Blue Door Pub

Ungertaker

Minnesota

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

The Blue Door is small, but a great place to go for a burger and a beer! Their happy hour is great, with $2 taps and selected appetizers. The burgers are some of the best I have ever had. The tap selection changes on a regular basis, but you can always did Surly and Summit offerings. In addition to those, the BDP usually has a popular seasonal (right now, they have Hop Slam). The appetizers are almost as enticing as the burgers, with deep fried pickles and spam bites being my favorite offerings.
If you go, get there early and enjoy a couple beers. Otherwise, kill some time in the antique mall next door; there is always interesting stuff in there.

01-21-2012 23:22:41 | More by Ungertaker

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.65/5  rDev +14%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $

Blue Door Pub is the place to go for a burger and a beer in the Twin Cities. As others have stated it is extremely small. Three booths, five tables, and five bar stools is all they have. There are a few more tables on their patio, but they aren't allowed to serve alcohol out there. There is almost always a waiting list so plan accordingly. It also gets very loud inside, but there is no denying the energy of the place. The beer selection consists of twelve taps all of which are craft beers. They carry a couple Surlys, a few Summits, Tallgrass, Stone, and Fulton among others. Service is top notch. They are always busy enough that they have the incentive to get you your food and drinks quickly as to allow for quicker turn over. However, they do so without rushing you. With that said the Blue Door isn't the place to go if you want to talk beer with the barkeep as they simply will not have the time even if they wanted to. The food at the Blue Door is excellent. I would go here regularly even if they didn't serve beer. They make the best burgers I've had in the Twin Cities hands down. My favorites are the Cajun Blucy, the Bangkok Blucy, the Bacon Cowboy Blucy, and the Burger of the Moment. Overall, the Blue Door Pub is a must stop for anyone who loves drinking a great beer with a great burger.

08-22-2011 00:01:07 | More by KarlHungus

Alacy

Minnesota

4.7/5  rDev +15.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

This is my favorite place in the cities for burgers, they offer some really unique choices. As far as beer goes they have approximately 10-12 taps, all of the tap choices are pretty decent. They have a really nice happy hour twice a day with cheap beers and some cheap appetizers. Not the widest selection of beers but I think they offer consistently solid choices. The biggest issue is the wait times as the place is really small. I find the wait usually goes by pretty quick when you have a beer in hand.

08-04-2011 01:54:20 | More by Alacy

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

A solid and very small neighborhood bar. This place is tiny. You could maybe fit 50 people total amidst the few tables, window seating, and the bar. The three booths are heavily seeked as they have the most room and you can write on the wall with chalk as its painted with that special chalkboard paint. Out of the few times I've found myself visiting for a quick bite and brew, I have yet to land in one of the booths.

The Blue Door has a pretty steady place for patrons. Being so small, however, it has tremendous turn around. Not much to look at once inside really. Most suburban two car garages have more room then this place does. Maybe even one garage?

Small bar for three to five people facing the street side with a large window facing out. Walking traffic stained wood floors and simple decor. As stated, its pretty much always busy here, and being so small, it's pretty loud in there, plus they play the music a bit too loud on top of it. But overall its a nice place to grab a quick brew or bite. Not really a place I'd hang out at for a extended time. Plus, you kind of feel bad when seeing people constantly coming in and having no where to sit so they lurk and stare as you finish your meal and pay the bill.

Great service, friendly, attentive, always quick, a plus for this place, and a must, its so small, its not like they have alot of tables to cover. Plus, I'm sure they like to try to crank out the food and drinks fast in order to get more customers through.

Selection is made up of about 12 taps, mostly local micro and few other popular craft supported seasonals always rotating. Listed simply on a chalk board. Or you could just glance over at the bar and see what handles might appeal to your thirst. Surly, Summit, Bells are the staples while a few others might catch you by surprise. OK prices for the most part. About what you find in bigger bars. And they'll run cheap specials on something they may be trying to kick a keg of. Last lunch there they were doing $3 Alaskan Ambers.

Food is some major artery thickening pub grub. Known for their Juicy Lucy burgers, or Blucys? Some have unique cheeses, a fried egg, and the famous peanut butter soaked one. All menu items are mostly served in a little basket like a small cafeteria. Nearly everything else with apps and sides is deep fried; Chicken strips, cheese curds, tots, fries, etc. Don't get me wrong, it all tastes damn good, but you may need to be packing an extra artery with you.

06-06-2011 16:57:38 | More by tavernjef

ElectricBoogaloo

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Stopped in here for a late lunch and a study session. yes, this place is tiny so make sure you leave some time to procure a table.
They have about 10-15 taps, 4 of which are dedicated to summit. This served me well, as I had a couple unchained #6, the belgian golden. They also have various basic local beers around---furious, bender, farm girl and others. while they don't have the greatest selection, they are dedicated to craft.
Where they really excel is the food. I had the blucy with fries which blew me away for the price. I think I spent 16 w/ tip for a spectacular burger and great fries and a beer. right up the alley for a broke college student.
the staff were really friendly, and were totally cool with me taking up two spots at the bar for two hours. the bartender knew his beer, and the waitresses knew their music.
a great experience for the food and the beer, I will definitely return for more.

