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Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
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Forgot to tell you about their amazing bloody mary. I am on a hunt to find the best bloody mary places in the cities, so I try to order them as much as I can.
Isn't chatterbox a wine and beer only bar? you may ask...
yes. But this is the best bloody I have had yet.
Made with sake instead of vodka. yup.
you may think it wouldn't be as strong, but it is, and it comes with a tower of veggies including:
pickle
olive
roasted red pepper
pepperchini
mushroom
cherry tomato
This bloody is perfect for a hangover, and comes with an amazing chaser. Chatterbox's own home lager. (though you can choose what you want from the tap)
Sundays are great right when they open because there isn't a soul in sight.
they open at 11.
I'll see you there.
I love this bar!!!
Resonably priced- great happy hour 3-5 and 10-close cheap pints of beer
Great wait…
Read more »
How can you not love this place?
Good brews, Atari, trivia, and connect four. Sounds like a good night to me.
The food is not bad, and the menu is pretty sizable.
Hanging out at the front bar area is nice, but I prefer the sofas in back so I can play Atari and NES as well.
The staff is always friendly, and really laid back.
The only strike is they painted over the comic-strip themed bathroom...
Still one of my all-time favorite MPLS spots.
Oh Chatterbox how I luv thee....
How I dream of sitting in your well used couches again bringing me back to memories of my friends basement and playing ATARI. But wait!! Someone is bringing me a Sangria! Sooo great to be an adult playing Atari, drinking Sangria chillin with the girls in this stellar neighborhood bar.
Did I mention te Smitten Kitten is next door? Meeooow*
I know that this place has been reviewed over 40 times, but I have the urge to put in my two cents. I loved this place! I had been a patron of the St. Paul Chatterbox over the past years. My friends and I were stepping out on a limb by traveling to this location. I felt that we were all utterly impressed. We had immediate seating, a great waiter, excellent food, and the drinks were unbeatable. A few Mimosas or French Kiss' later, and we were all ready to get our game on. Boggle was the choice. How can anyone resist the word-forming objective of such a great game? This game was perfectly complimented by the stellar music selection playing in the room. I must admit that we were there into the wee hours of the night. Needless to say, I cannot wait to go back to this location!
So I've managed to write around 40 reviews but somehow missed reviewing Chatterbox. Clearly, my priorities are questionable....or I just forgot. Either way, I messed up and I am terribly sorry, Yelp. Please forgive me so we can have hot makeup sex.
This is probably all around one of my favorite spots in the city. I think this was the first bar I was taken to after turning 21...not counting Matts, which is where I celebrated my 21st birthday.
Considering how small it is, it amazes me that every time I have gone I managed to snag a couch. Im not sure what type of marinade they use on their burgers, but they taste like slaughtered cow heaven.
Usually when I go, I get Ninja Gaiden, a burger, and that fake ass Blue Moon that they serve. I can usually get to 6-2 without batting an eyelash, but once I get there I cant get any further. Im pretty sure no one has ever actually beaten Ninja Gaiden before.
I'm always torn when it comes to the Chatterbox Pub.
Yes, they have some surprisingly well-done brews for a fair price. Their menu is ambitious and even inventive, yet tragically stuck back in the late-90's with honey mustard and sun-dried tomatoes in everything. The ambiance is comfy and welcoming and the patio is a gem. Board and video games are also available while you wait for your drinks and food.
Chatterbox is one of those places that I desperately want to love - the service is so friendly and I feel like I could just wander on down for a pint any time. However, the food is underwhelming and I always feel like they just barely missed the mark. You should go and try for yourself, since the Chatterbox has an exceptionally dedicated corp of devotees.
Visited the chatterbox last night with fellow Yelper Josh E and my boyfriend. We were impressed with their home brew beer selections; I tried the White Ale (lacking a little flavor) and the EPA, which was all our favorite. A really big glass of beer is only $3.75.
We all shared the Cinco De Mayo dip which was good, but had a little too much black bean and not enough fresh tomatoes/ onions. I ordered the Basic Burger with a Veg patty and substituted a bowl of their Tomato Dill soup. The veg patty was tough and over cooked, and it was served on house focaccia bread, not a bun. I liked the bread but it was too crusty to be paired with a sandwich, a slice on top and bottom made for a too thick burger that cut your mouth with crusty-ness. It was all bread and little burger. I opted to take of the top and eat it with the soup; I prefer my tomato soup to be more creamy and thinner. This soup was fairly thick and a little too sweet, you couldn't really taste the dill and it was more of an orange color than a deep red. Bummer :(
However their game selection was great, we spent dinner and an hour after playing the TV trivia game, having a great time! The place in general is pretty fun and a little over stimulating, there are TV's playing shows, TV's for video games, and TV's for playing trivia while they blast music. There are windows, but they don't open so it got really stuffy and warm where we were sitting. I would go back for drinks and I would like to try the pizza. If you're going to play games order finger food so you can munch and play!
I'm going to give this place a: 4 for service and fun, 3 for atmosphere, and 2 for food, Average rating 3 stars
The menu is really fucking overwhelming but this place is totally 90s and totally awesome. They have ATARI.
OMG the hellcat inferno salad is so good it's insane. I am addicted. I get the chicken on the side (to donate to Hubby) and the salad is tons of romaine topped with fajita ranch and guacamole as the dressing. Then you have a pile of red peppers, pumpkin seeds, and cheddar cheese on top. It's huge. Then, you get a side of some crunchy tortilla with black bean filling kind of like a quesadilla no cheese. I'm sure it's not the least bit healthy as far as salads go, but it's so good I dont care.
Also, try the Philosopher's Stone. It's a cider-tinted amber ale and it's my favorite local beer in the Twin Cities.
I must say that as a neighborhood bar, the Chatterbox has spunk. Anybody who is less than impressed… Read more »
If 4 stars rested on clever theme-i-ness alone, Chatterbox would be sportin. The fun and games are so endearing, but dangit if the other pesky considerations don't get in the way.
The stink-jacket I came home with tonight has a bit more of a dreep fried character to it than the stale smoke one I thought I wore home last time. And, I still want to burn my clothes.
The sweet potato fries were jacketed in their own KFC style batter armor that, kind of, made the sweet potatoes not frigging awesome like they should be. The dough of our pizza had an other-wordly lightness to it that made me think I could cut it with my mind, let alone a limp-wristed, half hearted, fork flick. The sun dried tomatoes, buried under soggy pineapple and ham, added a rubbery time-bomb factor which, sounds a lot more fun than it felt or tasted. There's too much mediocre pizza out there to let this even pass for middling. But, hey, the staff was very nice.
However, trivia and chat sooth the battered taste-buds, so it's all good. But, god if I don't stink... even after a shower.
No changes in score, just solidification.
Activities: 4 stars
Food: 2 stars
Chatterbox... So much fun! But, with all the fun, comes the grandfathered smell of an old smokey… Read more »
This was the first time I'd been to the original chatterbox and I will say that I like the atmosphere better than the St Paul location! Walking in, I felt like I was in a good friend's basement! It was appropriately busy for 8pm on a Saturday night. Lots of board games & video games to go around. After being out of town for a year, I'd forgotten what a great selection of beers they carry. I had a strongbow (tap) and sweet potato fries that came with some really tasty dipping sauce. The service was prompt & friendly. What a hidden gem buried in S Mpls!
My friend used to work here. They make the waitstaff clean the toilets. I went one time to visit her at work while I was in MN. The place was OK but I just can't get over the fact that the waitstaff -- who handles FOOD -- also cleans toilets. POOP and FOOD are not my idea of a fun time.
I went here once before with three of my classmates and had a great time (until karaoke started randomly and we had to shout at each other while battling in Sorry). Playing the games is great (I realized I didn't know how to beat the original Super Mario).
So, that experience was probably a 4 star experience.
However, I wanted to go here again with one of my other friends. My friend is 17, so I called ahead and asked if you needed to be 21. They told me that you didn't have to be 21 until 9pm. So we went, and were promptly kicked out because you have to be 19 to go in.
Yes, I know it's a pub, and that's why I called ahead. But seriously... I probably won't go again unless my classmates invite me again.
Neither my boy or I drink booze, so it can be hard to find a place to go at night that is fun and where our waiters don't suddenly disregard us when we order Coke or water. But thankfully, just a few blocks from our house is The Chatterbox Pub. Where the root beer flows and we can battle to the death in Connect Four.
I love scurrying in here when it's below zero and the windows are all foggy. The grilled cheese is super-original, and quite unlike anything I've tried elsewhere. I don't think I have had a bad thing to eat here at all actually. And that chocolate fondue is pretty sweet, even though our cookies were a little hard.
Yum yum.
Old school, a bit dimly lit, and has a local feel. Awesome for drinks with the guys or a game night. Not awesome for younger kids. (But the St.Paul Chatterbox is great for younger kids.)
