Best Burgers in Minneapolis: The Juicy Lucy

The best burgers in Minneapolis are stuffed with cheese. The Juicy Lucy, two thin patties sealed around a slice of cheese that melts inside as it cooks, is the city’s signature, and two South Minneapolis bars on Cedar Avenue South both claim to have invented it in the 1950s: Matt’s Bar, open since 1954, and the 5-8 Club, which started as a speakeasy in 1928. Beyond Cedar Avenue, burger bars cluster in Northeast, the North Loop, Uptown and Longfellow.

The rivalry is a local sport. Matt’s spells its burger “Jucy Lucy”, without the i, and the 5-8 Club keeps the standard spelling, so the name on the menu tells you which side a kitchen is on. Either way, the first bite is the hazard: the molten cheese core runs out hot. Both bars are neighborhood taverns first, and both have opened other locations or a food truck around the Twin Cities.

Burgers in Minneapolis: key facts

• Local style: the Juicy Lucy, a cheeseburger with the cheese sealed inside the patty.
• The two claimants: Matt’s Bar (Jucy Lucy, since 1954) and the 5-8 Club (Juicy Lucy, founded in 1928).
• How to eat it: wait a minute after it arrives, because the cheese inside stays very hot.
• Neighborhoods to explore: South Minneapolis along Cedar Avenue, Northeast, the North Loop, Uptown and Longfellow.
• Getting around: Metro Transit light rail and buses; downtown is linked by an indoor skyway network.
• Currency: US dollar (USD); restaurant bills carry state and local taxes before the tip.

Every guide we publish on Minneapolis is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. For other cities, browse all our burger restaurant guides.