Pinkies and greenies are the beverage of choice here, that curious mix of vodka and something akin to Kool-Aid. The wholesalers room is a centerpiece round bar. All the seats are the best seat in the house. The bar has recently added a whole burger making kitchen operation from celebrated chefs Josh Thoma and Nick O’Leary. Don’t worry - it’s still dive bar food - the proof is in the slightly spicy jalapeño cheese curds with a proper side of ranch.

Distinctive wallpaper, plenty of great beer and they serve a perfectly cheesy bar pizza, cut in proper squares. This popular gathering spot for local musicians.

Whiskey drinks like water inside this Northeast fixture. Note the curious booth - a relic from the olden times when phones came attached to walls. Buy a couple of pull tabs to while away the minutes while waiting for one of their famous Dago sandwiches.

One thing must be made abundantly clear: there is no yachting chting at the Northeast Yacht Club. It is a little, cheap bar that is only somewhat located near the Mississippi River. There’s a menu with a few snacks, but the main reason to come here are the kind pours and rustic non-nautical ambiance.

Cool since the North Loop was just an isolated hood adjacent Warehouse District. Cuzzy's is dark, comfortable and always the antidote to any day - especially the saccharine, commercial kind.

Still hanging on as the neighborhood around it is suddenly besieged by condos. The 19Bar is the best gay dive bar in the city, with cheap beer and pool tables usually prowled by people who know how to rack ‘em up and knock ‘em down.

Plowing through the late night two for ones inside Lyle's is a rite of Minneapolis passage. Drinks are cheap as hell and you never know what kinds of friends you'll meet here (all the way up to five minutes to closing time.)

Cheap enough to continue to inspire rock n' roll miscreants who make the local music we love and dark enough to fall in love with a new friend (or another bottle of beer.)