During my search for a local joint who would brave the crowds and air a Packer game, I found this little gem.
I started my search closer to my house, and after failing at the 'higher end' places, I turned to yelp to find a divey place.
In Milwaukee it seems normal to indulge in a few libations by yourself in the middle of the day, and I found myself getting a few strange looks around here - until getting to Sandy's.
I walked out of the sunshine and into the dimly lit, musty little place, and instantly felt at home. I was greeted promptly, and took a place a the bar. Another couple came in soon after me and we chatted for a while.
The tap selection is nothing to write home about, but that's the point of places like these - go for a Grain Belt or a Coors, stay for the company.
As the other people started to filter in a out, the bartender and I got to talking. She talked me into a burger, even though I wasn't too hungry. I got a cheeseburger with sauerkraut and olives, which was their recommendation. It was really great! It reminded me a lot of Lion's Tap or the late Andy's Tap. I opted for the tater tots as a side, and they were phenomenal. I ended up eating every last bite.
Several grain belts later I had to bid farewell toy my new friends at Sandy's but I will be back as soon as I'm back in town.
I've been very anxious to try Sandy's since I heard they were voted "Best Burgers" and what do you know, only a few miles from home! How I love Mpls for their non-corporate, non-chain, every other block food and drink establishments.
Sandy's reminded my of a small, divey burger joint out of the cities. Dim lighting, neon beer signs, video games, pool tables and plenty of tv's.
Food was good. Nothing over the top great though. We thoroughly enjoyed Sandy's brat burger with sauerkraut, Sandy's sizzler with pepper jack, jalapeños and chipotle mayo and their basic burger with cheddar. Everything is served al la carte, and with plenty of options to add on (cheese curds, fries, tator tots, etc), we chose the tator tots and I'm glad we did.
It would have been nice to see a larger, more expanded beer selection. The only descent beer on tap is Killian's red.
All-in-all, good burger joint that will be seeing us in the near future in sure. :)
Sandy's Tavern could earn 5 stars for their burgers alone. Â They are THAT good. Â But what's awesome is that along with this awesome burger, you get this awesome atmosphere as well.
My family has always loved Sandy's Tavern because it has a family friendly, laid back, house-turned-bar kind of feeling to it. Â It's very welcoming, despite the fact that it is poorly lit. Â It's nice because it obviously has a bar feel to it, but you still feel comfortable bringing your kids in.
The menu isn't large, I'm not going to lie. Â Your choices are basically burgers, other types of sandwiches, chicken wings.... and then like a bazillion different sides. Â (fries, cheese curds, jalapeno poppers, tater tots, breaded mushrooms, etc.) But everything on the menu is cooked with love, and to perfection. Â So there is no need for a million choices.
Anyways, on to the mouth-watering burgers I spoke of earlier. All of the burgers at Sandy's are consistently cooked to juicy perfection. Â It melts in your mouth with a buttery taste, and sends your taste buds into a frenzy of deliciousness. You literally can't go wrong no matter what kind of burger your order. Â However, my all time favorite burger to order at Sandy's is the Olive Burger. Â A cheeseburger with green olives and sour cream. Â The first time I tried it I was pretty young, and I was nervous when ordering. Â I've always loved green olives, but on a burger? With sour cream? Â Well I learned a valuable lesson that day ..... Cheeseburger+Tons of Green Olives+A healthy dollop of sour cream= FOODGASM. Â And Sandy's does it the best. Â I have tried Olive Burgers at other restaurants and nothing compares. Â Nothing even comes CLOSE! Â It seems so simple a concept, but Sandy's Tavern has mastered it.
Side Note: When ordering fries, be careful. Â You probably only need a half portion per 2 people. Â They serve them in baskets, and you get a lot more than you're expecting. Â Also, you only get 1 free refill on soft drinks, so sip carefully!
I clearly have a thing for the little place that serves a simple burger a beer and hey Tater-tots, I'm in!!
Recommended by a friend this is one of these places I have driven by a million times and never stopped in for a bite, fool.  I took a little spin on the usual burger, opted for the Sizzler that comes with pepper jack cheese and jalapeños on top.  Not super spicy but had a nice little bite to it.  Add one of my favorite tap beers, good old Premium and I'm good. Oh yea, almost forgot about the Tater-tots...not the best, pretty sure they were from a bag but again one of those things that goes great with a beer!
I'll come back, good beer and they even had a pool table!
KT
Oh? You planned on making dinner only to get home to find out your boyfriend forgot to go grocery shopping? Don't fret! This is really a blessing in disguise; now you can go to Sandy's.
What a great old school bar, it reminded me of the many dingy haunts I have drank in in WI or Anoka. Full of regulars, cheap beer, pool tables, curtains over the windows and hella good burgers. This is the type of place that grills their buns perfectly, with a light sheen of butter on top that is not too greasy. They serve huge baskets of crinkle cut fries with their burgers. Who doesn't love crinkle cuts? We even were gifted a couple of extra onion rings atop our basket.
