspective per day but for what it was intended for, a college bar and it does everything that one should. Even has Mesa pizza next door for after care :)

It was the U’s Spring Break, so the place was on the empty side. There were still drunk dude-​bros Facetiming their mom upstairs (seriously) and the bartender gave me a food menu but then failed to mention that the kitchen was closing shortly so that when I placed an order, they wouldn’t fill it.
But we got to watch some hockey and March Madness, it was walkable from where we were (the Ridder) and on the inexpensive side. Served it’s purpose, but I’m certain there are better places to drink in the area.

Cheap drinks sure. But, the staff uses cheap drinks as an excuse to treat you as a subhuman. My friend and I casually pulled a stool up to the bar. A bar-​back full of hot air let us know in a very profane way that this was not allowed. So, we elected to stand near a table. The bar-​back then took the time to immediately visit the table and bump his portly mass of gelatinous flesh into us aggressively. We asked why he was being so crass, and all he could muster was, «What did you spend here, like $ 2? It’s a college bar!» You get what you pay for. Do you like overbearing boorish bar-​backs? Go, now. Like bar staff that enjoy their jobs? Don’t.

So, caveat; I am an old soul and a bibliophile, so the idea of a «lie» of a bar called the Library just bothers me on principle! That said, this place isn’t great no matter the name. We stopped in for food before a concert at the Varsity and were underwhelmed to say the least. First, it was freezing in there, like keep your coat on and still be cold, cold! It is dingy and dark (and not in that fun mysterious bar way). The food was just, eh, and my beer tasted like a soapy glass. The bartender was really great though, so there was that…

When I was a freshman at the University of Minnesota, I had friends who would get dressed up and tell me that they were headed to «The Library» at 10 PM on a Saturday night. This freaked me out and I panicked because I thought I wasn’t studying hard enough and I envisioned myself becoming a college drop out. Not to mention, I typically dressed like a bum for late night library cram sessions. Little did I know that «The Library» is actually a bar and I figured out that I was doing all right in life besides, lacking some common sense…
The Library Bar & Grill is a University of Minnesota staple. Thea typical crowd are students and Gopher sports fans. If you’re not on campus for a game, a student, or there to pick up college chick; this bar may not be for you.
What I love:
–Cheap: Inexpensive drinks & food. If you’re willing to walk — free parking. Plus they have legit happy hour/​lunch specials.
–Dancing: I love to dance and although there’s typically not a ton of dancing going on during the weekdays/​end, the basement is dedicated to those looking to dance like there’s no tomorrow.
–Entertainment: Pool tables & an arcade style deer hunting video game available.
–Spacious: Three levels to spread out. On weekends the place feels cramped because there’s a ton of people there after about 10 PM or so.
The Meh:
–Staff/​Service: If you’re here on a weekend night, the bar staff is fabulous! They’re quick and straight to the point. For weekday food service, I’ve experienced inconsistent service and the staff tends to be a little slower and not as attentive or friendly. Not terrible service but the kind where you have to track down your server for the bill & refills etc.
–Food: The menu is full of pretty standard bar grub and nothing that will knock your socks off. The food typically seems to be made fast and not the greatest quality. Quality wise, think of Applebee’s/ Culvers appetizers.
–Parking: If you’re not willing to walk far for free parking, you’ll have to pay and it’s typically not cheap. However, there’s a parking ramp nearby as well as street parking if you can snag a spot.
Summary: The Library Bar & Grill is a fun college bar that offers cheap food & drink specials. The food & weekday vibe isn’t spectacular but the atmosphere is killer on weekend nights.

Yeah the specials are amazing. I went with a friend of mine and we got $ 2.50 burgers. It’s got a great atmosphere and also great staff. It is definitely a cool place to hang out with friends.
It can get pretty crowded at night but overall it’s a cool place to visit.

