Dusty’s Bar

It’s so hard for me to review dive bars because they, as a category, don’t necessarily appeal to me. That being said, let’s start at a baseline assumption that it’s going to be dark, dingy, and cash.
Given the assumptions, beyond that the bar was pretty solid. It was pretty quiet, which was a nice change of pace.
Service was nice, if nothing superior.
There were a few solid beer options (6 or 7 taps).
Just …middle of the road. Nice quiet place to drink some beer.

Now this is my kinda bar! A little hole in the wall with attitude! The staff was super cool and friendly, and so were the regulars we met. My new favorite place!

Friday night dinner club. Started out somewhere else, but no place to park so… ended up at Dusty’s. Had always talked about going there, but never found the time. We found the time. Great little place, very nice people there. Ordered at the counter, had three of the burger/​dago sammy’s and one dago. Pretty tasty little sandwiches. Opted for the potato salad for a little extra, most excellent. I only gave this place three stars because it is on the divier side, not that there is anything wrong with that and quite honestly I happen to like little hole in the wall sort of places, but the overhead has to be pretty nonexistent and you pretty much take care of yourself. They also have Grain Belt on tap… always a good thing!

Had friends visiting from England, said they wanted an old, authentic American bar where we could sit on a stool at the bar (like the movies)… Haha.
We did just that, and the attention from bartender (I’ll update with her name later!) made the night just perfect. Oh, that and the live music — including a happy birthday song to me, along with «I like my men like I like my whiskey… Mmmm aged and mellow…»
Good times. Good times.

I really enjoy this place. I usually have only gone right before the Autumn Brew Review across the street, however, I would go if opportunity arose. Pricing is pretty good. Service is fairly quick. I personally love little out of the way bars (some may call a hole in the wall.). But I do really enjoy this place and I still need to check out the patio. But you know me, I love dark bars.

Don’t be scared of the big security door here and the regulars smoking on the patio. This is a very welcoming little nordeast bar. The two main bartenders have been here forever and they know what they’re doing and they do it well. Aside from the friendly yet unobtrusive service, the dagos are the star of the show. A dago is a sausage patty with roasted peppers, topped with mozzarella on the softest pillow of a bun. The multitasking bartender serves you your beer and fries up your dago. You will eat it and immediately wish you had another. Get the creamy Minnesota potato salad and the dill pickle chips. Man. So so tasty. They have live music on the weekends and a meat raffle on Fridays. Do you really need more than a meat raffle, hockey on the tube and the sausagy goodness of a dagp on a cold Minnesota night? Nope.

On a recent vacation to town we found we could not resist the enticing sign advertising dagos. The Internet unsurprisingly informs us «dagos» may refer to any italian food, and from the drive-​by Dusty’s looked like it would not disappoint. Their «dago» is an italian sausage sandwich (the sausage formed into a patty, burger style) and was delicious. The bar itself was your typical cozy neighborhood bar. The staff and other patrons were friendly. The prices were low. The beer selection was 5 – 10 choices. The place was clean. Dusty’s provided a couple of out-​of-​towners an opportunity to enjoy an evening out among locals.

«What the hell is a dago?»
This was the burning question that led me to Dusty’s last Friday night. Having grown up in NE prior to the arts/​lofts/​hipster demographic laying claim to the area, Dusty’s is a desert oasis with lots of old-​school regulars here, with a cozy feel and attentive bartender. The retired horseshoe-​haired Teamsters and their wives were straight up 1992. I loved it.
While Dusty’s potato salad is deliciously fresh, The Works (mozzarella, fried onions, and green peppers) dago was just «ai’ight» — the bland lump of a sausage patty is keeping it from being a re-​order for me. Still, when in NE and in the mood for a few beers and/​or a quick bite, this would be my first stop. Definitely trying one of their homemade soups next time!
Side note, I’m not sure if the bartender (who also doubled as the cook) was the owner, but he was sure hustling like it. My dining partner and I were checked on a few times even as the bar had about 25 people in it, with only him at the reins. Awesome service.

It’s my favorite bar in northeast. The bartenders are friendly, the jukebox is fun, and if you haven’t had a dago before please stop what you are doing and order a «dago works.» The soups are made in house and there is a tortellini one that is so so good. It’s more of a neighborhood bar, and they have live music from time to time. Doesn’t disappoint if you are looking for a chill night and good conversation with friends or other patrons.

We went here to see BobKat and what a delightful little hole-​in-​the-​wall bar that you’d find somewhere in rural Wisconsin right here in Minneapolis.
If you’re looking for a bar that’s upscale and modern, this is not your place! But if you want a dark bar you think you’d have to drive 200 miles north to get to, stop on in. Good beer selection with a lot of local beers!

Dusty’s is allright. Had a not-​so-​mixed crowd, mostly buttoned shirts and collars I’m guessing just off from the office, and not too busy. That’s probably a good thing because the bartender was also doubling as the cook and running between the bar and the kitchen: props to her. Of course, I wasn’t going to get service of the friendly chatty variety in such a scenario, but I did get my beers real quick. Perhaps next time I’ll need to get a dago and potato salad.

For real dive bar. Cheap beer. Limited food that is exactly as good as it needs to be. Actual old school Nordeast regulars and an atmosphere straight out of the early 80s. Exactly what a dive bar should be. Expect nothing more.

