I've been here once and I had a great experience. I ordered the Pub Burger on the menu, and it was excellent: thick-cut bacon, roasted olives, gruyere, and a curry mustard. A very delicious combination of flavors on a perfectly cooked burger and quality bun. On the side I had roasted red pepper mashed potatoes that were also very good--I am so tired of fries. Their beer list is very extensive. A couple other reviewers cited a very greasy odor in there, and this is definitely true. When you leave, you will smell like you were sitting next to a deep fryer. They might have ventilation issues at this location.
Review Source:I used to love this place, but they have dumbed  down their menu.  I was embarrassed as I took  a friend for a birthday dinner and the new limited menu was mediocre.  I have a groupon to use up, and after I use it, I will not go to the Chatterbox again.  They took away the roasted garlic butternut squash dip and dont have the sandwich salad thing.  And I didn't like the taste of the fondue or the the wrap I had,.  I am bummed that I have another $20 groupon for the place, because all I can like there is their drinks.
Review Source:I had a difficult time deciding how many stars to give this place. Â I appreciate it for the close proximity to my house. Â It has a sort of cozy feel to it...but also sort of an icky, dumpy feel to it (think sticky menus, overly crowded tables, horribly outdated decor, board games missing pieces). Â They don't serve liquor and I don't like beer or sake, but they do have several kinds of cider and wine, and that's good enough for me. Â
The food is...food. Â Hit or miss, for sure. Â Most recently I tried their mac & cheese, and added broccoli & bacon, and I liked it enough to finish the huge bowl it came in. Â The bowl itself was weird though, it was WAY too big, which resulted in the cheese sauce getting kind of lost/stuck to the vast surface of the bowl, but I'm a mac & cheese fanatic and I liked the creaminess of it and the fact that there's toasted bread crumbs on top. Â My boyfriend ordered an ahi tuna sandwich, and didn't really care for it; he said the combo of ingredients just didn't work. Â Previously we've had chicken strips (pretty dry and they don't carry buffalo sauce, what's up with that?!) and seasoned fries (tasty), and pizza (meh). Â If it wasn't for our Groupons and the fact that we're poor, we probably wouldn't eat there. Â
My main issue with this place is the SMELL. Â The overwhelming stench of grease is so bad, and I don't understand why--there must be some major ventilation issues. Â It's just very stuffy. Â You will most definitely need to wash your hair and clothing after you leave.
We said we could see ourselves spending more time here during the winter, cozying up over some drinks and board games. Â But then we realized we can do the exact same thing at home, with better food and no stench. Â So there's that.
Of course the entrees are good. Â But when you realize you get a nice helping of tender seasoned fries with your Hell Kat Burger you know you are getting a good turn. Â My suggestion, ask for a side of the Hell Kat sauce for fry dipping and giving your main a little extra surge of awesome.
It should go without saying that if you eat at a micro brewery then you should order a house beer.  The Magnamonius  Brown Ale is a choice you won't regret.
Be warned-- THIS PLACE IS KNOWN FOR FOOD POISONING.
I didn't listen to my coworker when she suggested I stop going to the Chatterbox that's just around the corner from my house (perfect location AND beer? awesome). She told me that she has gotten food poisoning after eating here, her brother and sister-in-law have, and a few other of her friends.
Although I initially didn't listen, she can now add me to that list.
I ate there last Tuesday, but I couldn't finish my burger because there was just something off about it. Then the next day, something else just wasn't right. I had OBSCENE stomach cramps, a slight fever, and diaria. It was terrible, and it lasted for 5 days. This, my friends, is called salmonella poisoning.
If it were just me who got sick, I would say it was a fluke, but that's not the case. This place is just really that dirty. Steer clear if you would like to keep your insides happy.
In my opinion, a fun dive bar that is a break from the ordinary.
We all sat down at a table. While others ordered wraps and apps for dinner, I went with a liquid dinner.
Quite honestly, the homemade brew was very tasty and I would come back for it. Â The food was decent, but wouldn't be a reason to come back.
My wife and I has a $20 Groupon for Chatterbox. We entered the bar side, I guess there is a whole other side with tables which we didn't realize.
