Alary’s Bar

We decided to stop in here for a beer after having had dinner in Saint Paul to see if the place had changed since we had been there years ago. It was a Monday night, and wasn’t very busy or anything. There was a waitress walking around to tables to serve people, but despite the fact that we waited almost 10 minutes, she never came over to our table. Even if they did not provide table service, the bartender or server could have mentioned it. Lame. Never going back.

I’ve read some good and some bad about this place. What I will say if your into dive bars this place is top notch! They have one of the biggest patios I’ve seen and great drink prices.

Too bad they couldn’t open on time on one of the busiest days in St. Paul. We waited for twenty minutes and finally went to Eagle Street. Many others were waiting as well. When I called to complain I was hung up on! Too bad someone couldn’t wake up by noon.

I’m with Shekinah S– the lighting is weird… everything in there is stark white, and although there are literally no visible light fixtures, it’s too bright and has sort of a sterile, hospital feel to it. The entire «theme» is cop car doors hanging from the ceiling, and neon beer signs.
Bartenders aren’t very friendly and seem pretty clueless about what they offer and where it’s located behind the bar, like it was everyone’s first day (maybe it was!). The entire staff looked depressed, as if they were there against their will. Value-​wise it’s not the place to go; shots are exactly a one ounce pour (they measure) and they’re still $ 5. Everything is served in plastic. Probably won’t be back.

The staff seems friendlier and the beer selection seemed to improve. The has been a huge turn around it seems that every 3 months i go to alarys there is a new person or some one is gone. The frozen pizzas are not bad at all. I saw 5 girls in the bar and well its the most i have seen at this place in months

This place sucks, I was in town for the weekend, and wanted to catch the Bears game, I get to this empty bar, and try to sit up at the bar, no luck, every single seat (empty mind you) was reserved, ok, so I try and find a seat one of the tables, these also were reserved. Are you kidding me??? The place was completely empty, I never got to enjoy the game, nor try the food. This place is a wash!

Gross. I won’t even explain why or how I ended up at Alary’s but I can say with great confidence I never set foot in that place again. I’m sure the bare midriffs and ass-​cheeks of the (female) bartenders are a draw for some, but the whole thing just grossed me out. On both a sanitation and emotional level. The ogling male patrons grossed me out too. The rest of the bar is gross as well, with wet floors, napkins and trash all over the place, and weirdly bright, fluorescent lighting. And it was freezing in there. And my beer was served in a plastic cup, which I’m not used to unless I’m at a concert or event. I guess actual glassware and half-​naked bartenders do not go hand in hand. And I don’t get why or how the «scantily-​clad bartenders» theme merges with the «cop bar» theme. But if you like Surly, Alary’s has most or all of their beers on tap. Enjoy it in a plastic cup while looking at some chick’s exposed ass!

This place is fine if you’re looking for a dive. I mean REAL dive. We stumbled in to Alary’s on a pub crawl after work. If you’re looking for no frills towny dive bar, this is it.

Frozen pizza was better than I thought. Bartender was slutty as they come. Would walk to an bar a lot further away next time. Bartender looking for free stuff and still charging full price for drinks.
If you are a roadie then go someplace better.
If you are a COP then this is the bar for you. Sign the car door and you might get a cheap drink.

This place has a lot of rules. No tabs, get preached at if you ask to taste a tap before you order… It just feels creepy on top of all the police stuff everywhere. The beer is over priced. They do play football games on many tvs and they’re not crowded so it’s helpful for us out of towners when my team’s game is on at the same time as the Vikings. Overall though I don’t really like this place, but they do validate parking for the ramp next door.
I have to add to this review because after typing it, the bartenders changed into underwear and cutoff shirts… so tacky! There’s a time and place for that much butt cheek, and sunday afternoon, watching a football game is not what I had in mind. If I was rich I would tip them heavily to put their clothes back on!

I wont waste your time with a huge review. It was okay. The bartenders didn’t have much for clothes on but they didn’t look all that happy so it wasn’t all that fun. The beer prices were fair for downtown St Paul. I wouldn’t go back unless I was going to watch a Wild game or something.

