June 27, 2026
Made for the metro.
12 picks

The Best Cocktail Bars in the Twin Cities

The Twin Cities craft cocktail scene grew up in the early 2010s and never sat back down. These are the rooms where the bartender has an opinion about your order: hidden speakeasies, distillery lounges, jazz-bar perches, and fine-dining counters you can drink at without committing to dinner. Our editorial cut of the ones worth the trip.

1 Volstead’s Emporium Lyn-Lake, Minneapolis A real speakeasy behind an unmarked Lyn-Lake alley door, just serious enough about the classics to be a genuine occasion. 2 Flora Room North Loop, Minneapolis A plant-drenched hideaway in the literal old Marvel Bar space, dim and green and one of the best date-night drinks in town. 3 Public Domain North Loop, Minneapolis No menu, just tell the bartender your mood and watch them build it perfectly, the rare gimmick that earns it every time. 4 Parlour North Loop, Minneapolis The plush basement den under Borough that helped set the modern Minneapolis cocktail standard, made for settling in for three rounds. 5 Bar at Spoon and Stable North Loop, Minneapolis Ten walk-in seats at Gavin Kaysen's flagship and arguably the best drink in the metro at a bar you can actually get into. 6 Norseman Distillery Northeast Minneapolis Aquavit, gin, and rye made in-house in a tiny warm Northeast room, the place to disappear with a Negroni on a winter Thursday. 7 Stargazer Northeast Minneapolis A Travail-built cocktail bar with a galaxy of a menu and housemade pasta to match, the most fun a QR code has ever been. 8 Berlin North Loop, Minneapolis A tiny jazz-leaning music bar with no bad seat and a cocktail program as serious as the bookings, best on a quiet weeknight. 9 Du Nord Cocktail Room Longfellow, Minneapolis New Orleans flair and house-distilled spirits in the historic Coliseum Building, a distillery bar that drinks like a real neighborhood hangout. 10 Dakota Jazz Club bar Downtown Minneapolis A sophisticated downtown perch where you can drink well and catch whatever set is happening, open all night. 11 The Dampfwerk Distillery St. Louis Park A warm family-run lounge with a fireplace and German-leaning spirits, worth the drive west for a Negroni no one downtown is pouring. 12 Char Bar North Loop, Minneapolis A snug bar inside the historic Butcher & the Boar building with a daily happy hour, the easy Tuesday-night register the steakhouse upstairs can't do.