The Jucy Lucy is Minneapolis's defining burger: two ground-beef patties pressed around a cube of American cheese, then griddled until the centre melts into a molten core that scalds the unwary on first bite.

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.

3 editor picks for Jucy Lucy in Minneapolis, ranked by editorial score. All Minneapolis signature dishes · Jucy Lucy across every city.