Halek’s Bar

Halek’s is no more, it has morphed into Cliff n Norms if you’re looking to find it now.
I went to Halek’s once, and can’t say I mind it’s demise, it was a true dive bar, which, for me, means no good beer.

As a recent new resident of the «NorthSide» of MPLS I have grown to love this bar. If you are looking for a place where it is really chill, locals frequent, and a good juke box then this is your place. If you are looking for a fine glass of wine– DO NOT STOP. I have been there now a few times and each time I leave there with a new story to tell of the locals I have met. They offer 2 for ones at certain parts of the day. They had me at BINGO on Sunday afternoons.
This place appears to be dark and «scary» from the outside. Once you give it a chance it is a good time for all — -

If you want that drink in your hand to have real liquor than a malt that glows brighter than a dressed up kitten this is definitely our kinda bar.
«I would rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy.» Dorothy Parker once said. This is that place. That place where you surrender control, like being out in the sea in the middle of a hurricane, no sense in fighting it, just sit back and ride out the storm.
Because of the trophy sports donning this bar, the lackluster customers and dwindling clientele, and or may be because of the revitalization ideology of the urban dystopia; they thought of a name change sometime ago. They came up with «Ya Baby Sports Bar». I can’t even make this up.
I tried thinking of a more repelling name to a toper than a ‘Ya Baby’, all’s I came up with is Psycho Suzi’s and Donny dirks zombie den. Thank god they haven’t changed the name, cuz otherwise I would’ve torched the place myself.
Has the feel of ‘Livin on a prayer’ by Bön Jovi. Somber feel that showcases the daily struggles of your average working man.
I love establishments with character and Halek’s has plenty of that, from the sponsored softball and bowling teams trophies all around the bar, to the laid back atmosphere considered to be a working man, blue collar type. The kind Charles Bukowski and Hunter Thompson would frequent. The opposite of 1029 Bar and very similar to 4^th street Saloon in the diversity of the folks. But does not have the shenanigans and the type of reputation that would keep folks away unlike the 4^th Street Saloon across the bridge. Gourmet pizza, pre-​made sandwiches, pull tables, dart machines, and a digital jukebox but what rabid fans come here for are the happy hours that run from 10 – 12, 3 – 6, and 9 – 10.
Shout-​out to Dale, one of the best and genuine bartenders you will ever encounter!
Halek’s is where you’re guaranteed to have benders and hangovers and feel lousy about this civilized slumber the next day. What could be wrong if we «hold on to what we’ve got?»

I LOVE this bar! I’ll admit– for the first 6 months we lived in North Minneapolis, we were slightly afraid to go into this place. When you drive by it looks dark and desolate, and there’s not much around but factories. But when we went in for the first time, we knew this was a place we would frequent.
Staff– excellent. They are always friendly. The bar has a dress code that keeps riff-​raff out, and they stick to it. The crowd is diverse, but very laid back. There are a lot of regulars here, and they are all friendly. It reminds me a lot of a small town bar right in the city.
Drinks– A+. Their happy hour beats any other I’ve seen. 2 for 1’s from 3−6p and 9−10p every day (and 1 happy hour in the AM, but I can’t remember what time), and prices are extremely reasonable to begin with. And they aren’t watered down by any means– if you don’t want a strong drink, order a beer. They don’t make them any other way.
I HIGHLY recommend the chicken alfredo pizza if you are hungry. It’s the best pizza we’ve tried from there and it is excellent and well priced. Otherwise they have sandwiches (never tried them), and peanuts and chips.
The jukebox is usually rocking on any given night, and there are some games to play and a couple pool tables. The crowd is definitely diverse, but always friendly. I’ve never seen anyone actually cause trouble, the bartenders kick them out before they can start anything. There is much to be desired in the bathroom, but I wouldn’t call it disgusting. It’s old and the décor definitely reflects that.
If you want a place that is slightly reminiscent of Cheers, this is your place. We’ll see you there!

Halek’s has two parallel bars facing each other. During my daytime visit the bartender was off in the corner chatting with a couple of regulars, oblivious to people coming in, and had to keep getting called back over.
My (bottled) beer was a little off, but not enough for me to go through the hassle of getting something else.
Nonetheless it’s a decent blue collar dive. Pool tables, jukebox, etc. I’d stop in again if visiting Minneapolis in the future.

Halek’s is great! They have a great jukebox, cheap drinks and a couple pool tables. They have an old school payroll-​check cashing window in there. Pull-​tabs! It’s not ghetto, just working class. People and bartenders have always been cool. They ice the urinals, and I always like bars that do that.

I love this bar. It’s definitely a dive, but definitely perfect. I went for the first time last night with 2 friends. We walked in and were greeted by the friendliest bunch of regulars. Though we were clearly outsiders, they were all very welcoming.
They have 3 happy hours when drinks are 2-​for-​1, but now I can only remember that one of those periods is from 9PM to 10PM. I think there is another from 3PM to 4PM and then maybe one in the morning?
They don’t have a kitchen but they have frozen pizzas. We ordered the works and it was far better than a frozen pizza could be. We also had garlic bread with cheese that was yummy.
Strong drinks, good beer, good jukebox, disgusting bathroom, best bartender ever.
I’ve never been in a place when someone buys a round for the whole bar until I came here. I got the feeling it wasn’t an unusual occurrence here. I can’t wait to go back.