Drinking until dawn at Hunan Garden: 32 St. Paul bars eligible for 4 a.m. closing during RNC

Earlier this week the St. Paul City Council signed off on a proposal to allow some bars to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. during the Republican National Convention. The ordinance passed by a 6-1 margin, with the Fifth Ward’s Lee Helgen serving as the lone opponent of 20-hour drinking days for the GOP.

The loosening of St. Paul’s liquor laws only applies to some venues, however. All bars within the downtown core are eligible for the expanded imbibing time. This means that council member Dave Thune, whose district includes downtown, will get to witness firsthand whether his vision of "puking Republican lobbyists" proves true.

Otherwise, in order to qualify for the extra two hours of intoxication, bars have to meet a few criteria. For starters they must already be licensed to serve drinks until 2 a.m. Secondly they must have a capacity of at least 291 patrons. Finally they must pony up $2,500.

The disparity in treatment has some bar owners grumbling. "I don’t’ think they should be choosing winners or losers, which is what they’re doing right now," says Paul Schatz, co-owner of The Muddy Pig, which didn’t make the cut. "They’re choosing which bars get to make money and which bars don’t." Even if the Selby-Dale watering hole was eligible, Schatz says the $2,500 fee is prohibitive. "I’d like to make the amount of money the city council obviously thinks we’re making," he notes.

According to the city’s licensing office, at least 32 watering holes currently make the cut for eligibility. There are 257 establishments licensed to sell booze in the city. Here’s the list of lucky winners:

Alary’s Bar, 139 E. 7th St.

Camp Bar, 490 Robert St.

Crowne Plaza Riverfront, 11 E. Kellogg Blvd.

Eagle Street Grill, 174 W. 7th St.

Great Waters Brewing Company, 426 St. Peter St.

Hat Trick Lounge, 134 E. 5th St.

Hilton Garden Inn, 411 Minnesota St.

Holiday Inn Rivercentre, 175 W. 7th Street

Hunan Garden, 380 Cedar St.

Innuendo, 213 4th St. E.

Kelly’s Depot Bar & Grill, 241 Kellogg Blvd.

Matty B’s Supper Club, 354 N. Wabasha St. N.

Original Coney Island, 444 St. Peter St. N.

Park Holdings (MN Club), 317 Washington St.

Pazzaluna, 360 St. Peter St.

Senor Wong, 111 E. Kellogg Blvd.

St. Paul Arena Co (Xcel Energy Center), 199 W. Kellogg Blvd.

St. Paul Hotel, 350 Market St.

Station 4, 201 E. 4th St.

Wild Tymes, 33 7th Place W.

Costello’s Bar & Grill, 393 Selby Ave.

Fabulous Fern’s Bar & Grill, 400 Selby Ave.

Gabe’s by the Park, 991 Lexington Pkwy.

Axel’s Bonfire, 850 Grand Ave.

Club Cancun (closed), 1638 Rice St.

Como Park (pending), 1225 Eastbrook Dr.

Dixie’s/Saji Ya, 695 Grand Ave.

Holiday Inn East, 2201 Burns Ave.

Mancini’s Char House, 531 W. 7th St.

Patrick McGovern’s Pub, 225 W. 7th St.

O’Gara’s Bar & Grill, 164 N. Snelling Ave.

Sweetwater Bar & Grill, 161 St. Anthony