Williams Uptown Pub & Peanut Bar

Williams Uptown Pub & Peanut BarWilliams Uptown Pub & Peanut Bar
Williams Uptown Pub & Peanut BarWilliams Uptown Pub & Peanut Bar
Bar, Eatery

2911 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55408-1909
United States

(612) 823-6271 | map
williamsminneapolis.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.8
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
23
pDev:
11.05%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by JoRado:
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Reviewed by JoRado from Minnesota

3.2/5  rDev -15.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3
I definitely got a college bar atmosphere when I first walked in here on a Friday night. Very noisy and very crowded. They had a lot of pool tables, but rarely are any of them ever available. Not a bad thing, considering this place is one of the few places in the area that has more than two pool tables.

I proceeded downstairs for their famed tap selection. Initially from across the room the bar looked heavenly for how many beers they had on tap. As I got to the bar and started sorting out what I wanted to try first I realized a lot of the taps were being tripled up and on to just accommodate for how many tap towers they had...kinda disappointing. So really they had about a third of the beers on tap than what it looks like.

Still great selection and reasonably priced. Don't expect to get a table if you come here late on a weekend though. I also forgot to mention free peanuts! As many as you want, which is a plus when drinking beer.
Feb 15, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.74 by Rilesmiles from Wisconsin

Dec 13, 2017
 
Rated: 3.92 by SeanMNCraftBeerLover from Minnesota

Sep 16, 2015
 
Rated: 3.19 by BigAl18 from Minnesota

May 10, 2015
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Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +16.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5
They are generally filled with local Uptown types but it is typically a casual, friendly vibe. There are two floors and it is possible to find room for a group or a quiet spot for a couple of friends. They have 80 beers on tap, and while some of the more obscure ones can go bad on occasions, they usually keep on top of beer quality. They have pool tables, dart boards and video games. I've been coming here for 35 years and other than the peanuts down stairs I have never had any of their food.
Jan 07, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by mholm815 from Colorado

Aug 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by mothman from Minnesota

Jun 28, 2014
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Reviewed by UMNbeerhunter from Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
I am a little biased because Williams was the first bar I ever drank at legally and I also have a couple friends that work the bar. That being said if its busy service at the bar and at a table can be sketchy. Im not saying any of the servers or bartenders are bad they just get overrun friday and saturday.

Williams has a massive selection of bottles and taps. Its not that there is a ton of great beers just a large selection. Some notables are Surly Furious and Bender, Boulder Mojo, Rogue Dead Guy, and of course the entire line from Summit. Not to many great specials on their beer and the beer also can get expensive depending on what it is that your drinking.

Food is typical for a bar but they do have some specials like dollar hot dogs after midnight thursday through sunday, five dollar nachos on thursday nights and an 8$ steak on friday night.

This place is great for anyone between 21 to 30 especially if you are planning on hooking up with a random. Also I have never had a bad time at Williams it always seems that there is a good time to be had at this bar. Oh and I almost forgot free peanuts and popcorn in the basement.
Nov 12, 2010
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Reviewed by pdoran10 from Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev -11.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 2.5
williams is college and recently out of college age bar. it shows in the atmosphere. a rowdy crowded party bar for the most part. upstairs is a bit more tame than downstairs, with pool tables and darts, but this is basically a frat bar. I can say this confidently after being in a fraternity in college.

the bar is in good shape for what it is and I wouldn't describe it as a dive, but certainly not classy. Downstairs is designed with concrete floors for throwing peanut shells and spilling beer on.

service is pretty average, but can be pretty good when they are not busy. havent been overly impressed with any of the staff, but haven't had bad experiences with service either.

selection upstairs is starndard minnesota bar fare, no special beers, downstairs is a row of around 100 taps which are surprisingly not that impressive. a few random ommegang taps, some delerium tremens, and a few surly offerengs, but other than that pretty mediocre beers. one awesome thing is that you can get a 40oz. mug of surly furious for around nine bucks which is nice value.

probably best to avoid ordering food here...
Sep 21, 2010
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Reviewed by kbutler1 from Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3
Used to go here a lot when I first moved to Minnesota. The upstairs is ok. They don't like you to ask them to change the TV to what you want and god forbid if you want any volume to hear what's on, even if the bar is dead. The food is ok. The beer selection ranges from the typical Macros to Micros. The upstairs also has pool tables for those wanting to shoot some stick.

The peanut bar downstairs is better than upstairs. Lots of stuff on tap but a lot of stuff I wouldn't drink like certain macros and such. Darts and pinball games for those looking to play some games. Peanuts are free at teh bar and you just throw them on the ground.

Overall, a place I really don't frequent anymore but can see why people go there.
Aug 24, 2010
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Reviewed by 2JupitersTooMany from Minnesota

4.45/5  rDev +17.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
As a beer drinker, I'm rating Williams based merely on its Wednesday special. $3.00 pints of any tap beer brewed in the USA and substantial, delicious $5.00 burgers.

Last night, I enjoyed a Hennepin Saison, Rogue Dead Guy Ale and a Pear Cider, as well as a burger covered in mushrooms and blue cheese, with free peanuts and popcorn. My wife had a handful of different, interesting IPAs. We played pool on the newly-felted tables and enjoyed the sparse crowd. 70 taps downstairs = Everyone's a winner.

HOWEVER: This place is absolute garbage on the weekends, when it's packed with sweating fratboys drinking $7.00 beers. The recessed, dripping armpit of Uptown. Keep it to Wednesdays.
Apr 29, 2010
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Reviewed by AmberMan22 from Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +8.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I personally enjoy this place quite a bit. The fact that you can just toss peanut shells on the floor is quite a bit of fun, gives it more of a saloon feel.
Otherwise, plenty of pool tables, dart boards, cool neon signs, good lighting.
Servers are prompt, and for the most part, knowledgeable about the beer. They can generally make a good suggestion if you lay out a parameter or two.

Selection is massive, I'll be honest. Almost 80 taps, probably about 60 or 65 domestic. Upstairs has an offering of 300 different bottled beers. THREE HUNDRED! The taps are generally quite good though, so I haven't bothered with the upstairs.

Food was tasty, maybe a shade pricey. I was served promptly.

Value is the real trick. We only go on Wednesday's when domestic pints are $3 each. That is a great deal, but otherwise, you're looking at pretty steep prices. Buying a maß can leave your wallet almost $12 lighter if you buy an ultra-premium.

Highly recommend making a visit -- and if you're skeptical, show up wednesday night.
Apr 11, 2010
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Reviewed by MysticX from Arkansas

3.66/5  rDev -3.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
I have a special place in my heart for anywhere you can throw peanut shells on the ground. . . The 'Peanut Bar' is downstairs and a little more laidback than the 'classier' upstairs bar. Large number of taps, though nothing really rare or special. Can be a bit pricey, especially since they seemed to have raised prices in the past few months. There are a couple of nights where they have pretty good specials though, such as $3 American pints (including microbrews) on (I think) Wednesdays or Thursdays. Service can be a little hit or miss depending on how crowded it is. It usually isn't too packed on the weekday nights, but weekends are a different matter when the former/current frat/sorority crowd descends on the bar. In general, a good place to go if you want to drink a liter of beer while playing darts and eating peanuts/popcorn.
Dec 22, 2009
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Reviewed by sstafford from North Carolina

4.14/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
One of three bars I visited in Uptown, the others being Herkimers and Bryant-Lake Bowl. I went looking for beers not available in NC, and definitely found my fill. No, there wasn't a lot of rare brews there, but there were a good number of locals and regionals I hadn't seen before. The upstairs bartender wasn't the most knowledgeable, but the downstairs bartender definitely knew his way around the regionals.

Atmosphere was relaxed, all domestic microbrews were $3 a pint, and it wasn't crowded at all.
May 14, 2009
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Reviewed by mwagner1018 from Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev -10.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 2.5
I go to Williams every once in a while (seldom, maybe once every 3-4 months), it is a great place to go with a bunch of friends, hang out with the college age uptown crowd, play some pool, or shoot darts.

A good selection of beer here, but nothing really rare...decent atmosphere, although it definitely caters to the just turned 21 crowd. The staff is pretty good at pouring, but don't seem to be all that versed in the total selection of beers they have. I would go here, knowing what you want, and get that, the staff isn't generally going to be able to recommend something that you haven't heard of, if you are a beer advocate.

I would say that there are certainly better beer bars in the city, with better atmosphere, but this is a fun place, you just have to be in the mood to be surrounded by people...that I would say 95% of them, don't understand, or appreciate the good selection of beers that this place does have.

Best time to go, is probably on the early side of the evening, in my opinion, more chill, you can hang out and find a seat at the bar upstairs, and have a good beer. If the place is busy, they definitely do not put in the time and effort that I think should be involved in pouring and recommending a good craft beer, when it comes down to it, it seems that most of the people there are just looking to get drunk.
Apr 03, 2009
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Reviewed by ckeegan04 from Texas

3.8/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Dropped in early on Friday evening with some co-workers while we were in town for a conference. Nice bar feel to it though a little big. Went downstairs and it had a real nice feel. Dart boards, golden tee, etc. 70 beers on tap. Our waitress knew next to nothing about what was what, but she was real attentive without being annoying. Good selection of craft brews but nothing real spectacular. Overall a good place. Like I seemed to notice in the rest of Minneapolis, beers were a little steep. $6 for a pint.
Apr 14, 2008
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Reviewed by Basementbrewer85 from Minnesota

3.84/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
As a college student paying $6 for a pint is a little much and then we don't usually come here much, but when my friends and I do it is always a treat. As a change from most bars in the area there is a selection aside from High Life and Bud Lite and to be able to sample the large variety is a great thing. It allows me to show my friends what other kinds of beer there actually are in the country, or world as most of the beers on the tap are brewed within the US.
Eating peanuts is a plus as are the numerous dart boards covering both levels of the bar. Just watch out for the few hustlers of the games.
Apr 16, 2007
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Reviewed by hgrong from Minnesota

3.21/5  rDev -15.5%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3
Had heard from many friends that this was one of the better beer selections in the Twin Cities and it was a must visit. I have to say that I was disappointed. They do have a large selection of both tap and bottle beer, but nothing exciting. There was not one thing on either list that I had not tried excluding ciders. There is a disproportionately larger number of macros on tap considering the reputation that this place has. And to top it all off I paid $6 fplus tip or a pint of summit! The place feels like a average bar, the peanut thing is fun but a bit trite at the same time. Overall I was severely underwhelmed.
Jul 18, 2006
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Reviewed by MeLikeBeer from Minnesota

4.14/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5
Williams can easily be overlooked when in the Minneapolis area because it has garnered a reputation that it's the place to go for partiers. This should not be the case.
Late Friday and Saturday nights can be hectic (a.k.a- avoid at all costs) but even those times are becoming less troublesome as some new bars have opened in the area that are definitely decreasing foot and bar traffic here.
Standard bar fare, I didn't eat here on this recent visit, but have in the past...most days and nights they have some pretty cheap (under $5) food specials that are worth checking out.
Upstairs- 300 bottled beers. Great micros (Victory, Rogue, Avery), with your standard BMC offerings, prices are a bit high, but you typically can't find these beers in other places, so it may be worth it.
We went downstairs to the peanut bar- free popcorn and peanuts if you choose. They have approx. 70 taps downstairs and if you're not here late at night, the bartenders are very knowledgable and willing to talk beer with you. Some examples of what's on tap; Goose Island, Delirium Tremens, Rogue, Boulder, Left Hand, Bells...pretty nice selection. All the prices are laid out for you and while some of the more premium beers can be spendy...you can't get them everywhere. Pool and darts downstairs and a great place for conversation.
Come on weekday or afternoon and you won't be disappointed.
Jun 04, 2006
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Reviewed by daledeee from Iowa

4.58/5  rDev +20.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
Parking was a bit troublesome. Hennepin is a busy street. I could not find a parking lot or ramp. The bar was clean with a long bar for patrons to sit at. Nice big bar. Lots of signs and memorabilia. Well decorated. Peanuts are free and decorate the floor. Upstairs had an extensive bottle beer selection(mostly American Micros). Downstairs has an extensive tap beer selection. Food is good. Your typical sandwich fare. Prices were very reasonable. The help was very friendly; we talked about the World Series.

This is a nice place to stop. I was surprised it was not busier.
Feb 08, 2004
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Reviewed by TastyTaste from Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +10%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
This is my favorite non-brewpub establishment in the Twin Cities. We usually go straight downstairs to get big mugs of beer (they have 70+ taps). Good drink specials, free peanuts and popcorn, and food specials (I like the chicken wings). This is a place that I enjoy going to, and get back to. Upstairs is a restaurant, and they have bottled beer (which has never really interested me). I like the darts, classic rock, peanuts, and laid-back atmosphere of this fine Uptown establishment. Can get a little crowded on weekends, but that is to be expected.
Jan 05, 2004
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Reviewed by ADR from Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
This place can get very crowded and the upstairs dining area is not at all worth it in my opinion. The bar downstairs is fun at the right time, plenty of tap choices including rotating Belgians in decent glassware. The advertising is all about the 300 beers available, but they are pretty standard to the more experienced drinker and the tap selection rules the roost here. Decor is nice, fairly cozy, the food looks standard and as usual, the portions are way too large. Peanut shells can abound on certain nights, nothing I haven't sen at places like the Park House in Pittsburgh...
Sep 17, 2003
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Reviewed by tavernjef from Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +2.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
This is strange but fun little establishment to visit. The crowd here can be very lively, lots of Uptowners and artsy folk. It has two areas. The upstairs is a restaurant with nearly 300 bottled beers to chose from, mostly American macros with micro macro, and some good micro choices. The food is OK. Not alot to choose from but you get alot and is plain with some widely speratic choices of worldly entrees. Then there's the basement. This is the strange, but cool part of the place. Tap city, with about 50 or more to choose from. Depending when your there you can have some awesome belgians and UK ales and other nights it can be regular brews standardly found anywhere with maybe a few different styles from the same brewery. Thats usually how its been when I go. But they offer never ending popcorn, peanuts, pretzels, and chips. The floor is super crunchy on peanut night cuz they serve em in the shell. That's my favorite time to go is on peanut night. They use to announce or post what nights they were having peanuts, but I think they stopped doing that. I actually haven't been there in awhile. Living in St. Paul, its wierd cuz I just never contemplate going into Minneapolis much unless I'm going to Surdyks to buy my own stash of beers. But I just love pickin apart the peanuts while sippin some freshly tapped ale. Definately worth a visit. Go mid afternoons on Fri or Sat. Great deals for happy hour. It can get busy any night and goes through periods of craziness so be prepared to wait for a table or stool.
Mar 18, 2003
Williams Uptown Pub & Peanut Bar in Minneapolis, MN
Place rating: 3.8 out of 5 with 23 ratings