Kathy’s Pub

Having the best time! Old friends, fun atmosphere. Great funny bartenders and live music. 3 floors. Funky old atmosphere. Little grungy and can be very crowded. Love the roof top patio in summer. Pool in winter. Fun place to start off if your going bar hoping downtown.

Kathy’s is a local bar for locals. I am not a local so I get stared at big time when I hang out here. This bar has a roof top bar and an elevator to get you up there. this is a good thing b/​c walking down steps after cocktailing can be risky. I think the best part about this bar is that there are always cabs out front so no wait to get the hell out of there.

This place is your usual dark tavern but I’d say it’s probably one of the dirtier bars in downtown Rochester. We still manage to usually have a pretty good time here. The bathrooms are kind of dirty too but the one bright spot for this place is the rooftop bar that’s always a good time. Service can be hit or miss too. If you’re looking for just a basic party bar this is a good choice. I wouldn’t recommend it for a first date or anything.

Rooftop is great if you sit at the bar, otherwise seats can be hot and sunny… but maybe you’re into that.

Rooftop is great! Staff is great!!! Beer and liquor is right on par for pricing. It’s a little divy and the crowd can be difficult. 4 stars for value, 4 stars for outside patio, 1 star for down stairs

I’d give them 4 stars for their rooftop patio, but 2 stars for the rest.
They have a great week night happy hour; 2 for 1’s until 7pm, and it seems to be on pretty much anything. We tend to happy hour here quite a bit when the rooftop is open, and the bartender on the roof is AWESOME! Great service and very friendly.
As for the inside space, it’s a little dark & dingy. I’m not sure if they ever open the 2^nd floor, It’s always been closed when I’ve been in here, but maybe they open it for the later night weekend crowd? They do have live bands on the main floor, but it seems rather small down there.

Cool place! Fair share of locals for good insights! Mike the bartender is a good conversationslist. Lots of TV’s, dart boards! Just like a local bar should be!!!

Ok, so there are two ways that one hears people describe Kathy’s. One one hand, it is a bar with great location, it is busy and fun on a consistent basis, the drinks are relatively cheap compared to neighboring bars, the rooftop bar is awesome when the weather is nice, you can play pool here, it has multiple stories which allows for more people, etc. On the other hand, the place looks run-​down and old in comparison to neighboring bars, you’re probably more likely to step in a puddle of spilled drinks or worse. That being said, Kathy’s has sort of a reputation of being the downtown dive bar. My friends and I usually start the night at Kathy’s — that way, we can take advantage of the reasonably priced drinks and avoid the overly drunk late night crowd. The demographic is probably 70% 21 – 30 year olds, 10% 21 and under, and 20% 30+. It is also in the center of Rochester’s rising bar scene — Dooley’s, The Loop, The Tap House, Top Shots, and Legend’s are all within a 1 minute walk.

Very nice place. We were there with a group of 10 people on a Saturday night in August after Goonie’s Comedy Club. I had never been there before this. I thought the main floor was kind of dark and not inviting, but we ended up n the roof top. Loved it! It was very busy so it took awhile to get a seat, but it was worth the wait.

Um, really? A rooftop bar overlooking both downtown Rochester and the corn water tower? Where booze is cheap, and people complain about this?! Where I come from (Canada), we embrace the sun whenever we can, so rooftop bar real estate is especially competitive. I find Kathy’s a treat, especially the sketchy alleyway that leads to the bar, and the stairs, which I imagine is difficult to walk up if you’re slightly tipsy.
On a nice sunny day we enjoyed some nice cheap beers on the roof. The first floor was actually half-​full. Must have been the people who hate brightness. The bar staff are whatever, but can you blame them? It was beautiful out. I’m sure everyone was in a crappy mood inside.
I suppose like all dive bars I didn’t have any expectations. Know your place. Don’t order food, don’t expect good service, just enjoy the grunginess for what it is. If I ever show out-​of-​towners around Rochester, I’d definitely stop off here.

2-​for-​1s until 7 on weeknights with Bartender Scotty, who could be Rochester’s best bartender!!! Strong drinks, great tap selection, and AWESOME rooftop during summer months!

Yes the roof is amazing, but you always have to walk thru the bottom floor to get up to the top. Maybe take out the bar stools in the lower floor so people can actually walk. I think a redsign of the lower floor is about 5 years overdue. Push the bar back a bit and I will stay for a few rather than just one drink then leave unsatisfied.

There on a Saturday night. The owner is a jerk, and the staff is just as bad. Slow service. Everything is too slim to be even mildly comfortable. Just a terrible night. Try one of the other much better options nearby.

On the roof is the place to be.

Coming from a place like Minneapolis, to a place like Rochester was initially a shock. My original impression of Kathy’s was not all that favorable compared with what I was used to. But after a few months, I got over my snobbery and became suffienctly local to enjoy the experience.
Rochester is a small town, and you’ll realize the same crowd hanging out most weekends at any given bar in town. I like Cathy’s because it is more the 20-​ish mix of «Young Professional» and «Still Daring to Be Great» crowd. The drinks are varied and affordable. The waitresses are friendly, fair and mostly attractive. The live music is a plus on the weekends, although it can border on too much stoner type rock.
I love the rooftop patio. In my opinion, this instantly separates Kathy’s from every other bar in town. The ability to choose from three different levels in the summer time really adds to the fun of the bar. It’s also interesting to see which groups tend to go where.
I’ve been living in Chicago for the past two years after spending a few in the Roch, but I imagine this is still the best bar in town.

Kathy’s is the place to be if you’re looking for a good bar in Rochester. The rooftop patio is where it’s at! Great view of the city in the evening and good atmosphere to relax with friends.
On the floor below, they have pool tables, and the ground floor is rather noisy. Great bar.

Oh, Kathy’s.
Such memories we’ve had.
Having been a long time patron of your beer soaked establishment,
I have gotten away with much.
Only here have I ever been able to leave my game of Risk going
on one of your booth tables
so that I may drive down the street to get stoned
and pick up a pizza from Little Caesers on the way back.
Only here have I been able to drop countless bottles
and have them break all over and create a mess,
or spill my beer all over your baristas and customers
without fear of ever being cut off or thrown out.
You’re bouncers, they know me,
as do your adorable waitresses,
even if I have moved away from Rochester
and haven’t set foot in your bar for months to a year at a time.
Only here am I able to coax the DJ into letting me plug my ipod in
and take over the music selecting for a bit.
Yes, Kathy’s.
You are a giver of the good times.
You put up with my drunken shit.
You let me talk smack,
write on your walls,
puke on your floors,
and be as loud and crazy as I wanna be.
You’ve never judged me.
You offer me peanuts to sober me up,
but you don’t fogive me when I’m beyond
the point of sobering for the night.
You let me make fun of the band Saliva
for still being around when no one loves them
and for having to play in Rochester because Minneapolis
won’t take them.
So much stuff you allow me to do.
And I love you for it.
I love you for accepting me in my deviant ways.
I’ve grown up a bit in the 7 years we’ve shared,
but I hope that we never grow apart.
Oh, Kathy’s.

best dive bar in the Mn… nuff said!!!