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501 Club
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Thu, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
9 reviews for 501 Club
I went for the first time last night to see a friend's band, Small Cities. I really like the layout of this club! It's got a great vibe for live music, with plenty of space around the stage for people to watch. A small portion of that space was used for the bands to store their gear, but what can you do?
The two levels are great if you don't feel like hanging out where all of the action is. The top level is still part of the bar, but it's far enough away that the music isn't in your face. We hung out there after our friends were done playing.
Do make sure to get there a tad early, especially if you are coming for a show. The 501 has a *tiny* parking lot that they share with Subway and a tanning salon. There were lots of meters within a block last night, which was surprising for a Saturday.
They had some great specials and happy hours written on their wall--I'm game to go check it out again soon!
I was only in Minneapolis for one night, but if the 501 Club, and the staff and patrons are any indication of the population as a whole, I could see myself definitely enjoying future visits.
The staff are super nice, laid back, and yeah, things might seem slow, but I'm glad they don't rush or pressure you (especially b/c I take a really long time to pour over menus).
If you tell them you're a vegan or have food allergies they'll double check all of the ingredients with the owner and kitchen staff and make sure you're taken care of. So awesome.
I had some of the vegetarian chili sans cheese with an order of sweet potato fries. AMAZING. Add some homemade hot sauce to compliment the winter root veggies in the stew and you've got yourself a mouth watering, soul warming, plate of comfort food-y goodness. Mmmmmmm.
B/c I've got a ridiculous appetite (and was also working, which, somehow is always my excuse), I also ordered a big plate of the hummus and veggies - very good stuff. Garlicky, thick, with big generous cuts of veggies (including radishes). Delicious.
Did I mention they have all sorts of awesome beer? Including...wait for it...coffee beer!! Yes, please and thank you.
I love this place. I want to steal them and bring them all to Boston. I'm totally bogarting some of the great tastes in the chili and adding parsnips and carrots to each batch this winter.
Thanks for your hospitality 501 Club!
Made a visit to the 501 Club on a Wednesday around 7pm. Trivia was just starting. One of the great things about this place is that it has two areas that I will call the low bar and the high bar. The trivia and music events take place at the low bar...so if you are not interested, you can always seat yourself in the high bar area and not be drowned out.
Menu is great for bar food. I had the Cubana..it was pretty good. Substituted my fries with tots, that were really good. My GF had the Big Melty and loved it. The hash house hot sauce is super fantastic too!
We each had a glass of Summit EPA and it was great time.
Really great art on the walls. The bathroom is clean. I really enjoyed the industrialness of of the place and I think anyone would feel comfortable here. Definitely going back.
Place was dead.
Service was slow.
Ambience was cool but no one was there.
Appetizers were normal bar apps.
The 501 club could've been better if there was more people. I think I was just surprised at the lack of service even thought there was only five of us in there tonight.
It seems like places that come to this area of Washington Avenue don't stick around too long, but I think that 501 will be successful in its new diggs. No cover charge, plus live music makes for a great business plan.
It is two levels, with a bar on each level. The stage is downstairs, with a pool table and quite a bit of seating upstairs. The walls and ceilings are painted black and the floor is cement. there is a small outdoor patio upstairs for smokers. All and all it's a great small music venue.
I came in on Saturday night with a few friends, after the aquatennial fireworks. They have a decent beer selection, but I wish it were more focused on draft beer. They only had about 6 on tap and maybe 20 bottles. Although I tried the Shi Lankan Lion's Stout for $5, coming in at 8.8% alc.
The quesadilla's were pretty good, the waitress wanted to know if we wanted black bean or chicken, both sounded good, so we got both.
The bathroom's aren't marked men's or woman's so if you've never been there before, you have to take a peak in to see if it's the right room. I choose wrong, but won't tell you which is which, you'll have to find that one out for yourself.
The band that night was not very good, in my opinion, not much more than screaming set to 2 drummers and loud and fast guitar riffs, but if that's your thing, you are in heaven.
Well, if you like the 331 Club,
chances are you'll love the 501 Club.
The 501 is basically the 331 on steroids.
The 501 is three times bigger
and has a larger selection on the menu.
There is still no cover,
which is a much appreciated carry over from the 331 Club
and the drinks are still decently priced.
You can see many of the same attractions at the 501 Club
as you would at the 331 Club.
Trivia night and the adult spelling bee have carried over to the 501.
I hate fighting my way through a bar to pee or get drinks,
so I immediately like the 501 Club simply for it's spaciousness.
The decor is neat,
it's not totally in your face or obnoxious
with trying to be hip or cool.
The big print that is on the wall by the entrance is pretty sweet.
The lighting is dark and intimate.
There are pool tables and dart boards.
You know, bar stuff.
I ordered some quesadillas so I would sober up a little,
and they tasted pretty darn good.
My friend ordered some sweet potato fries and let me have some. . .
fan-freaking-tastic!!!!!!!!!!!
I've never had sweet potato fries before!!!!
So, food here is good.
We were able to find parking pretty easily,
but I could see it become difficult to find parking here,
because it is downtown, you know how that goes.
The DJ that was playing the night I was there
must have some sort of Damon Alburn man-crush.
Every song he was playing had something to do with Alburn.
It was driving me fucking nuts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He played The Gorillaz, Blur, and
The Good, The Bad, The Queen
for about an hour and a half straight.
I was actually beginning to wonder if
Damon Alburn had died or something
and I was being forced to listen to the DJ's commemorative
night of spinning ONLY musical projects the man was/is involved in.
I left simply because I couldn't take it any longer.
I checked out the adult spelling bee.
It was great!!!
My buddy was judging it and called me and my friends down for it.
It looked like everyone was having a great time
and all the judges were witty and hilarious.
I really want to make it there in time to join in,
but I feel like I'm going to have to beef up my spelling skills,
some of the words they were spelling were really hard!!!!
But I guess I showed up at the end of the spelling bee,
so it was only right to have super hard words.
Decent place, not too far from my home in So. Mpls, so I'll probably be heading there more often.
The 501 is in the armpit of the building, surrounded by Caribou Coffee and 501 Fit. Core Power Yoga is also housed there, and I got a kick out of the fact that while I was imbibing, a bunch of people on the path to yogic enlightenment were sweating above me. Maybe one day I'll join them.
As for food/drinks.... Yummy shrimp civiche and sweet potato fries. I also liked that they had Coffee Bender as an option. I'll head back when a show draws my attention.
UPDATE: I have since found out that a couple of the bigger dishes on the menu at 501 Club, namely the "soy pattie" and the "rice and black bean burger" are not vegan. This is disappointing as it means the only vegan options available are the chili, guacamole, hummus and fries, all of which are kind of generic and food service-y. However, they make for good snacks, especially for Happy Hour, when they're half-price (3-6 p.m.), but they don't constitute a meal. 501 Club, if you're listening, add some hearty, fresh vegan dishes (how about a seitan burger? or a fried tofu taco?) and you'll offer something no one else does in downtown Minneapolis.
Also, how about adding some local, vegan-friendly beers such as Lift Bridge or Rush River? MGD and Bud are okay, but they're not cool enough for a live music joint in cutting-edge Minneapolis.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/9/2009 First to Review
501 Club gets some props from me for being a bar in downtown that serves vegan food. They don't… Read more »
Fancy bar food, decent beer selection,very spacious, some good live music, usually some good art on display and no cover. Try the Lion stout from Sri Lanka.
