Pracna on Main

Closed!!! Heard it is reopening under new ownership with new menu ideas. Hope it retains its old charm. Despite being the oldest restaurant on St. Anthony Main, it had a fresh though familiar feel with comfort foods like pigs in a blanket, fat burgers, criss cross fries and a thick juicy Reuben. Loved eating on the patio watching people stroll along the Mississippi while the kids built Lego creations. Waiting expectantly for the return.

Pracna is now closed! What a loss to the history of our neighborhood and a missed opportunity for rejuvenation. Sad to see them and Nye’s go in such a short span.

I really loved the atmosphere and the place itself, it has a really great vibe and an awesome patio. The beer list is decent, and they have great HH prices.
The food however is SUPER expensive. A basket of their (admittedly delicious) waffle fries is upwards of $ 7, which isn’t terrible to split with a friend or two over HH drinks, but the actual food is where the issue is. There are quite a few sandwiches to choose from as well as a couple pasta dishes and other entrees.
$ 24.50 for salmon? Sure, makes sense.
$ 19.95 for pasta? Seems kind of steep.
$ 14.75 for a vegetable sandwich? Hahaha no.
Go for the 3 – 6 HH, then go somewhere else for dinner.

I stopped in for the 3 – 6 HH. I love the atmosphere, it seems like a good date locale with the dimmed lighting and close quarters.
The Big Pickle Bloody for $ 2 is a damn good deal. They charged me for the non-​HH corn dogs, but it was resolved with a splitting of the bill since I did get the large portion. I guess you would assume if the corn dogs were on the HH menu, that the customer would be ordering those.
Adam, the Bartender was friendly and talked sports with me which I appreciated. I’ll have to check out their 9−11pm HH with $ 4 micro pours.

I am here for a conference and have been to some really amazing places around the city. We had a dinner party at Pracna, and I can honestly say I had the worst experience in the world. To start the bartender didn’t know the different from one beer to another. We asked for a local beer, and she gave us a beer from Boulder. She then made a dirty martini that tasted like the cheapest vodka, and had to ask her to remake it twice because she didn’t know how. To end our night we asked her what the well tequila was, and she didn’t know what it was, and she also had absolutely NO idea of what anything cost. Our server was great but was easily confused, and I don’t think he said more than two words. Never did he ask if I wanted another drink nor did he ask us how the food was.
If you ask me, I would say DO NOT go, EVER!!!
The bartender probably needs to be trained, ASAP.

tap beer happy hour from 9 – 11 p.m. every night is the best part about this place and really the only reason I go. Beers/​ciders also change quite often. I don’t know much about beer, but friends who do say the list is very good. Seems to have something for everyone.
Only food I’ve ever had was a salad and some random apps, both were just ok. Typical American bar food. Maybe proper meals are better.
Service — there are a lot of people complaining about service, which strikes me as odd. I end up here every few weeks and have never had a bad service experience. Maybe the customers sometimes are the problem… :/

Walking down Saint Anthony Main we walked past busy patio after busy patio but finally found the fresh walleye fingers we were looking for at the baron patio of Pracna. Even though there was only one other couple on the entire patio we were asked to leave as strollers were not allowed on the patio. They also didn’t allow bikes. Something I could understand if they were busy, but they were not.

Wow. I was appalled with the wait staff this evening. Very rude. They assembled the ‘C’ Team this evening.

This review is purely based on my drinking experience here. I have only eaten here once or twice (it was delish), but the boo and I frequent Pracna during the spring and summer. The have an extensive tap list and interesting mixed drinks. It might be one of the most gorgeous places to grab a drink when it’s nice out. With the cobblestone road, the Stone Arch Bridge, night breezes from the river, and the Minneapolis skyline in the background, it’s easy to forget the stresses of the week. I cannot wait until it’s warm enough to get back to their patio!

I have been coming here for over thirty years. The place hasn’t changed much, they keep the place looking new. The burgers have always been excellent. Sitting inside playing with the mini legos as you wait for your food or outside on a sunny day are both enjoyable. My favorite is the Tomato Cognac Soup. So fresh. So awesome. The 1890 turkey sandwich has always been excellent. Parking is on the street or lot. Prices are reasonable. This is worth a place on your lunch list. Enjoy!

I’ve never had a meal here I didn’t love. Great beers on tap, and the staff really know their stuff on that front as well.
This is the place I first tried the Duchesse de Bourgogne beer, and I haven’t settled for a boring beer (Coors Light, et al) since that day.
Also, the seasoned fries are a staple for any outing. In the summer, sitting outside along the river is amazing. In the winter, well, there’s usually more parking available, and it’s still a great view.

What? Ive never reviewed Pracna? It gets 5 stars for being awesome, historic, beautiful, with the most wonderful happy hour beers. It’s (one of) my favorite spots for a cheap craft brew, It’s usually really quiet, cozy and warm during the winter. It feels like such a special place, like curling up in your own living room in front of a fireplace. I should go now…

I have been to Pracna at pretty much all times of day and for a multitude of reasons; hair of the dog Bloody Mary’s, wedding receptions, late night happy hour or just to relax and grab a bite and to take in the scenery. Overall, Pracna has a lot to like.
Since I’m a glutton for all things malty, hoppy and boozy, Pracna is up my alley. They have roughly twenty tap handles that cover the gamut from local craft beer to coastal gems that you won’t find at too many places around town. They also have a number of decent cocktails to choose from and their Bloody Mary ain’t bad (it doesn’t hurt that it comes with a spicy pickle that’s big enough to club a baby seal with).
Their food has been a bit of a mixed bag over the years. That said, their wings are consistently solid and carry a nice kick, the chilled spinach dip is very good and the Reuben is pretty tasty as well.
Overall, it’s one of the better options along St. Anthony Main that shows off the older charm of the area, has a nice view overlooking downtown and has plenty of boozy/​malty options to sip on while enjoying the scenery.

