The Beacon Public House

Cool vibe, really trying to be something different — which I appreciate. Had the chili last night with one of their specialty cocktails. The chili was too sweet and the bartender used too much bitters. Today I tried there cheeseburger — the thick fries were tasty but the burger disappointed — the meat just didn’t taste right. The toasted bun and ghost pepper cheese made it edible though. Great staff all around.

Great décor and ambiance. I went for lunch with a small group. It is quiet here when students are not on the UMN campus. I recommend this place for appetizers and a drink. Quaint café patio located on the front side of the Commons Hotel for a lunch meet up in the summer.

I seldom write a negative review, but both the food and almost all of the service was so bad, I am compelled. I made reservations on Thursday, December 17 at noon. I arrived and was greeted warmly by the host. My companion joined me shortly. Our waitress came to our table wanting our order and we hardly had time to review it. She said she would be back… came back within 60 seconds. My companion requested the pork taco and she abruptly said, «we don’t have pork tacos.» I told him that there was was pork taco salad. The waitress was abrupt and impatient. I ordered fish and chips. My fish and chips came and were over-​breaded, over-​fried and greasy. The fries were cold. My companion ordered soup and a sandwich and he didn’t eat the soup, saying the blue cheese tasted strange. The waitress never returned asking if we wanted a beverage or desert. I finally flagged her down, asking for the check. She brought the check and then I had to flag her down again for her to take my credit card. I was sorry that the food and service as so bad. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice and the host was excellent. We left and went to another restaurant and had coffee and desert.

Second time here, food is always delicious and great atmosphere for friends and family gatherings! The downside is that they don’t take it seriously with wines. We ordered a bottle of wine, the server did not pull a tasting glass. And when we wanted to take home the leftover wine, they couldn’t find a cork for us, so they used plastic wrap! If you are a wine person, these small things could take away some good impressions of the restaurant

Like this place before gopher games for a slightly older crowd. Food is pretty good. It would be great if they had a cocktail list on game days.

I wanted to like this place. Very nice ambiance. Slow service when not busy. Got my order wrong, my friends order wrong, and forgot my other friends meal. We finished eating and he finally got his Fish N Chips. Great beer selection though. Go to Applesbees next door for better food and service and waay cheaper too.

This restaurant was inside our hotel and we’re so lucky that was it! It’s a great place for brunch or to hang out after a night of debauchery! It’s really a place for everyone! :-D
The restaurant is very hipster chic, drinks were good and service was well «hipster service» (very laid back, i. e slow) lol but friendly non the less.
They have FOUR different types of fries, the herbs were the most popular and my favorite. For girls (or guys) who likes sweeter drinks I’d recommend the Romeo or Juliet.
I forgot what the husbands got (Whiskey, Rum?) but it was very strong.

Good food, good service. Has a pool table. Great cocktails. I like this place for sure.

We were guests at The Commons so decided to treat ourselves to breakfast. My husband played it safe with eggs and bacon and I overhead a waitress mention some amazing French toast that wasn’t on the menu. One order right here! I also added some of the Applewood bacon.
The french toast was very good. At first. Maybe because I was starving and you know when you’re starving the first bite is always amazing. But after a few bites (ok, probably after two pieces) I started to slow down and get to know the food. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but a half order would have been better. Why? It’s so rich! It’s like eating cake for breakfast. The whole entrée comes with figs or something or other but I opted for just the toast, which included some toasted onion. Hmmm. I’m not so sure the burnt onion and super sweet syrup and cakey toast all really mesh. Well, for me they didn’t (although it didn’t stop me from polishing off the entire dish). Next time I’ll go ahead and get it all together, maybe ask for a half order and even see if they can leave the onions out altogether (although Id like to give the chef a chance and see if it’s just because I omitted the garnish) or put them on the side. A half order, with eggs and bacon and nonstop coffee… perfection!
The service was also very good, although the waiter said he had yet to try the french toast because he’s a college student and can’t afford to eat there. Poor kid! I’d suggest the restaurant encourage and support some tastings so the staff know how to respond to guests properly. I want my waiter to gush about everything and give me good recommendations, not make me feel guilty for porking out on expensive food while he works for pennies. We also had the option of adding our meal to our room bill, which is very handy. Overall, good place, nice décor, convenient for guests, great hours (I think 24 hours but don’t quote me on that), great service and food.