More than disappointing. Over priced draft beer ($ 6 for a draft?!) — empty, freezing and no food except «pizza». Pass on this

Went during the day no sexy people just a regular dude behind the bar that made a nice martini. A couple of old drunks talking about weird stuff. Other than that it was a nice quiet place.

Good place to grab a beer and watch any sporting event on one of the thousand TVs here. They have a huge draft list and very cool and friendly bartenders. It is definitely not a place to grab a delicious meal — unless your idea of a meal is frozen pizza or popcorn. But the prices are spot on and the atmosphere is entertaining.

I’ve been to Alary’s a bunch of times, mostly around hockey related events. Can’t beat a free shuttle to and from the X! While its a decent place to go and drink, I won’t ever eat there. It just doesn’t seem like a place where I want to have a meal. It reminds me of the phrase «You don’t want to $!@% where you eat.» The drinks are good, and the prices are decent but remember you will most likely be surrounded by a bunch of dudes ogling the staff. Its a Chicago Bears bar so beware if you are walking in on a Sunday afternoon wearing purple and gold. One fun thing you can do is use the breathalyzer machine and see which one out of the group can blow the highest. For the most part Alary’s is a gimick, but it works for them. You know what you’re getting and that’s why you go there.

Yup, I am the Duke.
Borderline creep? Certainly.
I am not alone.
Is Alary’s a huge sausage fest? Absolutely. Does it keep me from coming back? Hell No!
When I lived closer to town, I was much more of a regular. What is there not to like about cheap beer and skimpily clad bartenders and beer tub servers? Back when I first started going here, it was always easy to get on the pool table or dart boards. No such luck anymore. It is heterosexual male butt-​to-​nuts any weekend or Wild game night.
Most often these days, I am there before and/​or after a Wild Game. Cheap shuttle to and from the Xcel. Gets super crowded on game nights, weekend or non-​weekend. Had to wait for the third shuttle back tonight after the game. Seems like there is always more of a Thunderdome atmosphere for the Alary’s shuttle than any other shuttle from any other establishment. Always, dude heavy.
Why not five stars? Lack of food. Heggie’s Pizza and the on and off food truck does not cut it for me. If they had a standard pub grub menu, this place would get my high five seal of approval. To each their own. It is definitely not for everybody. But what has two thumbs and likes Alary’s? — THIS GUY!

This place is the cop bar/​bears hang out spot. To me it’s just a local bar. A place that I can always get a cold beer, watch practically any football game and oh yeah and the occasional glimpse of the eye candy behind the bar. It’s the perfect spot to randomly drop in and grab a beer and head on out somewhere else or maybe a good place to end the night. This place is usually packed during games/​events at the Excel since they shuttle people to and from the center (great business strategy in my mind), random pub crawls in St. Paul and then the usual Friday/​Saturday night crowd.
Plenty of beer options on tap, a free popcorn, they do have food options, if you count frozen cardboard pizza (guess if you had one too many to drink then it might taste good?). If you get bored of the games or bartenders there are 2 pool tables, foosball type machine or maybe its hockey (never tried it). Definitely a place to check out at least once.

