Matt's Bar ★ 4.7
Matt's Bar on Cedar Avenue has run a $9 Jucy Lucy in South Minneapolis since 1954. The original cheese-stuffed burger, fries and a beer for under fifteen.
Try: Jucy Lucy
History
Two south Minneapolis bars on Cedar Avenue and 35th Street both claim the patent. Matt's Bar opened in 1954 and spells it Jucy Lucy without the second i, swearing a customer asked for the cheese inside the meat in 1954 and the bartender called it a juicy lucy. The 5-8 Club spells it Juicy Lucy and dates the dish to a regular who built it in their kitchen in the early 1950s. Both insist they invented it. The dispute has run on local news for decades. Either way, the burger is fully grown-in-Minneapolis: griddled flat, no bun toast, American cheese only, served with chips and a pickle spear.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, 80/20 chuck
- 4 slices American cheese, folded into 1-inch squares
- 4 soft white burger buns
- Sea salt, black pepper
- 1 yellow onion, sliced thin
- Yellow mustard, dill pickle chips
- Neutral oil for the griddle
Method
- Divide beef into 8 equal balls, about 2 oz each. Press each into a thin patty about 4 inches wide.
- Place a folded cheese square in the centre of 4 patties. Top with the remaining patties and crimp the edges firmly so no cheese can escape.
- Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a flat griddle or cast-iron pan over medium-high until smoking.
- Add oil and the patties. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until the crust is dark and the centre reads 150F.
- Rest the burgers 2 minutes off the heat so the cheese stays put when bitten.
- Toast buns lightly on the griddle. Build with raw onion, mustard and pickles. Warn your guests.
Tip from the editors. Eat with caution; the molten cheese is napalm-hot for the first three minutes. Pierce the patty with a fork to vent steam if you want to skip the burn.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat jucy lucy
Jucy Lucy in Minneapolis
5-8 Club ★ 4.3
5-8 Club on Cedar Avenue South has run the contested-original Juicy Lucy in Minneapolis since 1954. The other half of the Juicy Lucy debate; lunch under fifteen.
Try: Original Juicy Lucy
Blue Door Pub ★ 4.3
Blue Door Pub on 42nd Avenue has run a stuffed-burger pub in South Minneapolis since 2008. The Blucy with blue cheese inside, South Side's Matt's Bar counterpunch.
Signature: Blucy stuffed burger, Tater tots
Order: The Blucy with blue cheese and bacon, tater tots on the side.
Tip: Weekends pull a wait; sit at the bar for faster service. Six other Twin Cities locations.
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