Painted brown tile hangs over the space and drops down a half level over the bar, making the area look a little like a dive bar cave backed by a classic liquor bottle shelving array, every flat surface painted the same shade of brown. Minneapolis dive bar traditions can be seen in the form of pull tabs behind the bar next to a sign advertising the weekly meat raffle (every Friday at 6, naturally), a term that needs no explanation because the event consists of exactly what it sounds like it consists of, a raffle, for meat.
The kitchen in back can be seen around the corner just beyond a short drink station, a hint of where the long string of dagos originates. On this reviewer’s last visit, the special of the day was clam chowder, a delicious pairing with the first snowfall of the season, showing that the culinary range here does stretch past ground pork patties. And if all of that wasn’t enough to sell you on Dusty’s food offerings, the kitchen in back also churns out “half & half” patties, a smashed-up combination of pork and beef to bridge the innovative world of hand-shaped meat.
Dusty’s is a dive bar that just feels like Minnesota. The no-nonsense interior, the dago-infused mural out front, the Grain Belt signage throughout, the classic vibe of the fixtures and surfaces, everything adds up to a neighborhood Minnesota vibe in the best way. Dago or not, Dusty’s may be the purest dive bar in the densely packed dive bar hub that is Northeast Minneapolis.