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Palmer's Bar
Former names	Carl's Bar
Address	500 Cedar Avenue
Location	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Coordinates	44°58′07″N 93°14′50″W / 44.96861°N 93.24722°W
Owner	Pat and Sarah Dwyer
Type	Dive bar/tavern
Opened	1906
Website
	palmers-bar.com

Palmer's Bar is a dive bar and music venue located in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Known for its strong drinks,^[1] the bar is a live music venue at night.^[2]

History

The bar was founded in 1906^[3] and has had over a dozen owners.^[4] A speakeasy during the Prohibition Era, the bar is rumored to have once had a secret tunnel connecting it to 5 Corners Saloon (vacant as of 2022).^[5] In the 1930s, it was named Carl's Bar^[3] and a brothel operated upstairs.^[6] The bar was named Palmer's in 1950 by then owner Henry Palmer. A Mr. Folta ran the bar from 1959 to 1975. His son Roger Folta co-owned the bar from 1975 to 1996.^[4] Keith Berg and Lisa Hammer purchased the bar in 2001.^[2]

Under Berg and Hammer's ownership, the bar remained open every day of the year.^[3] The bar shares a wall with a mosque, the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Civic Center.^[6] Scenes for the 2005 indie film Factotum were filmed inside Palmer's.^[7]

During the summer, Palmer's hosts a music festival known as "Palmfest". Musicians "Spider" John Koerner, Charlie Parr, Willie Murphy, and Cornbread Harris have played the venue. Local blues musicians Koerner, Dave "Snaker" Ray, and Tony Glover of Koerner, Ray & Glover also played the venue and would also gather at Palmer's after their shows.^[8] Bonnie Raitt frequented the bar while she was recording her debut album.^[5]

The bar has been used as a filming location, including the 1990 film Old Explorers and the 2005 film Factotum, based on the Charles Bukowski novel.^[9]

Spider John Koerner was a frequent performer and fixture at the bar, reportedly spending so much time there that he had his newspaper delivered there.^[9] When he officially retired in 2023, Koerner donated one of his guitars, a 12-string Epiphone, to the bar, where it is on display in a glass case.^[10]

Palmer's has a "wall of shame", listing people who have been 86'd from the bar. There is also a "Wall of Deceased" that features former owner Keith Berg, who died in September 2015.^[4]

Reception

Esquire magazine named Palmer's one of the best bars in the United States in 2014.^[11] The magazine recommended a bourbon neat with a beer back and said of the bar, "There are dives and dives in this world. There's the type Guy Fieri calls out, old joints that might not feel like they need to get their hair done before seeing company but are nonetheless fundamentally clean and comfortable and unchallenging. Then there's Palmer's." They praised the bar's Wall of Shame, their outdoor garden, and the cheap drinks. Following the listing, owner Berg indicated he would preserve the bar's character and inform the staff that there would be "no bow ties or blenders."^[12]

References

^ Justin, Neal (May 28, 2014). "Minneapolis hangout named one of 'best bars in America'". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
^ ^a ^b Davis, Angela (May 28, 2014). "Palmer's In Mpls. Makes Esquire's List Of Best Bars". CBS Minnesota. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Daher, Natalie (September 21, 2015). "Obituary: Keith Berg, owner of revered Palmer's Bar, dies unexpectedly at 56". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Daher, Natalie (January 1, 2016). "Beloved by regulars, dive bars like Palmer's on West Bank age with undying appeal". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
^ ^a ^b Swensson, Andrea (January 10, 2013). "The 400 Bar may be gone, but its stories live on". Local Current Blog. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
^ ^a ^b Riemenschneider, Chris (September 16, 2011). "10th anniversary Saturday at century-old Palmer's Bar". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
^ Tillotson, Kristin (June 10, 2011). "A host of options in Twin Cities tours". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
^ Metsa, Paul (2011). Blue Guitar Highway. University of Minnesota Press. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-1-4529-3321-4. palmer's bar.
^ ^a ^b Cowie, Colleen (July 24, 2019). "Inside Minneapolis's Palmer's Bar, where Bonnie Raitt was once a regular". The Current. St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
^ Riemenschneider, Chris (18 May 2024). "Minnesota music legend Spider John Koerner, who influenced Dylan and Raitt, dies at 85". Star Tribune. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
^ Amdahl, Keane (May 28, 2014). "Esquire magazine names Palmer's one of the best bars in America". City Pages. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
^ Largent, Branden (May 28, 2014). "Esquire's 'Best Bar' nod won't dull dive's edge, Palmer's owner says". Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2015.