We sat down at the booth and I ordered a Bubblejack IPA. The menu had a plethora of options, I opted for the hot sauce pizza. My wife got the side salad with ranch. (The fajita ranch was amazing!)
The individual size pizza was very nice, I ordered light cheese and light on the bacon. It was done perfectly. Lots of meat on top and crispy crust.
The decor was pretty dark inside. I ordered a second beer and laughed with my wife.
Our server was very nice and then I saw it! Paperboy! The video game I played a million times 20 years ago. I got through three days and reminisced.
Won't go back too soon, but nothing to complain about.
The menus are visibly dirty---I tried not to touch them and just page through the pages with my fingernail. Â The pages are covered in plastic and the cover is plastic--so it seems it would not be too difficult to clean them. Â The smell of grease is over powering. Â The last 2 times I have been there I sat on the patio outside and there was no escape from the smell. Â My service was slow to non existent. Â
I have never done a 1 star review before and put a lot of consideration into whether to write this one or not. Â However, the downsides mentioned above are too big of a turn off to overlook.
I would love to give this place 5 stars, but with the HORRIBLE service we had I can only give it 2. We were meeting some friends from out of town a week or so ago. They arrived first and were told 'They must have meant somewhere else. There's no one here to meet you.' Â When we finally did arrive to, of course, meet them, our server graciously pointed at the menu silently when we asked about drinks and food. We ordered snakebites (not sure if that's what they called them, Guinness and cider), and an appetizer, and she again walked away silently. It was 10pm on a Friday, their advertised hours I believe are until 12 or 1, so we were nowhere near closing time.
We did rent a couple Nintendo games and had a blast. What a great concept- food, drinks, and a piece of your childhood? I like it. We went old-school and rented original Super Mario with Duck Hunt; Â unfortunately there were no guns for Duck Hunt, which I do understand can happen at a place where people drink and use such items, no harm done. The drinks we ordered were good, along with the food. Only downfall? We had to hunt our server down each time we needed something.
The furniture reminded me of my grandma's basement, which ironically is where most people our age probably played Nintendo, great job on that one Chatterbox. Just work on your customer service and we'll be happy to come back!
I'ts taken me so long to review this place because I have had a difficult time trying to put it into words. I wish I could give half stars because I would definitely go 2.5 here. It's inbetween "meh" and "A-OK".
Nothing overly special here. Chatterbox has never seemed to live up to it's potential, in my humble opinery.
A place that has classic video games and board games? Sounds so great, except that adults tend to chit chat at bars so the games are never really enjoyed by myself or my group.
The "brew pub" concept is a great one overall, but other places do it better with much better beers. No hard liquor either? Hmmmm.
The food is not good. Just blah.
I've been to all locations of the "box" and all have been decent experiences. Not the greatest but certainly not the worst.
The problem is that in this economy, when I go out to have a night where real money is spent, I expect to be at least slightly wowed.
I'm not saying I'll never go back, just saying I won't be going out of my way to get there.
I hardly ever eat meat anymore, but sometimes when I'm super stressed out and it's the end of the day all I want is the satisfaction of a hamburger and beer. Since this indulgence is so rare (no pun intended), I try to make it good and have had a lot of really wonderful burgers around Minneapolis as a result. I had heard second-hand that the burgers at Chatterbox were really good so I decided to give it a shot.
My information could not have been more wrong. I ordered the Inferno burger, but right before I did I had a second thought. I wanted to know if the beef was going to be "happy beef" (i.e. maybe local, preferably grass fed) and so in spite of feeling like those yuppies in Portlandia who want to know the name of the chicken they are about to eat before they order it, I asked our server. She said she didn't know where the meat comes from, but that she'd ask. At that point in time, a guy who I thought was there for a D&D tournament walked past and since I was mistaken and he actually worked there she asked him where the meat for the burgers comes from, to which he replied (in a rather surly manner), "Cisco".
Surely he meant a town in Wisconsin, right?
Maybe South Dakota?
No.
He meant the food supply company.