Dusty’s is the heart of Nordeast, I love this place. The soup is delicious and homemade with love, if you see chicken tortellini pesto you must order it. Potato salad is legit and you can’t go wrong with a Dago works. The best day of my life was the day they brought back Pac-​Man.

Dusty’s is what I love about NE. It is what it is, and if you don’t like it, you can go elsewhere.
The works Dago is great, and I’m a slut for anything with sausage in it (heh) AND THIS IS A SAMMICH WITH A PATTY ENTIRELY MADE OF IT. *drools* With melty grilled onions and peppers + cheese, I can easily crush 2 of these bad boys without blinking an eye. Yeah, don’t judge me until you’ve tried one.
Pleasant surprise to find a pretty awesome 3 piece band jammin out in there, which made for a kind of awkward seating shuffle bc they were smack dab in the middle of the bar seating floor space…
There was a group of like 10 of us who showed up, which they handled with ease and grace. Food came swift and delicious, and our pint glasses never had a chance to run dry.
Fairly certain that the ladies bathroom is no where near any sort of ADA standards, which is only an issue for me when I’m stuffed to the gills with Nordeast and Dagos. But that awkward bathroom just endears this place to me — if you gotta pee you gotta work for it.
This is a great place to come, chillax, and eat some good ol’ NE bar fair and drink on the cheap.

Just rocked down a take-​out Dago «Works» and potato salad… Damn fine sammich — that’s all I can really say. And for less than $ 6!
Our company recently moved to the area and we’re starting to explore our lunch options — In Billboard magazine parlance, Dusty’s is moving up the charts with a bullet. We’ll definitely be ordering more dagos from Dusty’s.
I can’t speak for the inside of the joint — I sat at my desk and a co-​worker grabbed take-​out. From what I understand it was pretty dark and just a few «regulars» were hanging at the bar.
Regardless, more Dusty’s Dagos for me, please!

Dusty’s is the kind of place I think about when I remember my time in Minnesota. A west coaster now, I’ve still got a sweet tooth for Dusty’s Dago. Hands down the best snack sandwich in Minneapolis. Meat raffle every Friday at 5:30.

Great place… reminds me of the small town pub feeling. Clearly a locals bar, but everyone was nice (sometimes you can get the ‘look’ as a stranger walking in). However while it has that old time feeling, they still upgraded to HDTV’s and know enough to use a HD signal instead of ‘just digital’.
Frendly staff and clean, simple bar menu. Enjoyed my first ‘Dago’ (ground pork sausage burger) & the potato salad was excellent.
Only wish I could replicate this same pub in the suburbs so I could be a regular!

Dusty’s is a GEM!
When I think of NE I think of places like Dusty’s. It’s a bar that feels like a bar. It’s very clean and offers great food and tap options.
The DAGOS are awesome. The works dago is my favorite. Its a cheeseburger style philly with italian sausage as the meat. hard to explain… just get it! The cheesburgers and potato salad are also very good.
The taps include Fulton, Surly, Grain Belt, Summit and Goose Island. Pretty great list for a neighborhood bar. You can get a tap beer and a Dago for $ 10.
Throw in some pull tabs and a comfortable atmostphere and you have my favorite dive in NE.

This bar epitomizes Nordeast Minneapolis. It attracts all crowds: the softball team, the hip biking kids, the 2^nd and 3^rd shift employees, Twins fans, music fans, artists, and everything in between. It’s a dive, but it’s your dive. You. Your dive bar. That’s how you feel. But there’s more:
–There are plenty of crannies for you and your crew to crawl into despite it’s somewhat-​cramped size. All tables feel far enough away from the rest of the patrons. Unless you want to meet some new friends. Honestly, it’s a great place to meet your neighbors.
–The selection is nice. Fulton, Boom Island, great stuff. Although, sometimes you just want a Grain Belt. Oh, you’ll get one. Because you’re across the street from the old brewery.
–The same bartenders are there every night and they are very sweet. They treat you right.
–The live music is a nice touch on the weekend evenings. Rock, blues, etc. It’s quite good, but some nights you aren’t in the mood. Their side patio is perfect for those kind of nights. It’s essentially a nice alley, but it’s big enough for your group and pleasant for a chilled-​out night.
–THOSE DAMN DAGOS ARE INCREDIBLE!
Be sure to settle into a couple of pints at this place. It’s no looker, but I think you might find it to be as cozy as I do. If you are in the neighborhood, give this place some love, because it’ll give you it right back.

Loved every second of this place, from even before entering the bar and overhearing a group leaving saying «let’s get out of here before the hipsters start coming», because yes my Banana Republic coat screams hipster. Honestly, NE is more true hipster than anywhere else in Minneapolis.
Despite this comment, Dusty’s was very pleasant. This was the perfect pit stop on a brewery crawl with Eric S., Sara W., and a couple other friends on a Friday night. The crowd was small and mellow, it was definitely worth going the few extra blocks instead of being stuck for hours waiting in Anchor Fish & Chips for a spot. We comfortably sat at the bar and ordered the signature Dagos.
I had the Dago Egg & Cheese with chips. The homemade sausage was to die for, the perfect amount of seasonings with a little bite of spice. It was the definition of the perfect bar food. My only complaint is that the sandwich was a little dry for my liking. I added ketchup but there was only so much I could put on before taking away from the taste.
Also loved that another customer ordered strange vodka, pretty sure it was just for sipping.
Dusty’s is a little off the main path of the NE bars but it’s worth the trip.