Our other home: three cheers to 20 years of Dempsey’s from HPR

Last Word | March 30th, 2026

By HPR Staff

I'm a Gen Xer who landed in Fargo in the late '90s, a small town kid who didn't know a soul. By sheer dumb luck I ended up at Ralph's, and that place gave me my people. Lifelong friends, the kind you don't find twice.

When Ralph's closed, a lot of us scattered. Those of us who stayed drifted from bar to bar looking for something that felt right. Most of it didn't. Then some of us found Dempsey's.

It wasn't just a bar. Dempsey's eventually built The Aquarium, which became the heartbeat of downtown music. But more than that, it became the place where the people who stayed, the ones still looking for their corner of this city, finally stopped looking.

Twenty years later, that still means something. When you're young and new somewhere and nothing fits, finding the place that does isn't a small thing. For a lot of us, Dempsey's was that place.

– Raul Gomez

I can't believe how many years Bert and Klaus have been part of the High Plains Reader extended family. It began when they opened Bertrosa's and Lynn Gifford, our food critic, did a story on their new place. I'll never forget her saying they must be good people if they name a business after their mother.

Much like our newspaper, they were not in the standard place among the old boys network and establishment in town. They were outsiders and outliers. And they were extremely well received by the community and the public.

They've always taken pride in feeding their customers and taking care of their own people. They're like family with each other and all of us.

There are a lot of good memories connected to the Dempsey's journey. They've delivered an awful lot to all of us and they're rather humble about it.

Congratulating Bert and Klaus and thanking them and letting them know how much they're loved.

Because they truly are.

– John Strand

Dempsey’s has been a downtown staple for the past 20 years. It’s strange to think how it feels like it’s simultaneously always been there, yet just opened yesterday. Full disclosure: I write that fully realizing that my ID is now officially old enough to buy a six pack…but I digress. I feel like I grew up with Dempsey’s.

It’s hard to imagine downtown without both Dempsey’s — and The Aquarium.

Sure, we might have had a music scene without The Aquarium, but it’s hard to imagine the scene without it. They certainly helped fill that gap when Ralph’s closed.

There’s something about Dempsey’s that just feels like home, all thanks to proprietors Bert and Klaus Myers as well as their staff, who they treat like family. In fact, when they invite you to sit at their table both literally and figuratively, you’re treated like family — and that authenticity is one of the key ingredients to the magic contained within those walls. That authenticity, a glass of Old Style and fantastic company. Cheers to 20 years, fellas!

– Sabrina Hornung

Got a story idea or a local business you'd like to see in our pages? Reach our to HPR staff at submit@hpr1.com.

RECENTLY IN

Recently in: