The Midwest dive bar: a place where the phrase “that place kinda sucks; I love it” somehow makes sense. Across local media, subreddits, and SEO-optimized AI slop search results, the best local dive is a highly sought-after destination. Ranking these dimly lit, atmospheric neighborhood staples based on their selection, pricing, vibe, and reputation is, correspondingly, reasonable and popular. It has also been done to death.
But many Minneapolis dives share a quality that hasn’t yet been ranked. It’s an architectural feature that has aged itself into being trendy again: the glass block window. They’re the perfect solution for when you want to let a little light in but don’t want a window that something (or someone) can be thrown through. Once I started noticing glass block windows, I started to see them everywhere. Some of the better ones are even pretty, in a “default desktop wallpaper starter pack” sort of way.
So, with all the reasonable dive bar rankings already written, these omnipresent glass cubes present an opportunity that’s even cheaper than the beers on tap: low-stakes judgment on the internet. Ignoring all other useful metrics, which dive’s glass block assortment looks the best?…