Original Jucy Lucy cheeseburger at Matt's Bar, Minneapolis

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Matt's Bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota, home of the original Jucy Lucy burger — Matt’s Bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota, home of the original Jucy Lucy burger

Matt’s Bar is a Minneapolis institution. Since 1954, this local burger joint and dive bar has been home to the original Jucy Lucy burger. A Jucy Lucy is a cheeseburger with cheese inside the patty instead of on top. The cheese inside melts as the burger cooks, creating a rich, cheesy bite.

According to Matt’s Bar, a customer asked for a slice of cheese between two patties. He bit into the burger and said, “That’s one juicy Lucy.” The legend was born. While 5-8 Club also claims to be the original, Matt’s Bar has become a local favorite.

Over the years, television shows like Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food and publications like The New York Times have featured Matt’s Bar.

When I finalized my plans to visit Minneapolis, I knew I had to make the pilgrimage to Matt’s Bar and cross it off my ever-growing food bucket list.

Table of Contents

Arrival at Matt’s Bar

Matt’s Bar is a popular place with both locals and tourists. Not surprisingly, the wait for a table can be long on the weekends. Worried about the wait, I decided to arrive around 10:00 PM on a Friday, thinking the crowds would be thinner.

The place was practically empty when I arrived, and there was no waiting. I thought I had lucked out. Unbeknownst to me, grill hours were only 11:00 AM to 10:15 PM. So, I ordered a beer, called it a night, and vowed to return the next day.

Fast forward to the following day. It was a rainy Saturday night, so I was unsure how long the wait would be. This time around, I arrived earlier.

When I walked up to the door, people were already waiting in a line that began near the door and ended just behind the bar. As I was alone, I entered the restaurant after only a few minutes, where I grabbed a seat at the bar.

You can also place orders to-go for those nights you don’t feel like waiting for a table.

Interior of Matt’s Bar

The dimly light interior of the restaurant, Matt's Bar, Minneapolis, Minnesota — The dimly light interior of the restaurant

When I walked into the dimly lit interior of Matt’s Bar, I immediately noticed the cool dive bar atmosphere. On the right was the bar with a few tables and booths in an adjacent dining room.

When I looked inside the bar, one open seat was at the far end next to the grill. Luckily, I was eating alone, and no one was sitting in that spot, so I snagged it.

There were about ten seats at the bar, so if you see an open seat and don’t want to wait, you can sit and eat there.

Matts’ Bar is a classic neighborhood dive bar: welcoming to guests, no fuss, a local neighborhood feeling, cold beer, and great food. It doesn’t get better than this.

Sitting at the Bar

Sitting at the bar, I had an excellent view of the burgers sizzling away on the flat top at the far right end of the bar near the front door.

The chef, who also doubled as a bartender and cashier, consistently took patties out of the fridge, seasoned them with a salt and pepper shaker, and placed them on the grill.

Watching the chefs work the small grill was impressive. They still pump out 800 burgers on busy days, even with limited space.

With burgers cooked to order, I knew that my food would take a little longer than usual. I had no problem with this.

I could have sat all day at the bar drinking ice-cold Grain Belt beers while watching the grill master turn out burger after burger. At this moment, I realized how much I love visiting local spots like this when I travel.

Matt’s Bar Menu

The menu at Matt’s Bar was simple: burgers, a grilled cheese sandwich, a chicken sandwich, ham and cheese, and french fries.

At the top of the menu is the Jucy Lucy. If this is your first time here, order it. Surprisingly, they do have other things on the menu, including a hamburger, cheeseburger, double hamburger, and double cheeseburger.

With all burgers made to order, you can expect a 20-minute wait before your food arrives. I knew this beforehand, so this was not an issue. With this extra time, I enjoyed a few cold beers while watching the chef at work.

For sides, there were limited options: French fries and chips.

Being a bar for drinks, they had a good selection of beer, including domestic and craft, and wine by the glass or bottle.

As for non-alcoholic drinks, there were canned sodas, bottled water, Iron Horse Root Beer, coffee, iced tea, and milk.

And remember to leave your credit cards at home. Being a dive bar, they are cash only. If you need money, they have an ATM on the premises.

Visit by President Obama

Photo on the wall of President Obama visiting Matt's Bar — Photo on the wall of President Obama visiting Matt’s Bar

Politics aside, it was cool that the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, would visit Matt’s Bar.

I could only imagine what the people inside the restaurant thought the day they saw the President walk into the bar and eat a Jucy Lucy. It must have been a surreal experience and a great story.

Jucy Lucy Cheeseburger

I want to get this out of the way right now. The Jucy Lucy at Matt’s Bar was not the best burger I have ever had.

But, it was one of the best burger experiences I have ever had and one that I recommend to any traveler to Minneapolis.

The Jucy Lucy served here was anything but fancy. After being taken off the grill, the chef placed the seared patty between two lightly warmed white buns, topped with grilled onions and pickles, then placed inside white parchment paper.

You won’t find plates or utensils here, so prepare to get your hands messy.

The best part was picking up the perfectly charred burger and taking my first bite. All the fantastic cheesy goodness and juices oozed right out.

Be careful when biting your burger. The cheese will be scalding and easily spill all over your clothes. If you are not careful, this could ruin your day.

The burger was cheesy, greasy, and smoky from the perfect char. I loved how I could taste the burger since it was only lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and diced grilled onions on top.

For all the other Jucy Lucy restaurants, all I can say is, “often imitated, never duplicated.”

Half Order of French Fries

On the side was a Half Order of French Fries. The fries, which were fried and lightly seasoned right before my eyes, were seasoned well, greasy, thin, and crispy.

I couldn’t tell if they were frozen when placed in the fryer, but either way, they paired well with the burger and beer. They were nothing spectacular, but I still ate them all.

I’m glad I was hungry, though. The half-order of fries was enough to feed two people. I could only imagine how big the regular-size French fries were.