Triple Rock Social Club
Restaurant, Bar
Profile
$$ - average
American
Punk bar with vegan food
The Triple Rock (named after the church in the film The Blues Brothers) is a punk bar that serves drinks and food and the menu clearly labels items which can be made vegetarian or vegan.
Check out their website for a list of upcoming shows. Tuesday nights can get extremely crowded, because of their 2-for-1 drink specials.
- Brunch
- Happy Hour
Added by Dave Rolsky on Oct 31 02 (updated Oct 1 05)
Reviews
Triple Rock is a punk-rock bar with lots of beer, music, atmosphere and a large menu featuring numerous vegan comfort foods. On the weekends they have breakfast items like tofu scramblers and pancakes with vegan sausage; in the evenings they have various sandwiches, nachos, fries and other greasy-spoon vegan options. The service is super-friendly and fast. Prices are all under $10 for most items. Seating might get limited if you have a big group, especially at night. All in all this is a great place with an appreciated focus on accommodating vegans.
I went and ate here yesterday with my girlfriend and her sister who are not vegan - but I ordered so that is what we got. They said it was fantastic overall (not just for vegan), and I was quite satisfied. I went out on a limb and tried the Vegan Sloppy Joe which was, to my surprise, fantastic. Also, though I have had it before, the vegan nachos and most importantly the vegan cheese is the best I have had. I say get a drink, order some food and enjoy.
I was really impressed with the selection of vegan items here, given how much meat they serve. I had the "best grilled sandwich on earth" (or something to that effect), and although it wasn't the BEST grilled sandwich on earth, it was darn close to it. It had vegan meatballs, mozz cheese, peppers, tomatoes, and was absolutely huge. Leftovers make a great breakfast.
I also tried my friend's BBQ mock duck po boy, which was really good. Everyone raved about their homemade nacho cheese, but I found it sort of bland. It was room temperature and had huge chunks of tomato in it. Weird. We ended up pouring it over the leftover bread from the po boy sandwich (which was gigantic).
Absolutely yummy. My partner is more adventurous and has ordered the cook's revenge the past two times and both times the end result was delicious. This is my number one choice for vegan comfort food. The mac and cheese is great, as a vegan who grew up with dairy, this rendition of mac and cheese makes me wonder why I ever *missed* the dairy version. Only complaint is that there are not enough places to sit down and eat which is a damn shame because the food is so good I'd go there at least once a week if I was guaranteed a place to sit down and eat. These cooks should consider opening up an all vegan restaurant and keep the tasty, rich, and classic "American" dishes comin '!
The Triple Rock is my favorite comfort-food vegan place to eat in the Twin Cities, bar (no pun intended) none. My meat-eating, vegan-shy sibs from west central mn, who spent part of their life growing up on a dairy farm, love the place. They have a great selection of stuff for meat eaters and ovo-lacto folks--so it's a great place to bring your vegan-skeptic friends--but who would eat ovo lacto/carnivorous when you can choose from some of the best vegan food in the Twin Cities? And hello, vegan Bulldogs and White Russians? How can a happy vegan go wrong?
I usually order the Cook's Revenge--the cook serves you whatever they like--which has been, without fail, incredible. In fact, right now I'm noshing on leftovers from a binge last night: vegan mac and cheese, smothered in bbq mock duck and veggies, served with toasted whole-wheat garlic bread cookie-cuttered into little stars and garnished with twists of orange slices. I have yet to have something off of the Triple Rock menu I *didn't* like. I've never noticed the music to be too loud, appreciate the laid-back atmosphere, and the staff and service are always good.
Only improvement I'd make would be to please, please, please add more tables, because the Triple Rock is often freaking FULL. (In fact, my bf has started to make fun of me for the number of times we've tried to eat there and have been turned away by full booths.)
Check out the happy hour (5-7ish). Best garlic mashed potatoes ever, and (vegan)burger and a pint for $6. $2.25 wells and taps. Also discounted nachos (NACHOS!) with great cheese sauce and better fresh salsa.
Make the trip. It's well worth your while.
The best vegan nacho cheese EVER. I try to think of a way to include a side of nacho cheese in everything I eat.
I also really like the vegan mac and cheese, the mock duck sandwich and the mock duck salad. The vegan sub is awesome, and they always have a vegan soup.
One of the best dishes is the Cook's Revenge. Do not order this when they are super busy, your chances of getting a ridiculous meal goes up exponentially. I've ordered it at least 100 times, and only 5 dishes were awful. Some of the most fantastic food comes from the Cook's Revenge. I've had vegan gyros, one time I got three giant plates filled with vegan breakfast food including a ton of pancakes and I've had an excellent taco bowl, to name a few. Some people have complained because all they got was a PB&J for $8, but that's the chance you take, it's part of the fun.
The breakfast is okay. The tofu scrambler is good depending on the cook. The vegan French Toast is ok. Honestly, the best part about breakfast at the Triple Rock is the fact that you can drink at 10 am. I like the Seward's selection of vegan breakfast much more.
It's just awesome to have so many vegan options while out at the bar. No one does greasy American bar food vegan-style better.
Sorry to say that I found the Triple Rock vastly overrated, at least for Sunday brunch. The tofu scrambler was horribly grainy, watery, and underseasoned, with hashbrowns that were just greasy potato chunks. I brought most of it home, intending to give it a second try or alter it in some way, but wound up donating it all to my dogs, who are not the pickiest! The music was painfully loud (isn't Sunday morning hangover time?) and the vibe was not particularly homey or friendly. I had heard so many good things about the Triple Rock -- very disappointing. Have had much nicer meals & atmosphere at the Hard Times.
