From burgers to Bob Dylan, the Hilltop Bar in Hanover has been a legend in the area for decades.
Now, with little fanfare – just a note on the door – it seems the legend might be over.
An old photo of The Hilltop Bar and Grill, probably circa the 2000s, courtesy of the Hanover Historical Society.
Hilltop closed its doors to customers Monday, Sept. 11, “permanently,” according to a sign left on the front door of the bar that has called the community home for nearly a century. The Pabst Blue Ribbon sign replaced by a logo, the bar survived in pretty much the same structure that was built on Hanover’s southern drag.
It humbly boasted about good burgers in an area that has many great “burger joints.” Dylan, aka Robert Zimmerman, owned land just down Hennepin County Highway 19/116 with his brother and would stop in for a bit, according to this piece, aired by Fox 9 of the Twin Cities last after Dylan was named a Nobel Prize winner. It explores Robert Zimmerman’s local stomping grounds.
Calls by various media outlets to the current ownership of the Hilltop have not been returned, so it’s unknown what will happen to the historic pub at this time.
The present-day bar on Hennepin County 19, with a new logo sign replacing the old Pabst plaque.