Best Restaurants for Celebrating Derby Day in Minneapolis - St. Paul

by OpenTable x Woodford Reserve

Updated April 08, 2021

To mark this year's Derby Day, OpenTable and Woodford Reserve have come together to bring you a list of restaurants offering Derby Day drink specials and celebratory dishes near you. Whether you are donning your finest Derby attire and heading to a local watering hole or planning a feast for the festivities at home, we've got the restaurant (and game day tipple) for you. CRAFTED CAREFULLY. DRINK RESPONSIBLY. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Whiskey, 43.2%-45.2% Alc. by Vol., The Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles, KY. Woodford Reserve is a registered trademark. ©2021

Thirty Bales

4.4

4.4 (834)

$30 and under

American

Hopkins

About the restaurant

Thirty Bales is a celebration of everything Midwestern cuisine has to offer. We're an upbeat neighborhood restaurant bringing together bright personalities, bold recipes, clean ingredients and craft spirits and playing with the flavors that make the Midwest a place unlike any other.

If you're curious about our name, it comes from the legend of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. As the story goes, Babe had an appetite as big as Bunyan himself and is rumored to have eaten 30 bales of hay a day.

Like our restaurant's big blue spirit animal, we're a pack of people that lives to eat and drink. We're endlessly in love with the Midwest and its connection to seasonal ingredients grown close to home. It's what inspires our menu and our team. And it's what inspires us as we tell our own story with the flavors and spirits of the Midwest.

Top review

Bob

Dined on Aug 17, 2024

Love the beet salad! Excellent choice for a low-key Saturday brunch. Surprised it wasn't busier.

Gold Nugget Tavern & Grille

4.4

4.4 (670)

$30 and under

Grill

Minnetonka

About the restaurant

Welcome to Gold Nugget Tavern & Grille!

The Gold Nugget is home to the best burger in the Twin Cities and so say the people at the 2014 Twin Cities Burger Battle. We also feature handcrafted sandwiches, soups and salads, made from scratch in our kitchen. Our beer menu focused on local craft beers and outstanding national selections, we always have something new from our neighborhood brew masters.

Everyone in your family, on your team, or from you company can find something to please their palate. We also have a great kid’s menu and gluten-sensitive offerings.

Top review

Nancy

Dined on Sep 4, 2024

For years my family dines at Gold Nugget. The food is consistently good. Delicious. Made with quality ingredients. Between us, we’ve tried everything on the menu! My son often tells the server, “Bring me something you like. Surprise me.“ And he’s never been disappointed. Gold Nugget is a great place for great fun with family, friends, and great food.

The Smack Shack

4.7

4.7 (1713)

$31 to $50

Seafood

Downtown / North Loop

About the restaurant

Casual, coastal restaurant in the North Loop. Reservations taken for dining room only, patio seating is available on a first come, first serve basis. Please check in with hosts upon arrival for patio seating.

Although named for the boats used to catch lobster, Smack Shack was launched as a food truck in 2010 serving lobster rolls from a land-locked downtown Minneapolis parking lot. Owner Josh Thoma had a great recipe and a belief that appetite for fresh lobster in the Twin Cities was as strong as any coastal city.

Smack Shack is committed to serving sustainable seafood and is a current partner in the Minnesota Zoo’s Fish Smart program. Sustainable seafood is wild caught or farm raised seafood that has established practices to ensure the long term growth and thriving populations of seafood with limited harm to the environment.

Top review

Susanne

Dined 4 days ago

This is a must stop each time I come to Minneapolis! Best seafood with great service!

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4.7

4.7 (3345)

$31 to $50

American

Downtown / North Loop

About the restaurant

The Nicollet Island Inn has stood witness to over a century of change on the shores of the Mississippi River. The Inn is consistently named the most romantic restaurant in the area and its river views have been voted some of the best in the city. An immediately recognizable Minneapolis landmark, the Inn offers world-class cuisine created by Executive Chef Michael Rain , whose innovative and constantly updated menu includes a variety of seafood, steaks and gourmet specialty dishes. Our wine menu has been chosen specifically to compliment the food and highlight producers from the world's leading wine regions.

