Minneapolis East Bank Dive Bar Guide

As the Mississippi River meanders through Minneapolis, it cuts the city in two, the city’s urban core and North Loop neighborhoods on the west side of the river, the dive bar heavy Northeast neighborhood east of the river. Aptly named, the East Bank sits in between, tracing the bend of the river just over the bridge out of downtown Minneapolis, sporadically bursting into life with bars and restaurants sporadically interwoven with green space.

This is not the typical Minneapolis tourist destination, to be clear, this is an area with a little bit more grit than the North Loop but not quite the dive bar concentration of the Northeast neighborhood. But these types of in between spaces are exactly the types of areas in cities that spark the growth of unique, often timeless dive bars unencumbered by the laser focus of gentrification. That this particular tour features two of the city’s dive bar karaoke staples only enhances its allure.