Blue Ox Tavern

Was here to watch the very disappointing Vikings game on Sunday. Because of the time difference, the game was at 10 a.m. A little early to drink, but the special mimosa was delicious. In the third quarter I had the special grilled cheese with avocado and tomato on Texas toast. Had to pay $ 1.50 for fries (everything just comes with chips) but the fries were hot and fresh and delicious. Mostly a great experience because of the game and all the Minnesotans! Saw a Tarkenton jersey, though of course more were #28! The waitress was working like crazy and extremely nice and proficient.

Meet every week for a lunch. Good specials every day to keep it interesting. Beef stew in a sourdough bowl. Special today at the Blue Ox Tavern. Good, comfort food. Friendly service. They have also been really great about special requests for dietary needs.

When you walk into the Blue Ox Tavern you feel like you’re home! Everyone there makes it their business to get to know you, and to see to it that you are well taken care of. It reminds me of Cheers! The food is wonderful, the owners are so caring and fun, and the rest of the staff truly feels like family. My boyfriend and I stop in at least once a week for a drink… a bite to eat and to play some keno. Every time we walk out the door I always say to him what a great business they run! Coming from a family that owned a restaurant I know how tough it can be… and these people have nailed it! I was in the customer service industry my entire life… as well as my boyfriend… so we both tend to really pay attention to detail. I have only written a few reviews on Unilocal… but this place is completely deserving! And for any of you ladies that are looking for a place to go with a friend… or by yourself where you feel safe… and won’t be hassled. this is a perfect place!!! This place won’t stand for any riff raff hanging around. I was even walked to my car at the end of the evening when I came in alone.
I wish the Blue Ox Tavern nothing but continued success always… each and every one of you sure know how to do your job to see to it that your patrons are happy!!!

Friendly relaxed place. The waitresses and bartender are always pleasant and efficient. Simple but good menu for breakfast or dinner. I am not much of a bar person and don’t drink often but sometimes it’s social. When a friend wants to chat over a drink I choose this place because it is walking distance to my house. Since I don’t drink often I walk home after having just one. I got started on breakfast here when I had to walk back to get my car the next morning anyway and I was surprised the breakfast hit the spot. Everyone is friendly and I’ve never had a problem or felt uncomfortable drinking here and then walking home alone. It feels relaxed unlike a lot of local bars where I feel I need to watch my back a little. Been stopping in lately for breakfast even without leaving my car the night before and haven’t been disappointed. The owner or owner’s son not sure which who tends bar is very personable and does a good job with the place.

Love this place to grab a beer and the best fried green beans on the planet. BLTs are homespun and good. Cheese curds! Typical bar food, not the healthiest but yummy. Wish it was nonsmoking.

Never eaten here except for breakfast one time which was ok. We go to a lot of different bars about 5 nights a week to play video poker. So all my reviews are going to be about that aspect, gaming and general experience not food.
2 stars only because ~ the machines seem unusually tight, never had any luck here
~ they have no gaming promotions worth mentioning, no players club, no drawings, a 4 of a kind gets you a wheel spin but all you can win is a cheap and tiny bottle of wine!
so, after four or five visits there so far, each time losing between 100 and $ 200 I don’t think I’m going to be back for a while. Especially since the last time we were there my friend and I both had breakfast and they actually charged us! That morning we lost over $ 500 combined! Really? I am pretty sure that cannot be the bars policy, more likely the bartender wasn’t ‘doing her job and not paying attention to our coin in. Either way, for playing there’s tons of better bars around. This one does not seem to want to be a gaming bar for some reason

Service here was great! It’s like the cutest little hole in the wall ever. And when you walk in its surprisingly huge. The drinks were bomb, I kind of like that everything comes in a bottle instead of tap. And they have pretty decent cocktails as well. I think this is probably the new spot for us!

Being from Minnesota originally, this is my favorite place to come watch the Vikings with other Minnesotans. The feeling is always welcoming and there is a distinct feeling that reminds me of home. The servers have always been great and are attentive to all guests even when it gets busy for games. Food is pretty average bar food but it’s more about the experience than anything.

