While St. Paul’s 6th Street is by no means as lively as the legendary 6th Street in Austin, Texas, the mainline running east-west through downtown has slowly become one of the most consistent nightlife stretches in the city.
Downtown
Kincaid’s is bordered by St. Peter Street and 6th. On any given night the lounge is packed with people enjoying one of the best happy hours in town, as well as solid steaks and seafood in an upscale setting.
St. Paul’s after-hours personality shines at Amsterdam Bar and Hall. The music venue/nightclub/bar has been keeping people up at night since 2011. Music on either the small acoustic stage or expansive main stage is supplemented by other events like Books and Bars, trivia, karaoke, and after-parties for various downtown events. Plus, they serve food (small Dutch sandwiches called broodjes, St. Paul’s best fries, more) until bar close.
Across the street, the hulking Macy’s shell is in the midst of becoming Treasure Island Center, complete with rooftop skating rink and street level brewery, which will further aid the development on 6th Street once it is completed. Maybe. Or maybe we’re one step closer to seeing a casino in downtown St. Paul. Which would be terrible, as adding casinos to revive city centers has a long history of failure in the United States. Look at Detroit. Or Duluth, even.
I digress.
Hunan Garden is on the next block. The place has gotten a bad rap, and why? They serve late-night food, and play silky smooth R&B and Soul, as well as pulse-pounding hip hop, all weekend long. Plus, it’s the only place in downtown you can find those giant flaming punch bowl cocktails. Consider it the Red Dragon of St. Paul.
There is space open in the same Alliance Bank Center; a few consecutive storefronts waiting perhaps for something special. And on the next block, the empty MN Saloon space is waiting for a new nighttime-oriented tenant as well. The greatest gap, and the greatest opportunity to tie downtown and Lowertown together on 6th Street, lies here.
Lowertown
Two blocks further you find yourself in Lowertown. You’ll pass looming Galtier Tower, and the soon-to-move YMCA.
BBQ and soul food joint Handsome Hog, restaurant Public (and its elegant downstairs lounge, Green Lantern), tequila bar Barrio, and king-of-sports-bars Bulldog all overlook Mears Park along 6th Street:
Handsome Hog serves brisket, and late night meat plates that are a great alternative to, say, Mickey’s Diner after a night of drinking. Their cocktails, with a focus on bourbon, are phenomenal as well. Public is all new-American restaurant upstairs, with wide windows facing the park, and all swanky speakeasy downstairs. The music calendar for Green Lantern, found here, is full of consistently interesting acts. Barrio is known for tequila and tequila and street tacos. Dance nights on the weekend. It’s colorful and lively, and one of the few places to go dancing in the neighborhood. Bulldog is packed with patrons from all walks of life. It’s like a cross-section of all the food and drink seekers you’ll find in Lowertown. Wild and Saints fans in before or after a game, industry types, or just those out for surprisingly good pub food and extensive beer list. It’s become something of a focal point for neighborhood nightlife.
Oxcart is the last stop before hitting the Saints Stadium. Lowertown’s only rooftop patio couldn’t carry them through the slow winter months, but after a quick refresh they’ll be open again on May 12. They promise to be better than ever. We will see.
While Saint Paul has had trouble creating the all-important “critical mass” of bars, clubs and restaurants in downtown, this half-mile stretch is easily walkable and with a variety of entertainment options.
But there is still work to be done. There is a dire need for more business in the area around the former MN Saloon and Hunan Garden, especially on the first level of the Alliance Bank Center: storefront after storefront sits empty, decaying, forgotten. This would complete a vibrant stretch of nightlife options; once all the gaps are filled, it’s possible our 6th Street will look a little more like its Austin counterpart.
Maybe.
Read this next: Everything you need to know about 5th Street
