Samuel R.
Yelp
*Part of my visiting home for the holidays 2008-2009 review series*
Oh, Andy's - how I love thee. Maybe it is because I work too hard over the course of the year, or because big city bars aren't all their cracked up to be, but spending a few late December evenings at Andy's strikes me as a nearly perfect way to end the year.
The fish on the walls, the numerous softball trophies displaying local athletic prowess, and a neon sign that reminds us all to, "Keep it Golden, Minnesota." What more could you really want?
Pitchers run around $7 and its easy to start a tab. Trivia during much of the year is on Friday evenings, but they postpone the competition while the college kids are home. The crowd is quite a bit younger during Spring Break, River City Days, and the Holidays. The crowd is more mixed locals during the rest of the year.
My minor critiques of this bar (I'm being tough on them, but come on, I gave them five stars) - from time to time I've strolled upstairs to gawk at the people I went to high school with below; why is nobody ever up there hanging out? My sister responds to this complaint by saying, "Its really cold up there!" When my friends and I have failed to find a table we've gone up there to chill out, narcissistically thinking the party will just follow us - but it never does and we're forced to dart downstairs to grab a table later on.
The one positive comment I've heard about the upstairs comes from an out of towner who married a local. She once told me, "It is great to go up there so that I can can spy on who my husband talks to all night."
Also, maybe it is the fact that I've had a couple drinks over the course of the evening, but the juke box tends to get LOUD by the end of the night. Man alive, it is hard to have a conversation by the end of the festivities at Andy's.
All in all, this is one of my favorite bars in Red Wing. Nothing else nearby can really compare in terms of local get togethers. We'll see you next year!
Fun Fact: Locals have been known to refer to this bar as "St. Andrews".