Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant

Great overall experience! We chose to come for flamenco, and the music was wonderful! The scallops on a bed of lobster risotto are very good. Our server did not make rounds frequently, but that was probably to allow us to enjoy the show. Be careful of balcony seats, some have a great view others not at all. I am looking forward to coming here again.

I was just there last night. My overall experience there was just wonderful! I’m planning to come back here at least once more before I leave the city :) The food was very delicious (alert: small portion!) and the live concert was pretty amazing! We ordered pork belly dish, chicken wings, and two cocktails and the total was less than $ 80 for two of us including the cover fee ($ 10 each). So, if you are not just looking for a dinning experience but food with great live jazz, you are at the right spot. If you are just looking for somewhere fancy to dine in and fill your tummy up, this is not the right place for you, sorry! On the side note, I don’t know what was wrong with our server last night, but it probably took more than 20 mins for her to show up and get our order (and we had to ask someone to call her.) So, I would not expect the greatest service here. But again, we did not tip her very well because she did not deserve it.

I had a gift certificate so I’m not going to say much about the venue except to say this is not where you go for friendly, overdue conversation. It’s not possible when the show is on because it is very loud.
On the food side, we split a small plate of scallops served on top of a risotto. 2 scallops, $ 16. Get where this is going?
We both chose the halibut, a rare find in Minneapolis. Plated with some very fun carrots and blackeye peas over a strangely tasty apricot sauce. $ 30. The fish was too salty for my taste (an American preference?) Otherwise it was nicely cooked.
The service was great. But I think it would have been more memorable if the music hadn’t been overpowering.

Great sound system and sound engineer who really great; realized quickly the opening act sound needed tweaking and took care of it.
The women at the front door checking folks in was, how should I term this, A FREAKING JERK. Not one tiny bit of any warmth or appreciation for people coming there. Sad, sometimes unpleasant expressions, and the tone of voice that said, «you people are bothering me.».
Food and service were pretty good.
What this place needs more than anything is SMILES. I think I saw two smiles from the staff in the 4+ hours we spent there.
Did I mention the lady at the front door is unfriendly at best?

This review is for the late night 11:30 PM show, and has more to do with their organization rather than the quality of the food or musical presentation.
After a long night of eating and drinking, my wife and I arrived to listen to a Latin Jazz band at the appointed 11:30 PM start time. We paid our $ 20 and took a seat at the bar with a nice view of the stage. Ten minutes passed, twenty minutes, 45 minutes went by and we began to fade. Finally, at 12:35 AM, more than an hour after the scheduled time, the band began to play. We lasted for two songs and limped back to the hotel around 12:45.
Hey, I realize no band starts on time. However, an hour is a ridiculous amount of time to wait. The Dakota took our $ 20.00 on good faith, but management should have gotten the band up and playing with a modicum of professionalism. This was reprehensible behavior.

Went here with my boss while traveling to MN for a convention. The band was great (Steep Canyon) the waiter was good but we had a bit of a wait with him (was super crowded too) the women who we purchased the tickets from our front were very nice! Would go back. Wish I was here for Manhattan Transfer!
Ps their French fries are very good!

I love to cozy up with a glass of wine and enjoy some tasty tunes here. Service isn’t particularly attentive, in my experience. Then again, I come here for the music. I don’t really want to be bugged. It does get annoying to hoof it to the bar though, for that second glass.
The food just doesn’t blow my skirt up. Eat before you go if you know what’s good for you. I clearly do not know what’s good for me, because I keep eating here. You will pay a premium for food that insists upon itself, but will leave you full on disappointment. Maybe it’s just part of the experience.
But, I love coming here. It’s always a treat and I’m usually smiling half the time watching some of the most excellent music happening in the twin cities.

I played here tonight and had a GREAT time. Great food, great service, and overall a positive atmosphere. I can’t wait to come back, either as a performer or as a customer. Truly, a fabulous establishment.

What a disappointment in their really awful customer service: I hope the show and the food are better than they were at the Box Office –remember when the customer used to be right? And folks used to say THANK YOU when you purchased their product? Try it, Dakota, you might find it helpful for business!

We ordered dinner and a starter.
The mussels were average, but the service was far below acceptable. I ordered a second glass of wine and did not see our waiter again after 15 minutes I walked to the front and paid the bill.
When I paid they brought the glass of wine… lol

You’ll have a good time if you have connections with the guys who work here apparently…
I was here tonight with my mom for a show and we were seated on the mezzanine level. A man and woman were seated at the small table next to us, and the man immediately began cussing out his girlfriend, and loudly complaining about having to be at the show, «F this F that F these ****s» etc… And I mean loud. Everyone was staring.
After he finished complaining about «these **** waiters with their **** man-​buns» he began FLIPPING OFF the performer over the balcony and swearing, saying he was going to find the performers car after the show and key it. not sure what beef he had with the guy but come on, bluntly giving the finger to the performer for the whole audience to see? So disrespectful.
My mom and I asked our waiter if we could move to the unclaimed booth on the lower level because we were uncomfortable and he said no… But minutes later the rude couple asked if THEY could move down to the better seats and yes. They got the booth. They must have known the waiter or something because I saw them chatting and shaking hands later but honestly how ridiculous… Wish I could get my money back, this guy totally ruined the show for me.

Good music but not the food. This is a great place to have some drinks and enjoy the music. The artists are very talented! This is the best place to come and unwind!

So, this is a mixed review because the music aspect of the Dakota was awesome. Nikki Hill Band was amazing but…
Food was terrible. I had the Flank Ravioli and it was undercooked and cold. The filling was pretty tasteless. My girlfriend had the Cajun shrimp and sausage. It was ok but kind of bland as well. The service from our waiter was lackluster at best. Very long absences.
I’ll go again but only for a show and drinks. There’s too many other places around there where you can get better food at much better prices.

I ate a meal there last Friday as a bachelorette party for one of my friends who’s getting married this Saturday. This was a delightful time I had over there. The band that was playing was lovely. I love that they have live performers instead of music from their radio. This is perfect for me because I love jazz and saxophone music. This isn’t a place I can afford to go to all the time because of the price, but it’s wonderful for that special ocassion such as my friend’s party.
The food there is to die for. At first, I thought the plate looked a little smaller than I expected, but as I was eating it, I realized that it’s pretty filling. I got a lot more food than it looked like. I ordered the steak plate. I didn’t have to wait very long for the plate to come to me. The wine was good too. The waiter was polite. He was accommodating of our special ocassion. He had a good sense of humor too. I’ll be back here when the right time comes.

The Dakota Jazz Club is a heck of a lot more than a jazz club. The Dakota is one of the premier MUSIC clubs in the country. Their lineup is amazingly eclectic and the Dakota is a treasure for the city of Minneapolis. Located on the iconic Nicollet Mall, the Dakota has an unique array of music almost every night of the week. It could be jazz, rock, world, folk whatever. The Dakota just loves music. The food is pretty darn good also. Downtown clubs, such as The Dakota are struggling in many cities around the country. They are an integral aspect of a thriving, downtown scene. Minneapolis should support the Dakota and applaud its existence.

This is my first review. The rude experience I received on the phone today while confirming an upcoming reservation has prompted me to move from Unilocal consumer to an official Unilocaler!
I’ve been a fan of Dakota over the past couple years. It’s a great place to take visitors and business associates. This time, I was intended to host a business meeting. The food at Dakota is better than the average music venue, and seeing a show is a nice complement.
So, my scenario is pretty straightforward, but nonetheless worthy of a poor review. I called regarding a reservation I had made via OpenTable. Although our phone conversation was pretty brief, the associate was rushing me off the phone from the get-​go. I even asked her if she was in a hurry… And she said yes! The last straw for me was when she moved from impatient to rude after I asked for clarification about how I could get a booth for the show on Oct-​20. So, I just cancelled my reservation.

— Slow, unpersonable serivce. Our waiter couldn’t have cared less about us.
— Show was an absolute BORE. We couldn’t wait to leave.
— The food was so incredibly underseasoned and over priced it was like a big, stupid joke. Now if you’re not going to put some damn salt and pepper on the damn table at least SEASON your food! What is this — a retirement home?!
— I went here almost 8 years ago for my 21^st birthday and it was literally the most fun I’d ever had (and I rememeber some of the best food I’d ever had up to that point). Since then I’ve moved away from home to LA — who’s food scene is on point — and returned with a very different, more well rounded food palatte. I should have left this place to nostalgia!

