Small Hours

Small Hours gives great refined Euro wine bar vibes. Minimalist design is incredibly thoughtful and restrained and the experience is well thought out. Wines here are not entry-level — don’t pop by for your first-ever glass. Rather it’s ideal for getting outside your comfort zone, trying something totally unknown and not minding a little uncertainty. I’ve never seen another spot with anything close to the tinned fish menu here either, even overseas. It’s lacking on proactive service engagement, but I look forward to coming back for more wine adventures soon.

Such a cozy spot for a cold January night. The wine list is impressive and the atmosphere is perfection. I wish there were a few more options of wine for single glasses rather than bottles, but I’d definitely go back.

Gorgeous space and incredible atmosphere. Great concept and super well executed, and just what Minneapolis needed! I could chat wine and music with the owners for hours — both are super knowledgeable and friendly. Love everything about it and can’t wait to go back!

I was very excited to check out the space as a hifi lounge and to try some great wine. I'd read exciting things about it online: thoughtful design for sound immersion and a sommelier that had curated a great list. It was disappointing on both fronts. Definitely not worth the trip to visit as it's set up now. Hopefully they'll take some time to learn and adjust. Or maybe there is enough clientele that won't mind the poor sound experience and want to drop a lot on a bottle. Their sound set up was pretty bad. The ceiling had sound treatment, but the walls had nothing. The space is essentially a box, so all the conversation bounced around on the walls making it difficult to hear music. Convos overpowered whatever was playing. Their two (or was it one?) speaker is at the front of the space, which didn't help either. Definitely not a hifi experience, and it's a shame they're marketing it as such. The wine list was long, sure. But the cheapest bottle was around $50. And the cheapest glass was $15+. They need to think about catering to a wider audience instead of creating an expensive and inaccessible wine list. And then a $20+ surcharge for counter service?! Because it was counter service, there were people coming in, (no waiting list for entry/a table) getting wine, ad there were no seats, folks were standing right outside the bathroom door downing their wine and leaving. Only redeeming quality was the guy at the counter (co-owner) was friendly.

The vibes were immaculate! The wine was delicious, and in my opinion, a fair price for a Minneapolis wine bar. I understand what the lower reviews were saying, it's not a place you go to make an intimate connection with the staff. They're not personable in that way and I don't fault them for that. The goal seems to be to serve excellent wine and have excellent music selection - to which I think they've nailed. Bring some friends (or a partner) and take in the atmosphere and I think you'll enjoy it. Reviewers saying they were confused about how "it worked" for service upon entry seemed, for lack of a better term, dense? The place is very small, it's safe to assume if there's no host stand that you walk to the counter. I simply asked "so you pick a table, pick up a menu on table, and order at the counter?" and the owner said "exactly!" They were friendly and willing to give me their suggestions. Cannot complain at all!

This place will surely become a favorite. A little slice of Spanish tapas and a great atmosphere. Perfect for girls nights :)

Its branding over substance. "Hifi bar" in a room that is hard surfaces ricocheting a spotify playlist right through every conversation. You may find more acoustic treatment in a white box art gallery, because of the paintings on the wall. Unless, SH is counting the customers and an olive tree in the corner as sound deadening. The seating and decor euphemistically contemporary and modern, when actually more an expression of Ikea tastes and budget. Their service model goes like this: nobody greeting you at the door to tell you where to sit or how to order. If you sit down at a table, any number of runners will repeatedly walk right by you without communicating. If you go to the bar, you will have someone looking at you like, "You figure it out, its not my job". Here's the catch... they will still apply a mandatory 18% service fee without committing to their half of the bargain. Some connotations of "bargain" could mean a good deal, and I must apologize if you took me to mean that. You can pop in for happy hour where you can get decide on either one of the options of red or wine for the cost of a bottle, and that is your most cost-conscious option. Your other choice is a bottle for anywhere between $65-$400. In an era when consistently high-value restaurants are fighting to stay open, Small Hours is curating its own irrelevance.

Love this place!! Delicious food 🥘 good music, perfect customer service, we will be back again soon!