So I asked for another minute while I weighed my options. I decided that my information about Chatterbox having really good burgers was probably correct and that it would probably outweigh any concerns I have over eating factory farmed beef.
Here's the thing -- factory farmed beef would have been fine, but what appeared in front of me bore no resemblance to meat at all. Do you remember those articles in the news that were getting a lot of play a few months ago about meat slime, and how you asked yourself who in their right mind would eat meat slime. Well, I have news for you: you will be eating meat slime if you order a burger at the Chatterbox. Which I did. Unfortunately. Feeling ill took a couple hours to set in, which is fortunate since my trip to the bathroom on the way out revealed that they were keeping what appeared to be buckets of urine in the ladies room. It would have been really unfortunate to barf in a toilet so close to a bucket of urine.
Here's the thing about the Chatterbox: nothing I have to say here will stop the legions of eHarmony/Match.com/OKCupid first dates from the Chatterbox being their go-to place. And that's just fine. After all, what better way to learn about your date/potential first spouse than a rousing round of the game of Life? Probably none. Just please don't eat the burgers.
It could be that our ravenous hunger made us oblivious, but we didn't notice a smell of grease.
We stopped at the Chatterbox yesterday for dinner with a Groupon. I purchased that Groupon without doing a shred of research because I've been to this location several times, and have always been satisfied.
Our certificate was only for $20, so we decided to keep it cheap; none of Chatterbox's delicious apps, which I usually love. Also, we went strictly non-alcoholic. I think this says something about the place: we still really enjoyed ourselves.
Of course the big draw of the Chatterbox Pub is the opportunity to play board games at your table, or vintage Nintendo or Atari games in the back room. We selected Battleship, and I'm reluctant to tell you how that turned out. It still boggles my mind that despite my excellent methodical guessing, my husband still whooped my ass in 2 out of 3 games. Wah-wah.
We both had burgers: mine was the Mushroom Bleu, and he went with a plain bacon cheeseburger. We agreed that the ciabatta bread (which stands in for a bun) was excellent. It tasted like it had been baked only a few hours earlier, which was probably true. The burgers, however, were lackluster. I think next time we'll pick one of their sandwiches, as long as it still comes on that delicious bread.
Oh, and the service! Groupons are notorious for inspiring less-than-enthusiastic service: not here. We were greeted cheerfully when we came in the door, the staff checked on us often, and our drinks were kept full. The service yesterday could not have been better.
Remember when they used to allow smoking in bars and you'd get home from a night out and have to throw your clothes in the laundry and take a shower to get the stank out of your hair before going to bed? Â Now you can relive the magic of yesteryear at Chatterbox, though instead of reeking of smoke when you get home you will reek of grease. Â If you have a suspicious lover at home you should definitely not come here as they will certainly accuse you of hooking up with a fry cook.
The beer is good, the food is just okay, but man, it really really stinks. Â Seriously, when is the last time they changed the fryer grease?
I love a good dive bar as much as the next person, but this doesn't cut it. Â Maybe if they had a liquor license instead of just wine/beer a person could get drunk enough to not realize how terrible it is, but without that, I'll pass.
Personally I adore this bar. Â We have a love/hate relationship... I haven't had a meal here, but the beer is great in my opinion. Â I might be just a sucker for places that have brewed beer that is not a normal tap you'd receive at a mainstream bar. Â
I love that atmosphere of the games that you can play. Â The location that is on 35th is a little more cozy with furniture and Nintendo. Â This location has a good selection of games (but where the hate comes in - pieces tend to be missing). Â
If you are looking for a place to bring friends for a beer and easy entertaining without the hosting - Chatterbox is the place. Â No one will get upset on the volume when playing a competitive board game, and you can blame the lack of winning on the missing pieces (even if they are all accounted for). Â There is a parking lot for this location, which is a nice change.
Don't forget the open mic night - That alone sometimes needs another beer!
As almost everybody has mentioned in their reviews, the smell of this Chatterbox location is suffocating. I felt like the fryer grease was sticking to face and to the inside of my lungs. I wanted to throw a table through the window just to get some fresh air in there. I love a dive bar, but that's not character. It's just uncomfortable.
