Kelly's Depot is a neighborhood bar, with lots of characters, good food and drinks. Â It's a small place with ample parking right in Lowertown St. Paul, right across the street from the new Union Depot. Â The burgers are great! Â The staff are really friendly and th eprices affordable.
Review Source:Great little local bar, somewhat off the beaten path of Lowertown. Vibe is old school blue collar without any pretentiousness. Think dark colors, dart machine, good jukebox, guys rolling dice on the bar. Friendly bartenders and cheap drinks. Great place to unwind with a beer and watch the game. It can be pretty quiet at off times due to the out of the way location, but even though we were (literally) the only ones there on a recent Sunday night, I never felt like the bartender was trying to shoo us away so he could close it up for the night. Definitely recommended if you're in the area.
Review Source:This is one of the great hidden gems in St. Paul (along with Spot Bar). It's a neighborhood dive bar, but not one of those hipster-ridden dive bars with pre-Rollins Black Flag on the jukebox and an angry bartender with an ironic mustache who seems to be smoking 45 minutes out of every 60 he is working, but a real good ol' fashioned Minnesota blue collar dive bar. The staff here is extremely nice, especially Renee behind the bar. The decor is warm and unostentatious, with a nice mix of thirsty locals, personable drinkers, suspect bearded guys in faded jean jackets way too absorbed in their newspapers and a smattering of families eating lunch. The pours are generous and the prices are great. The huge bonus here is that the burgers are like manna from heaven. Maybe it's because I tend to come here alone on Friday afternoons to unwind and have a scotch or four, but I always leave very satisfied...and a bit drunk...which makes everything better. I love just sitting at this old school bar and shooting the shit with the guys at the bar here too, good people eat and drink here. Come on in some Friday afternoon and buy me a scotch, I'll repay the favor.
Review Source:Kelly's is a nice little neighborhood bar. I've always had decent service here, and the prices on food and drink are nothing but fair.
I guess my only complaint is sometimes when they are serving food there is no chance of leaving without smelling like a bag of french fries for a few hours. The fryer is right there and I don't know if there's something wrong with the exhaust hood...or what, but it CAN be an issue (not always). It really sticks with ya.
Over all, I'm a fan of Kelly's depot and will definitely be back many more times.
This is a great local watering hole. Â I have never had the food here but the patrons say its really good. Â The jukebox is great, the barstaff is friendly, and the patrons are loyal and very welcoming, too. Â Heated smoking patio is nice. Â I come to watch the game. Â On off nights a lot of service industry staff hang out here, which is usually a good sign. Â The only con is they wont make an old fashioned. Â Id come back anytime, though.
Review Source:Our family's 2nd time eating here. Â Had lunch the first time, dinner tonight.
Juicy, mouth watering burgers with fresh tomato, lettuce and onion - crisp and tasty fries. Â And old fashioned buns...
The service is exceptional, especially from Leah. Â Great value, great service, and great food. Â Downtown's best kept secret.
Kid friendly and appropriate.
This feels like a great hometown bar. Â The atmosphere is relaxed and the wait staff is really friendly. Â Their food isn't spectacular but it is good enough you won't have to leave if you want a bite to eat. Â If you are looking for a place to meet some friends and just hang out a drink this is the place to be.
Best of all, it won't kill your wallet.
A few additions to my original review:
1. They make a fantastic bloody mary here. Â The base is house-made, not from a can and it is perfectly zippy and good, and the pour is honest. Â
2. Kudos for the burger. Â The patty was hand formed and quite generous in size. Â It tasted great on the St. Agnes Bakery bun, and the crinkle fries were hot and crisp. Â The burger basket and the aforementioned bloody came in at just over $10. Â I'd call that a steal.
3. Â Daily specials have proved rewarding. Â A pasta salad, hand made and served from a green tupperware bowl, was fresh and light. Â Chicken wings were large, meaty and served piping hot with choice of sauce (we like ranch). Â Yesterday they had Coneys on special. Â Dude next to us at the bar wolfed his down (with cheese and onions) in about 30 seconds flat.