I met two colleagues here for a very late work dinner. We were sitting out on the patio, because it was a perfect summer night in Minneapolis, and to sit inside, we would have had to pay the cover to hear the jazz band. My colleagues and I were unimpressed with what we could hear, so we opted for conversation outdoors instead.
The service was really nice, but sometimes we had to be assertive to get ahold of our server. They give you coasters that say on one side that you’re fine, and on another side that you need something. In the dark, no one can tell which side it’s on.
The cocktails were great. I also had the asparagus with prosciutto. Delicious. Perfect setting for a relaxing late late dinner.

Had a good night here. Dinner was delicious but would have liked the entrée to be a little larger. Service was pretty good although the waiter was on his own.
Moved inside to watch the show. The musicians weren’t to my liking but not marked down for that. Intimate stage and nowhere to hide as the audience!
Drink prices were fair.

A pretty solid 4 on the first «real» visit to the Dakota. (not counting a quick work lunch and patio cocktail hour). Friday night we went to see a 7pm ticketed show and dinner.
We started out the night on actually a pretty sour note. We arrived about 45 minutes early to grab a glass of wine on the patio to enjoy a little of the nice night. After feeling pretty ignored for about 15 minutes, finally after another 15, our drinks arrived, mine was white wine when asked for rose, and I was antsy to actually get to our seats this late in the game.
So… try two! Our seats were actually at the bar, which felt more intimate than the communal table seating. Our server was awesome, super attentive, and very helpful. We split a hodgepodge from the starter and plates menu’s — asparagus and burrata, the flatbread, frites, and creole shirmp and sausage.
The food was pretty decent portions and paired with the ambiance, we had a super visit to the Dakota!

Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant was on our list of places to go based on their menu. My friend and I were having a girls’ weekend in Minneapolis, and we wanted to experience the city to the fullest — and get full on great food.
Unknowingly we stopped by at a time when live music was going to start. We hadn’t planned on paying a cover for music, so we were uncertain they were going to let us in. $ 25 per person just for the music (not including dinner) seemed like more than we had budgeted for. We asked if we could just do dinner, and apparently, that was still an option.
We were led to the side/​back of the restaurant, which was cordoned off by a thin wall. A gentleman was seated in the room finishing up his meal, and we were given a seat in the corner. It was actually quite private — because after the nice gentleman left, we had the «room» to ourselves.
I went with the Pan Roasted Young Hen which was served on a bed of red beans and rice flavored with andouille sausage, sage, lemon, and cream. It was heavenly, and I savored every bit of that expensive little dish. The rice and beans had the perfect kick, which was set off nicely by the lemon and cream. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a meal so slowly, savoring every bit of it.
Time has erased the name of my cocktail from my mind — it was a concoction of gin and blueberry. It was good, but it might have been too soon for me to return to gin… I couldn’t finish it though no fault to the bartender.
I believe my friend ordered the seared duck. She enjoyed it immensely.
Service was ok — but at times it seemed like we had been forgotten in the back while the main room was attended to before the start of the show. We were just finishing up our dinner when the live music began. I’m not sure if they would have urged us to leave if we had been straggling. We could hear the music perfectly, and we enjoyed one song. But after the first piece, we took it as our cue to leave.
I really loved the atmosphere here, and if I had paid attention to the schedule and who was coming… I might be more willing to shell out the money to enjoy the show. As it was, we were mostly looking for a fancy dinner out, and we were well pleased with our choice. Make sure to check out Dakota if you’re ever in town. I know I will keep it in mind for my next trip to Minneapolis!
PS — if they ask if you want to start with bread, be aware that you’ll be charged for it!

Be careful when you are going there to listen music band. The sound is really good but visibility for your selected table might not be. So if you really want to see them buy tickets in advance so you can get a good spot. The host won’t offer any better table when performance started. They will be considering tables in your price category or worse only even if there are better available seats. Other than that it is a great venue with decent food and drinks.