Four of us let them know we were meeting a group for drinks, but we didn't know how many it would be. They acted a little put off that we didn't have an exact number, as if we should have thought to make a reservation for a bar stool at a dive bar. There was plenty of room for our group in the back room, so I'm not sure what the fuss was about.
I ordered one the Maibock. It was totally drinkable, but inspired a "meh" aloud. They aren't licensed for hard liquor either, so you are limited to beer, wine and drinks made with wine or sake.
The positive: The '70s couches and board games are great (I love games!). It's $2 to rent the Nintendo controllers, and we ponied up to play Super Mario 2, the trippiest one. The system seemed to be operating at full capacity. We didn't even have to blow into the game to get it to work.
I'm being generous and going with four stars. Â That's only because I read reviews first and knew I'd be walking out stinking like my teenage years working at Wendy's. Â Oh god this smell is killing me. Â There isn't enough Febreeze in the world.
However, apart from that, our visit to Chatterbox was actually pretty awesome. Â We were happy with the house brew beers, we were really happy with the Cinco de Mayo dip (aka black beans with tons of yum on top), and most of all the Jerk pizza, which was non-Minnesota-hot as promised. Â The thin crust was a great vehicle for all that burnination.
I was also in a position to watch people playing Super Mario 3, and I had to try really hard not to jump in and grab the controller away. Â YOU MISSED THAT MUSHROOM. Â DUDE, GO DOWN THE QUICKSAND, THERE IS A SECRET ROOM THERE. Â Sigh.
We're nowhere near the neighborhood and I don't know if we'll end up going back, but the food was definitely great and if I ever have a reason I'll be more than happy to stink like a fryer yet again. Â I think.
Ah the Chatterbox, been going there since it was the much crappier version. Â
I like the delightfully frumpy atmosphere. Â The tap selection is fair to good, always something on that will suit a mood. Â The food is good bar food not pretending to be anything better. Â
Old board games and video games are decent to pass the time. Â They can lighten the load with a lady.
I do not like the open kitchen and the smell that sticks with you after you leave, it's kinda like when you've been cooking and your hands smell like the food you prepped for the next hour, or you could say slightly better than the smell you used to tote around before the smoking ban.
As another poster indicated, the Chatterbox Lager is just a Schells product, nothing special except the name. Â If anyone thinks Schells is brewing batches of a special beer in their "factory" setting for a couple little pubs, they might need to ask themselves if they think W was a good President, or if a college ID can get you a drink at a bar, or if higher taxes make smarter children, or if Randy Moss would make a good coworker, or if the tin foil hat prevents brainwashing waves, or if Bill Clinton is truthful, or if Santa Claus is real, or if Barry Bonds' forehead growth was natural, or if the Earth is flat because they can be convinced of just about anything.
I love this bar. I don't drink alcohol, but I love this bar.The decor and atmosphere are pleasant and friendly, and the karaoke is AWESOME. You can order classic and new board and card games just like you order anything else there (they're listed in the menu! Hello Apples to Apples!). Â I've peeked into the wood-paneled restaurant part (very someone's basement) and seen folks playing Atari games and classic Mario (!). I bet it's hard to get your hands on one of those, but it's worth a shot if you'll be there awhile. They've got everything you need for a great night out with friends if you don't want to hang at anyone's house.
So why not five stars? Two reasons: the food and the drink. WARNING TO SODA POP DRINKERS! They make their own soda. They said my drink was their version of Mountain Dew, and calling it that instead of weak weak lemonadey soda-like beverage was evil. The food is snooty and expensive, two things you wouldn't expect from a fun place like this.
If you go for the games or the karaoke, you should really order something so you're not a mooch. I'll try the ginger ale next time, and maybe help the friends eat a basket of fries. Definitely eat before you go. But go.
P.S. The Saint Paul location, try as it may to be as cool as the original, used to be a Perkins and really really looks like it. Also the heater was on the fritz one cold winter night I went to that one with my friends. Bleah. Better stick with the Minneapolis location.
