The Hardware Store — Restaurant in Anoka

Sadly, I must report that our experience at The Hardware Store was not wonderful.....and we had been truly looking forward to our visit as Miss Myra was playing and I had snagged a reservation.......finally! The reservations sell out fast! We arrived 25 minutes before our reservation but were not escorted to our table even tho the table was not in use. We came back, waited, and were finally seated about 10 minutes before our reservation time. The hostess did not explain to us that we needed to go to the bar to order anything, or that there was water and glasses by the stage if we wanted water, or that the curtains dividing the couch areas would be pulled back for the performance as we couldn't see the stage. She did explain, tho, that we had the table until a certain period of time, i.e. 1 1/2 hours. After probably 20 minutes waiting for service, we stopped one of the "servers". He explained to us that we needed to come to the bar to order and said the hostess should have already explained that to us, which she had not. We ordered drinks and a cheese/meat/cracker tray. We were not aware that there was no actual food service, just appetizer/snack types of food. Luckily, we had an appetizer at another venue before we came.. Drinks and the cheese tray were brought to the table. Miss Myra was great, but the distraction and noise from people having to get up from their chairs and walk to the bar to order was quite distracting from Miss Myra's performance and in general. My Old Fashioned was good but the beer my date ordered, he didn't care for. Only saw wine by the bottle on the menu. Cheese tray was good. We left before Miss Myra's performance was finished and before our 1 1/2 time limit was up. We were disappointed in our experience.

REPLY TO OWNERS REPLY: Had to reply to your reply: No, your hostess seating people did not explain to us about anything except when we needed to vacate the table. We did not "miss" the information. Nothing was said about having to go up and order at the bar, nothing about the draperies.......which were very nice....... and that they would be pushed back when the entertainment began until I mentioned we could not see the stage and also nothing about you only selling wine by the bottle. We could not find anywhere on your menu where that is stated either. I asked your hostess if we were allowed to dance at all......we had danced to Miss Myra at The Velveteen Speakeasy in Stillwater. She needed to ask "her manager", who said it was OK if we danced by our table. And we did not just "remove our shoes". We changed into dance shoes and then changed back to street shoes. We do not make a habit of sitting without shoes when we go out. Did not dance as we were quite distracted by the noise at the bar. Also good to figure out that our table could have been turned into a table for 4 easily......we had friends that wanted to come. Now we know the ropes. Thank you for...

My husband and I drove from Minneapolis to the Hardware Store to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We got a text saying our table was ready, which was great because we got there early. We ended up waiting in the 'hardware store' for quite a bit with a drunk couple that wandered in right before we entered. We were let into the big room, which was very loud for a Wednesday night. They had music (good music, to be fair) playing loudly so it was hard to hear each other.

Ordering was weird - we had to go to the bar - where multiple servers were just standing and waiting in front of the bar. It was just a bit weird but the staff was very kind.

The drinks were mediocre. We were very disappointed with the charcuterie tray. It was large, but the quality was sad. It was cheap white bread (not baguettes, as mentioned in the menu), pepperoni, cheap sliced cheddar cheese, and lackluster crackers and what looked like cheese curds. It felt really cheaply done and tacky for the price.

We asked for a refund for the charcuterie board and the the young server went to go talk to the manager, who was sitting at the corner of the bar. They talked for a while and the poor server came back and had to talk to us. She said that the manager said that nobody had ever complained about the charcuterie board before and they could offer a free drink but couldn't do a refund. She felt bad that we were let down because she knew it was our anniversary. I understand that it's a bar and doesn't have a kitchen, but the quality was just a bummer. It was also unfortunate that we were told that 'no one had complained before', as we were unhappy and it felt like we were being blamed.

Between the loud music and the sad charcuterie board we were ready to leave. It was disappointing that the manager did not come over to speak with us about why we weren't satisfied even though we could see him talking to his staff, and the one free drink was half the price of the board. It felt like a rip off. We were out celebrating and didn't want to make a bigger stink by demanding to speak with him even though that felt fair.

Part of the problem was that we were at Volstead's Emporium in Minneapolis earlier the same day, which had much better cocktails, atmosphere, ordering experience, and quality of...

OH MY WORD, NOT ONLY ME BUT MY WHOLE GROUP LOVED THIS PLACE. Obviously you're going to remember us, our Friend having her 21st golden birthday, we all loved it. I'm so happy you guys could accommodate us. :') it was a blast, we had a hard time at another bar to meet the birthday girl's boyfriend for the first time. I know this isn't mainly about your place BUT! The password was so great. Everyone who had met him didn't feel comfortable to have him there. It was like a little getaway, and we forgot our problems, and the drama. We. Loved. This. Just to say this as well I DID HAVE A SPOT FOR HIM I GAVE HIM THE PASSWORD AND HE DECIDED NOT TO COME OR SHOW UP AT LEAST PARTIALLY SOBER. So I understand why he was turned away or he didn't find it(I have no clue, 2 drunk people conversing over the phone is just frustrating in it's own). Everyone felt safe. We loved it. The drinks were amazing, the atmosphere, the staff, the secrecy to get in. We felt so welcomed and not out of character at all, we felt special and grown up, with us all being 21. The DRINKS OML they were a little strong, but you literally get what you paid for and more! It was perfect. My friends want to come back another time with their friends and family! You and your team really did a great job and we loved it so much. I'm glad I got to talk to you personally, I was so scared that because IIIIIII orchestrated the whole night for my BFF, and that it would end up in shambles. You guys completely fixed the night and we all loved it. The drinks were appropriate for the price and everything. We actually had a lot of fun! I can't wait to see you again and your staff! Just.... so many words cannot express how much I love the place you put together! And I'm not speaking just for myself but for my friends as well. The birthday girl HAD A BLAST! Please do not change a thing in this place no matter what...