Elixir Lounge

Selfies, patron, and bad music — welcome to Elixir Lounge.
My clubbing days are definitely over, but I have PTCD (Post-​Traumatic Clubbing Disorder). This means I have awful flashbacks of my times there. I can’t tell you how many women asked me to buy them a shot of Patron (actually, maybe 12 or so) or how booty dancing I did, but it was a lot. It’s funny too, because at that time, I was a poor high school teacher. Even after telling these ladies that, they still wanted me to drop $ 8 a shot! Yo, that’s like a bowl of phở. Crazy. haha
But why did I go? Definitely not for the Top 40 music –which of course some people love– but when the DJ plays the same song four times in one night, that’s when you know it’s whack. I went for my homies and homegirls. I know Elixir Lounge as «the Asian Lounge», because, simply, that’s where all the Asians organizations and folks get down. I’m not trying to hate, just being real about it. Unless, my Asian sistas and brothas have relocated to another place on first.
If you don’t have any homeboys or homegirls going there on the regular, don’t go.
I gotta give this place +1 star though, because of the hookah. I mean, how many clubs can you hookah at? I dunno, but Elixir Lounge is def. that place. I most certainly did that every time I went to avoid the girls asking me to buy them patron. Also, I saw someone rip his pants in the butt crack dancing. haha. AND HE KEPT DANCING! haha.

This is not a place that you ever plan to include in your night out. You just end up here. It’s not a classy joint, but sometimes that makes for good people watching. And hey, the drinks are cheap!

If you are looking for a great place to dance, well this the place to be on a friday night! DJ Ron plays a lot of great music. Saturday night is kind of ok to me, it’s 2 for 1 drinks till midnight. Usually it gets packed on weekends, it is a night club after all. Many Asians go there, and I like to go there because of the crowd and great musics! I had my first spicy shot from there, a friend of mine got us some, it was called «Doo Doo» shot. I think people should try it!
I heard that they have great happy hour but I haven’t tried it yet. I will have to soon.

I had long since purchased a deal for food and drinks at Elixir, but it took me forever to actually get there. Why? Because their website was a conflicted mess, listing different hours on nearly every page. This was finally cleaned up recently and I felt confident that I could actually get to Elixir when I was sure it would be open beyond club hours. I invited friends to meet me.
From the website, I knew I wasn’t going to find my traditional loves: healthy foods and classic cocktails. So, I went in and ordered from their specialty girly-​girl drink menu along with a chipotle chicken sandwich, covered in cheese and served with chips. I wasn’t going to try and make Elixir something it wasn’t. And staying within what they present, I think they did quite well. The Ciroc Obama (oh man, what a great name for a drink, by the way) was fruity and sweet and delicious in that I-​never-​drink-​this-​crap kind of way, and the Cumonawanalaya (however they spelled it… we all know how it’s pronounced) was expectedly coconutty and smooth. As for the sandwich, I did pull off a lot of the cheese, but it was otherwise yummy.
But the part that I enjoyed most about Elixir was the atmosphere. The people who started piling in over the course of the evening were genuinely enjoying themselves with friends, with little regard to what anyone else thought. When great songs came on the jukebox (classic Outkast, hells yes), the whole place would blow up. It felt like the entire lounge was one big party where everyone had the same idea of what makes for a good vibe. For the happy hour time period, this is both different and fun.
Totally going to crash Elixir again… although maybe I’ll challenge their bartender next time.

I was only going to write a quick tip about how much fun I had here? But after reading the reviews, I am compelled to write a full review.
Work brought me out to the great city of Minneapolis and Elixir brought out the playful kitten in me! When I walked in, my friend introduced me to one of the DJ’s and as I turned away, they were giving me a shout out! How cool!
It was Friday and everyone was out to have a great time. What I liked best is that if you were bumped or pushed, people said «excuse me» or «I’m sorry!» NO PROBLEMS!!!
Please do not play into the stereotypes from the other reviews! The place was very classy and the crowd was ONLY there to have a GREAT time! And believe me, I enjoyed myself more during that Happy Hour than I have partying in the Gaslamp Downtown-​San Diego!
If you are in the Minneapolis area, I would highly suggest checking out the Elixir Lounge for «Happy Hour Beeotch!»