Had the fish and chips and a side salad.
Food was good! I opted for onion rings instead of the crinkle cut French fries. The tartar sauce was good. The fish amount was two (2) pieces which is about right for the price.

Early morning craving’s for breakfast can be satisfied at the Blue OX. Very simple menu. I think there were three choices.
–Two Eggs any way w/​hash browns, toast add meat for extra $.
–Chicken Fried Steak
— Three Eggs with peppers, onion, potatoes, and cheese had the appearance of a skillet with no skillet.
I went for two eggs over, wheat, and bacon. Hard to mess this dish up. My food came out of the kitchen pretty fast since I was the only cover at the time, so that should be expected. Nothing to fancy just a simple and quick meal. If you check in on Unilocal you get a $ 1 off food and drink. Membership has it’s PERKS!
This is a Minnesota Bar so if you like the Viking’s This place is for you. One interesting thing I saw on the Menu was the «Mule Drinks» they serve. Never had one before. I am going to have to come back and try. These drink concoctions consisted of booze (vodka, rum, tequila, etc.) with Ginger Beer and some other Mixer. They looked tasty but simple.

Our server/​bartender Lori was hilarious!!! A smart mouthed sarcastic crazy lady!!! Just loved her!
So we walked in after our workout at the gym in search of food. Since 3 places we went to were closed or didn’t have anything except ice cream and coffee!!!
This place is pretty big. Looked like they even have a separate dinning banquet room. It looks like your typical bar to the left and lots of seating and tables for dinner on your right.
Everyday there is a special, on this day it was chicken piccata over spaghetti. We weren’t looking for that much so he ordered a ham and cheese hot sandwich I ordered the triple club. The club was really good, turkey, ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo on sour dough. Let me tell you that none of the sandwiches come with fries they come with a only bag of lays potato chips and two pickle chips.
Lori brought us two peanut butter cookies!!! So nice but damn her!!! We just went to the gym!!! We asked for to go boxes, she asked if we wanted two boxes or one big one, he aid we are going to separate places, Lori said that’s not my fault. Lol we died. I will be back!

Wrong — there was no NCAA playoff game during that time — I left Vegas before playoffs began so that can’t be true. You didn’t turn the jukebox off; you turned it to the next song. And if you truly have an issue with the «language» in a song, then don’t have it on jukebox in your 21+ bar where people pay for the music. «Maybe» you refunded his money– I didn’t see that so can’t comment on it. I do know another woman commented on it to him and they started talking. The bar only had 6 people in that night, including you.
I don’t have an issue with you disagreeing with my opinion, but you deliberately mischaracterizing facts is not appropriate on an app where people rely on honest reviews to make a decision.

First impression, walking in bartender greeted us with a smile we sat anywhere we wanted the environment and music is relaxing and makes you not want to leave. The cheese curd appetizers are incredible. Foods great and the service is on top of their game. This place is awesome. One of my fav bars to eat and drink and relax.

Most dive bars have a stench of stale smoke, barely-​passable food, and sucky service. Based on my visits, Blue Ox must not be a dive bar because none of those things can be found here! Space is a bit dated but clean, and staff is downright peppy. Food is low-​priced and fresh.
COBB SALAD: Generous portions of all ingredients, wish the dressing were served in a cup and made in-​house rather than takeout packets.* But having the calorie count handy does make me use less.
ALL BEEF JALAPENO CHILI: Ask to add sour cream, onions, and cheese to make this meaty dish into a meal. Good flavor without being spicy. This would be even better if they had some sort of cornbread.
FISH & CHIPS: Two smallish pieces of fresh-​fried fish, crispy and flavorful. Fries are crinkle-​cut but also surprisingly good. House-​made tartar sauce is just right, malt vinegar available too (in a packet again).
They have a few specials, like walleye on Fridays and ribs on Saturdays. Ask about their Mules Around the World drinks. Back of dining area has a separate meeting space available to reserve. Staff is always cheerful, music is a good mix of 90s alternative and radio hits.
*I stand corrected, the ranch dressing here is made in-​house. All other options are currently served in packets.