I went to The Library with a few friends to grab a drink for a friend’s birthday and being a student at the U and living close to campus, this was a good low key bar for a Friday evening. My friends all went through security fine but the security guy did not let me in so easily. I usually always get a longer examination of my driver’s license because it is from California and granted, I did have my picture taken when I was 16 so it is expected that people are wary of having a possible fake ID. The security guys looked at it under the light and even took out the book of driver’s license from all the states. When he was looking through the book he passed California and I told him he passed it and I helped him flip to the page for California licenses. He compared it to the book and started quizzing me. He asked me what part of California my hometown was in and what the capital of California was, which I answered correctly. He then asked me what the state bird of California was and its state flower. I told him I would have no clue, and he told me to not come back to The Library, as at that point he probably thought I had a fake ID. I told him that not many people in California know its state bird and state flower, which at that point he very condescendingly told me «How could you not know your state bird and flower?» I asked him if he knew his and he did. At that point, both security guys must have felt that I was carrying a fake ID and decided to confiscate my driver’s license for the night and told me that if I wanted it back, I would have to come back the next morning to get it from the manager. It was at that point that I realized, this was ridiculous. If my driver’s license is too foreign for them to recognize that it was a real driver’s license, then so be it. I do understand the need to be strict on not letting in minors into bars, and I do appreciate their thoroughness in making sure that that policy is strictly followed, and sometimes a real ID can be mistaken for a fake one. However, I do not appreciate being treated with a lack of respect and being talked to condescendingly for not knowing a trivia question. I do not appreciate that they decided to confiscate my driver’s license when I had driven there and would not be able to drive home. I told them I was not leaving that place until I got my driver’s license back. Finally they told me that I can have my ID back only if I do not return to The Library for the rest of the night. I took my ID and left. One last thing is that one of our friends came late and originally we had said to meet up at The Library. But after the incident, we left and he showed up a few minutes later thinking we were at The Library and while getting past security, overheard them say how ridiculous it was that some girl didn’t know her state bird or state flower. How rude! I am a very understanding person and can overlook many things. I know that The Library in Dinkytown is geared towards college students and these issues come up, however, I would like to be treated with respect. I am going to need a lot of convincing to ever come back to this bar.

Alright, this 4 stars is for what this place is, it is a college bar. It is way too loud, the floor was sticky with beer, but they had $ 3 Fultons! Dear LORD! Also, they advertise on Wednesdays that they have free bacon. My friend could not believe that! He was like, «Is this frickin’ legal?! Free bacon… So awesome. We also saw the guys next to us get 3 different burgers or sandwiches, and they all looked awesome!
We were waiting to see a live Adam Carolla podcast show at the Varsity theater across the street and my buddy didn’t have any dinner, so we got a chicken finger plate for like $ 5.
I am telling you, this place is awesome if you are a college kid. (My liver and brain were scared, because if I weren’t driving, it would have been bad.) They have shots of three types of Southern Comfort for like $ 3 and just a ton of drink specials. Thank you self-​control.
Our bartender was great and they had loads of TVs. A great college bar. Man I am glad I got married at 23 though and didn’t have to go through that crap for too many years. :-)

Cheap drinks, a tad dirty, very college atmosphere. Definitely come here if you are strapped for cash. Besides that, there really is not compelling reason to frequent this place.
PROTIP: They have pool tables upstairs.

As the rating says, «Meh. I’ve experienced better.»
The Library Bar & Grill (Wait, there’s a grill?! Who knew!) is one of those places I keep getting roped into going back to. Come on friends, out of all the choices in Minneapolis… really? Really?! I suppose I could refuse, but to be candid… with two-​for-​one drink specials, and oodles of d. bags just waiting at the bar with cash in their hand, it’s hard to say no…
I digress.
The Library is fun. But if you’re looking for classy, this is NOT the place for you. I think at age 25, I may be outgrowing it…

Library has to be my least favorite bar on campus. The clientele is a mix of frat stars and sorority girls, which is to be expected, mixed with the unwelcome guidos and slutty 27 year olds of Roseville.
Yeah, the drinks are cheap (Thursday nights they’re a dollar before midnight!) but I’d rather just drink my own booze and leave after midnight. Never had the food and not really expecting myself to. I will say that Library can be fun in the daytime, especially for games. The open upstairs is a cool layout, and sitting at the bar I’ve always received quick service. Go to Library for day drinking, avoid when the sun goes down.
Beware of the basement. I’ve never been down there out of fear… The TV’s on the top floor play a live video of people dancing in the basement. Uh, creepy?

I love being in Dinkytown, especially since everything’s a little cheaper so as to accomodate the college crowd. But those hipsters that frequent here may have forgotten a key ingredient to keep away the perspiration– deodorant. It smelled like a gym sock the minute I made my entrance. Buy one get one free drinks may anesthetize you temporarily, but consider yourself warned.

Good:
Cheap drinks
Ick:
Packed
Rude guys that just slam into you walking past
Everyone is completely trashed
Loud
Funny/​creepy:
They screen what’s happening on the dance floor at the bar, so people can either laugh at or stalk you

Welcome to Dinkytown. College crowd dive bar, and it does get pretty crowded. They’ve got three floors and from the looks of it, most of the dancing is in the basement? I could be wrong about that.
Beers start at a few bucks each. There are different specials each day throughout the week, so I’d keep that in mind.
Anyways, I had a good time overall here, so I wouldn’t mind revisiting this venue.