I’ll start off by letting you know that I went here at 11pm on a Saturday night and only had drinks so I can’t comment on the food. Here’s my story:
Does anyone remember this space from a few years ago when it was that lounge/​cigar bar/​d-​bag haven? I know, right? So when my girlfriend and I were invited to meet up at Elixer Lounge for a birthday party and we discovered that it was in the same space as that awful blast from the past I was really dreading it. I imagined a night of being surrounded by cheap people trying too hard — faux hawks, fake rolexes, track suits, JC Penny business suits. Man was I wrong!
We arrived at Elixer around 11pm. Walking up and pulling out my wallet to grab money for cover my annoyance level was peaking. I was about to experience something awful and paying for it was just adding insult to injury. But then the bouncer informed us that there was no cover at the Elixer Lounge. «Are you sure?» I asked. He just laughed. Ok, I felt a little better. We entered and quickly made our way to the bar. I ordered a drink for my gf and one for me. The bartender got out 4 glasses. «Oh — actually I only ordered 2 drinks.» «It’s 2 for 1’s right now.» «Really? For how much longer?» «Until 1.» «Perfect!» Wow — no cover and 2 for 1’s basically all night. This night was definately heading in the right direction. We grabbed our drinks and made our way over to our table of friends, exchanged pleasantries, took a seat, and then I looked around in astonishment. There were no track suits. There were very few faux hawks. There were no guys in poor quality business suits with fake rolexes. What filled the club were twenty-​somethings and thirty– somethings who were all dressed in non d-​bag fashion. There was a little mix of everybody and every style/​attitude was represented — but gone was the pervasive d-​bag all-​star team. We finished our first drinks and ordered another two (four) and then headed to the dance floor. It wasn’t overly packed and people were polite if you accidently bumped into them. We danced, conversed back at the table, danced some more, ran into other friends. Everyone couldn’t believe what a fun time they had and vowed that the next time we all felt like going out dancing we were coming back to the Elixer Lounge.
A couple of caveats. It could be that because my expectations were so low that I’m a little over-​zealous on the rating. I mean I’d definately say that if you’re looking to have a group of people go dancing that Solera, the Lounge (50% of the time), and First Ave are more unique options. But if you’re looking for a fun, casual yet nicely appointed, comfortable place that won’t break the bank then Elixer Lounge is a great place to check out.

The Elixir has become a totally new place now. My buddy and I entered and it has now become a soul and R and B bar. They have 2 for 1 beers now, which is kind of cool. I went to the restroom and they had a variety of colognes and stuff you can use, but there was a guy in there that I think I was supposed to tip, but I am not giving a tip to a guy that gives me a paper towel. I really hate places that have these guys. Seriously, I don’t need an attendant in the restroom, let me do my business and get out.
I ordered the chicken sandwich and a side salad. They were both really good. My friend liked his burger okay too, but the sound was too loud and the place seemed like it was turning into a high level gangster bar. The patrons seemed like they were there to make deals for future stuff that I really didn’t to have any dealings with.
The service was solid and the food was good, but the atmosphere seemed like it could get rough late into the night.
Anywhere they take your credit card when you start a tab usually means the clientele isn’t the pick of the litter. I think our waitress chased someone out of the place because someone left on their check.

Don’t rely on the website to plan your night here. Friday and Saturdays are usually taken up by promoters, so there is usually a door fee.
I come here most often because this is where my crowd is. I like it here because they have 2 for 1s till 11:30 and drinks are priced well. They usually have good DJs and good music is always more fun to dance to.
The place is small so by 12am you half to squeeze your way through the crowd of people.
I never have been here any other time than a late Friday or Saturday night, so I cant review how they are outside this time slot.

This place was good and bad. I thought it was great how you could get hookah at the bar and set it up outside on the patio. They had a ton of bouncers that walked around and looked for issues. The music was decent but extremely loud. I think the best part was that on a Saturday night it was buy one get one free for drinks. It was worth it for a fun night but I would probably not go back. There were a ton of other places that looked quite a bit more fun along 1^st Ave.

Update…
Well, I had my birthday party there and WOW was it a fun night! We had agreed on details prior too and when I had shown up things were better than anticipated! They had put us in a better location due to a cancellation, Had a server that was greatly attentive and also received help from many others working that night. My guests were so happy and loved being there as well. Heres the deal… I know the other reviewer had some bad things to say about their birthday experience… that sucks… Because I had nothing but a fantastic time with not only my friends but the staff as well! I only can assume that there has been more time for the venue to grow, mature and management to get things in order. Give them a chance, your going to like it!

Elixir gets 2 stars for nightlife and 4 stars for happy hour.
We went here on a Friday night and it was crowded and weird. Drinks were 2-​for-​1, so I can’t complain, but I was overall not impressed. Then again, skanky dancing isn’t really my scene.
I went last week for happy hour because I heard it’s great — and it is! $ 1 drinks (beer, rail drinks), with appetizers under $ 5 or so. I showed up 15 minutes after happy hour ended and joined an existing table, and the waiter unexpectedly and graciously gave me the $ 1 price for my first drink anyway — which is more than I can say for like, ANY bar in the world. They’re all «oh, the system won’t let me put it in for that price» like 4 minutes BEFORE happy hour ends. I just can’t imagine that’s true, unless you stall for the next 3 minutes and 50 seconds. Bidges. I digress.
Happy hour service was great — attentive without being annoying. It was pretty slow in there (it had just snowed like 11 inches), but I always appreciate nice service.
I had the french fry sandwich, and it was the sandwich of my dreams. Pita bread with fries basically. Carb sandwich. If only this were socially acceptable to eat every day. Friends had mini burgers and chicken fingers, both of which were alright.

