Last night a few of the girls and I headed Downtown Minneapolis to The Pourhouse, one of my new favorite bars. I was first introduced to The Pourhouse this past summer when I went with some friends for a birthday party.

The Pourhouse is such a fun and vibrant venue. I contribute this mainly to the amazing live music showcasing today’s pop music and 80’s rock favorites. You can’t help but sing along and dance like your the star of your own music video. It is fairly easy to get a drink thanks to its multiple bars, shot girls, and beer tubs located throughout the venue. The Pourhouse has a vintage speak-easy feel with red velvet details on the wall, fun artwork and secret passageways hidden behind bookcases.

Last night when we went we decided to get VIP Bottle Service. Which we thought would be a fun and glamorous way to start off the night. I was hugely disappointed when we were brought up to our “VIP area” which was really a vacant dark little cave in the farthest corner of the building that was so far removed from all the action that your excitement was instantly extinguished. The decor seemed to have run out by the time it made its way up to the VIP table. It was bare cold and dark and seemed to have been forgotten or just neglected.  If I am paying extra money for my evening I would expect to almost be put on display and be near the heart of things, I was hoping for the best of the best. From where we were seated we couldn’t see the band, dance floor or  really anyone else. It was so dark we had to use our phones to see anything and ended up asking for candles to help light the space.

Our wait staff did make up for the terrible VIP space. They were very attentive and obliging to our group. They never allowed our bottles, mixers or drinks to get low and helped to keep the mood fun. I loved the sparklers on the first round of bottles that were brought out. We finally got so bored being so far removed from the action that we ventured out to the dance floor which was so overcrowded that it had more of a mosh pit feel with people attempting and quickly failing to crowd surf. It was impossible to dance and interact with others with out immediately getting your drink knocked out of your hand and getting shoved to the floor by the constant pushing of the crowd. Soon we found that we were headed for the door to find a different bar to spend the rest of our night.

I was so disappointed with our evening at The Pourhouse. I’m hoping it was just a fluke and that my next visit will restore my original appreciation for this bar. I have heard that they do provide a pretty good menu during the day and early evening. I may have to try that before I trust them enough to try spending my night with them again.