Park Tavern TODOTC.com To Do in the Twin Cities Restaurants

Park Tavern 

If you are born in Wisconsin, before you are allowed to leave the hospital three pictures are put in front of the child. A helmet of the Vikings, the Packers & the FIBs (look it up). If the child reaches for the Packers helmet all is well they give them a beer and they can go home. 

If on the other hand they reach for one of the other helmets or is indecisive… No beer and they are sent home with a counselor and brought back and tested when they are five. 

If they fail to pick the Packer helmet again, their family are asked to leave the state. Wonder why Packer fans are nuts, there you go!

The SECOND most watched sports team in Minnesota is the Green Bay Packers. And if the Vikings implode in November, which has been known to happen, the Packers MAY be the MOST watched sports team in the state in December.

Now this is in an environment where the Packers were the closest football team to Minnesota from 1919 to 1962, you can FIND an old Packer Fan. Packers fans can be known to be difficult people to change and are loyal. And I hate to mention it, but there is that thing about rings… FOUR of them! Versus… let’s just drop it.  Writes a Packer OWNER! 

Being the second most watched team in the state it ABSOLUTELY AMAZES me that more Mpls bars don’t show the Packer games. Besides Packer fans are known to be rabid and might have a drink or pizza. I’m a marketing guy I hate to see lost money!

We have gone to a lot of different Packer bars over the years. Gabe’s in the Park has been a stalworth forever. But the manager said we could no longer sleep overnight in the parking lot to get a seat the game day.

We went to Joe DiMaggios in Fridley for a few years where they dedicated a wing to Packer fans with our own waitresses and game audio. Packer fans understand we need to be isolated from the general public when the game is on.

Well Joe DiMaggio stopped showing Packer games. Turns out they had to pay extra money to show the out of market game to the hundred Packer Fans eating pizza & beer… and not just ONE BEER!

So two years ago we went to Fridley to Two Stooges in a separate area with audio, we went to several games. This year same area by ourselves but no audio.

So we went on the TC Packer FB Group and ask for our options. Understand Packer people are street smart. If they tell YOU where THEY watch the game, they might arrive next week to find us in THEIR SEAT. Packer stuff and favorite Hunting & fishing spots are uh... SECRET!

But I asked the Facebook group anyway. Turns out Park Tavern is the current shrine to the Green & Gold. But they said you need to arrive 30 minutes before the game.  I looked at E and we need to be there by eleven an HOUR early.  E said that’s longer than 30 minutes. I said yea I know from a Packer Fan worried about their seat.

So we showed up to Park Tavern 3401 Louisiana Ave S in St Louis Park at 10:45 AM. That would be 1:15 before game time , not 30 minutes. We went to the Sports Bar near the front. They looked at me and said Packer fans in the rear bar. OK!

Kind of reminded me of my days playing rugby when they gave us the U of M Swine barn to party in. What can Rugby players do in a cement Pig barn? We walked into the party and it turned out there was some loose paneling that needed to be crowd surfed on. Credit to the good looking surfer lady who never spilled her beer.

Back to the Park Tavern. If they were going to have the Packers on in the Back Bar, THAT is where we were headed. OUR PEOPLE!

There an hour & fifteen minutes before the game was about 100 Packer fans choosing their game seat. We had a choice of about two tables out of 30. Park Tavern also has a Heated outdoor patio with the game on. The Packer crowd would swell to about 200 by game time. Get there five minutes before Packer game time and expect a seat... SERIOUSLY! Though SOME DID... Must be from SOUTHERN WI! Nicely the manager brought out some folding tables. It was a bit tight but no one had to stand to watch the Dozen 60” big screen TVs and an additional five TVs on the deck, ALL with Packer Video AND AUDIO! Remember to bring your Deer Hunting Packer gear in case you need to sit outside. All these Wisconsin people and no fights, course the GAME was on!

 Now you might try to beat me up to be OK sharing a table on a Sunday Packer game versus a Friday night go out to eat place. It’s not the same. And a 30 year old good looking guy having the walk past ladies buying him a beer is different than a twelve year old playing Pictionary. By I digress from Friday night.

If you get to Park Tavern after 11AM there may be no better place to watch the Packers in the metro. Thirty minutes early is fine! Everyone in the place was nice. Including a beautiful 5’10” dark haired lady named Chelsea who got our food. And she put up with us, tipped her well!

Park Tavern is a sports bar.  They have about 50 TVs showing nearly every game. And about five of those TVs are above their 20 lane bowling alley & arcade which might keep the younger kids entertained.  As far as food and drink, I don’t know how they serve so many people and so fast. And the entire staff is great.

E & I had an incredible 16” bar style pepperoni & sausage pizza for about $25 and another $10 for pops. The Pizza was Wisconsin Bar Pizza quality, god it was good! Wonder if it was a Tombstone from Medford?

We sat at a six foot by two foot table three foot was shared by four 30ish new Packer friend guys. I could see FOUR 60" TVs!

The Packer crowd was mostly adults, that said there was family with kids on the table in back of us.

Our bill was a great $32 and as Packer fans we tipped Chelsea healthy.

Typically we tell people if we’ll return at the end of our articles, there is no question at Park Tavern we’ll be back perhaps this month!

Thanks Park tavern for a great experience! And OF COURSE the PACK WON!

Contact us Dennis@ToDoTC.com