The word "punch" conjures up nightmares of misguided college concoctions that induce black-outs and give you a 5-star hangover. Yep, over that. But every now and then I get a wild urge to re-live my 20s. This morning I woke up feeling young and dumb and decided to grab friends and ride bikes to the western suburbs... Punch Bowl Social is a sprawling estab parked on the south side of the West End, St. Louis Park. Not surprisingly, it is a popular nation-wide chain. Normally, I'd scoff, but after navigating the slew of disorganized start-up restaurants in the city, there's something to be said for a restaurant/bar that has their shit together.
They've got the hipster look down. Barn wood and antlers, pendant lighting and neon signs. I don't hate it. And, I guess everything's bigger in the 'burbs. Holy shit, this place is MASSIVE. Last minute party of 20? No problem. And there's stuff to do. Lots of stuff. They have the usual bar games, PLUS bowling and bocce and karaoke rooms... You could waste some time here.
Drink time. Lots of options. Fresh-squeezed juices, shakes, punch bowls, of course, and the usual breakfast cocktails. We got the special pineapple/vodka/juice/Rufenal bowl. As expected, tastes like college.
I would commit man slaughter for these biscuits and jam. But I don't have to, cuz they're complimentary. #brunchitizer
The menu has some great options and some pretty healthy options. We got quinoa benny (yum). And the street tacos (dece).
And for those with 20-something metabolisms: chicken and waffles, a burger, biscuits and gravy and the classic.
The bathroom.
The crew.
If you're sick of your neighborhood's long lines and bad attitudes, escape the pretentious safety of MPLS and give the burbs a chance. You might wake up 24 hours later in a cookie-cutter town house with a massive migraine lying next to a stranger wearing stitchy jeans. We won't judge.
Cheers from Bad Eggs.