Unique food, unique beer. Good stuff. Check it out.
Maybe I'm an 87 year old woman trapped in a 23 year old girl's body, but my idea of an excellent evening includes boardgames at home with a few close friends. Maybe an alcoholic beverage or two, and definitely great food. The thing is, you can only stay in on a Friday night so many times before you're officially a hermit.
Chatterbox to the rescue.
Very low key atmosphere - similar to that of your best friend from high school's basement. Board games are free, beverages are strong AND tasty. The menu has lots of variety, and the roasted red pepper mashed potatoes are worth writing home about.
Couches available for the nintendo and atari games (which I think are $2-$3), but I was never any good at Frogger.
All around, a cozy and fun experience. A word of caution: Febreeze may be necessary when you get home, unless you enjoy the eau d' onion ring scent.
Hellcat Inferno Chicken Salad - yum. The atmosphere is fun, the staff is great, and the food is decent. This is a great weeknight stop for a quick, hearty dinner.
Old-school Nintendo - need I say more? But I will. I really enjoy Chatterbox. It seems to never disappoint. The crowd is eclectic, as well as the décor. I can't help but be upbeat and in a good mood when I am here. I have had no problems with the service and the games I want are usually available. It's a great concept. The menu is solid comfort food with a heavy dose of Midwestern, but sometimes, all a girl wants is a nice piece of meatloaf.
I often run into friends and I've met some very unique and fun people. Plus, I get to show off my mad Mario skills.
Lucky for me, I live just a few blocks from the Chatterbox. That makes it even more crazy that it took me so long to try it out!
The place is small, but cute. It definitely has atmosphere. The crowd is hip, but down to earth and friendly. The staff is attentive and kind. There are old school video games to play, as well as plenty of board games, and NTN trivia. There is also a small stage area, and while I'm not sure about the rest of the week, they do have open mike night on Tuesdays.
The food was great. My friend and I started with spinach artichoke dip and it was AWESOME! The bread they serve with it was so soft and delicious. The dip was super tasty, the roasted peppers in it really added some great flavor. I ordered a chit chat chicken wrap, it was great. I really like their flavored mayo. My friend ordered a burger. The burger was OK, but not something I would order for myself. All sandwiches come with fries or you can upgrade. I highly suggest their Chatterbox lager battered onion rings. They were some of the best onion rings I've ever had. Mmmm!!
My only complaint about this place is that they don't have regular soda. It's some local company that makes soda that is supposed to taste like Pepsi, Mt. Dew, Sprite and Diet Pepsi. The "Mt. Dew" tastes nothing like Mt. Dew at all. The "Pepsi" is a little better, but not much. They taste like seltzer water with a bit of flavor, and they aren't that sweet. I sent my pop back and got their strawberry lemonade which was pretty good.
overall, I will definitely go back to the Chatterbox Pub. I just wish they would get real soda. That is the only thing that made me knock off a star.
I only deducted one star because after 2 days and half a bottle of Febreze my coat still has a strong stench of onion rings from this place.
Other than that this place rocks! Very good and eclectic menu, tons of board games to "rent" free of charge delivered by your servers, one old school Nintendo and one Sega with game rentals at $2 and $1 respectively, mulitiple TVs to watch the big game, Buzztime Trivia, micro brews, wine, and "specialty drinks". Also, great service! I'll definitely be back and am excited to try out the other locales.
Chatterbox is a fun, friendly place. I've never regretted a trip there. If you live nearby, it is THE place to go. If you don't, it's still worth the trip.
A neighborhood bar is by itself a special place. Knowing your neighbors, knowing the staff and actually meeting people is always fun, and something you can rarely find in the watered down, sterile confines of chain businesses. Chatterbox takes this worthy perch and rises above it, so well so that it's few nagging details become magnified (almost leading me to knock a star off). How dare they get in the way of perfection?
Chatterbox is immediately welcoming and intimate, it's decor fitting somewhere on that continuum of hipster bar to your parent's basement. The staff is usually wonderful (except that one girl I got a couple times last year. She was a little maladjusted for a service job), and do an impressive job of managing the place when it gets packed.
Where it really rises above your average neighborhood bar is in everything it offers. Yeah, pretty much everything.
The retro video games get all the attention, and they are fun, but it's often a false promise. They have two sets, so you better get in there early if you want them. Whoever has them at 9pm tends to have them for the evening (at least on weekends). One of my minor strikes against the place is that even if the people on them have stopped playing, they are never asked to relocate to a table so someone else can have a turn. If you come here just for the video games, you are more likely to be disappointed.