Forgot to tell you about their amazing bloody mary. Â I am on a hunt to find the best bloody mary places in the cities, so I try to order them as much as I can.
Isn't chatterbox a wine and beer only bar? Â you may ask...
yes. Â But this is the best bloody I have had yet. Â
Made with sake instead of vodka. Â yup.
you may think it wouldn't be as strong, but it is, and it comes with a tower of veggies including:
pickle
olive
roasted red pepper
pepperchini
mushroom
cherry tomato
This bloody is perfect for a hangover, and comes with an amazing chaser. Â Chatterbox's own home lager. Â (though you can choose what you want from the tap)
Sundays are great right when they open because there isn't a soul in sight.
they open at 11.
I'll see you there.
How can you not love this place?
Good brews, Atari, trivia, and connect four. Sounds like a good night to me.
The food is not bad, and the menu is pretty sizable.
Hanging out at the front bar area is nice, but I prefer the sofas in back so I can play Atari and NES as well.
The staff is always friendly, and really laid back.
The only strike is they painted over the comic-strip themed bathroom...
Still one of my all-time favorite MPLS spots.
(Minneapolis Chatterbox)
Oh Chatterbox how I luv thee....
How I dream of sitting in your well used couches again bringing me back to memories of my friends basement and playing ATARI. Â But wait!! Someone is bringing me a Sangria! Always great to be the adults playing Atari, drinking Sangria chillin' with the girls in this stellar neighborhood bar.
Did I mention the Smitten Kitten is next door? Meeooow*
********Cue chimes of passing time*********:
(St Paul Chatterbox)
So.... The Chatterbox has changed and not for the good. Folks, this used to be a place of delightful dare I say plate lickin' good food and great atmosphere, well then I went to visit again this last October while in town.
I let out a big Minnesota Oooofta when what was supposed to be the craved after beer battered chicken strips appeared from the kitchens. On my plate was what looked like Dairy Queen chicken strips. Ya know the kind that come pre made and frozen.
Now because I am Minnesota nice I nearly let it slide and ate in sulkiness as a good Minnesotan usually does BUT I did not as I was paying $10 for Dairy Queen.
Shortened version, the waitress let me know the menu had changed, No more was anything home-ade as in olden days. My sad sad eyes prompted her to give us a free dessert. Even worse however was the dessert! COSTCO tasting brownie bites, COSTCO tasting chocolate chip cookies, dipped in Hershey like chocolate sauce not even close to fudge. Lame-O disappoint me-O.
The atmosphere was still fun lovin' Atari playing good times but wow, I do not recommend in any way recommend any of the food anymore.
Also, There is a possibility that the Minneapolis restaurant is still serving the delicious food of yore which is the location I used to go to back when living in MPLS. This review is from the newer St Paul location.
I am so sorry MN for your delicious food loss.
Chatterbox I am so sorry for your menu/chef loss.
I love the Chatterbox, but do have ONE major negative - the smell of my clothes when I leave. Maybe some people are different, but I'm really not a fan of the smell of deepfried clothes. Ewwwww!
That said, I really do love the Chatterbox - the atmosphere, the games, their mac and cheese (mmmmm!); even their bloody marys weren't so bad! My favorite by far is the Mac and Cheese though - I love how you can personalize it by choosing your ingredients. So yummy!
So I've managed to write around 40 reviews but somehow missed reviewing Chatterbox. Clearly, my priorities are questionable....or I just forgot. Either way, I messed up and I am terribly sorry, Yelp. Please forgive me so we can have hot makeup sex.
This is probably all around one of my favorite spots in the city. I think this was the first bar I was taken to after turning 21...not counting Matts, which is where I celebrated my 21st birthday.
Considering how small it is, it amazes me that every time I have gone I managed to snag a couch. Im not sure what type of marinade they use on their burgers, but they taste like slaughtered cow heaven.
Usually when I go, I get Ninja Gaiden, a burger, and that fake ass Blue Moon that they serve. I can usually get to 6-2 without batting an eyelash, but once I get there I cant get any further. Im pretty sure no one has ever actually beaten Ninja Gaiden before.