Nic's bar, just off the main dining room, is a casual, old-world tavern and the patio offers stunning views of the Minneapolis skyline. The Inn is a convenient, comfortable destination for breakfast or lunch meetings while the 3 or 5-course Sunday Brunch is the perfect weekend indulgence.

Top review

Jean

Dined 4 days ago

Our dinner was excellent in every way. Our server was friendly, helpful and intuitive. There was a frequent squeeky sound, I assume from a swinging door to the kitchen?

Nolo's Kitchen & Bar

4.6

4.6 (1084)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Downtown / North Loop

About the restaurant

**Please note all reservations are for Nolo's Kitchen, the rooftop is first come, first serve. For cabana rentals please visit https://www.rooftopbarmpls.com/cabanas**

Located at the historic Gardner Hardware Building at 515 Washington Avenue North in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis, the Nolo's team consists of Marty Collins, Brett Johnson and Peter Hoff, each native Minnesotans with extensive industry experience. Marty owns McCoy’s Public House and several restaurants in Kansas City, Missouri. Brett and his family have owned and operated The Hilltop Restaurant for the past 40 years. Pete, the head chef, brings his most recent culinary experience and creativity from California to NOLO’s and The Basement Bar. His culinary vision and passion for local ingredients will help create the new modern comfort food.
The team shares a passion for the restaurant and bar industry and sees an opportunity to fill gaps in the market in the North Loop.

Top review

Davidvip

Dined 5 days ago

Great service. Good atmosphere. Awesome for a pre game drink and dinner.

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4.8

4.8 (6553)

$31 to $50

Steak

Roseville

About the restaurant

If you're going to take your name from a badass like the patron saint of blacksmiths, you better be able to back it up. Baldamar marks the turning point where we usher in the new standard for style, service and steak. It means the menu’s made with old-world craft at its core and modern day meat eaters in mind — with flavors forged in fire and folded into pure primal perfection. It’s where every steak is aged 40 days and 40 nights for a taste of biblical proportion, and where crazy-fresh seafood means it was caught during your morning commute. At the bar sits every spirit imaginable, and someone who isn’t afraid to use them. This is more than a new steakhouse. It’s a line in the sand. It’s not just where you celebrate special occasions. It’s where you create them.

*A 20% Service Fee is added to all groups of 8 or more.

Top review

Karen

Dined 2 days ago

Another great dinner ar Baldamar! Awesome food and service...Wonderful!!

Gianni's Steakhouse

4.8

4.8 (2520)

$31 to $50

Steak

Wayzata / Long Lake

About the restaurant

Prestigious 2014 Beef Backer award winner Gianni's Steakhouse is an upscale restaurant for all ages to enjoy. In addition to our hormone, antibiotic-free, USDA prime and local beef, Gianni's also offered chops, chicken & fresh seafood. Enjoy our famous tableside "spun" Caesar salad now safety crafted in our kitchen, potatoes papalette, grilled shrimp appetizers, and a first-class, internationally represented wine list. Invite your friends out tonight in our newly redecorated space. Gianni's has received the award of excellence from Wine Spectator for 2018 - 2023.

Top review

Alvip

Dined 3 days ago

Service & Food was excellent -probably best meal we had in the Minneapolis area

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4.0

4 (99)

$30 and under

Breakfast

Downtown / Loring Park

About the restaurant

Visit our scratch kitchen, where you can enjoy breakfast anytime! We also serve fresh burgers, sandwiches, soup, salad, and ice cream 24/7 in our classic diner! We are the only 24-hour restaurant in downtown Minneapolis, serving top-quality ingredients for a hearty meal day or night. We are conveniently located on Nicollet Mall next to the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Top review

Brendavip

Dined on Jul 31, 2024

The restaurant was completely empty when I arrived at 6:30pm. I went upstairs to the bar area and it was desolate as well. However, Will, the bartender, was absolutely fabulous. He said the pancakes were divine and he did not lie!! The eggs tasted weird and the bacon was just okay. But, I would definitely go back again!

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