memory lane
posted by ryan10 on Oct. 8, '09 at 3:49 PM

I gave it four of five stars only because I've never eaten the food.

The atmosphere is uplifting, and accepting of all ages and styles. If you come with an Uptown, Chino Latino attitude or expectations, you will hate this place. If you enjoy cheery people, crowded spaces and flashbacks to the 50s/60s, you will fit right in!

It truly is an experience! If you like karaoke and know you can't sing, you'll have no fears at this place. And where else can you watch a polka band with members in their 80s? Then the next night catch an awesome, up beat reggae band? You gotta check it out to make your own call!   Rating: ****

What more can be said?
posted by jscheeler7 on Apr. 2, '09 at 5:47 PM

Nye's is a place that must be experienced to be understood, and even then, you might not get it. The place is a throwback, a testament that the world wasn't always such a god awful piece of shit full of lifeless bars and dull sterile franchises.

One look around upon entering and you will know that you have never, and may never again, see a place quite like Nye's. The decor, the staff, and the people all intermingle to make the experience one that will not soon be forgotten.

Your food and drink will be handled and delivered with a little extra something that can't be matched by the tip-mongering skanks posing as waitresses elsewhere. You will feel like a person, not a customer. A friend, not a dollar sign. A human, not a booth filler. Whatever it is you may feel, you aren't likely to have that feeling matched anywhere else in town. Truly a local treasure.   Rating: *****

Something different in a city of similarities
posted by ecg129 on Apr. 28, '08 at 11:11 AM

I like finding bars that are "Different" --- Something that not every city has one of. I don't know many cities that have a Polish bar with Polka playing older people at midnight. (Maybe Chicago!?)
I especially love the old lady playing piano and serving the bar!   Rating: ****

Not many like these left
posted by elvisneedsboats on Nov. 25, '07 at 11:36 PM

When most of the staff has been there as longer than you've been on the planet, you know you're in a classic joint. Savor Sweet Lou Snider while you can and go easy on the gal. I'm surprised she hasn't murdered anyone for all the craptacular singing she's had to put up with over the years.

Things to do at Nye's:
Enjoy the decor of sparkley naugahyde booths and I-dont-know-what-those-light-fixtures-are-but-I-wish-I-had-them-in-my-house. Squeeze into the impossible small bathrooms on the polka bar side. Dive into a delicious Polish appetizer plate. Take a peek at the neglected upper dining tier. Sing the songs no one else knows (not Crazy, Delta Dawn or Piano Man). Tip well.   Rating: *****

posted by MattMartigan on Oct. 31, '07 at 1:19 PM

There are about 3-4 places in town that are an absolute must to show an out of town guest, the lakes, 1st ave, nye's has to be at the top of the list. There just isn't anything like it anywhere. What sets it apart from any of the similiar places is that it is so genuine.  

An Experience
posted by amaurer on Sep. 17, '07 at 1:01 PM

An institution in Minneapolis. A true local treasure.  

CLASSIC!
posted by djerotica on Apr. 9, '07 at 4:44 PM

Walk through the doors of Nye's and you'd think you stepped into the movie set of Goodfella's. This place, to my guess, probably has not been updated since it was built-which gives it its character. The servers were also classic, most of whom have probably been there since it opened. It's a good bar to go to if you're with a good group of friends. Totally not the scene for singles though.   Rating: ***

Claustrophobics beware!
posted by kbyoung83 on Jan. 31, '07 at 7:25 PM

Yes, this place has good drinks, yes it has great atmosphere, but be aware it gets very crowded in the main rooms, such that it takes a while to get a drink. Luckily, they opened up a back room once the dining crowd fizzled out, which was spectacularly decorated with mirrors.   Rating: ***

Tacky Class
posted by aimlessname on Dec. 30, '06 at 7:26 PM

Nye's can be divey or classy, depending on what you want it to be. The polka band can get almost anyone dancing (especially after a few drinks from one of their several bars) as mentioned below. Ironically Nye's has the best New Years Eve bash in town, the old lady on piano singing auld lang sine is too classic.   Rating: *****

A Minnesota Classic
posted by sailormartin on Dec. 24, '06 at 12:58 AM

Recently declared to be the Best Bar in America by no less a publication than Esquire, Nye's really does live up to the hype -- the bartenders pour a good drink, the cooks burn a good meal (their pirogies are local legends), their waitresses are regional institutions, and their atmosphere is positively a step back in time. Dig those booths, upholstered in a sparkly plastic. Check out the piano bar, where almost the entire city has tried their vocal chords croaking out popular standards. Then, of course, there is the bar, entered through from the restaurant through a door decorated with accordions.

But you already know all this, or you should. Here's a story you might not know. In 1974, German artist Joseph Beuys visited Minneapolis at the invite of the Minnesota College of Art and Design and the University of Minnesota. He was brought to eat at Nye's, where he discovered the sugar packets were illustrated with running hares -- long a symbol he had used to represent himself in his art. Beuys enlisted the help of the patrons at the restaurant to track down ever sugar packet in Nye's. He then stamped these and sold them as an art series called "American Hare Sugar." So, next time you eat at Nye's, remember: It's not just a kitsch palace and a world-famous local bar. It's a place where world class art emerges.   Rating: *****

World's Most Dangerous Fun
posted by StinkyWinklestein on Nov. 3, '06 at 12:31 PM

Nye's features the World's Most Danerous Polka Band and how can you go wrongwith that?! Serious, delirious, fun in a funky, I-can-dance-to-it kinda way.  

An Institution
posted by brainiac on Aug. 31, '06 at 5:24 PM

There aren't all that many places in Minneapolis that make you feel as if you've stepped back in time when you walk through the door. This place is a true local treasure. Go for the booze, stay for the piano bar singing, and bring your out of town guests.   Rating: *****