Blue Nile Restaurant And Lounge

Hopsiam14

Minnesota

4.31/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4.75 | $$$

The Blue Nile doesn't have a ton of beer options. Other places in town such as Stubs or the Happy Gnome have a lot more choice. With that said, the Nile has some great quality in their tap list and they are always moving through to new and more interesting options. The food is also fantastic if you are up for Ethiopian. Definitely a fun place to visit if you are from out of town.

01-24-2013 03:32:08 | More by Hopsiam14

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Had an excellent couple of brews here couple with the same quality service, food, and music. Lights were a bit bright, but other wise great setting. Waitress had a great attitude, fast, and helpful with food. Didn’t speak much of beer. Food was exemplarary though a touch pricey. Beers were good and of good value; although, the draft selection was weighted towards Belgians and IPAs. Bottle selections are similar; however, there are some pale lagers, wheat brews, and some dark, rich choices. I’ll return someday. Was a perfect celebration for the renewal of my passport!

08-02-2012 22:54:23 | More by drpimento

sacrelicio

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -7.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

Solid, fun place to get a few beers or have some good food.

The atmosphere is that of an Ethiopian restaurant, so it is fairly standard for what I imagine an Ethiopian restaurant to be. That said, it is pretty damn cool overall.

The quality and selection is great, always interesting things on tap. Not a huge selection but always the specialty Surly beers and a nice rotation of Belgians. One thing I really like is that they do alot of theme nights with their taps (like a stout and porter fest which was awesome, among others like Belgian fest and a IPA/hops fest). Unusual stuff pops up all the time their too.

Service is average usually I have had a few nights where it has taken a long time to get a beer. That said, I do tend to go when it is busy. Service on release nights tends to be gruff and poor, though.

Food is good from what I remember. I only had it once but it was solid.

I like that they host parties for local brewery releases and they have all sorts of music and entertainment most nights of the week.

01-30-2012 08:24:23 | More by sacrelicio

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +9.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

After years of going to the Blue Nile, I'm finally doing a review after attending last night's Battle of the Belg. I didn't try them all, but filled in my list with a few new beers. Last night's sampling included De Ranke XX Bitter and Harriet Brewing Dark Abbey. Both fine ales, but in different categories for the head to head format of the tasting. Tried both Epic Brainless on Cherries and Kasteel Rouge in the fruit category to finish the night--for me, Kasteel wins hands down, but I walked away with more respect for the Epic ale than I had when I tasted the bottle last fall.

Over the years, I've added 50 new drafts to my list with excellent beers ranging from St. Amand French Country Ale to Boulder's Killer Penguin, and many of those--like Monk's Flemish Ale--are difficult to find other places. Since I live over 20 miles from the Nile, I'm an irregular regular at best. But it's always a treat when I do. Bar manager Al McCarty--aka feloniousmonk--always does a fine job of not only bringing in great beer, but you know that the beer is always going to be well served in its proper glass. The beer you're drinking is the beer the brewery wanted you to drink. For me, there's no greater compliment.

Food is excellent as well. My favorite meal is from the bar menu, and is the falafel sandwich, made with simple, fresh ingredients makes it my usual. I've tried the range of vegetarian options of authentic Ethiopian food and have enjoyed them all. While the menu may be new to many, the descriptions of the food and the help from the servers makes ordering and indulging accessible for everyone.

In short, if you haven't tried the Blue Nile and stopped in to say hi to Al, you are missing out of one the most unique beer spots anywhere. When I belly up to the bar for a special event or walk in for a Saturday afternoon pint, I simply ask Al--what am I drinking today? And, I'm never disappointed.

10-16-2011 19:08:45 | More by FightingEntropy

arniepnminne

Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +6.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$

My first visit to The Blue Nile was Surly Four release in Feb. 2010...I think it was Feb. Al and his crew had their hands full with the amount of people that night. Since then, The Blue Nile has been my favorite beer bar. Happy hour(2 for 1's) from 4-6pm and 8-10 pm every day of the year. You cannot beat that! Al always has great offerings on tap. Usually puts together a Belgian Beer week or Hops week. Top notch! Servers are all kind and knowledgeable. Al is a hell of a guy as well!

If I could recommend a few changes to The Blue Nile they would be...install a NEW roof. Too much rain water during big storms. After the roof is fixed, add 4 larger TV's that display the MN Twins games. Otherwise, everything is great.

Of all the beer joints in Minneapolis this is one of my favorite locations to enjoy great beer and conversations with my MN friends!