Oh, and Monday night is trivia night. What more could you want?!
No frills, reasonable eats, cheap drinks. I love dive bars, and Sandy's is a nice specimen. I initially walked in thinking it was a neighborhood bar and grill. Indeed there is a bar and probably is a grill, but this is a classic dive. No need for happy hour because drinks are only a few bucks. There is barely even a need for a menu since there isn't much to choose from. But what they do offer is very good. My mushroom and Swiss cheeseburger was way better than expected.
My only suggestion to Sandy's would be to provide something, anything as a side that isn't deep fried. Some of us don't care for onion rings or french fries when already having beer and burgers.
Sandy's. Â I love it here because it is what it is....classic dive bar. Â I love the foodie culture & gastropubs Minneapolis has embraced - but sometimes? Â I want to go to Richfield and get a good burger sans words like: artisanal, chutney, cepe, or compote. Â I want to go to a place that makes me feel like I'm in the country or the 1970's or something. Â
The service is always friendly and fast and the onion rings are amazing. Â
Douches of America - give it a rest and be respectful to the waitstaff. Â Seriously. Â No one likes you.
I'm just not a fan, but I've never done the trivia night, so maybe that would change my mind.
It's a dive bar with an interior of knotty wood and raise wood floor covered with cheap carpet. Â The food burns a hole in your stomach via the grease and salt, and you'll leave smelling like fried food. Â
The people there are hilarious though, so go for the characters if you go at all.
On a balmy winter afternoon over Winter break, we decided to go out for a movie and a dive-y lunch. Â After the post Best of the Twin Cities craze of Sandy's Tavern, we thought we would give it a shot.
It is as dive-y as they come. Â It reminds me of some of the small town places where I grew up. Â Slightly humorous signs on the walls smattered in between neon beer signs. Â History channel was on the TV. Â The bartender is also the server. Â A big smoke-eater still hangs from the wall. Â Bad beer selection. Â Etc.
The service was mediocre at best. Â Friendly, yes. Â Observant and efficient, no. Â Now I don't mind this style of service at all, you should just know what you are getting into.
The food did not match up with the craze. Â I am not sure how they got voted the best burger in the Twin CIties, but everyone has a right to their opinion I guess (as I am writing a review). Â The burgers were good, but not amazing. Â Cheap, yes. Â I do like that you order everything a la carte. Â However, keep in mind that you should probably share a side.
I will probably be back at some point. Â I will not go out of my way to do so, but given the right place at the right time, I wouldn't be mad about going back. Â Everything is worth a shot once. Â You go and you decide.
you know what? Â There is nothing to say about this place. Its a dive bar. Â It's got burgers. Â If they don't like you, you will know. Â They don't like "frat boys" and they don't want "ditzy girls" coming in. Â If you're going to suck and ask "What's for cheap?" Â then you can leave.
If you don't like TRUE dive bars, first you can get out of America. Â Second, don't come to Sandy's. Â On the other hand, if you're a true American, come to Sandy's and get yourself a cheap beer and an amazing burger (don't hold back on the onion rings either).
Love this place - it's where we get our "Wisconsin bar burger" fix without leaving town.
Burgers are solid, savory bar-griddle burgers on good white buns (perfect cross between substantial and squishy) served on wax paper in lil' plastic baskets. I love that you can get grilled onions on the burgers. They also do good variations like a crazy olive burger, etc. The place kind of looks like a dive in a charming way that reminds me of the backwoods WI bars of my childhood...plus I think we had the same brown-woven-polyester curtains in the house where I grew up! Huge nostalgia factor.
Sides are ordered separately but totally worth it for the deep-fried goodness - batter-coated cheese curds (white rather than yellow cheese, if that matters to you), awesome onion rings and tater tots for tot fans. Beer comes in frosty mugs ala vintage A&W.
Heads up that it's cash only, but service is awesome - the regular staff make you feel welcome so it's the kind of "bar" where you don't feel creepy just going in with a girlfriend for burgers.
Sandy's was another place from my hometown that I'd go to with my family alot when we'd go out. If I was reviewing them then I woulda gave them 5 stars because the burgers were great. I don't think they come anything close to what they used to be, its still not a bad place to go for a bite to eat, but unless they bring back the original recipe I don't think the food is worth going out of your way for.
One thing that they still have is a very unique atmosphere, and me who loves antiques really likes the old 30's/ 40's roadhouse tavern decor. Its authentic too because this place has been here so long that it was actually at one time in the country, so it has the ability to get your imagination going as to what the Richfield of the past was like. Its also a good place to come and shoot a game of pool.
Another thing I should mention is that Sandy's is haunted. Sandy, a guy named Sandy the original owner dropped dead of a heart attack behind the bar, I believe sometime in the late 40's or early 50's, and haunts the building to this day. Level headed customers have reported seeing a ghost in the basement, as well as strange things happening in the bar area, and no it's not because they're drunk Sandy's only serves 3.2 beer.
Came here on a Friday evening at around 7:00. Â The place was nearly empty except for us - this concerned me. Â We walked in, were greeted, and sat down immediately next to some of the most absurd 70s-esque decor in recent memory. Â The curtains and wallpaper are utterly ridiculous. Â There was a faint smell of stale smoke in the bar - I'm guessing this was a haven before the smoking ban, and hasn't probably been fumigated as much as it should be.
The food and beer were good, and relatively cheap. Â This could be a good bar to get drunk in, but if I'm looking for burgers I'm still likely to head to the Nook. Â I had the bacon cheeseburger. Â The cheese curds were excellent and lightly hand-battered, and the fries were delicious. Â The sides were the star of the show.
Would I go back? Â Yes. Â This would be a decent place to eat dinner and then drink a dozen or so pitchers of beer, but if I'm looking for a meal alone I'm probably looking elsewhere.
This is one of my favorite places. I used to live here (no not actually, even though it looks like a house). I still visit several times a week - and I play Trivia regularly on Monday nights.
People will argue over who has the best burgers in the Twin Cities - and that's fine - but all I can tell you is this place has ruined me for other burger joints. Nothing tastes the same as Sandy's (I blame the seasoned grill and fantastic staff).
There is nothing pretentious about the place. You step in and  feel like you've walked back in time about 30 or 40 years. Sure a few things have changed - different beers on tap and some new menu items (I recommend the Sandy's Sizzler - pepper cheeseburger with chopped hots and chipotle mayonnaise). Aside from that, Sandy's seems to work off of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" rule.
I hear a lot of people wish they would accept credit cards. Personally I don't mind because any place where you can get pretty much any sandwich on the menu, a side of fries, and not just one but two or three Beers for less than $15 - in my opinion - should just keep on doing what they're doing.
I have been to this fine establishment over 100 times and to this day have pretty much no idea whats on the menu. They know I want a bacon cheeseburger; Â they can see it in my ravenous eyes right when i walk through the door. Â They are small enough to eat two if you are hungry enough and I like that. i like to feel like im really throwin down.
Its dark and cheap and delicious. As good as, but very different from: Redstone, Loins Tap, Nook, Matt's, wherever.
True Neighborhood Jem.
Oh yea!! And if nobody is there, you can get your food in like 2 seconds its fricken awesome!!
BTW I just remembered they have mac and cheese bites.
Quirky and old school. Grabbed a few pitchers and some fried goods. Crinkle fries, onion rings, and cheese curds. It was a cute little MN bar that looks like it got transplanted from the North Woods. There were small booths that 4 people could squeeze into but there is also bar seating and a long table to accommodate large parties. Friendly service, cheap prices, and Trivia on Mondays!
We didn't have the burgers but people around us were all ordering them so that must have been a good sign. I'm planning on coming back for a casual drink or two or four.
This place defines what a hole in the wall joint should be. Â It's ratty, it's dark, the beer is cheap, the food is good and the staff is as friendly and personable as they come. Â
They may not always be packed, but you can almost always find the regulars sitting at the bar chatting away. Â Summit is on tap and the pitchers are cheaper than you can find anywhere else.
The burgers may not be Jucy Lucy's, but they have a decent selection and the burgers are made fresh as soon as you order. Â Expect your food to be on your table promptly.
Great Burgers, not as good as Shantytown, but good all the same.
Good, COLD, beer. and pool is only a dollar. Can't really go wrong with this one. I've seen everything from people in sweats to dresses after church in here. This place takes all kinds, just none with Credit cards. But, they DO have an ATM. PLUS, a Navy guy owns it, everybody goes home a winner with one! CHEAP!
Its a 3.2 spot, so dont show up expecting to get plowed. If thats your goal I highly recommend huffing spraypaint in the parking lot first. Just kidding dont do that.
The burgers here are terrific. The first time I went, I commented to the waitress that they were second (in my mind) only to Matt's. As it turns out, the jerks from AOL thought the same thing and apparently they won some sort of award for being second place only to Matt's.
If you find yourself around the intersection of 66th and Penn for some reason, Id recommend stopping here.
A what you see is what you get bar with cheap beer and food. The food is basic and fried but good if you like that sort of thing. Most food is around $5. Pitchers of Summit for $14 - compared to $22 or more at other local Edina restaurants. If you've ever been to Edina Grill - you can get the same burger and pitcher here but it will cost you $20-25 instead of $30-35.
My only complaints are that they don't take credit cards and need a real dartboard - instead of the plastic darts. Sandy's is perfect if you looking for a place to escape the usual work talk, high prices and perfume soaked cougars that choke the air in most Edina bars and restaurants!
I wish I lived close to a bar like this. Â It's your typical bar, burger, drafty joint. Â
They've got Summit on tap, amongst other things. Â They think they've got the greatest burgers...they're good - next time I think I'll get 2 though. Â The olive burger is.. the first time I've ever had an 'olive burger' - it was good. Â They do have something interesting going on in the seasoning - and it's very resonably priced.
Looking for a mello, old bar to plunk down at, grab a burger, fries, a beer or two - you might want to check out Sandys.
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