Would have given it an extra star if the hookah lounge was happenin’. It’s only open in the summertime. wth? Anyhoo, this place was a good time. My friend and I got drunk here one Saturday night where we found ourselves surrounded with chicks in red prom dresses. We got here before 11pm and the place was having 2-​for1 drinks! Sweetness. They didn’t charge a cover and the music was poppin’ so all in all, a good time if you’re looking to have a good time. :)

I came here for Happy Hour a few weeks back. The service was terrible. It’s one thing for a place to be really busy and have slow service. This place had like 12 customers in it, 3 bartenders, 2 waiters, and they still couldn’t keep up with the room.
It’s also somewhat excusable if the place has something particularly special going for it, great jukebox, a great food item like a spectacular burger or cheese curds, etc. Unfortunately for them, I am still trying to figure out what that is other than mediocre bar food. It also isn’t as if the wait staff didn’t know what they were doing. What they were doing they were pretty good at, which was talking to each other and the bartenders instead of serving their customers. Won’t be back anytime soon unless someone pays me to be here.

After an entire summer of being handed «no cover» and «free drink» ads downtown, I finally decided to check out Elixir. When we showed up it was around 11:30, and the doormen/​Bartenders were clearly irritated by us using the no cover/​free drink slips we had been given. My take on this is, if you don’t want people to redeem em, don’t hand em out. The Bartender was rewarded for his attitude by getting stiffed by every member of our party… no smile, no tip. Keep up the good work, maybe someday you can scrub the toilets!
On the plus side, because of the cover, no one ever actually comes inside Elixir. Which is a shame because it is pretty sharp. The have a great dance floor, minus the D-​bags creepin. In fact, now that I think of it, there were more ladies there than guys. For those of you used to DT bars, this may come as a shock.
They have hookahs for those of you who like to sheesh, and an outside patio to do it on. The drinks we had were ok, nothing to brag about. It should be noted the bathroom attendant was somethin else. Great attitude and fun to chat with.
Elixir gets 4 stars for sleek interior and lack of D-​bags, minus 1 star for the unnecessary cover for a total of 3, count em, 3 stars.

we planned a HUGE joint birthday party for four of us (all 20 something single ladies). we sat down with the owner and another manager and had a set plan of how the night would happen. since between the four of us we would be bringing in literally 200 people (into a new club that was dead everytime we were there), the owner promised 4 bottles of champagne, drink specials all night for our group, and VIP access for all of us. we got there and a new manager who i had never heard of and had no contact with in our extensive planning approached me. he instantly began pushing bottle service, which we planned on doing — until he kept pushing it on us. we were told we had our own server, but she kept disappering. a bunch of people when outside to smoke the hukas (big pipe things, idk — i dont smoke). i was scolded by the vip manager and told that if we did not stay in vip or order bottles, we would lose the area. then he told us that we were not to order from the bar — we could only order from the server. SHE WAS IGNORING US! we were told that there was no cover on saturdays. when we got there there was a cover. people were asked at the door what the birthday girl’s name was. the problem was that some of the people that were guests of the other 3 girls did not know my name. after the first 70 people arrived the vip manager refused to let anymore of our party in for free — without telling any of the birthday girls! i was so upset, we had told everyone on the invite list that there was no cover. we had a set plan that the owner seemed thrilled about. we were exposing him to a group of people that had never heard about his club — not to mention a lot of them would never think to go there since it is a bit out of their scene. the owner ended up being out of the country during the party, so i could not speak directly to him. when we were booking everyone was so amazing, once we got there we were treated like we were not welcome at all. i managed a bar, i would never dream of treating WELL paying customers like this.

Latest addition to First Ave bar scene. Being the new kid on the block, Elixir is offering crazy drink specials to attract business. The web site lists the standard $ 3 cocktails /​beer /​wine, but check the sign out front because I’m pretty sure I saw $ 1 rails. Best bet is the $ 3 drinks until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. You can bet they ain’t pouring from the myriad bottles of Grey Goose into those bad boys.
Less frat-​party than Bootleggers, Imperial and 508 but not as «classy» (read: tacky) as Aqua and Envy, Elixir is aiming for that elusive in-​between demographic, the twentysomethings with money who studied abroad in college and aren’t going to get completely obliterated and tear the place up. No cover, which is awesome and would make me choose this place over others.
Interior is pretty posh without going overboard. Large open dance floor in the center plus comfy banquettes lining the walls. Music is roughly the same as anywhere else: booty jams + Prince + rando 80s tunes. Nothing to get excited about. Add some sweet mashups and we’ll talk.
A few surprises: Hookas?! plus hooka special on Wed («International Night»). They also serve food and the menu looks somewhat interesting (pita sandwiches, empanadas, tres leches cake) but otherwise is standard bar food dressed up as world food. Biggest shock is that you can order online and they DELIVER. Wow. This plus no cover could be the silver bullet for Elixir.
Bottom line: I’m interested but skeptical. You’ve got potential — don’t blow it, Elixir.