Good food, had the huevos. A tad on the pricier side, but not outrageous and expected for a hotel restaurant. Service was quick and courteous. I’d come back.

The food here is really pretty bad and overpriced at least for dinner, I had the bangers and mash which did not taste like any bangers and mash I have ever had in the UK. No one in our group finished their meal. The television sets were a distraction to conversation. Service was mediocre. Given the numerous inexpensive and good restaurants nearby I can’t imagine why anyone would eat here more than once.

Good food, good drinks but TERRIBLE service from the bartenders. Otherwise nice little hotel restaurant with restaurant prices not looking for repeat customers. I’ll stick with giving my business to the Dinkeytown college bars.

Good place for dinner and drinks for a crowd. Food was good, drink list was ok.

I like this place – great, updated atmosphere. Breakfast is excellent (especially the inlets) and the service good. Never been too busy when I’ve been there – but that’s only been during breakfast.

Beacon represents what I expect at most hotel restaurants = nice ambience, okay service, mediocre/​overpriced food.
I came here for a «work breakfast» which consisted of meeting visiting professors. The hostess and waiters were very nice and patient answer our questions. The menu was a bit confusing. They have breakfast orders where you can choose your meat but apparently the list of meat they have are not all available for certain entrees. Their bowl of fruit looked like they were prepared couple days ago… However, the coffee was decent. The visiting faculty had a breakfast combination (eggs, toast, hash brown and supposedly a meat from that odd list). However, he substituted the meat with a fruit bowl. What came instead was 4 slices of tomatoes. We were very confused at first because technically tomatoes are fruit? But, the waitress said that was the veggie option. Hold on, so if i want to order veggie over sausages or a bowl of fruit, I get 5 slices of tomatoes instead? That seemed like a very odd substitution…
Service was good. Generally they were attentive and helpful. However, one tiny fluke — we originally ordered green tea for the professor, which took longer to come than our food. Really?
The visiting faculty member also noted how a small/​travel size box of cereal and milk was priced at $ 5…But again for hotel restaurants, I would say this place is average. But then again I clearly have a bias towards these digs.
Anyways, overall the place was average. If we were not hosting others, I wouldn’t come here on my own.

We really enjoyed this place in The Commons Hotel (loved the hotel as well). I can’t imagine anyone going to Applebees (which is connected to the hotel) when you have this one-​of-​a-​kind gem!
Drinks in the bar… nice!
Breakfast… awesome! We were seated in a very comfy booth and had an excellent Server. I can never eat a full order of eggs benedict, so I was thrilled when they told me I could get a half order, even happier when they said I could have spinach added, and extra happy with hashbrowns instead of country potatoes.
Husband is not the biggest breakfast-​lover, but he sure loved his perfectly cooked scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and hashbrowns. Nice coffee for him and nice tea for me, and we were happy folks!

My sister and I went here just for drinks and sat at the bar. The place was trendy, perhaps they label themselves a GastroPub?(Just a guess).
Good location on campus, especially if staying at The Commons Hotel.
I ordered «A Modern Mule» which is similar to a Moscow Mule. I am not one to get bent out of shape about the lack of a copper mug, but for $ 10 I was certainly underwhelmed. Tasted like ginger beer with a splash of vodka. It was nothing special and not worth the price. Additionally, my sister ordered a diet coke and had to take a double take at the bill when I noticed it was $ 3.50. I know this place is a nicer establishment, but should have walked next door to the hotel for a $ 2 diet coke.

Recently, my daughter and I wanted dinner after a performance at newly remodeled Northrop (which BTW is fantastic!!). We wandered into Beacon House and were glad we did. It’s a large, uncluttered, attractive space.
I started with a well prepared wedge salad followed by an order of Mussels and Fries. The mussels were delicious, ample in number and swam in an aromatic, savory broth. Fries were crisp and thin, nicely (not overly) salted. My daughter had the pan roasted Salmon and pronounced it excellent.
Prices for a hotel restaurant are quite reasonable. Service was very good. I’ll definitely keep this place in mind for future U of M post-​theater dining.