What’s better than dinner downtown? Dinner and live music.
We had wanted to try out this place for some time and since we had guests from out of town, that was the perfect excuse. The music started at 8 so we made our reservation for 7:15 and were seated in a great spot in the balcony directly in front and overlooking the stage. Although after walking around, there aren’t too many bad seats in this place.
While we waited for the music we ordered the flat bread and spreads which came with super thin flat bread, a creamy fontina/​olive dip, a flavorful artichoke dip, onion jam, greens and some sweet dried tomatoes. Excellent!
Our next course was a delicious Cesar salad (the four of us shared a large –it was just enough) which was wonderful as well.
By this point the music started so we settled in to listen for a bit before continuing on with our meal. After a while we ordered the nightly special steak with a creamy goat cheese sauce, onion rings and asparagus and the delicious short rib ravioli with grapes, Both were fantastic.
Usually in places like this the music is the focus and the food an after thought– this is definitely not the case here. While they don’t have a huge menu, everything we tried was really really good and in sizes that were perfect for our group of 4.
All in all a very memorable evening made even more special by the great Cuban pianist Nachito Herrera who played the evening we chose to try the Dakota for the first time.
Highly recommended.

After living in Minneapolis for over a decade — finally did this thing. I’m not sure if I just wasn’t sure what I was signing up for vs a normal club — but it was pretty cool.
Buy your ticket — they have assigned seating so tell them what you want (bar, table, drink rail, etc). Go in — order a drink, some tasty food (I had the beef shank ravioli — pretty good). The food is good — a little on the adventurous side — you’ll probably see something you will like or want to try. Listen and eat. Pay up before the band finishes to avoid the rush.
About 2 hours from seating to paying, with music in between, about the amount of time you’d need for a restaurant anyway plus music.
Check out their calendar and try it!

We come here often for the entertainment. The Dakota offers a stellar range and you can often meet the musicians afterwards. The views from ¾ of the seats is superb. I rate the music part a 5 star.
The food is somewhat hit and miss. Every new chef wants to put their mark on the food and the current one tries way too hard. Service is exceptional and friendly.
SEA BASS $ 27 —
risotto. black kale. maitake. dill beurre blanc
— Excellent but hard to actually find the piece of Sea Bass as it was so small.
STEAK POUTINE $ 25
flat iron. house cut fries cheese curd. brown sauce
— The steak was good and they slightly cook the cheese curds which was nice. The brown sauce was a little off.
The desserts are just too ambitious:
BUTTERSCOTCH BREAD PUDDING $ 8
espresso streusel. cherry sorbet meringue. brown sugar blondie
— it was good but too strange to be called bread pudding
PINEAPPLE RUM CAKE $ 8
sweet cream ice cream. polenta streusel buttered rum. white chocolate
DARK CHOCOLATE NEMESIS $ 9
almond cookie. mint chocolate chip ice cream cranberry sorbet. chocolate tuile
MILK CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE $ 9
mango pudding. cashew granola. coriander sweetened condensed milk sorbet
— didn’t taste like chocolate and the cashew granola in the middle ruined it. Very poor.
BANANA TOFFEE CAKE $ 8
maple mousse. red currant jam spiced shortbread. banana chip
1919 ROOTBEER FLOAT $ 8
vanilla bean ice cream
ICE CREAM & SORBET $ 7
house made assortment
— with this they serve 3 small scoops of different ice creams OR sorbets. None of the 6 flavors were interesting so we didn’t order.
The best appetizer or late night plate is the cheese.
CHEESE EXPERIENCE THREE DOMESTIC CHEESES $ 15
olives. preserve. gigande bean butter. cracker. baguette
They need to expand their food selection to a few more entrees and also offer less ambitious options. The dessert menu should be thrown out and started over. It is the lowest point and 2 stars at best.
The food in general is about a 3 star. If they revamp the menu and offer a fair portion it could easily become 5 stars again.
I love chef’s tables and menu and omakase and thought the menu was overdone. My husband, who is picky, was ready to skip the food as he doesn’t know several of the items listed. So we deconstructed the steak poutine and he basically ate steak and fries.

