Long before I moved to this neighborhood or knew of a place called Corcoran, I would come to the Chatterbox. This local vintage speakeasy has been in continuous operation since 1923! If you’ve been there, you know it’s a comfortable place - somewhat akin to hanging out with friends in your parent’s basement in the 70s or 80s – filled with second hand lamps, furniture and retro games including old school Atari!
For the last 17 years, this has been my “go to” on a cold snowy afternoon or as a meet up spot during happy hour. As with all places, the workers come and go and some menu items change, but the Chatterbox has stayed true to its original mission of bringing craft beers and a higher quality of food to the public, long before it was a Twin Cities trend.
Sitting down with owner, Steven Miller, we joked a bit about “Chatterbox” lore. Yes, there are many myths or misnomers about the place and I’ve decided to put them to rest.
First is the theory you will leave smelling like a smoky French fry. Long ago the city put a smoking ban in place, the Chatterbox installed newer ventilation and removed deep fryers. Although some menu items require a pan stir fry, French fries are baked and you will not be taking home unwanted scented memories.
Next item of lore says they do not serve “real” beer. While it’s true they do not serve hard alcohol, but specialty beers do not come in lower alcohol batches and I can verifiably say they have been serving beer as strong as anywhere else in town for the last 17 years. More importantly, their “event tap lines” rotate every 4-6 weeks. Currently you will find sour beers, next up will be infusions, and by mid-September the Octoberfests will be in circulation. These taps are all craft and heavily local.
Lastly, they plan to stick around. After a ten year run with multiple locations, the owners decided to “right-size” to accommodate their busy lifestyle with 4 children. This meant refocusing on the original Chatterbox and rolling out some new things that weren’t possible with multiple locations.
The new cast iron, skillet, deep dish pizza might be my favorite result of this new focus. The crust is homemade and had been in the works for 4 years. It’s truly delicious. In fact, most of their food is made from scratch, including all sauces. May I suggest trying one of them on a popular menu item like the slow smoked ribs?
In addition to Open Mic on Tuesdays, Karaoke on Wednesdays and Music Trivia on Thursdays, watch for the return of themed DJ music nights. Whether you’ve been many times or never, stop by to hang out at a local gem and a chance to enjoy a pint with a neighbor or two.
