Best Neighborhood Bar in St. Paul – City Pages

Skinner’s Pub & Eatery

In St. Paul we move at a slightly slower pace. We aren’t as quick to tear down something that can be reused or abandon a comfortable old favorite for something new and shiny. Skinner’s Pub encapsulates all that is great about the saintly city. The booths are nice and worn in, a comfortable groove that you can settle into for a good, long drink. The building is old and dates back to the 1900s when it housed the Vogelgesang grocery store. This bar and restaurant continues to be a gathering spot for neighbors and for anyone on the lookout for a great slice of square-cut pizza. The drink prices are also a plus; some beers cost just a couple of bucks and cocktails max out at a top-shelf price of $5. Skinner’s is a spot where you’ll be embraced as family if you put in enough time to count as a regular. You’ll find yourself greeted heartily with a firm handshake and your favorite beverage waiting on a coaster at your usual seat. Spend a little time with the characters at this family-run joint and you’ll get enough stories to fill a book.

Dip into one of these 8 east metro ‘dive bars’ with great food

SKINNER’S PUB

A burger at Skinner’s Pub on St. Paul’s Randolph Avenue inAugust 2017. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press) For story on Dive Bars.
A burger at Skinner’s Pub on St. Paul’s Randolph Avenue. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

One of our favorite bars, period, Skinner’s is the perfect mix of neighborhood atmosphere and really great bar food. The pizzas are killer, there’s crisp fried chicken, the hoagies are hot, the burgers infinitely snarfable and if you want the ultimate drinking-friendly shareable snack, go for the totchos, served on a giant pizza plate.

What’s up: Pull tabs, bar bingo on Thursdays

Where to find it: 919 Randolph Ave., St. Paul; 651-228-1947; skinnersmn.com