Best Juicy Lucys In The Twin Cities

Juicy Lucys are, so Wikipedia tells me and I consequently tell every out of town visitor who passes through the Twin Cities, the "Philly cheesesteaks of South Minneapolis." They are our contribution to the country's legacy of artery-clogging cuisine, the apparent result of our winter-seasoned propensity for wrapping warm things up in warm things. I mean, what says "comfort food" more boldly than traffic-light yellow food-stuff leaking from its lightly-seasoned meat pocket? The only argument I have with the aforementioned cheesesteak tag is the "South Minneapolis" bit. The two most famous Lucy flingers are, indeed, located in that area, but they're served throughout the Cities and, as you can see from my picks below, there are now just as many fine Lucy establishments across the Mississippi as there are in Lucy's homeland.

Matt's Bar

3500 Cedar Avenue South,
Minneapolis, MN 55407-2339
(612) 722-7072
Directory | Website

One of the two Cedar Avenue establishments that claim to serve the "original" Lucy (the other being 5-8, see below), Matt's Bar is the only one that has been immortalized by Michael Birawer. It's also been featured in multiple cable network showdowns with its main rival and, so far as I know, won each time. Who am I to argue? Matt's Jucy Lucy (they said if it's spelled wrong, it's the right "Jucy") is a marvel of burger engineering. Whatever it takes to keep that cheese inside its chamber and not seeping into the surrounding meat, they do it perfectly!

Casper & Runyon's Nook

492 Hamline Avenue South,
St. Paul, MN 55116-1613
Directory | Website

Matt's and 5-8 are the Geno's and Pat's of Minneapolis, but ask any native Philadelphian and they'll tell you the best cheesesteaks to be had aren't found at either. In that spirit, it's entirely possible that the best Lucy in the Cities isn't at either. Anyone who's tried the cheese-filled burgers at the Nook in St. Paul (right next to Cretin-Derham Hall) knows they contend. How can they not? They've got more bounce to the ounce. I suspect they also have more ounces of cheese, for that matter; it spills out simply everywhere!

The Blue Door Pub

1811 Selby Avenue,
St. Paul, MN 55104-6031
(651) 493-1865
Directory | Website

I introduced some New Yorker friends to the concept of Juicy Lucys by taking them to the Blue Door Pub, where they call them Juicy Blucys. When the burgers were served, one of my friends fainted onto the table. As it turned out, he wasn't reacting to the overwhelming shock of being served the ultimate in comfort food but, instead, to dehydration. Either way, appropriate. I want to give Blue Door higher marks than they end up earning, because no one else has found more innovative twists on the Lucy template. (Their Breakfast Blucy -- topped with cheese, bacon and a fried egg -- is worth the instant cardiac arrest.) The only glitch? They haven't quite managed to figure out how to keep the cheese pool from seeping into the surrounding meat pocket.

Groveland Tap

1834 St. Clair Avenue,
St. Paul, MN 55105
(651) 699-5058
Directory | Website

Groveland Tap's standard issue Lucy isn't so stellar that it would merit a special trip if you're jonseing for a cheese-splosion. But if you like your meat-n-cheese piñatas to come in a spicier variety, you need to try their special Cajun Lucy. (And try the broasted chicken while you're there.)

The 5-8 Club

5800 Cedar Avenue South,
Minneapolis, MN 55417-2648
(612) 823-5858
Website

OK, I've saved it for last not because I think it's the least of these, but because I almost feel like 5-8 and Matt's have restraining orders out on each other, and I figure a buffer of four other entries just about covers that. Speaking objectively, there's one thing 5-8 has on Matt's: multiple cheese options. Whereas Matt's only offers gooey American cheese, 5-8 gives you the choice between American, Swiss, Blue and Pepper Jack. And, for everyone who's had enough cheese inside their burgers, they've also come up with the Saucy Sally, which is stuffed with secret sauce.