Rock Bottom Brewery, the state's oldest brewpub, quietly closed in downtown Minneapolis this week.
Located at 825 Hennepin Av., Rock Bottom burst onto the scene nearly 30 years ago as the brewpub's second location — the first was in Denver. There were more than 40 locations in its heyday, but now there are only 16 listed on its website.
The restaurant, especially popular among theatergoers, was ahead of its time — and a hint of what was to come — by brewing craft beer on site to pair with its menu of burgers, sandwiches and other familiar bar fare.
Rock Bottom is owned by SPB Hospitality, which also counts Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom among its holdings.
It's the second recent high-profile closing in the area. Seven Steakhouse Sushi & Rooftop, which had been closed intermittently, has pulled the plug for good — at least on Hennepin Avenue.
According to its website: "Due to circumstances beyond our control, we cannot operate a restaurant/bar in our current resident building of 700 Hennepin Ave. To which, we have no alternative but to close. We understand the inconvenience to you and what this may cause and thank you for your patronage."
Both restaurants had been active on social media until recently. Seven Steakhouse & Sushi was still looking for workers two weeks ago, and on Sunday Rock Bottom posted a photo raising a glass with the caption "Cheers to a ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆ meal!"
