Pillbox Tavern

Ok, so we went here before the Josh Ritter concert (which was fabulous). Pretty cool place. Plenty of chairs at the bar and ample tables for those eating and drinking.First, the drinks: Saint Paul 75 was a fun twist on the classic. The Irish Whisky added a bit of complexity to the drink. Grab this one if you want a cocktail. The Electric Margarita: It was good, but it didn't distinguish itself from any other margarita. Skip it. Beer selection was adequate. It was a bit consternating that you had to jump through a few hoops to get to UnTapped to see the offerings. DreamYard was fresh and excellent.Second, the food: decent bar menu. The beet salad was solid. Added beef as a protein. We would do that one again. Chees curds were solid. They used apple cider with the batter, which added a nice dimension. The burgers were certainly a homerun. The Pillbox burger was solid, as was the pork belly burger. The Hangover burger was amazing! it has everything you want if you are recovering or just really hungry. Hashbrowns, an egg, a bunch of beef, and bacon. I barely finished it, much to my regret...i hate when I over-eat.Service: this was relatively lackluster, and I was gonna drop this down to three stars, but I decided to round it up. The place was not that busy for a Monday, but for whatever reason, service was painfully slow at our table. If I pop in here next time I will sit at the bar to eat and drink to avoid the initial frustrations.

Fun place for happy hour! We had several appetizers and everyone was able to order their drinks of choice. Food was just okay but the cocktails were delicious. Service was excellent! We came in 10 minutes before the kitchen closed and our server helped us to get our orders in right away. Ambiance was a standard sports bar experience but its convenient location in downtown St Paul was the reason we chose this place.

We were looking for a place to pregame for a concert nearby. Pillbox happen to right around the corner from the venue. Looks like they have a nice indoor & outdoor patio. Otherwise it's a pretty standard sports bar. I ordered a Pink on Pink and it was super tart. I tried to order a different drink as well but they were out of it. So I ended up ordering another Pink on Pink and adding grenadine to cut down the tartness. I also ordered the southwest potato wedges. It was basically 1 potato cut into 4 pieces and it had cheese, chives and a side of sour cream (comes w/ bacon but I don't eat pork). It was a bit underwhelming for $15. The waitress seemed to be in a rush the entire time. It's like you order one thing and she takes off even though there were 4 people at the table and we all wanted to order drinks/apps. One person decided to pay with cash and wanted change back, the only time she wasn't in a rush. We ended up leaving & they never got their change. I'd say overall this place wasn't my vibe.

I've been here a few times before or after events at Palace theatre or New Amsterdam Hall. It's right across the street from both so it's a convenient place to get food and drinks beforehand. It can be fairly busy in there from the attractions all around but we've never had to wait for a table. There is limited street parking but plenty of parking ramps around that'll you have to pay for. There is a patio for the warmer weather months as well. We dined on some delicious, saucy wings and I got some chicken pesto pasta. I personally enjoyed the honey lemon pepper wings! Good sized wings and actually really good ranch! The sauce was fairly neutral and my boyfriend said it didn't taste like much. He liked the Buffalo ones better. Seriously didn't expect much for the pasta but omg it was some of the best pasta I've had in a while!

My friend heard of the biggest mozzarella stick out there and of course, we had to try it. It was super crunchy, cheesey, and seems to have pesto in it. Do not try to tackle this bad boy on your own, you will need help! We tried the jalapeño burger and it was pretty good. There was a spicy sauce that was very tasty. The fries were served cold and they charged us for a ranch we were never served.

I am a bit surprised at some of the previous negative reviews for Pillbox Tavern. We walked in with a huge group of 12 and were promptly seated. The server realized we would all be on different checks and took orders accordingly to make sure she got the orders correct. I ordered the Patty melt, and an order of cheese curds (not pictured in my review). The patty melt was solid with a decent amount of beef (cooked to a proper medium temp) with grilled onions and plenty of cheese, but the bread wasn't toasted or seared on either side. Seared and buttered bread is a staple of a good patty melt. This lead to a really off-putting texture. Fries were decent bar-style fries.... noting to write home about. The cheese curds however were ridiculously good. It was gooey melted cheese wrapped in a funnel cake style batter with a hot honey dip. These were the best darn cheese curds i've had in forever.I'd recommend giving the spot a try. Especially in a downtown area devoid of any real bars outside of the Pillbox Tavern.

Don't let my 4 stars stop you from coming here... it's only for the slow service. I've passed this place numerous times on my way to Candyland and never thought to try it until this evening before a concert at Xcel. My siblings and I enjoyed deviled eggs and spinach & artichoke dip for our appetizers. Both very good. The spinach & artichoke dip came out so hot and was so creamy and good... I'd say the best I've ever had. Definitely a must try. For entrees: we enjoyed the chicken sandwich, pork belly tacos, buffalo chicken wrap, and cheese curd burger. Everyone enjoyed their food very much and consensus was we'd definitely come back. I saw on their happy hour menu they serve jalapeño poppers and giant mozzarella sticks.... I will be back to try both of those. Seems like a fun sports bar spot. They offer pulltabs in the machine. Also looks like they have patio seating as well.

Loved the beer selection. The dry rub wings and shrimp tacos were great too. Will go again in a heartbeat.

Great experience and will be a solid go to in STP. Stumbled in with no expectations. Staff, chef were hospitable in a time where this can be challenging for a variety of reasons. Truly attentive and welcoming. Great job on wings and fries. These are my go to for pub food and they nailed it. Quick service! When does that happen anymore, very unexpected and appreciated. Would definitely recommend!

Sophie is the best bartender in town and wears cool shirts. She's not boring and the food is good