The home of the original Juicy Lucy. This place is, first and foremost, a great neighborhood dive bar. No pretensions and the staff has that traditional midwestern politeness. Good beer selections. We ordered a few drinks, an order of fries, one smash patty cheeseburger, and one juicy Lucy. Despite how busy this place was, the food came out very fast and not in a bad way. The regular cheeseburger was very good. It was seasoned well. The juicy Lucy, which is what this place is known for, was great. The staff will warn you to watch yourself on the juicy Lucy because the inside is like molten lava and that warning is very warranted. Having said that, the Juicy Lucy at Matt's such a unique and delicious experience. A lot of people will try to duplicate what this place is doing and I don't think they can quite get that right. I love that this place continues this very specific Minneapolis culinary delight and that the originator of the juicy Lucy is also the best version of the juicy Lucy. I would definitely come back.
Known for their "Jucy Lucy" which are 2 Patties with cheese cooked inside. My family that lives here likes the Jucy Lucy and especially the fries from here. During the summer they say there are long lines out the door. We can here in December and it was pretty busy for a week night. They only accept cash or checks, no card. We were lucky and got seated quickly, service was also quick and I asked for a beer that goes well with it. My sister in law got a chicken sandwich and I put her lettuce in my Jucy Lucy. Beware to not bite into it quickly because the cheese squirts out. Every bite I took the cheese indeed came out and burned me. Their fries are really good. I opted to keep the pickles and onions in the burger which I enjoyed. It was nice inside and they still had Christmas decorations making it feel like a Christmas bar. There's some street parking outside
The burgers and fries did not disappoint. They were both so delicious! Our server was excellent and the ambience is very casual and moderate for noise. Parking was easy and free on the street. Of note: This is a cash only restaurant.
Such a great experience here! There was about a 20 minute wait and the line was out the door. Matt's Bar is pretty small but they've maximized the space. There is 1 small cooking station with 1 cook so you'll have to be patient for your food. The menu is very simple and straight-forward. We got 2 Jucy Lucy's and a regular order of fries. The burger was so juicy and delicious and the melty cheese in it was just amazing. Service was great and they were really on top of it considering how busy it was. Also it's important to note that this place is CASH ONLY!!! They have an ATM inside if you forget cash!
This has been my favorite Jucy Lucy thus far and I have lived in MN for 20 years. This bar is cash only. It is a smaller space, but they have fair prices. The half order of fries is enough for two people. The service was friendly. Their pickles are some of the best pickles I have had on a burger. This spot is a MUST!
Sometimes when you go somewhere when you've heard raves about it for YEARS there is no possible way it can live up to the hype...but honestly. .Matts really did. It's a small place, parking can be a pain, and the service can be a bit slower with the number of staff people trying to get it done in such a small, compact space. But none of that matters honestly if the food is worth it and it is in my opinion. We went here knowing it was small, only takes cash, has a very small menu, we could have a wait, and we might have to walk a little depending on the parking (Yelp is SO helpful for these types of details!). But while the food took a little time, the beer was cold, the fries were hot, crispy and salty, and the burgers were beautifully seasoned and perfectly cooked. Those Jucy Lucy's are AMAZING! Seriously good! It was also decorated SO cute for Christmas which made it even more fun to spend a little time chatting, drinking a beer and munching on tasty foods!
Whoever it is that actually invented the jucy lucy burger, one cannot deny this establishment's popularity and there's a good reason for such. Not only is this a great place for people to understand an aspect of Minnesota's food culture, but also this contains a type of burger that has cheese already built into the beef. One can see the cooking process and by looking at the frozen patties, it is impossible to tell that cheese is blended. But upon opening the burger, the liquid cheese just flows out super artlessly, which is amazing. The burger is a bit small and the price to me still doesn't really justify the size of the burger, even if it's a very unique kind. When I use a knife to cut the burger, like I have mentioned, the liquid cheese just flows out and that is amazing to watch. One doesn't need any ketchup or mustard to go with a jucy lucy, and in fact, one shouldn't put anything else on it. By itself it is no doubt very juicy and succulent. One thing to note is that the establishment is cash only, and there is an ATM in the store, but to avoid service fees, I would recommend people to have cash ready prior to visiting. Another thing worth mentioning is that when the server hears that you intend to share the burger, she automatically includes a knife for you, which I think is very attentive.
I loved this place. Albeit, they're so busy that the cook is constantly grilling and frying, but everything was fresh and tasted great. The fries were yummy *I got a half order and it filled up the basket so, I wonder how many fries a full order is! I loved the dive bar feel and was lucky to be able to snag a spot at the bar top. Heads up- everyone must wait in the singular line, whether you're taking out or dining in. It's worth the wait. The restaurant is cash only so, be prepared. If you didn't bring cash, there's an atm on property. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY TAKE A BITE OUT OF THE JUCY LUCY- you will regret it lol.
Wow. The juicy lucy was absolutely amazing! This was the first spot we ate at after landing in Minneapolis and it was so good we braved the long line on a Sunday to experience the greatness again. We each ordered a jucy lucy and shared an order of fries. The wait was not long considering how busy it is and you see them consistently churning out burgers from the counter bar area. When we got our food, the server advised us to let the burger cool a little before eating but it was hard to wait since we were hungry after a 3 hour flight! The first bite into the jucy lucy, the melted cheese (and a bit of oil) started oozing out and it is quite hot! The second bite is when it really started coming together, the flavors of the juicy patty and melted cheese with the sliced pickles. It sounds very simple but this is one of the best burgers we've had. The fries were also near perfect, they were hot, thinly sliced, crispy and a little oily, but the perfect pairing for a burger. Service is good, they're really nice and try to minimize the wait time. The slowest part was paying, but they're working hard getting food to tables and cleaning up with minimal staff. Overall Matt's is a must go if you travel to Twin Cities. You won't leave disappointed. Just remember to bring cash and come prepared to eat (and maybe wait a little)!