This versatile venue with great acoustics regularly draws local and international acts. The menu, too, features flavors from around the world. Try the shawarma burger, made extra-flavorful with cuts of brisket, or the mushroom and black bean burger, which comes with a tomato curry relish. Belgian-style thick-cut fries swimming in gravy pair excellently with a local beer.

This restored venue got even better with the addition of Wrecktangle Pizza’s new Wrestaurant. With a cozy 40-seat capacity, this spot has a full menu of apps, salads, sandwiches, and, of course, Detroit-style pizza. Diners can get fancy with smoked trout pizza, or whimsical with a dino-chicken-nugget sandwich. Wash it all down with a Grape Ape.

Originally opened as a supper club and dance hall in the 1940s, Turf Club has a long history of bringing food and music to St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood. There’s a 350-person venue upstairs, but journey to the basement’s Clown Lounge — aptly named for its circusy decor — for a more intimate stage and booths for noshing. The menu features fries and tots by the pound, bacon cheddar burgers, and blue cheese-sprinkled buffalo chicken. Vegetarian options include Beyond Burgers, cheese curds, pretzels, and a Herbivorous Butcher vegan sriracha brat.

The James Ballentine “Uptown” VFW Post 246 might not seem like the first place to see a local show or grab a bite to eat, but this long-standing venue is a sleeper hit for locals in the know. Besides live music and dancing, the VFW also hosts weeknight events like drag queen bingo, trivia, and karaoke. Chef Miguel Urrutia relocated his Mexican restaurant El Jefe to the Uptown VFW — enjoy flavorful Mexican favorites like barbacoa tacos, guac and chips, and mole enchiladas. (For a modern twist, try brothy beef birria noodles and churro donuts.) Brunch seekers will find hashbrown and chorizo-stuffed burritos, saucy chilaquiles, a meat-topped savory waffle, and a smoky chipotle hollandaise-drenched eggs Benedict. 

One of Uptown’s newer venues, Green Room, currently has a pop-up menu from cult-favorite local burger slingers, Parlour. Grab the original burger, the “Mac,” (a riff on the Golden Arches classic), or a splendidly messy chopped cheese. Not feeling a burger? There are delightfully dressed hot dogs and French fries, too. The Green Room’s lineup runs the gamut from local acts like Dark Bunny and Toussaint Morrison to dance parties like Samambo.

Opened in 1985  as a St. Paul restaurant with a jazz club inside, the Dakota moved to Nicollet Mall in 2003. One of the first in town to hop on the “farm-to-table” movement, it’s worked for over 25 years to partner with both world-class musicians and chefs. Current executive chef Asher Larson’s resume includes Fika, Meyvn, and Red Wagon Pizza Co. — his menu features southern flavors like pimento cheese, peach pie, shrimp and grits, and blue crab and crawfish gumbo. Other hearty meat and fish dishes include harissa-spiced wagyu steak, poached catfish, and herby, juniper-crusted duck breast. The Dakota serves a great burger, too.

The North Loop’s circa 1976 music bar has hosted the likes of local legend Prince — it continues to host live music six days a week. Food-wise, each weeknight has its own special. The hot sandwich menu is vast (think bacon burgers, garlicky patty melts, and a “Mambo Chicken” sandwich with ham, pineapple, and Jamaican relish). For lighter fare, Bunker’s has a handful of salads and a soup of the day. 

Come for the live music and dancing in the “Big Green Booth” at Dusty’s, but stay for the food. The signature Italian sandwiches feature a juicy ground pork burger crowned with toppings like peppers and onions and a fried egg and cheese. (They can be turned vegetarian with an Impossible patty.) Want a plain ol’ burger? Dusty’s has that too, or if you’re feeling frisky, get a “half and half” —  a ¼ burger and ¼ pork patty smashed together.