Kelly's Depot Bar is still my favorite place in Lowertown.
A great find in lowertown. Â Don't let the outside scare you, just come on in and settle into one of the friendliest places around. Â
Guninness on tap, what more can you want! Â Â The staff is great and always makes you feel at home. Â Daily food specials and a menu of normal bar food at affordable prices. Â Ask for a Rene burger...its not on the menu.
Cheap beer, cheap drinks, cheap food and a low-key atmosphere within stumbling distance of all things Lowertown (and if you play your cards right you will be stumbling).
Haven't had the joy of spending anytime on their patio, but definitely recommend the Depot if you're looking for a more relaxed local bar scene in the downtown area. Not sure it fits the dive mold others have put this place in - just a low key place to hang out and grab a cheap drink without having to deal with the hipsters/scenesters slowly taking over Lowertown.
I moved to Lowertown in 2003 and within a couple months, The Depot Bar a couple blocks away had quickly become one of my favorites and has remained so to this day. Â And its just like everybody here has been saying. Â Great patio, great prices, good tunes, one of my favorite bar burgers (they hand make their own patties from ground beef) and one of my favorite bloodys (although they havent been the same since Jimmy Kelly passed away at the end of last year), and is a sort of refuge for the local artist-types, post office employees and Lowertowners in general. Â Not to mention, its hard to beat their Sunday and Monday specials: Dollar burgers, dollar tacos, a dollar bowl of chili. Â
And although there is a sort of no-nonsense attitude behind the bar (i've seen plenty of people get kicked out of this place in a hurry), the Kelly family does a great job of making you feel welcome. Â I cant tell you how many nights Rick would let us finish off the cookies and lemon bars some family friend had made or slow Sunday nights with Jimmy watching animal planet eating some reheated ribs or wings a friend of his had barbequed earlier that day. Â Ive had more than my share of memorable moments at Kelly's and it will always hold a very special place in my heart.
And the thing about the Factotum scene is pretty sweet too.
Nice little out-of-the-way place on Kellogg behind the old Union Depot. Although all of the other posters seem to think its not busy here, try it at lunch time. It seems like every time I stop for a sandwich it's full. Lots of business folks from downtown and nearby. I invariably seem to run into someone I know. The service is great and the typical bar food has always been good for me. The prices will make you smile, too.
Review Source:No one really knows about this place, but I like coming here. Â It is a quiet bar in Lowertown St. Paul. Â The drinks are cheap and they have a nice outdoor patio. Â The place is never busy, but always has 6-15 people at the bar. Â
I wouldn't call the Depot a dive bar because it is pretty nice on the inside and the outdoor patio is nice as well. Â It is just a small quiet bar that appreciates your business. Â
I come here when I want to have a pint of beer and watch the game by myself, or sit around and shoot the shi* with a drinking buddy.
As an avid dive bar fan, I'm always on the hunt for a good hole in the wall. Â I stopped in here back in April on recommendation from one of my friends that has an art studio down the block. Â It's a perfect place for an after-work beer or catching up with some friends. Â The service was great and the prices were spectacular! Â Also, how many dive bars have Fat Tire on tap these days? Â After sitting there for about 3 hours with friends, we all ended up owing about $10 (which might have been a record.)
I stopped by here again after the Irish Fair again this weekend and had a similar experience. Â The prices have gone up a little on the Fat Tire, but it was still a great time. Â The jukebox was pumping various 90s tunes all night and the waitress was extremely attentive despite having a reasonably full set of tables.
If I lived in Saint Paul, I'd be a regular here.
The first scene in Factotum was shot here, and appropriately so. I've never, ever been served by anyone as violently drunk as the crazy old woman who tends bar at this fine establishment. As a bonus this is a Vulcan bar, so the creepy old men will show up in force and have good old fashioned singalongs to hits of the 60s and 70s. Definitely a fun place try once if you're a fan of the dive bars.
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