They also have a bunch of old board games. These are much easier to get a crack at, and I have had many a fun night playing scrabble, battleship, life, cribbage or whatever came up.
Their drinks menu has recently switched to a number of micro brewed beers, and a few others that I don't even remember. No home runs in the mix, but a good collection of solid baserunners. Never wandered into the wines or wine based concoctions. Liquor is not available because of some weird zoning/liquor law (they even had to sell 3.2 when they first opened). I regrettably have to mark them down as one of the many Minneapolis establishments that doesn't know how to pour a beer (list forthcoming). Give me some head! Someday, I hope to start a scholarship fund to send bartenders to Europe for a crash course in how to pour a beer.
The food is a standout. Above average bar fare here, bordering on the fancy. A trip here just for a meal is perfectly justified. Flip through the menu and you will be astounded by what they attempt and pull off with such a tiny kitchen.
A five star rating rarely comes down to the details for me. It's more about your gut reaction to a place. Chatterbox is a fantastic place to me. I've never had a bad time, I've never turned down an offer to go there. It's the kind of place I take out of towners to show them how cool the twin cities are, and a place I frequent. Every trip is almost like rediscovering the place, like reaching into your pocket and finding a twenty you forgot you had.
This place is awesome. I live in CA and come to MN twice a year and twice a year I make sure I come here for the the Hellcat inferno salad and french fries from heaven with dip (ok, my name for the fries not theirs). I can't wait to see what is in store for me when I get there... is it poetry? fabulous karaoke? super mario brothers? connect four? I don't know, but it will be good. Check this place out for great food and cool, casual entertainment, FOR SURE!!
The service is spotty (the 'team' service is disorienting and counter to every other place I frequent). The worst thing is they serve their beer ice cold. That's fine if you're drinking crap, but decent beer shouldn't be frozen out like that.
On the plus side the atmosphere is pretty good. Free (old) Golden Tee machine!
I love the very, very fun atmosphere and the fact that they have board games and video games available, but the food falls short of the heightened expectations the menu creates. Putting hot bbq sauce on a cheddar bacon burger is neither "gourmet" nor worth $9. If you're going to take bar food away from the tasty basics, you need to do the little things right, (like making the fries crispy,) before you start in with the fancy-shmancy touches, (like adding seasoning to the fries.) The beer list, while decent, isn't as impressive as the reviews here suggest; (Pilsener Urquell? Really? Can't I just pay you to have a skunk spray in my mouth?) and frankly, it's all overpriced. Brit's downtown charges $5.50 for a 20 oz. Fuller's ESB, and everyone bitches about the prices; the Chatterbox charges $6 for a 22 oz. Fuller's ESB, and everyone gives them a pass because they're a neighborhood bar.
Four stars for the atmosphere, 2 stars for the food and prices.
I have an addiction. It is one I acquired here. Do they have Cribbage anonymous meetings? Just thinking about is making the urge ever present, my hands are shaking... I need to add things up to 15 right now! Breathe, breathe... you're fine, Anna.
It was a slow Friday (day after Thanksgiving) and we were in bewteen picking up friends at the airport. We strolled in, got cozy, and were treated very well by the bartender. He gave me a few samples of wine to help me find one that didn't make me go "pleh!" I wound up getting a glass that was $8, but wasn't worth it. Once I really settled in, the Chatterbox Speakeasy became my drink of choice. 22oz beers are $3 during Happy Hour- now that's what I like to see when I go on vacation.
And then, I was tought Cribbage. Oh Cribbage, my Cribbage.
This place is a great place for a small group of friends. The beers are excellent and the food is very tasty. I always get the Hurricane Chicken Wrap, and it is d-lish. Tons of board games to cover all tastes. Though I also enjoy just going with the wife for an intimate game of Battleship, it CAN get pretty noisy here after about 8 PM, so conversation could be tough. All-in-all, a fun place. If the put in some sound absorbing tiles/fabrics and started serving Surly, this joint would be 5 stars hands-down.
I need to wish for things more often! Now there is a new Chatterbox nearer to me. It is in the strip mall at 44th and France where Great Wall is. It is more restaurant than a bar like the original location. This is a welcome addition to the area.
This is a great spot to go relax. Have some house brews, eat some unique bar food, play some games.… Read more »
it was OK, i like the atmosphere more than the food. I'd go there again, but it's not tops on my list of fav. restaurants.