If 4 stars rested on clever theme-i-ness alone, Chatterbox would be sportin. The fun and games are so endearing, but dangit if the other pesky considerations don't get in the way.
The stink-jacket I came home with tonight has a bit more of a dreep fried character to it than the stale smoke one I thought I wore home last time. And, I still want to burn my clothes.
The sweet potato fries were jacketed in their own KFC style batter armor that, kind of, made the sweet potatoes not frigging awesome like they should be. The dough of our pizza had an other-wordly lightness to it that made me think I could cut it with my mind, let alone a limp-wristed, half hearted, fork flick. The sun dried tomatoes, buried under soggy pineapple and ham, added a rubbery time-bomb factor which, sounds a lot more fun than it felt or tasted. There's too much mediocre pizza out there to let this even pass for middling. But, hey, the staff was very nice.
However, trivia and chat sooth the battered taste-buds, so it's all good. But, god if I don't stink... even after a shower.
No changes in score, just solidification.
Activities: 4 stars
Food: 2 stars
Visited the chatterbox last night with fellow Yelper Josh E and my boyfriend. Â We were impressed with their home brew beer selections; I tried the White Ale (lacking a little flavor) and the EPA, which was all our favorite. Â A really big glass of beer is only $3.75.
We all shared the Cinco De Mayo dip which was good, but had a little too much black bean and not enough fresh tomatoes/ onions. Â I ordered the Basic Burger with a Veg patty and substituted a bowl of their Tomato Dill soup. Â The veg patty was tough and over cooked, and it was served on house focaccia bread, not a bun. Â I liked the bread but it was too crusty to be paired with a sandwich, a slice on top and bottom made for a too thick burger that cut your mouth with crusty-ness. Â It was all bread and little burger. Â I opted to take of the top and eat it with the soup; I prefer my tomato soup to be more creamy and thinner. Â This soup was fairly thick and a little too sweet, you couldn't really taste the dill and it was more of an orange color than a deep red. Â Bummer :(
However their game selection was great, we spent dinner and an hour after playing the TV trivia game, having a great time! Â The place in general is pretty fun and a little over stimulating, there are TV's playing shows, TV's for video games, and TV's for playing trivia while they blast music. Â There are windows, but they don't open so it got really stuffy and warm where we were sitting. Â I would go back for drinks and I would like to try the pizza. Â If you're going to play games order finger food so you can munch and play! Â
I'm going to give this place a: 4 for service and fun, 3 for atmosphere, and 2 for food, Average rating 3 stars
OMG the hellcat inferno salad is so good it's insane. I am addicted. I get the chicken on the side (to donate to Hubby) and the salad is tons of romaine topped with fajita ranch and guacamole as the dressing. Then you have a pile of red peppers, pumpkin seeds, and cheddar cheese on top. It's huge. Then, you get a side of some crunchy tortilla with black bean filling kind of like a quesadilla no cheese. I'm sure it's not the least bit healthy as far as salads go, but it's so good I dont care.
Also, try the Philosopher's Stone. It's a cider-tinted amber ale and it's my favorite local beer in the Twin Cities.
I went here once before with three of my classmates and had a great time (until karaoke started randomly and we had to shout at each other while battling in Sorry). Â Playing the games is great (I realized I didn't know how to beat the original Super Mario). Â
So, that experience was probably a 4 star experience. Â
However, I wanted to go here again with one of my other friends. Â My friend is 17, so I called ahead and asked if you needed to be 21. Â They told me that you didn't have to be 21 until 9pm. Â So we went, and were promptly kicked out because you have to be 19 to go in. Â
Yes, I know it's a pub, and that's why I called ahead. Â But seriously... I probably won't go again unless my classmates invite me again.
Neither my boy or I drink booze, so it can be hard to find a place to go at night that is fun and where our waiters don't suddenly disregard us when we order Coke or water. But thankfully, just a few blocks from our house is The Chatterbox Pub. Where the root beer flows and we can battle to the death in Connect Four.
