Tom's Watch Bar - Minneapolis — Restaurant in Minneapolis

If I could give Sam six stars, I would! From the moment we sat down, it felt like we were being hosted by the king of good vibes. Sam was attentive without hovering, hilarious without trying too hard, and somehow managed to make menu suggestions that felt like he could read our minds.

You know that feeling when someone just gets it? That was Sam. He turned what could’ve been a regular dinner into a full-blown experience—complete with expert food recs, perfectly timed check-ins, and a personality that could charm the pickles off a burger.

If you’re coming here and don’t ask for Sam, are you even dining correctly? 👏🍴 Give this legend a raise and a parade. We’ll be back—mostly for the food, but definitely for Sam. 😉

Update: Just when I thought the night couldn’t get any better—enter Kyle, the busser with the reflexes of a ninja and the soul of a saint. While Sam was out here casually rewriting my standards for human connection, Kyle was in the background quietly SAVING THE NIGHT.

A spilled drink? Kyle was there before gravity finished its job. A wobbly table? Kyle fixed it with the focus of a bomb technician. A dropped fork? Kyle replaced it so fast I thought I hallucinated it. This man was everywhere and nowhere, like a hydration ghost who just wanted me to have a good time.

He’s got that energy like your mom’s favorite nephew who always offers to help clean up—and actually does it. A fine young man. Respectful, efficient, humble. Honestly? If Sam is the main character, Kyle is the underrated fan favorite who ends up with a spin-off series.

I came for pasta. I stayed for the cinematic universe that is this restaurant staff. Kyle, you’re the...

Wow. I am from out of town, second night in Minneapolis. And just wow. I'm blown away by the service. My West Coast ass was regretting sitting down here for a burger because it was quite crowded, and didn't seem like a burger joint, and was taking some time for the bartender to get to me.

I'm so glad I stayed. I haven't had this good service in a very long time. I didn't make any fuss or complaint, and yet the bartender comped my beer. Another bartender comes up and gives me a fist bump apologizing, again, without me even complaining. When my burger came out, they got it wrong-- tots, not fries, and she was trying everything she could to get me fries too. Dropped me a sample of a local beer instead. Warm and friendly conversation.

Fastfoward, here I am enjoying the last few bites of my burger, trying to shake out the corner of left in my small ketchup cup. Without any words, fistbump bartender comes up, sees me shaking my ketchup cup, inspects it, puts it down, quickly walks in the back and replaces it.

Talk about being taken care of. Wow. I don't know if this is a Minnesota thing, but they get 500 stars from me.

Also, the food was good, and beer...

This was our first and last time here. There were at least four bartenders on and it was some of the worst service we have ever had! One bartender would walk by and as she passed would just say, "are you good?" She didn't stop to see if you really were good! She didn't make sure our food was good or not even thought she saw me mopping the grease off my fried pickles! She didn't even ask if we wanted another round. We were just objects! Our food, terrible! I started with fried pickles, when they arrived they were sitting in a puddle of oil! it was so gross. I took each one out and tried to soak up the oil but they were just so greasy. I didn't even bother eating them as they were flimsy and tasted like oil! No, I did not say anything because I did not feel the staff was approachable and we felt like it would be a big bother for them! The chicken sandwich came out, I like my food saucy but my goodness this was ridiculous! I could have filled a condiment cup with the amount of sauce they put on the chicken. I had to laugh at it! I can see how this place could be a fun spot to watch a game at but with so many other options in the area, we...