I will not hesitate to say my experience at The Dakota was anything less than magical. My friends and I have a «foodie night» every Monday to find new local places we haven’t tried without the fuss of the weekend crowd. Having said that, as a former server I know that the A team doesn’t work on Mondays, but our server was speculator! She greeted us right away & let us know about the $ 10 bottles of wine on Monday nights which we ended up getting two of along with every special she mentioned!
The music is enchanting to say the least!
Who doesn’t love a relaxing Monday with red wine & jazz?
Sign me up every Monday for the rest of my days.
See you again very soon

My coworker and I stopped at the Dakota patio for a late lunch today. They were very accommodating for it being outside their usual lunch hour.
I give their food 4.5 to 5 stars consistently and today was no different! Their prices are a little high compared to competitors in the area (about $ 20/​person said and done for lunch) so overall I give them 4 stars.
They do have a good lunch deal for cup of soup and half salad or sandwich. I had a half BLT and cup of gazpacho soup and added a half Caesar for a little extra. The gazpacho was plum flavored and a little bland but the BLT was perfect on flatbread. The stand out was the Caesar salad with soft boiled egg and sun dried tomatoes.

Thanks to MN’s bipolar weather, the sudden blizzard gave me the golden opportunity to play hooky without a backlash yesterday. That, on top of having a major test being cancelled, was a good enough reason for me to have a dinner date with a great gal pal of mine at Dakota’s.
I’m ecstatic to finally find a place that has awesome LIVE music in a classy ambience along with great food. For the two of us, we got steak poutine, cold salmon capriccio, baked sole, and pork tenderloin.
I was blown away with the poutine since 1) the huge fried potato wedges were crispy and perfectly salted, and 2) the steak pieces were nicely seasoned. I do have to point out that the beef texture was a bit tough and not as pink as I was hoping for though (I ordered a medium rare).
My baked sole dish was interesting. I’m a fan of zesty seafood dishes, but when it comes to having grated lime peels as part of their ingredients, I do have my reservations. For a dish that wasn’t exactly full of flavor as sole, I didn’t think the peel’s slight bitter taste complemented well with it. It would’ve been better if they would squeeze more lime into the dish instead though.
As for the cold salmon dish, it should really have been an appetizer instead of the main dish since the skimpy portion size would make a skinny model cry. Thanks to this, we ended up having to order pork tenderloin to complete our dinner affair. I wasn’t too impressed with this dish either, but it might’ve been mainly because I got tired of making out what I was trying to eat in the dark by the time it came out.
Aside from the food, I loved the ambience at Dakota’s. Blues and jazz aren’t exactly part of my preferred music reportoire, but they’re awesome to listen to whenever I feel the need to just wind down and de-​stress. ESPECIALLY when I can listen to them live.
And yes, like everyone else has already mentioned, it’s also a hot spot to take your date… if you can afford it.

You gotta love a good jazz bar and there are too few in the Twin Cities.
As a restaurant, Dakota does okay for itself. Pastas, sandwiches, salads, and some decent seafood. But it’s not really a craveable food destination. You come here for happy hour specials on their lovely outdoor patio or you come for the jazz.
I’ve eaten at Dakota on quite a few occasions due to its convenient location. I have to be honest and admit that I’ve not been very impressed by the food. However, they have great happy hour specials (hello $ 10 bottles of wine in the summer) and the staff have always been friendly. Two important features of a downtown Minneapolis restaurant.
As a music venue, Dakota has a great set-​up. They get some great national acts and the variety is appreciated. But $ 40 for a 60 to 75 minute show where you’re then shooed out quickly for the next performance is not awesome. Compared to other music clubs around the TC, Dakota is very overpriced and the shows just don’t last long enough. I’d absolutely come here more often if that changed because the music and atmosphere are fantastic. Still, if you like jazz, you have to come here at least once to experience that amazing feeling that only a great jazz club can create.

Quelques verres de vins en terrasse pour accompagner un ahi-​tuna par une belle soirée de Printemps. Autant préciser immédiatement que la partie Jazz est à l’intérieur de l’établissement et que la musique à l’extérieur n’est pas le reflet de ce qui se trame à l’intérieur!
Côté cuisine le Thon était très réussi autant dans sa présentation soignée que dans ses saveurs méditerranéennes. Le cadre Cosi est également agréable, en revanche le service est nettement perfectible! ça commençait pourtant plutôt bien avec une très convaincante explication du fonctionnement du sous-​bock rouge et vert. Rouge quand on a besoin du serveur, vert quand on en n’a pas besoin (à moins que ce né soit l’inverse). Comme dans les Churascarias quoi ! Ce genre de gadget est probablement très utile à l’intérieur du club (où les tables sont très serrées et nombreuses), mais beaucoup moins justifié à l’extérieur, d’autant que les serveurs n’y prettent absolument aucune attention!