I love scurrying in here when it's below zero and the windows are all foggy. The grilled cheese is super-original, and quite unlike anything I've tried elsewhere. I don't think I have had a bad thing to eat here at all actually. And that chocolate fondue is pretty sweet, even though our cookies were a little hard.
Yum yum.
Maybe I'm an 87 year old woman trapped in a 23 year old girl's body, but my idea of an excellent evening includes boardgames at home with a few close friends. Â Maybe an alcoholic beverage or two, and definitely great food. Â The thing is, you can only stay in on a Friday night so many times before you're officially a hermit. Â
Chatterbox to the rescue.
Very low key atmosphere - similar to that of your best friend from high school's basement. Â Board games are free, beverages are strong AND tasty. Â The menu has lots of variety, and the roasted red pepper mashed potatoes are worth writing home about.
Couches available for the nintendo and atari games (which I think are $2-$3), but I was never any good at Frogger. Â
All around, a cozy and fun experience. Â A word of caution: Â Febreeze may be necessary when you get home, unless you enjoy the eau d' onion ring scent.
Old-school Nintendo - need I say more? But I will. I really enjoy Chatterbox. It seems to never disappoint. The crowd is eclectic, as well as the décor. I can't help but be upbeat and in a good mood when I am here. I have had no problems with the service and the games I want are usually available. It's a great concept. The menu is solid comfort food with a heavy dose of Midwestern, but sometimes, all a girl wants is a nice piece of meatloaf.
I often run into friends and I've met some very unique and fun people. Plus, I get to show off my mad Mario skills.
Lucky for me, I live just a few blocks from the Chatterbox. That makes it even more crazy that it took me so long to try it out!
The place is small, but cute. It definitely has atmosphere. The crowd is hip, but down to earth and friendly. The staff is attentive and kind. There are old school video games to play, as well as plenty of board games, and NTN trivia. There is also a small stage area, and while I'm not sure about the rest of the week, they do have open mike night on Tuesdays.
The food was great. My friend and I started with spinach artichoke dip and it was AWESOME! The bread they serve with it was so soft and delicious. The dip was super tasty, the roasted peppers in it really added some great flavor. I ordered a chit chat chicken wrap, it was great. I really like their flavored mayo. My friend ordered a burger. The burger was OK, but not something I would order for myself. All sandwiches come with fries or you can upgrade. I highly suggest their Chatterbox lager battered onion rings. They were some of the best onion rings I've ever had. Mmmm!!
My only complaint about this place is that they don't have regular soda. It's some local company that makes soda that is supposed to taste like Pepsi, Mt. Dew, Sprite and Diet Pepsi. The "Mt. Dew" tastes nothing like Mt. Dew at all. The "Pepsi" is a little better, but not much. They taste like seltzer water with a bit of flavor, and they aren't that sweet. I sent my pop back and got their strawberry lemonade which was pretty good.
overall, I will definitely go back to the Chatterbox Pub. I just wish they would get real soda. That is the only thing that made me knock off a star.
The service is spotty (the 'team' service is disorienting and counter to every other place I frequent). Â The worst thing is they serve their beer ice cold. That's fine if you're drinking crap, but decent beer shouldn't be frozen out like that.
On the plus side the atmosphere is pretty good. Free (old) Golden Tee machine!
Chatterbox is a fun, friendly place. I've never regretted a trip there. If you live nearby, it is THE place to go. If you don't, it's still worth the trip.
A neighborhood bar is by itself a special place. Knowing your neighbors, knowing the staff and actually meeting people is always fun, and something you can rarely find in the watered down, sterile confines of chain businesses. Chatterbox takes this worthy perch and rises above it, so well so that it's few nagging details become magnified (almost leading me to knock a star off). How dare they get in the way of perfection?
Chatterbox is immediately welcoming and intimate, it's decor fitting somewhere on that continuum of hipster bar to your parent's basement. The staff is usually wonderful (except that one girl I got a couple times last year. She was a little maladjusted for a service job), and do an impressive job of managing the place when it gets packed.
Where it really rises above your average neighborhood bar is in everything it offers. Yeah, pretty much everything.
