Mayslack's — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Mayslacks is hands down one of the most iconic dives of northeast, known for its endearing heritage of wrestling, polka, and roast beef. But what many people don’t know what truly makes this bar special: its parking lot.

This parking lot is a hub for some of the most fascinating human activity you can find on this side of the river. Unlike other beloved dives in the area, the staff here take a bold “hands off” approach to managing the guests on their property and simply let the magic unfold. Between the hours of 11am-2am, one can observe some of the most impressive twerking and drunken brawls in the entire city. The patrons have an elevated taste in music that has taught me to appreciate the often overlooked art of bass and subwoofer. I also admire this establishment’s commitment to protecting the institution of alcoholism by consistently “overlooking” the crowds of people passing around bottles and taking pulls in the parking lot during business hours. It’s hard to find a dive bar with that kind of integrity these days! And, if you’re lucky, you might even get a glimpse of public nudity — why go to a titty bar when you can just post up in this asphalt haven? Even better, why go to a bar at all when you can just tailgate in this lawless urban sanctuary?

The local police also do a fantastic job of enhancing the show. I personally really appreciate how they stand stoically on the side lines shining their spotlights to illuminate the scene, allowing the performers and audience alike a good view. Thankfully they also support Americans right to alcohol consumption, and are so helpful guiding drunk drivers out of the parking lot at the end of bar close. I knew the MPD couldn’t be as bad as they say!

Ultimately, this bar makes our neighborhood so incredibly vibrant. I can confidently report that the young children of the surrounding families can already differentiate between the sound of gunshots and fireworks — a skill that is often not obtained until adulthood. The broken glass on the sidewalks make our streets practically sparkle in the sunlight, the nighttime clamor provides the perfect white noise to lose sleep to, the clientele consistently defies the expectations of a civilized society, and the sweet smell of overpriced sliders embraces pedestrians in the warmest of hugs.

Sure, go sit at the bar to sip on a nordeast and snack on some roast beef…. But if you really want to enjoy yourself, just skip straight to the parking lot for some good ole fashioned illicit activity. Don’t worry, you won’t get...

I live around the corner and our neighbors get together for happy hour every Friday in winter (in the summer we hang outside at a neighbor’s home); we almost always go to Mayslack’s. I have mixed feelings about this place; I remember when it was a lot cooler and they had great local bands playing every weekend. Now it’s mostly cover bands that play for tourists that come to see Old Northeast. The atmosphere is decent; sometimes the jukebox is too loud, but whatever. The service can be sketchy; when it’s not busy, it’s sometimes hard to get a server to see you (that sounds weird, but it’s kind of typical in the restaurant business). We almost always are served by Ali, and we adore her. She always knows what we like to drink and she is very attentive, friendly and tolerant of our sometimes irritating behavior.

The food is decent here; I’m pretty sure most of it comes frozen, but it’s good bar food. I love the fries! Their chicken tenders are great and so are their boneless wings. I used to like their burgers (though they definitely start frozen), but they recently started using Baldinger buns (same as McDonald’s) and they have never been the same. They don’t butter or toast the buns or anything and they are plain, no sesame seeds. Ick. It just makes me feel like I’m eating at McDonald’s. Bad move, Mayslack’s; for thirteen dollars, I expect better. Now, if you’re hungry and want something to share with a table of people, the Slax fries with the seasoned sour cream is the way to go.

I wait till I am about to burst to go to the bathroom, or I just walk home. The bathrooms are horrible. The locks are broken on the doors, there’s no heat, it’s often out of towels and there is almost always standing water on the floor. The toilets are not anchored to the floor, so they wiggle around when you sit down. A horrible place to do your business. It’s my biggest complaint...

Visited to celebrate a friend's birthday. Played some pulltabs, deemed ourselves charitable mfs following a modest effort that yielded no results. Cut a rug, because we loud capped on the Touchtunes to play the birthday gal's requests. Threw a couple games of cricket, and ordered the cheese bread and added pepperoni to it. Fairly priced, might I add. The red sauce that came with it was delish, much to our dip-loving delight. The server, Molly, had perfect customer service. She was taking care of business, cuz despite all the booths and tables being full- we didn't wait for long, if we did at all. The guy behind the bar was quick and friendly. We totes love that there is a parking lot, and that big ole side patio is wholly rad. We had plenty of space for our group to go smoke, as did the other patrons. Dive bar, but in my opinion, there was no skimping on service or quality. Overall, a great time was had by all. Comfortable vibe, ace staff, tasty food, charitable gambling, darts, an ample parking lot, and a spacious patio?!?!? Pfft, no brainer to check it out, if you've never been. We'll be dropping in...