I was showing my visiting mom St. Anthony Main and the Mississippi river, when we sat down at Pracna for a bite.
This was late summer and we were able to get a table outside and enjoy the scenery passing by!
Definitely recommend the spinach dip in a sourdough bread bowl. This was a rosemary bread and very crusty. Yum. I got the turkey on rye speciality with some trepidation as turkey juices typically can run dry. But this was good and hearty.
My mom had the veggie curry sandwich — which again was flavorful and hearty. We took our baggies home!
Last note — our server was extremely courteous and helpful. Always appreciated.

PATIO LIFE.
This place has the best cobblestone patio for summer drinks in the St. Anthony Main River District. It’s also perfect for getting cozy inside during the winter. Great drink list, decent food/​service and perfect location.
Highlights:
Waffle Fries
Sirloin Steak
Tomato Cognac Soup
Teriyaki Salmon
Bloody Mary
Pracna on Main = The in crowd

I went to a friend’s birthday party here recently, and had never heard of it until then. I’m not familiar with the whole St. Anthony/​Main area, and it took me a while to find the entrance. But that’s more about me being directionally challenged than anything.
It was a group of 17 people or so, which is always a hassle at restaurants, but this staff seemed to take it in stride and get the job done without any major stressors. I arrived 30 minutes late (what’s new?) so others had already ordered. I ordered and was tickled when my food came out before everyone else’s! Late = Luck sometimes, I guess!
I ordered the cup of French Onion Soup, which is the greatest thing on earth, and a basket of Pracna Fries to share. These things were the BOMB. So salty, slightly seasoned, and WAFFLE CUT to boot. They might be my new favorite fries in the city.
Reasonable prices (or at least for what I ordered) and the food coming out for the other people in our group also looked great. Some really yummy smells and fancy looking salads. I will have to go back to try more.
BONUS: My favorite thing about this was glimpsing down at the drink menu and my eye found URTHEL’S. This is a Belgian micro-​brewery I recently visited when I was in Belgium. I was told while there that I could find their beers in America, but had yet to find it. This was so exciting! To top it off, it was their Samaranth draft which is DELICIOUS beyond reason, and a hearty, STRONG (11%) beer. I was smitten, and now vow to go back for fries and a Samaranth as often as possible.

I am hesitant to write a review about this place because its mine. Mine, mine, mine.
I love Pracna, particularly on a cold winter night, bundled up in a cozy 2 person table by the window, as snow falls and the place is nearly empty.
Pracna is the oldest bar in Minneapolis and they have done a really nice job of keeping to that syle. I do not love the outdoor patio because it is always very busy and they give you drinks in plastic cups. Stay inside.
I come here for one thing only: Happy hour. 9 – 11 EVERY night, including weekends. Their extensive beer list, which is always changing is only $ 3, including tax. They always give you your beer in the proper glass, and the servers are very knowlegable about the beers. They also give you nice tastes, if you are indecisive.
The food. I don’t come here for that. The price is HIGH. However, they do have a $ 1 ice cream scoop, served in a jigger, drizzled in chocolate and caramel sauce. Get that.
Ooh, I should also mention that they validate parking for the ramp that its connected too. Which is also only $ 2 after 4 pm.

After viewing a very «heavy» movie (*A Separation*), it was vital to «lighten up». Lucky for us, Pracna on Main is almost right outside the door of the St. Anthony movie theatre. Grab a stool at the bar. Select from plenty of beers on tap. Beer is poured into a tall malt glass (just like the ones at Annie’s Parlour), which I found a bit odd. The beer was alright; but what really helped to lighten up the mood was grabbing that mug-​full of Lego building pieces, dumping some out onto the bar and then playing. And then dumping out more pieces, and continuing to play, all the while leaving the air open to talk with each other as ideas and thoughts about the movie flowed.
Yes, it was the «play therapy» that was most therapeutic.

The Happy Hour here is fantastic. $ 3 for microwbrews. The selection is great and they switch them out fairly frequently. I can’t say I would make a point to go during non-​happy hours as everything else there is very pricey. Fries are 9 DOLLARS!
I love the atmosphere and the view here. The old historical coziness of it all makes me feel warm fuzzies inside. That could be the microbrews speaking though.

Great location right on St. Anthony Main with a whole bunch of potential but it’s not there yet. I’ve been here a handful of times and from now on, if I do go back (another story) I will be skipping the food. The focus at this place is clearly not the food. If you’re here and starving I’d try the salmon sandwich, that’s the best thing I’ve had there but that’s really not saying much. Everything is rather bland and not nearly worth the high prices that are charged.
The reason I’ve gone back more than once is for the experience. The atmosphere is great and the beer selection is above average. They have a rotating craft selection and I’ve seen, but haven’t taken advantage of some good looking happy hour specials on the beer.
Now on to the why I probably won’t go back story. Apparently the owner of Pracna decided to pull all Surly tap handles from his bars because of a sour relationship with the Surly owner, Omar. I can only imagine the management is biting their tongues because it has to have been their top seller and because they would center specials around the Surly beers. Talk about the dumbest move ever. My loyalty to Surly easily trumps my need to ever go back to this place which is sad because it is a cool place with a special atmosphere. /​rant