The retro video games get all the attention, and they are fun, but it's often a false promise. They have two sets, so you better get in there early if you want them. Whoever has them at 9pm tends to have them for the evening (at least on weekends). One of my minor strikes against the place is that even if the people on them have stopped playing, they are never asked to relocate to a table so someone else can have a turn. If you come here just for the video games, you are more likely to be disappointed.
They also have a bunch of old board games. These are much easier to get a crack at, and I have had many a fun night playing scrabble, battleship, life, cribbage or whatever came up.
Their drinks menu has recently switched to a number of micro brewed beers, and a few others that I don't even remember. No home runs in the mix, but a good collection of solid baserunners. Never wandered into the wines or wine based concoctions. Liquor is not available because of some weird zoning/liquor law (they even had to sell 3.2 when they first opened). I regrettably have to mark them down as one of the many Minneapolis establishments that doesn't know how to pour a beer (list forthcoming). Give me some head! Someday, I hope to start a scholarship fund to send bartenders to Europe for a crash course in how to pour a beer.
The food is a standout. Above average bar fare here, bordering on the fancy. A trip here just for a meal is perfectly justified. Flip through the menu and you will be astounded by what they attempt and pull off with such a tiny kitchen.
A five star rating rarely comes down to the details for me. It's more about your gut reaction to a place. Chatterbox is a fantastic place to me. I've never had a bad time, I've never turned down an offer to go there. It's the kind of place I take out of towners to show them how cool the twin cities are, and a place I frequent. Every trip is almost like rediscovering the place, like reaching into your pocket and finding a twenty you forgot you had.
I have an addiction. Â It is one I acquired here. Â Do they have Cribbage anonymous meetings? Â Just thinking about is making the urge ever present, my hands are shaking... I need to add things up to 15 right now! Â Breathe, breathe... you're fine, Anna.
It was a slow Friday (day after Thanksgiving) and we were in bewteen picking up friends at the airport. Â We strolled in, got cozy, and were treated very well by the bartender. Â He gave me a few samples of wine to help me find one that didn't make me go "pleh!" Â I wound up getting a glass that was $8, but wasn't worth it. Â Once I really settled in, the Chatterbox Speakeasy became my drink of choice. Â 22oz beers are $3 during Happy Hour- now that's what I like to see when I go on vacation.
And then, I was tought Cribbage. Â Oh Cribbage, my Cribbage.
I was not very impressed with the Chatterbox. Â Admittedly, I don't love games. Â I don't even really like them, except for scrabble and I guess Atari - but I want to play those at home, not at the bar. Â So this is not my kind of place.
But besides feeling crowded by games, I was uncomfortable with their service. Â They do this "team" thing, so you don't have just one waiter, you have, say, five different people. Â And on the few time I've been there, this means they forget to bring me things. Â Or ignore me, probably by accident - but that's not okay.
Their beer is just okay, and so it the food. Â I'll have people disagree I'm sure, but for the price, you can do much better. Â I'm one of those people who'll happily pay $10 for a burger. Â But I want a BURGER, a delicious, interesting burger for that money. Â Not to be found here.
I also sort of feel like I'm stuck inside on a rainy day when I'm here. Â Or maybe stuck in a pretty uncomfortable, far outer circle of my own hell. Â In a not-so-bad way, but still.
I love the very, very fun atmosphere and the fact that they have board games and video games available, but the food falls short of the heightened expectations the menu creates. Putting hot bbq sauce on a cheddar bacon burger is neither "gourmet" nor worth $9. If you're going to take bar food away from the tasty basics, you need to do the little things right, (like making the fries crispy,) before you start in with the fancy-shmancy touches, (like adding seasoning to the fries.) The beer list, while decent, isn't as impressive as the reviews here suggest; (Pilsener Urquell? Really? Can't I just pay you to have a skunk spray in my mouth?) and frankly, it's all overpriced. Brit's downtown charges $5.50 for a 20 oz. Fuller's ESB, and everyone bitches about the prices; the Chatterbox charges $6 for a 22 oz. Fuller's ESB, and everyone gives them a pass because they're a neighborhood bar.
Four stars for the atmosphere, 2 stars for the food and prices.
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