Sweeney’s Saloon

Last night we went into Sweeney’s after calling to make sure they were still doing Happy Hour specials.
It hasn’t been that long since we had decided to go to one of our favorite neighborhood hangouts.
But we were surprised to see they updated their menu. It looks like they added some new items (yay basket of fries), but they took away some of our favorites too! The pizza rolls (gasp of horror), the spinach artichoke dip (slap to the face) to name a couple. I think the waitress could tell how desolate we were at some of these losses to the menu.
Then, we were charged full, non-​happy hour prices even though we had called in before coming to make sure. The waitress was super friendly, but we still ended up paying full price :(
Anyway, I don’t think I have ever had a bad /​sad Sweeney’s experience until last night, but maybe I will wait a couple weeks and give it another go.

A classic St. Paul bar – good beer selection, hearty menu and not too loud to have conversations with friends. We love coming here for happy hour after work.

The place is always packed when I go for Happy Hour. How can you go wrong with .75 tacos and deals on Summit?

First time at Sweeneys and the décor and set up have a lot of potential. We ordered a few beers and the chicken wings as many people mentioned they were great. I don’t know what they had, but our wings were definitely sub par. They had little to no buffalo sauce and the skin was extremely salty. We were also entertained by the number for fruit flies hovering over our food. Finally, they have no wet naps. That may seem small, but when a place is supposed to be known for their wings, I expect wet naps!!! The one saving grace was our bartender. He went above and beyond to try and make our first time at Sweeneys better.

Love this place. Great local community vibe, quick and good burgers and fries. The best patio I have been to. Lots of different local beers on tap.

The outdoor patio here is wonderful. It’s got levels, so you don’t feel like you’re in a huge crowd even when it’s busy.
The drinks are pretty good, for the most part. The tacos were cheap and good, and the nachos were bigger than my head. Good value for what you get, and a great place to enjoy the remaining summer days.

Great outdoor patio with a fun fireplace and heaters for the fall. Arguably the best chicken wings in the Twin Cities. I’m also a fan of their cajun fries. For those of you who live or work near Sweeney’s, definitely check out their «Poor Man’s» lunch special each day.
If you are looking for a fun location to host a private event, their upstairs banquet room is great!

I have not been to Sweeney’s in over 20 years!!! Yes, hard to believe but I AM that old! :).
Not much has changed; It still looks almost identical to how it did back then which is an exquisite historical building with tons of character. Its in a great neighborhood and I am sure, has a great following of regulars.
It was a beautiful night so we opted for the patio. Absolutely loved the patio. It was very comfortable with a beautiful fireplace and twinkly lights. The fireplace was not going last night of course but I bet its gorgeous on a Fall Evening.
This is a great place to have an intimate conversation with someone because there are a few tables that are very private.
I had a Beer Flight which was not your traditional flight because it did not come in your typical flight holder. I think that is part of the charm of flights is to see what kind of flight «holder» they bring you. Sorry for my lack of a better word on the flight holder but remember, I am just starting my Beer Journey. What you get here, however, is even a better value. Each pour is 9 ounces! For $ 10, I had three glasses of beer in front of me!
It was late night Happy Hour so we ordered Artichoke Dip which was Fabulous and the Offspring wanted some cheese curds so I ordered those, ate one, and brought the rest home for her. Nothing special on the curds but they give you a lot of them! We saw other plates of food, especially nachos and quesadillas and they looked delicious. Apps are ½ off from 9−12PM so its most definitely a great late night hangout on the Cheap.
I was going back and forth between a four and five star but our server bumped it up to a five since he was phenomenal. He was just a super nice guy who looked like he totally enjoyed his job! That is so good to see! He was super attentive and had a great sense of humor. He made our night so pleasant.
I feel so sad I stayed away for 20 years but now that Sweeney’s is back on my radar, you most definitely will see me back on the patio this Summer and Fall.

Great burgers and fries. The people here are best avoided. I wonder how many law students or attorneys drive home drunk from here?

My favorite afterwork bar… mainly due to the gorgeous patio that’s perfect in the summer. I definitely can’t complain about the $.75 tacos during happy hour, either! They’re delicious!

They’ve got a great outdoor patio, and if you come on a Sunday for lunch you might have it all to yourself… minus 1 or 2 people. Which is strange cause you’d think this place would attract a bunch of hipsters, The outdoor space is enclosed with high walls. It’s almost rustic/​garden like, with no garden.
I’ve came here a few times during the summer months only, the inside of the place smells like shit, (you know that moldy bar smell? It’s like that) I walk through it to get outside and it’s enough to make me want to vomit. I’ve had no desire to come during colder months… but I still like this place. I’ve also now discovered the entrance in the back to get directly to the patio. Yay.
The menu is fairly simple, appetizers, burgers, wraps, fish and chips, the typical bar foods, but I’ve never ordered anything I didn’t like. The burgers are pretty awesome, try the black and blue, or the diablo. The fries with the tangy mustard sauce is damn good, oh the giant wings I like a lot too. They also have a daily «poor man» special. Perfect for cheap people like myself. They’ve also got a good beer menu that changes often.
Service has always been great. They’re friendly, fast, and efficient. Once we got a basket of cold fries for the table and the manager got a new hot basket out quickly. She asked if we wanted to keep the cold fries without the charge. Hell yeah. Free is fine with me, they might have been a tad cold, but still crispy. I’ll be back this summer.

