Sauce Spirits and Soundbar, Minneapolis, MN

Sauce Spirits and Soundbar opened this summer on Lake and Lyndale and per the name and what I had heard about it I assumed it was a place to get drinks and listen to live music. I had visited only briefly not long after it was opened and saw there was actually a dining area in addition to the stage. I stopped by again, essentially by accident when trying to try out the new Lyndale Tap House which had its opening party the weekend previous but stayed closed the day I arrived to open the next day. Bummed, I looked at the menu posted at the door of Sauce a few doors down and noticed pizza.

Not only pizza, there's more of a full menu here and it felt more upscale than I anticipated. I ordered a pepperoni pie and a pint of Fat Tire. When my pizza arrived, I was a bit surprised that it looked like midwestern bar pizza. In fact, it reminded me of Dulono's Pizza a couple doors down.

Tasting this pizza, however, is anything but Midwest-style. Sure, it's tavern-cut into squares but the amount of cheese wasn't over the top -- it was quite balanced with the sauce. The sauce, for a place named Sauce, was actually the most pronounced ingredient: "zesty," the bartender described it as and I can't find a better adjective. It's spicy and hot but doesn't overpower. I asked what was in it and was told it was a secret. My guess is that red pepper plays a large role here. The crust was cracker-like and there wasn't really any grease to speak of -- a rare find amongst pizza that looks like this.

In other words, the pizza at Sauce Spirits and Soundbar has all the positive qualities of Midwest-style pizza without any of the negatives. Weird, and impressive.

With numerous options for pizza within just a couple blocks, Sauce is one of my new favorites. There's also pizza by the slice on weekend nights until late, a free jukebox and a large vending machine with various CDs from local artists. Cute. Happy hour has $3 taps and wine from 4pm until 7pm. Yes, $3 wine.

If I'm not here soon for a show, I'll be back for happy hour.

Sauce Spirits and Soundbar
3001 Lyndale Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-822-6000