Dempsey’s Public House

Great place to get an early evening drink. Bartenders are friendly and attentive even when it gets packed assholes to ankles on weekend evenings. Cocktail waitresses are excellent. Don’t forget to tip!

Enjoyed everything about this place. Good atmosphere, great drink prices, and the service was solid. The band played good music all night, but it wasn’t enough to disrupt a conversation. Did not try the food, but for a fun cocktail hour in Fargo, I definitely recommend it!

It feels odd to rate a bar «5 star» but we really enjoyed ourselves at Dempsey’s. There are no actual gay bars in Fargo (GASP!) but we were told that Dempsey’s was just a nice and friendly place to go. That advice was spot-​on — from the moment we walked in the door to when we walked out, the staff were fantastic and the crowd was just there to have fun. We drank, we ate popcorn, we drank some more, we ate peanuts, we drank, we played Trivia, and finally we drank again. Good drinks and reasonably priced and just a fun place to spend a couple of hours.
We were there in time for the last hour of Happy Hour on a Thursday — not crowded at all — full, but not wall to wall. I suspect it gets crazier on weekends.
Definitely going back!

Best bar, definitely the best bartenders in town, nice Irish bar feel. Very crowded on the weekends, but weeknights are terrific for hanging out with friends. Great crowd, excellent mix of people. I often meet people from out of town when I’m here, who ask me, ‘what’s the best bar in town?’ I tell them, ‘you’re in it!’ It’s great for conversation, meeting interesting people, listening to live music and even getting some work done. Terrific, lively, karaōke night Tuesdays!

Very friendly bar. Gets crowded fast though! The drinks are cheap. On birthdays you get buy one get one free drinks which is refreshing! I like the atmosphere.

Fun and chill place to drink with a group of friends and listen to live music. Great for a casual weekend night out or for a weekday evening. On Thursdays, they do open mic night, which is always entertaining to listen to. Check out their website/​Facebook to see which bands are performing and make sure to check out the second floor space for more live music, which is called the Aquarium (as a note, there is usually a cover for bands that perform upstairs).

Most attentive bartenders I’ve encountered anyplace I’ve been… and I’ve been many places.

Passed through here on our road trip from new York. Such a great atmosphere. You wouldn’t know it’s busy until you open the door. The crowd us really awesome and we were lucky enough to see a live band. There were people of all ages here and different scenes. Bartender kept checking on to make sure we were okay and all set. Not too busy for us even on a weekend night. Definitely would recommend coming here if you’re from out of town and aren’t sure of a cool bar with a nice vibe

I loved Dempsey’s — great drinks and probably my favorite bar I went to when I was in Fargo this week. They had a great promo of giving out tickets and raffling off a free drink every 15 minutes. Well, there were only a few people in the bar and my coworker and I both received a free drink. This is a great technique to keep people in there. All of the bartenders were great and they knew how to make a drink!

Dempsey’s is one of the better bars in Fargo for the sole fact that they can make a drink.

Incredibly cool local hangout spot with cheap cheap drinks and incredible bartenders. The crowd was mixed and the environment felt welcoming for an out-​of-​towner. The bar was nice and long; Free peanuts and popcorn were offered while music bingo was being played. This place is a winner all-​around.

Best thing: cheap/​free food during the week (Wednesdays and Thursdays, I believe.)
Worst thing: very crowded; like being a sardine in a can.
Whenever I have been here it’s usually packed, busy and uncomfortable. There are no daily drink specials, which is unfortunate. There’s dollar tacos nights and free hotdog nights, giving it 3 stars instead of 2. Not my kind of bar, unfortunately. Bathroom has two stalls (I like the 1 person ones) and most times I’ve had to use it there are 4 women packed into the tiny bathroom waiting for their 1 friend to go.
I would probably give this bar 4 stars if it wasn’t so packed all the time. The décor is nice and the staff is pleasant. Wouldn’t recommend if you’re like me and like to relax and just hang out instead of being in a loud «party» atmosphere.

