Actor Jon Hamm (no relation to the beer) soaks up Minneapolis' dive-bar scene around NHL game

"Mad Men's" Don Draper was spotted all over town at Palmer's, Dusty's and Bryant-Lake Bowl during the frigid weekend.

January 3, 2022 at 3:13PM
Jon Hamm, left, enjoyed some of the namesake decor at Palmer’s Bar in Minneapolis with owner Tony Zaccardi. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

While Mick Jagger can only talk the talk about visiting famous watering holes in Minneapolis, Jon Hamm walked the walk this past frigid weekend.

The Emmy-winning "Mad Men" and "Baby Driver" actor came to town to see his hometown St. Louis Blues take down the Minnesota Wild in the NHL Winter Classic at Target Field on Saturday, now officially the coldest game ever played in the NHL. Before and after the outdoor game, Hamm earned warm welcomes at a trio of local institutions: Dusty's Bar, Palmer's Bar and Bryant-Lake Bowl.

Hamm clearly took a liking to Dusty's, in particular, since he and his entourage hit the northeast Minneapolis saloon and Dago palace on Friday night — and then returned there Saturday after the game.

"Everyone in his group was fun and personable, and they were very generous to the staff," Dusty's bar manager Tony Thill reported.

Hamm also hit Bryant-Lake Bowl on Friday night, where he rolled several games. BLB owner Erica Gilbert said he chatted it up with other Blues fans and posed for photos while at the bowling alley/eatery. A "Jon Hamm was here" sign was spotted there after his visit.

Bryant-Lake Bowl had Hamm’s name in lights over the weekend. (From Twitter/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Palmer's was the last stop on his watering-hole tour, and it was only somewhat by default: Bar owner Tony Zaccardi said Hamm wound up there on Sunday night after missing his flight out of town; or perhaps he suffered the fate of millions of other travelers hit by airline troubles. What a fitting stop Palmer's proved to be, though.

Zaccardi posted a photo of himself and the actor, um, hamming it up with one of the historic West Bank bar's many Hamm's Beer signs. It's not clear if the actor actually drank the old swill first brewed on St. Paul's East Side — word is he had enjoyed the Venture Pils from Duluth brewery Bent Paddle while at the BLB — but he did express his love for another famous local icon, Prince, with music scribe and radio host Cyn Collins while at Palmer's.

"It was super fun getting to chat with him about seeing Prince's last concert [Atlanta 2016], and sing along to Prince with him and friends," Collins reported from the bar.

Sounds like that old Don Draper charm is still intact; and weatherproof.

about the writer

about the writer

Chris Riemenschneider

Critic / Reporter

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

See More