Blue Rider

If you want a quiet, artsy place to drink, this is it. I hate drinking around loud people and poorly behaved drunks so a place like this is my kind of bar. It’s cozy and easy to find (downtown a street over from a couple other popular bars.)

This is a pretty great place. Good beer selection, and a nice place to just hang out and relax. If I ever end up in Minot again… I will be sure to swing by the Blue Rider.

This is one of my two favorite bars in town. While they don’t serve liquor, they have a large selection of wine, beers, and cider. They keep several different types of beer on tap and Angry Orchard Cider, also, they have seasonal tap selections that change regularly. It is a very small bar but the ambiance and art work make it feel relaxing. I’ve never had poor service here before. Trivia night is a blast. If you decide to go, make sure you have cash or check because there is no ATM and the don’t take plastic.

Dive Bar — Cash Only
This was a cute little dive bar. The bartender suggested Bell’s Oarsman Ale, which may just be my new favorite beer. There is no liquor here and nothing on tap, so bottle beer is the only real option (I think they may have box wine too). The beers we had were $ 4 — $ 6.
We ordered a pizza ($ 11), which was the frozen kind, but they use a pizza oven so it was pretty good.
It’s a quiet place and very chill with friendly people, no one unruly. Definitely fits the type of bar I would expect to be in Minot; small, local type, nothing upscale or fancy.
I recommend trying it out.

Best low key, chill bar in MInot. Very small and atmosphere is wonderful. The art on the walls is probably worth more then the building itself. It isn’t a party place, but if you want a beer or glass of wine and just chill, this is the place.

Everything the other reviewers said was true: if you want a nice, low-​key, artsy bar in Minot, ND, this is your option. Love going here just for the atmosphere, especially on nights with a band playing. There’s just lots to look at, unlike most bars. Art all over the walls, cool bottles and knick-​knacks, and people, of course. This is a great bar for people-​watching, since it’s so very small and personal. Also very open to events: I remember two years ago they cordoned off the street and had bands playing. There is only a few downsides: first there is no liquor, only beer and possibly some wine. Not a big deal to me, but to some this may be a bad thing. Second, it is a CASH-​ONLY bar last I checked. I went in and had a beer with a friend and when I went to pay they said they couldn’t take plastic. Thankfully, some nice man at the bar covered us. Those are just the kind of people you meet in here.
That kind of leads me to my last little comment: the people at this bar can be a mixed bag. In general, you see a large population of teachers (since it’s owned by someone in higher education), and lots of people from Minot’s underground music scene. This can lead you to see or meet some interesting people, but it can also lead you to run into people you may not feel like seeing that night, if you are somehow involved in the scene. On the other hand, if you are new to Minot and consider yourself «alternative», and are somehow off the beaten path, this is a good place to meet people. I guess it all depends on what you’re in the mood for. Check it out! You won’t be disappointed.

I like the atmosphere and art but the bartenders tend to think they are way too special.

I went in here with my girlfriend and had a very decent time. The bartender was decent but she asked way to many relationship questions. The pizza is good and they have PBR in cans eventhough I prefer bottles. The décor on the wall is very nice but the lack of the patio will be a reason I cant go higher. I just say dont start talking about your love life with the bartender and everything will be alright.

Back before smoking bans became universal throughout civilization, The Blue Rider was something of a miracle: a smoke free bar, with good beer and a classic dive bar attitude. Usually good beer + smoke free would be found in some big city in some over priced yuppie watering hole. Usually classic dive bar attitude means get used to second hand smoke and PBR in a can. Still as good and unpretentious as the day it opened, the Blue Rider, rides on. Yee haw!

The friend I was visiting in town insisted we stay another day so we could go to trivia night at the Blue Rider. Turned out to be worth it. Trivia night was a good time and the pizza wasn’t bad either.