Pretty sweet Irish Bar. I can only imagine what St Paddy’s day is like. When we went there was a great band playing so the ambiance was great. They served up some good Guinness and Black and Tans and they have a Black Jack table. I noticed some seedy placed while at Fargo and this was definitely not one of them if that’s what you’re looking for. If I ever make it back to Fargo I would go back to Dempsey’s.

Used to purposely avoid this place a few years ago for some reason. It seems to be a lot more friendly and comfortable now.
Living right across the street, we stopped in a few months ago and had a great time. Everyone from the door guys to the bartenders are really friendly and remember you when you come back in. They really have a unique thing going on in that they have some of the best food specials that I’ve found at any bar in town ($ 1 specials nightly) and some of the best band acts on the weekends. The dim lights make for a relaxing evening and when you pay for a drink you get one. You dont get some watered down ½ ounce of liquor likeost places downtown. The bartenders here make the best hot toddy in town, hands down. You wouldn’t think that at this place but give it a shot. There’s also blackjack and pull tabs, free popcorn and peanuts and a whole separate floor upstairs for bands. It gets extremely packed the later in the night it gets so it always pays to come early and try snag a booth as they have servers on all night.
I went from avoiding this place to making it my go-​to spot on the weekends. Definitely worth checking out.

Best bar I went to in Fargo. The bartender was great, the drinks were cheap, and the music was good. I would definitely go back there again.

We always enjoyed drinking here. It is a fun Irish bar. Truly just a bar… not super clean… but a nice bar. Always enjoyed hanging out here and playing blackjack, too. DO NOT ORDER WINE… I know this could be a given but I was with someone who did and they poured two bottles of wine together. and they were great wines… GROSS! But other than that… come here :)

I kind of have a crush on this place… I wish it were in GF instead of Fargo so I could have a relationship with it… Divey atmosphere, cheap drinks poured with a very loose wrist, interesting mix of people, friendly staff, crowded but people aren’t douchey or rude & they respect your space. What’s not to love?

Came here March-​April, 2010. I would describe it as an Irish Pub, right? Okay moving on… I liked this place. Now, if you’re a regular guy (even though that doesn’t mean what it used to mean anymore) I think you would find this place more than acceptable to have a drink. Came in here after work one day (business trip) took a seat at the bar… bartender said, «where you from?» (yes, I sort of stand out in a town like Fargo)…I chuckled and said L.A.
Ordered a Dewer’s on the Rocks and beer back… holy crap was he generous with the scotch… hadn’t eaten dinner yet, so after my Dewer’s and half a beer, I had to go outside for a smoke to calm down! (grease my buzz) No you can’t smoke in here anymore… maybe once, but not when I was there. They serve food, never tried it, but it looked good. The locals seemed to always be munching there. The staff doesn’t mind hollering at each other, and they were all very down to earth. Waitresses were fairly cute too. Men’s room was actually pretty clean. I went here a couple of times before I found out about upstairs.
So what do I see online at work one day? Brother Ali (Hip hop artist) coming thru in a couple of days? woo hoo… the place that sold the tickets was almost closing when I got there, sure enough got one, and asked where the show was? «It’s at the Aquarium», where the hell is that ?? (the second floor of Dempsey’s). «No waaaaayy». It was right uhh above my nose. This place was cramped with about 200 – 250 people inside. People getting sweaty, bumping into to each other, beer cans all over the floor. God, I loved it.
Mainly because the show was great, but yes this is an ideal place for an intimate show. Cops showed up THE VERY MINUTE the show ended, possibly at the request of owners to make sure no raucous ensued. And I’m done… Give em hell Fargo !!

My favorite bar in Fargo Moorhead. A great mix of people from college age to the downtown regulars. Check out Poitin, Irish band, many a Friday night.
If dark, noisy with a great variety of people is your cup of tea, definately the place to go!

Interesting mix of people. Occasional aged Irish Whisky on hand.