Nye's Polonaise... Best. Bar. Ever.

When St. Patrick's Day rolls around each year, it is typically accompanied by terrible weather (think lots of snow, wind, and below freezing temperatures).  This year is the first year that I can remember ever looking forward to leaving the comfort of my home to celebrate this holiday.  I am not Irish, nor do I look for excuses to drink too much, but this year, dressed in shorts (yes, shorts!) and my St. Patrick's Day green t-shirt, my Fiance and I ventured downtown to partake in dinner and drinks with friends.

Now, aside from the crappy weather, another thing I never enjoyed about St. Patrick's Day was going to jam-packed Irish pubs just to find myself smashed in the middle of a drunken crowd, unable to move or to hear myself think!

So, instead of celebrating in a way that would undoubtedly leave me feeling irritated and disappointed at the end of the evening, I suggested that we go somewhere different this year.  That place ended up being Nye's Polonaise in Northeast Minneapolis! http://www.nyespolonaise.com/ 

This is a bar that many people told us we MUST visit.  On the outside, it looks like nothing more than a hole-in-the-wall place you would never think twice about.  It wasn't until Nye's was featured on the Food Network show "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" that I became convinced that it was much much more than its outer facade conveyed to passersby.  This place was not only featured on the show for its food, which is primarily homemade Polish fare, but also its unique 1950's atmosphere that boasts a live Pianist on one side of the restaurant, and 'The World's Most Dangerous Polka Band' on the other!  The superb entertainment alone makes me want to go back here again... and soon!

World's Most Dangerous Polka Band... click on the video below for a sampling of their talent!

The Polka Band plays on the original side of the bar, which is long and narrow... booths on one side, and stools lining the length of the bar on the other.  There is also a tiny space in front of the band for Polka dancing... and believe me, it doesn't go to waste!  There were couples cutting a rug all night long!

Here's a view of the bar... which was packed!

On the newer side of Nye's is a very large room with booths and tables for guests to enjoy a meal while listening and singing along to classic tunes from the 40's, 50's, 60's, and 70's.  If you like to sing, you will love this place.  Think 'old-school Karaoke bar' with accompaniment by a live pianist instead of a recorded song, and a book of lyrics instead of a tv prompter.  I feel like Nye's should be charging admission just for the quality of entertainment they provide.  During a customer's rendition of "Danny Boy" I became teary-eyed (and no, I was not drunk!).  

Now that you know how great the entertainment is at Nye's, I must now tell you about the food!

I have both positive and negative comments to share:

Positive:  The food, as described by Guy Fieri on DDD, is delicious!  I am not Polish, so I can't compare this to any other homemade Polish food, but I did not end my meal disappointed.  For an appetizer, we tried the Fried Potato Cheese Pierogies, which were featured on the show.  They were a unique twist on the traditional dumpling, although I still prefer mine un-fried.  My Fiance and I decided that we wanted to sample all of the specialties on the menu, so we split their Polonaise Plate, which was huge!  It came with 3 different kinds of Pierogies (Sauerkraut, Potato Cheese, and Prune), Short Ribs, Potato Dumpling, Cabbage Roll, Polish Sausage, Sauerkraut, and a side of soup and a beet salad!

Polonaise Plate

Our favorite items from the plate were the Sauerkraut, Polish Sausage, Cabbage Roll, and the three different Pierogies.  The Short Ribs and the Potato Dumpling were just OK.  (I must point out that I have had a better version of the Pierogi at a Ukranian Deli across the street from Nye's called Kramarczuk's... but that's a topic for another day!)

Negative:  The only negative aspect of this place is the price!  We went into dinner expecting everything to be relatively inexpensive, since, in general, the ingredients used are not very pricy.  We were a bit shocked to see that every specialty entree was over $17.00 (our Polonaise Plate was $29.00), and the steaks and seafood were much more.  Yes, the portions are large and they don't skimp on anything, but it just wasn't what we expected.  

That said, the price was right for the beers we ordered throughout the evening... those not on special, like the Blue Moon I had, cost just over $5.00 a pint! 

Blue Moon!

All in all, I would definitely go back to Nye's for drinks and a night of great entertainment!  As far as the food goes, I doubt we will be going back for dinner.  Although, if I take everything into consideration, the entire cost of the evening did not even come close to what we might have spent at a higher-end restaurant that doesn't provide a Polka Band, live piano music, and the freedom to sing and dance to your heart's content!  

If you live in Minneapolis and haven't been to Nye's, what are you waiting for?! 

Librarian turned Foodie