Had a graduation party here, great space on the 2^nd floor with private bar and restrooms. Also there is an amazing patio downstairs to catch some fresh air on. The food was a little bland but I haven’t gotten to try the regular menu yet. Will be grabbing beers here all summer.

Great place for a casual night on their patio with drinks and bar food. The atmosphere is relaxed and not at all stuffy — everyone is welcome!

This is a 3.5 star review for food selection but rounded up to 4 for the usually strong beer list and the very efficient service. The beer list here is not huge, but usually features a fun option or two, which I like. The food is decent, my only complaint is that the menu is pretty limited. I’ve attended functions in their rental space upstairs and that is nice. I like this place, and I’m glad I get the opportunity to visit regularly.

Some of my friends really dig this place so I’ve wound up here on more than one occasion. It’s not that I particularly DIS-​like it, I’m just not sold on it considering it’s proximity to some other great places… the place is pretty huge but always seems to be packed — almost uncomfortably so — and depending on where you end up sitting, the vibes are so all-​over-​the-​place that it’s hard to know what the night will be like… some parts are well-​lit, others are dim, some feel hip and edgy, others feel a bit like a place you’d have dinner with your parents… I don’t necessarily know that the variety is a *bad* thing but it’s hard to get a read on the company’s overall shtick.
That being said, they do have some decent happy hour specials (especially if you come hungry and eat meat/cheese…somewhat standard bar food in that respect — a few things if you order off the regular menu, but the happy hour options are more limited… people seem to love their nachos) and the huge (smoking-​friendly) patio is pretty incredible. In fact, I’m going to go ahead and say that the patio is what wins this place all 4 stars for me. Happy hour is a contributor, but the patio is the best. Especially if you score a booth spot because the only thing better than a patio is a patio with booth seating.

Come for the cajun chicken wings and the outdoor seating.

When craving a fun night on a patio… And needing some good bar food… This is your place!
The nachos are covered in topping. Beans, cheese, meat… Seasoning… Wowser!
The fries are my other staple. Salty and thin sliced decadence.
With my Whisky ginger with lemon and lime… Fries and nachos… Half beef half chicken… I am ready for an awesome night with friends. Sweeny’s never fails to deliver on a night of laughs and good food.
They offer a poor mans special which I think is last nights special… Thank you for having options but like most places I stick to the same thing! Fries and nachos is where my heart is at.
Everyone knows when I go somewhere with good nachos… I am getting them. I eventually learned to share but trust… That was not easy!

I owe Sweeney’s an apology. My first experience here was during the World Cup. The place was packed, loud and the beginning of a long disappointing night. I was so not thrilled that I had no intention of trying it again.
Last night, though, my mum-​in-​law was sinking into herself about how lovely the night was, so I convinced her a few drinks on a patio would be a good end to a great day. I remembered the raving about the patio here and we decided to give it a shot.
We had to park about a block away but once we made it to the patio and squeezed our way through the seating areas to the bar, we sat at our own edge of the bar just wide enough for the three of us and took it all in.
The patio bar was playing music at just the right level to hear over the yapping drunks and still be able to talk to one another. Our bartender was flying around, mixing and pouring and laughing with her guests. She buzzed happily over to us and took our orders.
I ordered an Amsterdam which was gin, pineapple juice and raspberry schnapps. It was mixed well and great for a breezy summer evening.
Afterward I ordered a Finnegan’s from tap.
Sam W. and Mum-​in-​law both ordered the Kentucky Cream. twice. Yeah, it was that good.
I power smoked and looked around as the patio filled up. It was relaxing, everyone was nice and we ended the evening buzzed and happy. We will definitely be back and I would love to try some of their food and hopefully add that 5^th star to this review.

How has a Sweeney’s review escaped me for so long?
Nice beer selection.
Patio in the summer.
Can often find a quieter corner inside if you want a little more privacy away from the bar.
TVs to watch the game but not «in your face» sports bar crap.
Those chicken wings. Big. Delicious.
Bigger than it looks.
Street parking. Boo. Whadyagonnado.
A solid bar in my St. Paul rotation.

As others have mentioned, Sweeney’s is largely known and adored for its patio. And that’s the way it should be — it’s a great spot to relax on a summer day (or even a cool fall day given the fixed overhead heaters). The interior is more classic neighborhood bar, but still cozy.
Sweeney’s menu, tap list and specials mirror that of fairly typical bar fare. From a food stand-​point you’ll find the usual suspects — burgers, wings, nachos, etc. and they’re fine for what they are. The draught list usually has about a dozen or so beers available and there’s usually a few decent choices among them (usually slanted towards local).
Overall it’s a nice neighborhood spot, and given its proximity to other watering holes like the Muddy Pig, Happy Gnome, etc. it’s a good bookend to one of my favorite parts of St. Paul.