Went here for late night dinner and next day breakfast. The restaurant is inside the commons hotel. The food is very tasty and the kitchen is fast. This is typical bar food so set your expectations accordingly. They have a long wall of TV monitors and is ideal for sports and other major media event. s

I had a really nice time eating at this restaurant during my stay at the Commons Hotel. The host was very pleasant. Seating was nice and not too close together or crowded.
Prices reasonable for a hotel restaurant. We went to the bar one night too and they were great. Very attentive, professional. Fun place to sit and have a drink
We had steak, sauteed kale, beet salad, smoked salmon, caesar salad with salmon and mussels. The mussels were the low point. Small, few, greasy… all for 18 $, not worth it. Everything else was great including the pre-​meal bread and butter! Delicious!
Service was extremely pleasant yet a bit painfully slow.
Whe wines and beers were great– yet not particularly good pours but still good quality.
Overall, I’d happily come back when staying at the hotel. Try it out! They do take reservations.

My experience at Beacon was really really nice. And really really unexpected. I probably have an unfounded typical dislike for hotel restaurants but Beacon exceeded my (probably biased) expectations!
Initial thoughts upon walking in were that this restaurant is really well-​designed. The reclaimed wood everywhere is a gorgeous trend that I love to see restaurants picking up. There is one wall where there are books and candles above the booths that I thought was breathtaking. The bathrooms are also very clean looking with the white subway tile everywhere. The décor is very current and welcoming. Almost home-​y in a modern sort of way. I like it. A lot.
We ordered drinks and everyone was pretty satisfied with their selection. There was one fruity/​creamy drink that tasted and smelled awful and they were very accommodating in giving us another choice right away. The table ordered a bunch of appetizers to split. My favorites were:
*The Mac & Cheese — the chorizo is a TASTY addition
*The honey wings — the lime sauce is a really interesting flavor
*Beef tenderloin — cooked yourself over an open flame
The desserts were either awesome or well, not so much. Highlights:
*Mixed berry cobbler thing
*Sea Salt Apple Tart (OMG, this tasted like Cinnamon Toast Crunch in the best possible way)
Forget about:
*Flourless chocolate cake
*Pineapple gelato. The texture wasn’t right
If this was in downtown, this place would be a hit. It’s a little «off the beaten path» if you’re not a student or someone staying in the hotel, which I think accounted for the rather empty dining room. A solid 3.5 stars, though.

Wow, I really love this place.
I remember the old bar at the University Radisson, and it was such a snoozefest. Uninspired drinks, slow and snotty staff, and way overpriced.
My partner had gone to Beacon for a happy hour, and kept raving about it, so I figured I’d give it a shot, and am I ever glad that I did!
The décor is nice — think reclaimed wood, high boothbacks in subdued but vibrant colors (yellow, aqua, teal, etc.), unique lighting that included dozens of candles and lights hanged at different lengths, and a nice mix of high top tables and booths. I also really loved the televisions. Whaaaat? Some of them had news, but others just had pretty things, like fields of swaying wheat, sunsets, beaches, etc. It was a really nice mix.
The happy hour menu is great — we got a bucket of cheese curds for $ 3, and there were many other options on the menu that I look forward to exploring. HH drinks are pretty cheap, too — it’s a 3,4,5 menu. $ 3 for most beers, $ 4 for a heavy poured glass of wine, and $ 5 for either a mule (vodka, ginger, and freaking awesomeness) or a dark and stormy.
Service here was good, too. Our server seemed to be working quite a few tables, but she didn’t leave our glasses dry at all.
This place is really convenient to the U of M — it’s right on the East Bank campus, and will be really nice when the light rail comes through. In fact, having a light rail stop right in front of this bar should make it a really desirable spot. This is also why I removed one star from what could be a five-​star experience. Although it IS convenient to the U of M and will be great once the train stops nearby, if you’re heading over in your own car, parking is going to suck, and you’re going to have to pay for it.
Beacon is great for HH, and I look forward to sampling more of their menu.
PS — here’s my tip! When they say that the cheese curds are «State Fair quality,» which many places do, Beacon really does mean it. They’re good quality curds, and taste like State Fair curds without the long lines!