Prohibition

I came here for a nightcap and I saw a couple of guys ma-​king out he! n0us! On the flip side I was pleasantly surprised to have met Harris Faulkner as she was exiting by the elevators!

My favorite spot to go out in the TC hands down. Great drinks, atmosphere, and service. This is also where I take people from out of town to show how classy we can be!

Great view but service was very slow. In three hours we were served two drinks each and it took going to the bar to pay our bill (after waiting 30 minutes). We were told there was a computer issue and management was very apologetic. In fact our bill was completely covered. Hopefully this was just a bad night.

It was hard to not give this one a five. Amazing drinks, luxurious setting and absolutely stunning views of downtown Minneapolis. I’ve been to Prohibition twice, and I’m sure I will visit again soon!
To give you a little background info, Prohibition is a «speakeasy» on the 27^th floor of the glamorous Foshay Tower. The tower has been converted into an upscale hotel – The W – and you can still visit the observation deck for Panoramic views of downtown. The bar was once a luxurious penthouse for Wilbur Foshay.
Starting with the drinks; everything is fantastic and made to perfection. You can’t go wrong with the Minnesota Mule, but the Maple Leaf is truly unique. This cocktail is the epitome of mixology – or at least I thought so at the time. Vanilla vodka, lemon and lime, orange juice, maple syrup and rimmed with vanilla sugar, if I remember correctly.
The service is great, but not the most welcoming. I would wear something nice, because the staff and clientele will give you a side-​eye if you’re in your Twins hoodie. Also, the prices aren’t great. You’re looking at around $ 15 per cocktail, unless you visit on a weekday during happy hour, then they are only about $ 8.

Great night views of the city on the 27^th floor. The service is friendly and prompt. The cocktail menu is decent. A little something for everyone. The specialty cocktails are the same as the ones served on the first floor in ‘The Living Room’.
I had a Sazerac, which they make with Knob Creek Rye. It was very good. My second cocktail was a Makers Mark old-​fashioned. A perfect way to cap off the evening, following dinner at Manny’s Steakhouse, also on the first floor.

Nice atmosphere. Good service. An excellent selection of old time cocktails that are well-​made. Lots of comfortable couches. A fun place for drinks.

This is one of those swanky places where you’ll likely get your drink bought for you by some guy whose opening lines include his salary. (Thanks, random dude!)
If you can get past that part, you’ll find a spacious, mostly quiet (!) area on the 27^th floor to sit and chat with friends over very strong cocktails. The seating is extremely comfortable and lavish, and the lighting is dim, but not so dark you can’t see anything.
The service is, honestly, pretty poor. I suspect because there might be two bartenders and seemingly one server. Be prepared to wait for your order.
It’s also great for people watching. Swanky people of all types up in this joint!

This is more of a place out-​of-​towners will frequent rather than local people. However, I definitely would recommend for locals to check it out at least once. I tend not to do touristy stuff when I’m living in a city –so it’s easy to miss this place out of sheer habit of just preferring going to my other local spots in the city.
I thought Prohibition would be a stuffy, boring, old people lounge, but actually, it’s quite classy and swank. But yeah, there are alot of old people too, from late 30s and up. Nothing wrong with that. Everyone is dressed nicely and the mood was right. No one obnoxious on the night that I went.
The cocktails were delicious and stiff, and priced around $ 15 -$ 17 dollars. I would recommend going during their happy hour from 5pm –7pm so you can save some cash, but also get to enjoy the chic atmosphere and glittering views before going out for dinner or dancing.
The windows aren’t as grand as I would have liked. You can still see great cityscape views but it would be more impressive if the windows were larger.
One thing that seemed off, is the style of bartender they have. He mixed great drinks, but had such a drab personality and was overly hyper concerned about checking IDs of old people like me. Funny thing is, the bartender is a young man, likely 6 – 10 years younger than me. America is the only country that is this hyper anal retentive about checking IDs of old people. Europe doesn’t do this, Asia doesn’t do this, South America doesn’t do this. Ironic that this is the case at a place called «Prohibition» based off the prohibition days! Anyway, I’m going off on a tangent here, but I will say, I would recommend hiring bartenders with a more charming and dashing personality to match the establishment. Personality makes such a difference.

Probably the worst MANHATTAN ever. I quickly pulled out the red dyed maraschino cherry and asked for an orange twist and then I quickly pulled out the orange
wedge. The cocktail was shaken to death and I think there was about 4 ounces of bitters. The bartender all thou was cute I felt like I was at a fraternity party. Nota service for an up scale price point. Done !!!

Overall 3.5 stars. Located on the 27^th floor inside the W– The Foshay (see my review of the property) in downtown Minneapolis, I came here after our dinner at Le Meridien (see my review of that amazing dinner!!!) to rub elbows with some big wigs lol
I know nothing about pricing for 2 reasons. First, it was all expenses paid, and second I just had water lol. But everyone else seemed to be enjoying their alcohol infused beverages lol
I did try a chicken wing and a grilled cheese thingie. The chicken wing was really good, but I wasn’t crazy about the grilled cheese thingie. Had a weird tangy taste to it that you don’t want or expect. Took one bite and tossed it.
Service for our bartender was attentive and she kept me refilled at all times. They have little couch/​cushioned chair areas, bar seating, high chair seating and even one large (at least in the area we were at) bed type seating.
Their bathrooms are kind of out in the open by the bar 2 each for M/​W with a unisex sink in the middle, again out in the open. They also have hand sanitizer if you’re too lazy to wash your hands (EEEEW!). Reminded me of Ally McBeal lol
I am not a bar chick or a big drinker and I think this is the first bar I’ve been to in about 20 years lol… but I appreciated that there was no disgusting cigarette smoke that I could detect anywhere.
So for first time being in a bar in forever, this was the way to go. It wasn’t all hot, gross, smoky in there. I was comfortable and not sweating lol.

