There's Now a Secret Bar Inside Lakeville's Secret Gas Station Bar

TLDR

• The Farmer's Cellar, the speakeasy hidden behind a cooler door in a Lakeville gas station, just opened a second bar inside it. It's called The Withdrawing Room.
• It's open Thursday through Saturday, 4 p.m. until late. Walk-ins only. No reservations.
• Think red velvet, antique gold, disco balls and tropical plants, with classic cocktails from Paris and New Orleans.
• The Farmer's Cellar is kind of a big deal. CNBC reported the whole gas station business brought in almost $5 million in a year.

Yeah, you read that right. It's a bar inside a bar inside a gas station. The Farmer's Cellar in Lakeville just opened The Withdrawing Room, and it's only open three nights a week.

Here's what it is, how to get in, and why this place keeps blowing up.

Wait, What's The Farmer's Cellar?

If you haven't been yet, here's the deal. The Farmer's Cellar sits inside the Farmer's Grandson Eatery, a gas station at 8333 210th St. W in Lakeville.

You can pump gas and grab snacks like normal. But one of the drink coolers is actually a door, according to Minnesota Monthly. Behind it is a Prohibition-style bar (think 1920s, when booze was illegal and bars were hidden).

Inside, you'll find brick walls, dark wood booths, velvet chairs by a fireplace and a bathtub you can actually sit in. There are no TVs.

It's run by The Wondrous Collective, led by owner Tony Donatell. Same group behind Volstead House, the hidden bar in Eagan that opened in 2015.

So What's The Withdrawing Room?

It's a cocktail lounge tucked inside the Cellar. The name comes from old fancy houses. After dinner, guests would "withdraw" to another room to keep drinking and talking. (Fun fact: that's where the term "drawing room" comes from.)

The look mixes the grand salons of Paris with the old bars of New Orleans. Picture red velvet, antique gold, disco balls and lots of tropical plants.

The drinks lean classic, with French and New Orleans roots plus some house creations. A few on the menu:

• Death in the Afternoon: absinthe, sugar, lemon and cava (Spanish sparkling wine)
• French 75: gin, strawberry, vanilla, cinnamon and cava
• Sazerac: rye whiskey, sugar, Peychaud's bitters and an absinthe rinse

They pour beer and wine, too.

How to Get In

This is the important part. The Withdrawing Room works a little different from the main bar.

• Hours: Thursday through Saturday, 4 p.m. until late. Closed Sunday through Wednesday.
• Walk-ins only. No reservations. And a reservation for the main room (called The Parlour) does not get you a seat in The Withdrawing Room.
• Drinks only. Food and happy hour stay in the main room.
• 21 and up. That goes for the whole Cellar.

The Cellar's own pitch sums it up: "Come for a drink before dinner, stay for the evening or withdraw for one more cocktail before calling it a night."

Planning a party? The room can host up to 60 people for things like rehearsal dinners, small weddings, birthdays and work events.

Why This Place Keeps Blowing Up

The Farmer's Cellar opened in May 2025. Donatell, 46, took over a struggling gas station and convenience store in 2024 and built the bar inside it, according to CNBC Make It.

It paid off. CNBC reported the whole business brought in almost $5 million in one year. That's the bar, the store and the gas pumps added up. The bar alone did just over $1.7 million, and the business is making money.

The buzz is real, too. Fox 9 reported in May that weekend waits can hit two hours, and the gas station doubles as the waiting room. The Wall Street Journal has covered it, too.

"Just a really fun cocktail bar behind a gas station, of all things," bar manager Grant Mohwinkel told Fox 9.

Donatell told Minnesota Monthly the goal was simple: "I wanted to surprise people with something they did not expect to find behind a cooler door in a suburban gas station."

So a second room makes a lot of sense. More seats, and one more surprise once you're already inside.

The Bottom Line

If you want to check out The Withdrawing Room, go Thursday, Friday or Saturday, and go early. It's walk-in only, and this place fills up fast on weekends.

Want dinner first? Book The Parlour on OpenTable or call (952) 255-8413. Then wander over for a nightcap. Just know your Parlour table doesn't save you a seat back there.

Lakeville's food and drink scene keeps getting better. If you need more ideas, check out the south metro's 30 favorite restaurants, ranked by you, our Taste of Lakeville guide, or pair your night out with a drive from our south metro fall colors guide.

I'll see ya out there.