Fraud alert! After reading this review some of you will call me a fraud. I’m about to rip a place I should love. A place that serves booze, has tons of TVs, and is filled with scantily clad women. Yep, I’m talking about Alary’s Bar in Saint Paul.
Alary’s is located on 7^th and Jackson in downtown. It’s a typical sports bar with many large screen TVs, every cable package you could want, video games and pool tables. What makes Alary’s Bar so popular is the staff. Alary’s is almost completely staffed by 20– something women who lack modesty and are willing to wear outfits that would make a Hooters girl blush.
During games, and every night after 9pm, the female servers and bartenders of Alary’s don outfits equivalent to 4 inch booty shorts and tube tops. This is were the fraud part comes in…
Some of you are thinking «Whoa, whoa, whoa! No one loves boobs more than you! Who is he trying to impress by saying he doesn’t like Alary’s?»
And you would be right about my appreciation for the female form, but aside from the nearly naked women, Alary’s sucks.
This is not going to be a popular opinion among many of my friends, and since Alary’s is the biggest cop bar in Saint Paul, I can see a significant increase in parking tickets coming my way.
I have three points that form my opinion.
One: it’s DIRTY!
No matter what time of day I arrive at Alary’s, I’ve always found it to be pretty nasty.
This is coming from a guy that eats candy off the floor and occasionally picks his nose.
If any cleaning is done at Alary’s it is done at the end of the night and not throughout the day. By the time 7pm rolls around, finding a spot at the bar or a table without a foreign substance on it is like finding a sober person in Saint Paul on St. Patty’s Day! Kind of place that always has a little bit of vomit in the bathroom.
Two: the food is crap.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not a bar snob. I do not need a bar to have 4– star food, but something that is passable as food would be nice. Who doesn’t get hungry when they’re pouring back beers and watching a game? At Alary’s, if the hot dog cart (yep, I said cart and the offerings from said cart are sub par at best) is not out, the only option is frozen pizza they cook behind the bar. And it’s not even good frozen pizza. At least spring for Heggie’s Pizza if that’s the only thing you’re going to offer.
Three: the girls could be hotter and they’re a little surly.
Every girl at Alary’s has a great body, but a good number of them are not very pretty (but-​her faces). For most guys that doesn’t matter. If you’re looking for some dirty curves and the outline of a nipple then this is your place. But for me a cute face goes a long way, even if I can see every ounce of cleavage you have to offer.
My other problem with the staff is that many of the girls feel entitled. Just because you’re nearly naked does not mean you can be bad at your job and expect good tips. I’m generous with the gratuity when I receive good service. Hell, I tip 10% even if the server is horrible. But if you’re slow or mess up my order, don’t expect a big tip just because you’re wearing a bathing suit.
Dear readers, you may be thinking that I never go to Alary’s. Not the case. I do go to Alary’s about three to four times a year. Despite the above rant there are some things I like about the establishment.
First of all, they run a shuttle to all the events at the Xcel, and have several shuttles so you’re never waiting long for a ride. Occasionally I will meet the boys there before a hockey game to get the testosterone flowing.
Second, they do have every sports cable package I know of, and 50 plasma screen TVs. If there’s a game I can’t get at home, I know there’s at least one place nearby where I can watch it.
Finally, I have been told that Alary’s is the best and only place in town to watch a Bears game. So Bears fans unite, but since I bleed purple you will probably never see me there on a Sunday, unless we just beat Chi-​town.
Overall, I think I’m just disappointed in the male penis. If the penis had higher standards then Alary’s would be a great place. Alary’s would be cleaner, serve better food, and the women would be smokin’. But why would Alary’s change when dumb, testosterone driven males (like me) go there anyway?

Driving down 94…3 hours to kill before we need to be at the airport… Alary’s saved the day! Decided to try and find a place to watch the TN Titans game, I broke out ye old trusty Unilocal app and did a search for sports bars and this topped the list. After a phone confirmation, we arrived and the bartender (friendly, but def not overbearing) was happy to put on our game.
Food options=slim, just frozen pizza (hence the star deduction). Beer options=vast. Lots of drafts we can’t get in TN, e.g., Hamm’s, Goose Island.
If I’m ever in St. Paul again, I’ll be back.

So even though I hate the Chicago Bears and have to lie to people about going to Alary’s lest I be judged as a borderline creep, I have to admit that I like me some Alary’s.
Besides the scantily clothed (clothed is probably an overstatement) women that appeals to my gender, Alary’s has plenty going for it. Cheap beer during HH, affordable beer during non-​HH times, a large tap list (30+ beers on draught), two of the only pool tables I’ve found in downtown, darts, foosball, a copious amount of TV’s, usually decent music playing and free shuttles to Wild games are all aces in my book.
Food selection is pretty much limited to Heggies’ pizza, but they’ve recently added a hot dog cart during game days and weekend nights offering Vienna brand dogs, etc.
I’m not sure why Alary’s is classified as a dive bar on Unilocal,it’s really just a sports bar with an emphasis on T&A., but that’s okay in my book.