Smack Shack — Restaurant in Minneapolis

This review is strictly regarding the nightclub/bar experience.

TLDR: This place is a fire hazard and they need to figure out crowd control policies. It took us 15 minutes to travel 100 feet from the dance floor to the bar because the bottleneck was so tight. People were squished against each other with nowhere to go. This is dangerous. If someone fell in this squeeze, they would’ve been trampled. If a fire occurred or violence ensued (limited security), a lot of people would be in serious trouble. I’ve never been at such a tightly packed bar. Also, security was trying to enforce a “one shake rule” in the men’s restroom.

This is my first-ever review I’ve felt compelled to write because this experience was so absurd. My friends and I rolled up to Smack Shack around 10:30pm. The line was long but quick, but there were no metal detectors or bag checking and the place was PACKED. The balcony was full but a reasonable place to hang out. Cool vibes, initially, but it seemed like too many people.

We decided to go dance, which was a mistake. There’s a ~4 person wide walkway by the bar to get to the dance floor, and it was terribly tight. There was a crowd crush to get to and from. This layout is not meant for a club. Once we made it to the dance floor, I was feeling claustrophobic and tried to head out. I timed it—it took 15 minutes to get back to the main area because people were packed so tight we couldn’t move. This feeling rivaled being near the front row of concerts and was straight up irresponsible and dangerous of the venue to allow this. People can die in these kinds of situations if ANYTHING goes wrong. Crowd control was not thought out at all. Security wasn’t helping to facilitate movement. There were way too many people allowed in.

Oh man, and the bathroom situation… a few gentlemen in my group went to the restroom, and a security member was yelling at the men “ONE SHAKE, ONLY ONE SHAKE.” It’s so absurd, it could’ve been an “I Think You Should Leave” sketch. Call me crazy, but I’m of the philosophy that people should get unlimited shakes. Imagine trying to explain you have piss spots on your pants because the bouncer only allowed one shake. Anyway—

I can’t stress enough how poorly managed crowd control was and how irresponsible it is for the venue to allow this. Someone is bound to get hurt. Walking out of there was the sweetest relief of the night.

2 stars instead of 1 because I’ve heard the food is good and I can’t strictly post a review for...

Ive never been one to complain about restaurants, after all I’ve worked in restaurants since I was 16. But our experience at Smack Shack Mpls was truly just poor to say the best.

Yesterday my boyfriend & I celebrated our anniversary, we made reservations at 5 o’clock. We were seated at a small table right by the kitchen line. Listen, I understand that someone had to take that seat, it’s not the end of the world, but in my experience making a reservation usually tends to get you a “nicer table” meaning maybe just a little further from the kitchen or bathrooms.

Behind us was the kitchen line, which also happened to be where all the servers congregated & spoke loudly about their personal lives. Again I work in the service industry! I get it, I totally do, but time & place.

Our waiter did not introduce himself & acted as if each order or request was unbearable: only speaking in one worded responses. & it is not as if I asked for ANYTHING out of the ordinary, not once did I send him on a wild goose chase throughout the restaurant in search of condiments or drinks, because again I WORK IN RESTAURANTS! I know the importance of your servers time & making sure you don’t send them in multiple trips. The only thing I asked for was a pickle & that was only because the one that came with my lobster roll was so small.

Drinks took an unreasonable amount of time to come out & when they did finally come to the table, there were two instances of our server taking away drinks that were each roughly 1/5th full. & maybe I’m in the wrong tax bracket but I would like to finish my $9 happy hour cocktail.

The food was overall really good! Aside from a few odd tasting shrimp & an odd crunch in my boyfriend’s lobster roll everything was what we expected.

Throughout the meal the server rarely checked up on us & when he did, he acted as if we were the BIGGEST inconvenience. It got to the point where I actually felt embarrassed, like we were not worth waiting on.

At the end of our meal I initially wanted to ask for a manager but based off of our servers responses to questions & overall service, it was clear we had already been enough of a nuisance to him. Again, I understand that their clientele is probably much more well off than a couple of college kids, but for us to pay $170 for good food but truly terrible service is upsetting.

It’s disappointing to see Smack Shack in this light. Unfortunately it won’t be a place...

(Last visited 11/28/2022.) In town on business and it's dinnertime! I hopped on the Yelp app and did some poking around looking for something good, something different. "Smack Shack" intrigued me with its name so here's where I ended up on this Monday evening. Here's how it went...

Atmosphere/Appearance: The word "shack" will certainly throw you off. It's not small in here at all. Granted, the building doesn't exactly fit in with the rest of the taller ones around it, but it has its own character. It looks like a one-story brick "barn" of sorts. It's very elongated with a raised platform for it's large outdoor seating section. Once inside you're greeted by a very open floor plan with high ceilings, red/white checkered tablecloths, yet some modern amenities and brick walls. In the middle of the room you have several tanks containing live lobsters and a big bar rail off to the side.

Service: I sat at the bar and service was great. I didn't have to worry about anything. The bartender was friendly, kind, made great conversation and made sure that I had everything I needed!

Food: They offer the infamous seafood boil here, but I wanted to get something I don't usually get at restaurants so I opted for the Stuffed Salmon. It is described as salmon filled with shrimp and lobster, then served alongside Minnesota wild rice, pistachios, asparagus, golden raisins and drizzled with a lemon beurre blanc. It was DELIGHTFUL. It was a good portion, buttery, smooth, tender salmon cooked a little more than I prefer, but I wasn’t offered a choice of cooking temperature. The medley was crunchy, savory, warm, comforting and an excellent complement. The lemon butter blanc was FANTASTIC. It reminded me of a hollandaise sauce, but not as thick and lighter. It was very well balanced. This place also had a wide variety of on-tap craft beers as well in which I indulged in.

Value: $33.95 for my salmon back then and about $7.00 per beer. It's a seafood spot so just use common sense when coming here. It's not going to be cheap.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed myself here and can 100% see a return visit...