Volstead's Emporium — Restaurant in Minneapolis

The positives stated in other reviews are true. The food is top quality, the drinks (we had) are unique and tasty. OUR server was very kind and helpful. The establishment feels & looks like you are truly in that time period. Having a construction background I was amazed at the woodwork, bathrooms, secret doors, everything looked like it was original to the era, they did not skimp on making the place authentic. The down sides: The food and drinks are crazy expensive for what you get. Our drinks were 98% ice, 2 sips and my $16 non-alcoholic drink was empty. The $16 burger was just that, a burger on a small plate, I asked my wife where the rest of the food was. The Gnocchi at $23 was small portioned as well. To set proper expectations the food menu should be labeled as "mini appetizers". Yes there are curtained private tables, 4 of them. but most of the seating is tight and cramped, don't go expecting any privacy and romance. If your a bigger person you will not be able to slide between the tables to sit down. My slender wife was embarrassed to be staring at our neighbor or her butt in their food to slide thru to her seat. To read the menu you will need a flashlight and a magnifying glass. Somebody wasn't thinking clearly when they made it. And all of this is if you managed to find the place in the first place. Yeah it's a Speakeasy so it's supposed to be hidden, but good lord, for first timers it's awful. The neighborhood is a little on the sketchy side, there was a homeless person sleeping in the doorway of a neighboring establishment, marijuana smoke in the air (although everyone we ran into was super nice) and anyone who knows anything about south Mpls knows there is NO PARKING AVAILABLE. So do you want to park 3 blocks away then wander around walking down alleys and nooks looking for a hidden door? Feels like your asking to get mugged. So we're glad we went and experienced the place, but due to all the negatives we would not return or recommend. There are many other Speakeasies without all the hassles. Finder tip: go to the UpDown arcade bar, go to their rear ground floor outdoor patio, look NE 50', that's the entrance. In that nook is 6 parking spaces labeled "711" for the speakeasy. You will need to access the alley from Lake st or 31st St. Get an aerial view map of this so once parked you can...

My partner and I always pick cocktail lounges to visit. We heard of this place through word of mouth. Needless to say we were very excited to check it out.

The experience 10/10: from knocking on the back door to live band to the overall vibe of the cocktail lounge was amazing. The only place that we could somewhat compare this to was Flora room.

Food: 8/10: we had the fancy bread and the meatballs. The meatballs were amazing and tasted great - a little bit of more sauce truly would have elevated this dish. The fancy bread is what kept us from giving a higher rating. It was objectively good but was a little too sweet for our taste.

Drinks 10/10: between the two of us we had four drinks. The Me Espresso, Cherry Berry, Tropic like it’s hot, and Pompello collins. Each one was delicious and presented wonderfully. There was a wide variety of spirits, so there is something for everyone.

Service: the door man and hostess were incredibly friendly and we were seated promptly within a minute or two of our reservation (apparently they just blew up on Tik Tok so I recommend making a reservation if you would like to go!) The biggest issue we had with our night was our server, Spencer A. To start, I want to say he was incredibly kind and at the beginning got us our first round of drinks and food very fast. While it was busier at the beginning of our dining experience, the rush started to die out about half way through our time there. That being said, it took just about an hour for our server to comeback to see if we wanted another round. This was way after we had finished our meal and even longer after we finished our cocktails. We would have easier gotten 1-2 more additional rounds of drinks if we were checked on before and after our meal.

Overall - we definitely would come back to give this place another chance. The food, ambience, and cocktails were amazing and everyone was very friendly. While the service was very slow I hope it was just an off night or the Tik Tok hype really caught...

I learned tonight that the menu cocktails (that are about $17 each) are batch made, which means they keep a sizeable amount premade of them on hand to serve because they are a, "volume bar," and don't have time to make them all by hand from scratch. I ordered from the menu before I knew this the case and was so appalled with the quality I sent it back to the bar. I learned that this was a "weaker" cocktail. (STILL $17 for basically mix since it was undetectable amounts of alcohol - at this point the soda fountain at Burger King would make more sense.) We got the Blossom off our bill and I ordered a custom drink which was a little better but I don't understand why I had to force my way into a proper cocktail for the price. Lastly, do NOT get me started on how bad our service was. Our server, who boasted about being a bartender and helping create custom drinks for other tables could not have cared less about coming back to check on us, despite walking past our table about a dozen times. This place is overpriced, bad quality, and gave me completely inattentive service. If at best they are serving premixed Kool-Aid, why does it take so dang long to get my premade drink?

It's also not necessarily the establishment's fault but I was sat by a group celebrating a birthday (ironically I was also there with my husband to celebrate my birthday, albeit much more quietly) and one of the patrons laughed so painfully loud that it ruined my whole night, too.

I guess this place is just like riding the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney World: an overpriced novelty with a once cool ambiance.

I have been coming here for years for my birthday and I will never return. I was in tears because of how...