I realized after all these visits to Triple Rock for the past two years I never wrote a review. It's awesome. We finally started going in the evenings for food after a year of weekend breakfasts. Great stuff. New items appeared on my last visit last weekend so I tried the vegan meatloaf. This is killer with red skin mashed potatoes and corn and peas. Others have written about the atmosphere so I won't bother but it's always a great time.
One of our 3 favorite places since the smoking moved outside. We had to drink beer until 3 PM Saturday, so we could try the vegan meatloaf dinner. We had one with macaroni and cheese instead of potatoes. Both were great. We wish we lived closer, so we could try all the vegan stuff on the menu.
Happy hours and brunches are king at the Triple Rock.
It's nice to have some vegan food with a screwdriver on a sunny Sunday morning at 11 a.m., with or without a hangover... it's just cool and so against the traditional non-drinking Lutheran stereotype of the Twin Cities. Call me a rebel without a cause-- that's what I might be! Vegan french toast is filling and satisfying.
The lunch/dinner/sandwich options are excellent as well. Everything that I've tried has been good to great. My fave is the vegan sloppy joe, relatively spicy, it goes well with any ale or cider.
I'm probably as "normal" looking as you can get (without wearing business clothing), but people treat me nicely there, no judgements. Very cool. I have written a two-page manifesto on photography called "The Triple Rock Manifesto" in its honor, something which I've never done before and probably never hope to do again. If you're into manifestos, maybe the Triple Rock is calling your name? ;-) Yeah, I'm a happy kook, and I'm quite satisfied with my life so far! :-)
Plenty of free parking at the bike rack on the side of the building (thanks!). One more reason for me to go there, as though I needed another reason!
It barely edges out the Hard Times as my favorite place to go on the West Bank. Three cheers for the Triple Rock!
Update (August 2005):
They have recently expanded their menu to over twice the size with some delightful food, such as the vegan meat loaf that I tasted. This is way that meat loaf was meant to be! Great texture, mixed with cooked carrots, not greasy, and it's served with real mashed potatoes (coarsely mashed red potatoes with skins). I'm not sure if the Texas Toast that comes with it is vegan or not (I'm vegetarian and only a closet vegan), so you might want to ask first.
We went there for breakfast/brunch. Seems as if they don't bring out the lunch menu until after 3pm. We had the Vegan Blueberry Pancakes, Tofu Scrambler, and Vegan French Toast. It was all very good! Infact, comparing it to Seward Cafe, the taste was more authentic tasting, and less oily than Seward Cafe. The only problem is the smoke, even for breakfast there were people smoking all around.
Mmmm. My favorite thing isn't on the menu anymore (BBQ tofu sammich!) but they've got some great vegan choices, and awesome waffle-cut fries! Happy hour special on weekdays in the early evenings- veggie burger basket & a pint for $6!
Oh sweet punk rock pub grub. this is my fav place to get a vegan sloppy joe, beer, and watch people in leather.
I once didn't think much of the Triple Rock's food, but that all changed when I tried the Louisiana Po' Boy. Wow. That is one hearty, finger-lickin' vegan meal and a half. The happy hour is enticing, too.
until a visit here a few weeks ago, i don't recall ever in my life wondering over lunch whether some person might at any time come flying through the air and land in the middle of our table with a crash. on that special summer afternoon, a friend and i had stopped for a late lunch at the triple rock, and got a little more entertainment than we had expected. i mean, this group was rowdy even by triple rock standards. at 2:00 in the afternoon, they were all leaping on one another's backs, straddling the pool table, wrestling on the floor, and every now and then the lot of them would scurry out the front door (drinks in hand, of course) and do/say something outside to passing cars (?), concluding the ritual by scrambling back inside, cackling excitedly about whatever they had just accomplished (i wasn't sure i even wanted to know). but don't get me wrong: we're not talking mean rowdy, just rowdy rowdy. i have no doubt that had someone been launched across our table, it would have been in the friendliest manner possible.
i love the triple rock!
as for the food, they really specialize in vegetarian 'comfort food' sorts of dishes, although they do have a few more exotic items as well. the vegetarian po' boy is delicious, although it is so big and filling that i usually order it without the bun. i had the vegetarian sub the other day, and it is absolutely fantastic. the breakfasts are pretty decent, but i haven't found them to be their strongest point; they seem to vary in quality, and are less creative than some of the other items.
the triple rock is a great place to go for decent vegetarian/vegan food and is also a fun hangout at night. and don't let the little anecdote keep you from trying it out; the vast majority of the time it is fairly tranquil and uneventful inside. well, considering.
Excellent waffle fries, but it's too smoky inside.
I love the menu the most. It's funny. I love it that there's a place where vegans can go to get nasty traditional american food. Just don't let your friends tell you to order the UberSandwich (there is no such thing and the waitress will look at you like you're nuts) or get too rowdy on the video golf game "golden tee" because they -will- throw you out.
Great french fries. Very smoky late night, but tolerable in the early evenings. Can be extremely crowded on Tuesdays when they have a 2-for-1 drink special.
If you're a veg*n longing for bar/diner food, then this is for you. They have a lot of good sandwiches, including a veg*n Louisiana Po' Boy, as well as an Italian style "meatball" sub. Consider ordering the cook's revenge, which can often be surprisingly good. The breakfasts (weekends only) also offer a number of good veg*n options, my favorite being vegan pigs in a blanket.
Ratings Without Reviews
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Bob:
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michaelthesecond:
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Nicholas:
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Scottie:
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adam bubolz:
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earlapricot:
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jello:
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kmf:
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Let's Eat!:
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S4:
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Sharyn Morrow:
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starfive:
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vaxjo:
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inah:
The Triple Rock was amazing. I had the Po Boy and a breakfast there. Just delicious. Quite cheap concidering the amount of food you get!
in the morning you can even get a delicious Bloody Mary
the juke box is really good as well, the people working there really nice.
PERFECT