Jesse

07-22-2011 22:35:28 | More by arniepnminne

corcoranjc

Minnesota

4.28/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

AHHH....The Blue Nile...Great Beer, Excellent Ethiopian Food, Beer, Ethiopian Food, Beer, Ethiopian Food.

What an excellent, unique, and cool place. Every time I've been to the Blue Nile has been a treat and a bit of surprise. You can go to the restaurant and have a wonderful, upscale Ethiopian meal, or you can go to the bar for a completely different but no less excellent experience. the place is huge, and the owners have a done a great job keeping the restaurant and bar separate but still accessible to one another. There is even a stage area for live performances (I haven't caught one yet, but I've heard great things).

Since this is BeerAdvocate, I should probably write a bit about the beverages at the Blue Nile. The selection shifts pretty frequently, but it's always good, and the management does a nice job of having excellent local and regional offerings as well as great imports. this is really a must see spot.

02-17-2011 23:57:35 | More by corcoranjc

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev -22.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

FIRST EXPERIENCE:
Ok, first experience was the Surly Four release. Was really surprised to find how big the place was. And they were BUSY! I don't think they anticipated how many people would come out for the Four release. The bartenders were honestly rude and seemed bothered that people were there. I got 2 Surly Fours and they filled the pint glasses up about 75%. That is piss poor in my opinion and not representative of what Omar and the folks at Surly would want to see. The release of Darkness at Hell's Kitchen was much better than this. Too bad the staff at Blue Nile didn't have the same respect and enthusiasm for Surly that Hell's Kitchen had.
I still want to go back and check them out as I think they may have just had an "off" night the first time I visited. Only time will tell if Blue Nile is place I choose to spend my money.

SUBSEQUENT VISITS:
As I hadn't written off The Blue Nile completely after the first visit, I have been back several times to enjoy some beers and food. The tap list is pretty nice with a good selection of Surly and other fine beers. The service was fine. My girlfriend ordered an appetizer and it arrived in decent time and was pretty tasty.

The twin cities has lots of options for beer bars and as such Blue Nile has some stiff competition (Happy Gnome, Muddy Pig, Town Hall, Town Hall Tap, The Bulldog, Acadia, Sub & Herbs, Pracna, etc) in that respect, but if you want some Ethiopian food AND good beer, then hell, you really only have 1 choice.

02-24-2010 04:20:02 | More by kbutler1

MPLS

Minnesota

4.08/5  rDev -5.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Overall this place has a great atmosphere with every changing nightlife. During the daytime happy hour it's relaxed and an environment well suited for great conversation. The bar is my primary spot, but there is seating in their "entertainment" room. I find the building decor to be a bit tacky and not entirely to my liking, but that doesn't change the bar.

The quality of beer is great, always served in an appropriate glass and always tastes right. They seem to take care of their taps at this place. That might be credited to their bar manager.

The selection is pretty variable at this place, overall it's pretty decent. They have a good relationship with Surly and occasionally get some of the rarer kegs in town. It's typically advertised and runs out quickly unfortunately. I had the pleasure of drinking Darkness from various vintages numerous times at this bar.

The service at the bar is exceptional, but falls a little short with the servers.

The food is primarily Ethiopian and is probably good for it's style, but it stills seems overpriced. There twice a day happy hour makes up for the food pricing though.

02-09-2010 07:07:36 | More by MPLS

mdwalsh

Iowa

4.28/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

Al is a great guy and Blue Nile is a place I intend to go again. It was our last stop on our tour de beer in the twin cities. Tons of Surly on tap, served in Darkness tulips, very classy. Tap list is updated on the website and was accurate, another plus. Its a bit of a downer that it doesn't open until 4 pm, but there was no one in there when we arrived, so I can see why they don't bother to. The owner/manager(?) is a BA and should be contacted before you go to see when he'll be there. Not the easiest place to find, but close to the freeway and worth the trip.

12-06-2009 17:57:14 | More by mdwalsh

jera1350

Minnesota

4.66/5  rDev +7.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

If judging by the parking lot and building itself, this is one of the last places you would suspect to have a great beer bar. Once at the bar though you will quickly discover the goodies to be had. I was there for the start of the 20th Anniversary Celebration. On this weekend, all of the taps were local brews including several different Surly's including Wet, some Schell's, Flat Earth and Summit. They also had a cask of Summit Oatmeal Stout dry hopped with Fuggles. Al knows his beer and provides great service. Also, they offer happy hour two for one's from 4-6 and then again later in the evening. I will have to try the food next time I'm in. All in all a great place to get some quality beer.

10-11-2009 14:33:19 | More by jera1350