Nice atmosphere and great views from the top floor of the Foshay. Not sure if this bar is a well-​kept secret because it is rarely packed. They make a good martini.

Very cool place with beautiful views of the city. It was smaller inside than I expected but there is plenty of seating and a good mixture of tables and more lounge type seating. My recommendation is to go between 5−7pm for their happy which includes 4 different drinks. The happy hour drinks change frequently though typically you have 3 «craft cocktails» and a classic Martini (vodka) your choice for $ 8. The normal craft cocktail prices are pretty high but you are paying for the atmosphere and view.
I met a customer here for a meeting at 5:30pm and it was a perfect spot for that. That early in the day it doesn’t feel too «nightclub» and is full primarily of business people.

This place is great if you want something fancy with dapper looking people. They usually have a fun dj most Saturday nights and the drinks are powerful. Like knock you off the train into the wild Wild West powerful. With the advent of parlour and navel though, there are places similar with a quieter atmosphere.

This is my absolute favorite place to go! The staff is beautiful and not snotty at all. The views of the city are wonderful. The food and drinks are made to absolute perfection and the atmosphere is dangerously romantic and intimate. I walked in there and wandered around and thought for sure I would find a couple off in one the hidden nooks of the place getting it on! It’s that great! Obviously the menu is all out delicious! If you go downtown and haven’t been here you are missing out…
To whoever thought about this idea kudos the only thing that was missing was Sinatra in the corner singing «send in the clowns»

I’ve been coming here on and off for 6 years. I cannot believe I haven’t reviewed Prohibition yet! The place is gorgeous. Located on the 27^th floor of the W Hotel inside the Foshay Tower, it opens at 5pm everyday. They used to have their Happy Hour from 5pm-​7pm every day, but on our most recent visit we learned they changed that to Monday — Friday only, no more weekends. It was a treat to pay $ 5 for a luscious cocktail and always a nice surprise to see what kind of cocktails they would have that day.
An Epiphany — the most beautiful cocktail ever! Grey Goose La Poire (pear vodka), St. Germain Elderflower liquer, and champagne. They place the orchid on the end of your glass, and you can drop it right inside if you wish. It was almost too pretty to drink!
Bluephoria — another masterpiece. Stoli Blueberi, St. Germain, fresh squeezed lime, fresh blueberries. Absolutely delicious. I’ve had this cocktail twice now, and both times it almost «blue» me away.
An excellent spot to enjoy some wonderful views of Minneapolis. The space is not very big, but it works well. Prohibition is the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail before splurging on a magnificent dinner at Manny’s Steakhouse. It has become a favorite of ours since living here. A definite must if you are staying at the W Hotel and visiting this city!

Prohibition is a very classy bar, no not pretentious and you don’t need to get all dressed up, but it’s a really nice bar on the 27^th floor in the W Hotel. The drinks are superbly mixed and delicious. They’re also strong, so I suggest a DD or staying the night in this boutique hotel.

One of my favorite spots to drink, for three simple reasons:
1. Megan is the BEST server in the biz. She remembers me and my friends by name, and the drinks we order, many of them after us being there only once!
2. An Epiphany = perfection. Trust me and order it.
3. The view of the city is unparalleled.
The only downside is that the space is small and can get crowded occasionally.

Beauuuuuutiful view. We came here after having dinner and drinks at Nightingale. We had a nice, tall 4 topper bar table we were really lucky to score as the place was PACKED. If we hadn’t gotten there kind of early this probably would be a different review because I’m certain they just pack people in this place. There’s a variety of types of seating. For example, there are tables w/​chairs, odd chairs grouped together, low stools and ottomans around coffee tables, chaises etc. and this makes it different and visually appealing, especially in low light with the city sparkling behind you.
In typical Midwest fashion, it’s an upscal-​ish place that still has a few folks in casual clothing, which I don’t mind.
We had good service.
Come for the views, not the drinks. It’s pricey for cocktails. My drink was tasty but the drinks at Nightingale were just as good at a third of the price. This is where you buy something simple like a cognac or scotch and sip it slow.

Abysmal experience.
The bartender was annoying (constant, non-​clever, borderline schizophrenic banter), the prices were over the top, and my drink was complete crap.
When I go to a place like this I expect the person behind the bar to know what they are doing. Not this guy. He free-​poured mixed drinks in a clumsy and ignorant fashion. I saw a Manhattan get made with half a glass of vermouth. WTF.
My Sazerac was awful. It was cloyingly sweet, low quality Absinthe and the whiskey was nearly nonexistent. The large, pithy piece of lemon peel was simply the used piece of toilet paper floating in my toilet of a drink.
While the concept is great, and I can see how there would be the appeal, but the experience tonight was simply a joke. I paid for my drink and bolted. Egads.

After an EXTREMELY wonderful dinner, my friend brought me to the top of the Foshay tower for a view of the skyline and a few drinks at Prohibition, a high class lounge with plenty of space for sitting and chatting. A little on the dark side, but it was super cool and very much into the swank of cocktails and high end libations. I’d recommend their top notch and smooth drinking Epiphany.
There’s some history here. Prohibition used to be the private office of Wilbur Foshay, the man who built this tower. Mr. Foshay was convicted of running a Ponzi scheme but was given a full pardon many years later.