I was not very impressed with the Chatterbox. Admittedly, I don't love games. I don't even really like them, except for scrabble and I guess Atari - but I want to play those at home, not at the bar. So this is not my kind of place.
But besides feeling crowded by games, I was uncomfortable with their service. They do this "team" thing, so you don't have just one waiter, you have, say, five different people. And on the few time I've been there, this means they forget to bring me things. Or ignore me, probably by accident - but that's not okay.
Their beer is just okay, and so it the food. I'll have people disagree I'm sure, but for the price, you can do much better. I'm one of those people who'll happily pay $10 for a burger. But I want a BURGER, a delicious, interesting burger for that money. Not to be found here.
I also sort of feel like I'm stuck inside on a rainy day when I'm here. Or maybe stuck in a pretty uncomfortable, far outer circle of my own hell. In a not-so-bad way, but still.
The best type of incarnation of the neighborhood bar with a ton of fun things to do.
Bring your own friends or make some new ones while you're there. It's a great place.
I adore this place. It's comfortable, the staff is friendly and accommodating, and I like the Chatterbox Lager and the Octoberfest quite a bit. Nice happy hour on Sunday afternoons and after 10 on weeknights.
My favorite food items are the squash dip (this is especially odd because I really wouldn't consider myself a squash fan), and pretty much all of the sandwiches. I completely understand if their burger is not your bag -- they are a little mealoafy, but I think they're extremely tasty. And the fries with a side of red pepper sour cream are inspired.
Although I like the Highland Park location better, this one is much more convenient to me. I love the boardgames and the original Nintendo, but it seems like this location is always very busy (perhaps because it is much smaller). Also, I always come home smelling like fried bar food. I've eaten most of the apps here, and I'd have to say the fries are the shizzle. Absolutely fabulous. One of my favorite things... on the shelf above walkway between the two rooms they have red cat shaped bottles. Bottles of my favorite wine, a Riesling from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region. The first time I saw those I knew it was the beginning of a wonderful patron-establishment relationship. Ahh.
The food or wine selection is spectacular. The service is alright too. What the great thing about this place is the kitschy atmosphere
Lots of retro games to be played. Nintendo to candy land. Karaoke on some nights too. Whats not to love?
The food didn't win me over, and the wait staff could have been more attentive. What did win me over was the retro-gaming smashed together with the after-school board games program. It was cool to have all the options of things to do! They hosted Music bingo, and anyone could play, and not have to worry about breaking the conversation they are in.
Retro gaming and drinking, does it get much better than that?
One of my favorite places! So warm and cozy in the winter! I love to go and play all of thte retro games. Fun and friendly. Good food.. especially the spinach artichoke dip.
The pizza was great. The server was laid back but nice. I did have to go find him a few times to request service, such as grabbing a game from behind the bar or paying our bill. The menu offers several options for pizza and you can substitute ingredients if you want. You have to pay to play all the arcade games except one (which I will address). The board games, however, are abundant and free. The setting is low lighted and has a very authentic bar/pub appeal. The bathroom for each sex is small but has amusing wall art (male cartoon characters/action figures for the men's room and female versions for the women's room).
The huge bad side to this pub is that they allow small children (actually any age) and any amount of kids to roam and run around the bar and restaurant. Parents are allowed to set their kids free in the restaurant as they dine and drink. The kids were on the one free arcade game continually, not playing peacefully but fighting and arguing and screaming as children naturally do. The children were also allowed to sit at the bar and play with the gambling video game screens. None of the employees stopped this action, but rather ignored them as it was a regular occurrence. The parents were never notified or talked to by the staff.
It was quite disappointing because we were ready and willing to spend more money on beer and the gambling bar game.
Favorite bar in S. Mpls. Food is A+, staff extraordinary, lots of good beers.
Great food, ambience is for those who appreciate flashbacks (including board and video games you can rent out to relive the good ol' days with friends.) If you get the fries, ask for the sampler of dips. I don't know if it really is crack, but there is something addictive about the honey mustard. Serves only beer and wine.
Fun place, good food and beer. Grab a couch, get the controllers and game cartridges for the Old NES or atari and waste a night drinking and playing old arcade games
Exactly what a neighborhood bar should be. Funky environment, uber-cool staff, traditional and the not-so traditional foods (try some of the great burger twists), and the games that keep you coming back for more!
Minneapolis, MN
Category: Beer, Wine & Spirits
Saint Paul, MN
Category: Restaurants
Minneapolis, MN
Category: Lounges
Minneapolis, MN
Category: Restaurants
Minneapolis, MN
Category: Bars
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