Robb Jones. Photos: Chris Emeott
Robb Jones speaks about his new project, Stargazer, subverting expectations and preparing the next generation of bartenders.
“What can the future of cocktail bars be?” This is how Robb Jones explains the concept behind Stargazer, his newest project in Northeast Minneapolis in collaboration with the chef-owners of Travail Kitchen.
Jones, a White Bear Lake native, rose from obscurity as bar director at Gavin Kaysen’s Spoon and Stable. In 2019, he left to found Meteor, an industry bartender’s take on a “towny bar” known for making affordable, approachable cocktails without pretense. Just great bartenders, great drinks and some hot dogs. Last year, Meteor celebrated five years and a James Beard Award nomination for Outstanding Bar—both happy surprises for Jones.
“[The nomination is] amazing, but I also feel you’re only as good as your last cocktail or last interaction with a guest,” Jones says. “I don’t want to feel like we’ve reached our zenith. I think it’s just important to keep pushing.”
While hitting on Jones’ cosmic focus, Stargazer is something else entirely. The 40-seat cocktail bar, situated in the nucleus of culinary innovation that is the intersection of 13th Avenue and Second Street (Oro by Nixta, Vinai and Young Joni are close neighbors), is driven by an intentional menu of made-to-order cocktails and small plates. The focus is on guest experience with a fun interactive digital menu that takes you to the stars.
“Meteor was a reaction to people being too fancy unjustifiably, and Stargazer is what that should be. They’re both reactions to me seeing things that were missing, that maybe people tried and failed doing, but I think we can actually pull off,” he says.
Before he descended upon the Minneapolis bartending scene, Jones spent 12 years working in kitchens, making his way from the McDonald’s inside of Walmart in Vadnais Heights (his first job at age 15) and many Marshall Fields Marketplace Deli locations (age 19–21) to the Arizona Culinary Institute.
As a student at White Bear Lake Area High School, he struggled to cope. “I had typical ADHD kid problems,” Jones says. “Homework didn’t exist for me. I couldn’t figure out how to get it done.”
Cooking wasn’t just a job—it was a remedy. “You’re always getting the stimulation that you need,” he says of working in a kitchen with an ADHD diagnosis. “It’s the same reason I take on too many projects today. It keeps me in the zone.”
His first job out of culinary school was at The Ritz-Carlton in Phoenix, where he thrived with great mentors who had high expectations. “All I did was work and be in a band,” Jones says of those years. “That was all I did, just worked and worked and worked and worked, and I think it was really good for me because that work ethic, I maintain.”
Back in Minnesota, he secured a kitchen job at Bradstreet Craftshouse, a formative Minneapolis cocktail bar. The cocktail renaissance of the 2000s was in full swing, and just three months into the job, he became fascinated by the creative possibilities in bartending. A front-of-house job also satisfied the human element that he was missing. “The satisfaction of getting feedback from guests was just amazing and something that I craved,” Jones says.
Stargazer cocktail bar.
All these years later, Jones is returning to his bartending roots with Stargazer. “The idea of Stargazer is to bring back the bar that I first worked at, and I think the bar that doesn’t exist in Minneapolis,” Jones says. What is that bar? Bradstreet with better timing. “Let’s make it be a fancy cocktail bar on purpose because I think we’re ready for it,” Jones says.
At Stargazer, you’ll find classic cocktails at their best. The menu shines with spirits and ingredients you can’t find in just any liquor cabinet—made for customers who are ready to trust their bartender.
At both Stargazer and Meteor, Jones makes it a point to depart from the cocktail batching that is common in some of the area’s top bars. Every one of Stargazer’s roughly 50 cocktails (and mocktails) is made by hand, from scratch. It’s Jones’ way of continuing the classic bartending tradition by cultivating versatile bartenders.
“It’s very challenging having a cocktail menu this big … but that’s how myself and Birk [Grudem] at Hola Arepe and Hai Hai learned; we were in that same school together. And Adam Gorski, who opened Young Joni and all of Ann Kim’s places,” Jones says. “There’s a reason that those are the people that were kind of like doing the things is because they learned how to actually bartend.”
At 45, Jones is taking a step back from the well. It’s a transition encouraged by age (“I’m old.”) and fatherhood. (His son, Milo, was born in 2023.) He’s built the menu and the method, and he’s ready to leave the bartending to his team. “There’s so much nuance that you can’t get from a cocktail book. You need mentorship, and I’d rather be a mentor at this point than just a flashy bartender that people come to see,” Jones says.
Even with all the attention, accolades and even a visit from the Dalai Lama—Jones is staying humble. He’s quick to direct attention to his team (a point of pride) and finds it difficult to believe people will want to read about him.
“It’s not about me, man. At the end of the day, it’s about the guests and the guest experience. If everyone isn’t leaving happier than when they came in, then we failed,” Jones says. “Anything that I do is irrelevant if people aren’t happy.”
More about Robb Jones
He was a drummer in bands during high school and college. A soundtrack to his life would include Nirvana, The Beatles and The Talking Heads. “And then—this is hilarious—but I lowkey love The Eagles all of a sudden, too,” Jones says.
While working for Soigné Hospitality in 2017, he served the Dalai Lama. “It doesn’t even seem real sometimes, but yeah, I got to meet the Dalai Lama. I made some spirit-free cocktails for this thing, but he just wanted some tea and then I think he just ended up drinking hot water, which is great.”
He’s married to landscape architect Sandy Meulners and his son, Milo, turns 2 this June. “I was kind of worried about being a father just for a lot of different reasons, but … seeing how happy my kid is is pretty cool and I know that I’m doing a good job.”
His current state of mind: “I’m kind of panicked right now. I took on too much, but it’s getting accomplished, and I feel good about it … I know that it’s going to get better.”
Meteor
2027 N. Second St. #2202, Mpls.; 612.886.2483
Facebook: Meteor
Instagram: @meteor_mpls
Stargazer
1304 NE Second St., Mpls.; 612.248.8902
Instagram: @stargazer_mpls