Have eaten the Chicken Fried Steak sandwich a few times but this time decided to change up to the Fish Sandwich, even though the sandwich tasted great it wasn’t very filling. Not like I had to eat the napkins to get filled up but my friend shared her salad with me which was definitely big enough for two!
Margo served up the drinks at the bar which my favorite pineapple and Malibu rum with splash of Bacardi.
Dena is always kept busy on the nights we have our meetings, it amazes me how this girl never spills a drink while she is refilling your glass of iced tea!

OMGosh I’m in love with this place!!! Super friendly staff, the chef came out and asked me personally how which cheese I wanted to use and gave me recommendation. Prices are more than fair, I mean the omelet is $ 4.99!!! Great place to try. food is AMAZING, definitely worth visiting. You’ll have a very pleasant experience coming here and I’m sure you won’t regret it..

Best fish tacos I’ve had out side of Hawaii! Service is great as well very happy Unilocal put us here.
Downside is the smoke smell. But I guess that’s hole in the wall food in Vegas

Don’t come here for breakfast.
I think we came here on an off day. Last Sunday was opening season for football, specifically this bar’s affiliation — the Vikings. When we walked in, the place was full of Vikings fans getting ready to watch the game.
We ordered a breakfast burrito and two side salads. The breakfast burrito was not great. I thought it would be much bigger and the hash browns inside were undercooked, leaving it a little slimy. Salad was just salad, but their house homemade ranch dressing was amazing.
I wish I could give this place more stars. Our waitress did her job, and that was it. She was unfriendly and didn’t even ask how our food was.
I would advise coming here unless you are drinking and watching football. Stay away from the food unless it’s fried.

Went here last night and this review will be solely based on the quality of food. The drinks and service were decent.
Every other Blue Ox I’ve been to have the best chicken fingers I’ve ever had, except this one. I ordered chicken fingers with a side of coleslaw. The coleslaw was inedible and the chicken fingers were warmed over pieces of… well.
They were akin to what you’d find in an elementary school lunch or prison. Despite being hungry I had one bite of slaw and one finger that needed to be doused in ranch and I couldn’t stomach finishing the rest.
The server must’ve known that the food is terrible because he didn’t even flinch when he took the full plate away from me.
It’s unfortunate that they don’t have the same quality as every other location.

It has been over three years since I last dropped in to Blue Ox Tavern. And up until just a few seconds ago, I was still completely uninformed about the significance of «Blue Ox», except it has some connection to Minnesota. So if you are curious about the name, here is a brief Cliff Notes notation about this trivia:
Blue Ox is actually named Babe, and is Paul Bunyan’s animal companion.
Blue Ox was also a professional roller hockey team based in Minneapolis, MN, that used to played in the Roller Hockey International League.
But if you are expecting the interior of the tavern/​sports bar to be all blue, you will be disappointed. Hues of light pink is what you will most likely be covered with regardless of where you decided to park your hiney for the duration of your visit. But don’t worry, your eyes are very good at filter that out, but it could get problematic when you try to take pictures of your food, menu or other picture worthy subject matters.
Anyway, I was here recently to catch the slightly more than half of the most boring Super Bowl event in recent memory. The place was fairly busy, but there were still a few tables and booth that were unoccupied when I walked in. The average age of the patron was easily over 35 (and I am lowballing my guestimate), so if you are looking for young wild and crazy sports bar scene, this is probably not your best bet. Best surprise of the afternoon was the complimentary half time buffet that was sponsored by a local law firm (the hot links and other sausages and sides were a definite hit).
Their regular menu is your typical, non-​gourmet bar food. You have your appetizers (mostly fried items and nachos), salads, sandwiches, burgers, and breakfast items. I had a bowl of soup (changes daily), and one of their burgers on both visits. Food is decent and portion is relatively large (but nothing to rave about in our local weekly magazines), and most items are under $ 10.
Service is decent. The waitresses checks up on you regularly, so your refills or next order of beer is practically effortless. If you stop in to this sports bar when there are no games on, you could save $ 1 with your Unilocal Check-​in off.
Overall, I like this vintage sports bar that has persevered through the years with the occasional event promotions to draw in regulars and snag a few newbies. Good experience if you are looking for something different from your regular routine.
Review #5 of 2014