The Juicy Lucy, a burger with cheese melted inside the patty rather than on top, was invented in South Minneapolis. Two bars on the same stretch of Cedar Avenue both claim to be the original. They are both open, both excellent, and the argument is now part of the city’s small civic heritage. The rest of the metro has plenty of other strong burger opinions too.
Matt’s opened on Cedar Avenue in 1954 and claims to have invented the Jucy Lucy (their spelling, no "i"). The burger comes out molten in the middle and you will burn your mouth on the first bite. That is the experience. Cash only, no reservations, expect a wait.
The other Juicy Lucy origin claimant. Open since 1928 with multiple metro locations. Their Juicy Lucy comes with your choice of four cheeses (American, blue, pepper jack, Swiss) and Time Magazine has named it one of the most influential burgers of all time. Pick a side in the Matt’s vs 5-8 debate.
The Nook opened in 2000 and the "Nookie Burger" is now frequently in the top of every Juicy Lucy ranking written about the metro. Bonus: there is a basement bowling alley with paper-and-pencil scoring. Order the burger, get a beer, roll a few games. A perfect Twin Cities night.
A South Minneapolis gastropub with one of the deepest craft-beer lists in the metro and a burger that locals defend with serious energy. The yardstick onion rings are famous in their own right. The neighborhood rallied to fund the rebuild after a 2013 fire, which tells you what kind of place it is.
A small Twin Cities chain doing the Blucy, their Juicy Lucy variant, with a rotating menu of stuffed-burger experiments that read inventive on paper and somehow land most of the time. The Bacon Blucy is the order. Strong tap list.
An Edina diner that has been doing burgers and malted milkshakes the same way since 1934. Walk in and it is essentially 1955 inside. The basket burger is the order. The chocolate malt is mandatory.
A Northeast pub doing one of the best straightforward bar burgers in the metro. Smashed-style on a soft bun, no overengineering, draft list that goes deep on local. The kind of room where you arrive at six and leave at ten.
A small upscale-burger chain doing the higher-end version of this list. The Smokehouse with bacon jam is the signature. Strong whiskey program, half-off burger happy hour, multiple metro locations. Reliable.
A St. Paul restaurant whose burger has quietly become one of the most-talked-about in the metro. Dry-aged blend, soft brioche, perfect cheese melt, almost annoyingly good fries. Order it at the bar with a martini.