Har Mar Superstar and a host of other musicians — including Spoon bassist Rob Pope and Primitive Weapons bassist Eric Odness — joined forces last February to open Harold’s On Main, the ultimate neighborhood bar in Moorhead.

⁣Located three minutes from Junkyard Brewing Company and five minutes from Fargo, just over the North Dakota border, it’s loosely inspired by Ralph’s Corner, a beloved local bar that was forced to close in 2005. With $3 Hamm’s pints, piping-hot Heggies Pizza, and a come-as-you-are ethos, Harold’s hits all the right notes for regulars new and old.⁣
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Co-owner and general contractor Thomas Kemmer really outdid himself with the design, too, steering his crew toward an inviting interior with handsome wood paneling, glowy pendant lights, forest green bar stools and booths, and a graphic striped floor. Even the bathrooms are good-looking, with Prince symbols in lieu of gender pictograms, golden swan-shaped faucets, and warm arboreal wallpaper.⁣

One thing Harold’s doesn’t have is live bands — Ralph’s booked everyone from The White Stripes to Neko Case over the years — but it recently hosted a two-day festival featuring headlining sets from The Cactus Blossoms and Har Mar himself. Food vendors also swing by on the regular, serving up shredded beef and spiced chicken tacos (Pico Food Truck), pulled pork sandwiches and spanakopita (Deb’s Corner), and beignets and Afro-European fare (Adibon). ⁣

If you prefer a proper cocktail over a beer, head bartender Aaron Hanson (formerly of HoDo Lounge and Monte’s in Fargo) has you covered with a tightly edited menu of house tipples inspired by the bar’s co-founders. The Har Mar is particularly dialed in for summer, combining a slug of rum with lime juice, ginger simple syrup, coconut, and a lip-puckery jalapeño-pineapple shrub.

Harold’s On Main
1330 Main Ave., Moorhead, MN; 218-233-3477.