03-24-2011 04:57:14 | More by ElectricBoogaloo

jera1350

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev -3.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Well, the place is very, very small. There is a small patio out front, but no alcohol allowed there. It took a few minutes to be seated, but no problem. Service was very good. We were checked in on several times and received our beers and food promptly. There are probably about 8-10 beers on tap and the ones they have are of good quality. Furious, Bender, two Summits, Tallgrass Oasis to name a few. We were in during happy hour and paid a mere $2 for a Bender and a Bell's Oberon. That's as cheap a Surly as I've ever had out. Their food is good, but they are not the best Jucy's in town. I like the uniqueness and choices of their burgers, but they are not "true" Jucy's that can be had elsewhere in town. Still, damn good burgers with some unique ingredients that you can't get on burgers anywhere else. A good place that is worth checking out, especially at happy hour.

09-12-2010 02:34:58 | More by jera1350

oner0002

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev -3.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

I just moved in down the street and couldn't wait to check out the Blue Door since I had heard great things. I was a little disappointed upon my first visit, but the second, third and fourth visit has flipped my opinion over to the positive!

First, the place. As has been said before, this place is small, crowded and stinky. But so was the Triple Rock before they opened the music stage area. Get on the list for a spot ASAP if you need a table. They only have beer/wine, no cocktails nor are you supposed to drink outside.

Second, the beer. This was my big let down when I first visited. They only have 12 taps ... 2 Surlys, 3 Summits, a Bell's etc. I was hoping for more. But, 4 visits and 10 Surly's later I think I can deal with the small-ish selection. Especially since pints are $2 during happy hour.

Third, the food. This is the Blue Door's big claim to fame. They serve, among other things, a wide variety of "stuffed" burgers (Lucy's to the rest of you). I thought they were great. Not quite the dive charm of Matt's, nor the airport noise of the 9-8-7 club ... whatever that place is called. I signed up for the Blucy Club thing where you get a t-shirt once you have every one of the Blucy Burgers. Haven't had a bad one yet, though the Luau was a bit messy.

Fourth, ummm did I mention this place is crowded as hell? Yes? Well be careful of this if you are in the habit of getting a table right away at Toxic Hell or TGI McFunsters. As I said, get your name in right away with the hostess, or whom-ever is seating people. Be patient and dream of your "Breakfast" ... you'll see what I mean when you get there.

Yep, I can get greater selection somewhere else, but since I can stumble 3 blocks to the Blue Door, y'all can find me there sucking down $2 Benders and Tots.

09-07-2010 21:22:38 | More by oner0002

Buebie

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 1 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I went to this place last winter in the middle of the week and again last week on a wednesday pre dinner rush.
In the winter, be prepared to wait outside, wear warm cloths. The line is typically about 40 mins long. It was a drag waiting outside in the hot sun and sweltering heat, but worth it completely. In the winter, not as fun standing outside when its cold as hell. But again worth it.

Walk inside, its very small, about the size of my living room. Several tables line the room as well as a few booths against the wall. The booths do offer some decent space, but at 6'6'' the arm space is not pleasant, I had to tuck my arms in like a T-Rex.

The bar is on the left, also small, but offering a few good options, as well as a local tap or two.
The menue is large and there are many things to choose from, while prices are reasonable. The burgers here are what I go for.

Service was prompt and precise and the food arrived hot. Always a pet peeve of mine when the food is not hot but comes out just warm. Here its hot and brought out about as soon as its taken off the grille.

Really an enjoyable, quaint neighborhood joint. The only thing that keeps me from becoming a regular is the pain in the ass long wait to get into a table. And when you do get one, the people that are now standing in line are standing practically in the middle of the dining room, rubbing shoulders with you while you sit and glaring at you to leave so they can sit.
Plus, everytime the door opens, because its such a small place, that winter air hits you like a knife. They need a double door here badly.

08-22-2010 20:38:51 | More by Buebie

jjanega08

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

I've been to this place on a number of occasions. It's typically SUPER busy. There's sort of a cult following when it comes to their burgers forming. The Atmosphere is cool small place. Really small but comfy. You can write on the walls in the booth seating if you get one of those which is cool. The servers are nothing special to look at but they are very nice and friendly. Never had a bad experience in here with service. The beers rotate all the time with a chalkboard tap list. There are only about 8 to 10 taps but they are all nice local brewerys or fun craft brews. The food is AWESOME! They serve the Jiffy burger which is a hamburger with peanut butter on it and it's amazing. The juicy lucys have all sorts of things besides cheese in the inside. Delicious. All the prices are reasonable and I actually can't ecen finish the meal for some reason.

03-23-2010 23:27:11 | More by jjanega08

kruse

Minnesota

3.1/5  rDev -24%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 2 | $$

The Blue Door is a very small pub located in a largely residential area of St. Paul. It opened in November 2008 and quickly became popular. Can become crowded quickly on weekends. Draws a mix of people from the neighborhood and students from the nearby University of St. Thomas. Parking on street and in small lot. Food is only so-so; generally very greasy). Small, but decent selection of beers - 12 taps mostly local products (Summit, Surly, Lift Bridge, etc.). Service is o.k., but can be a bit slow when the pub gets packed.

04-01-2009 17:38:25 | More by kruse