Discovering the Legendary Juicy Lucy Burger: A Twin Cities Adventure

There's nothing like a good – no, GREAT – burger.

And nothing beats a cheeseburger stuffed with delicious, gooey cheesy texture nestled in a juicy hamburger patty sandwiched in a great bun.

And whether you call them “Juicy Lucy,” “Jucy Lucy,” “Blucy,” OR “Juicy Nookie,” these burgers are all flavorful, juicy, cheesy, and memorable. (Just don’t burn your lip on hot, oozing cheese…)

The origins of this stuffed burger are in dispute. Matt's Bar And The 5-8 Club They argued over Lucy's birthplace. They agreed that the birthplace was Minneapolis, but not much else.

But for us, it didn't matter. We were craving some good beef and cheese dishes and a culinary adventure in the Twin Cities.

So two friends and I set out one recent Saturday morning to find a name for our favorite “Lucy” from among four great Twin Cities names.

Unfortunately, I'm not going to name a favorite, because they are all different and unique. And the Lucys are not comparable.

But I will tell you what we thought of the Lucy's we had at each location.

3500 Cedar Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55407
(612) 722-7072

JUST LUCY

We waited in line for half an hour just to get a seat at this iconic southern Minnie bar and fast food restaurant.

It was definitely worth it.

With a strong dive bar vibe, Matt's makes all of its burgers and fries from a small grill right next to the bar. I watched the cook lay out a full grill of patties and drop in the fries.

I had a classic Jucy Lucy with fries. Soft, juicy and full of flavor (and American cheese), it was everything you could hope for in an iconic burger. Bar food nirvana.

Check this box off my kitchen to-do list.

492 Hamline Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55116
(651) 698-4347

CUTE LUCYS

We had to take our time, so the three of us ordered a trio of Lucy sliders called “Cutie Lucys” and a few sides, including “Leprachaun Legs,” breaded and fried green beans with ranch dressing. Yum.

The sliders were Lucy's minis stuffed with cheese, a twist on their traditional “Juicy Nookie Burger.” The sliders are about three bites each. Perfect if you're going to four restaurants. And an order of three would be a great main course with a side.

The “Cutie Lucys” and “Juicy Nookie” are just two of the Nook Stuffed Burger DealsThey have several, including the Juicy Nookies, named after former Minnesota Twins Hall of Famers. Paul Molitor And Joe Mauer as well as the Food Network host Guy Fieri who profiled The Nook years ago on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

They have four locations – we were at the Longfellow one.
3448 42nd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55406
(612) 315-2470

THE LONGFELLOW BLUCY

Third stop – The Blue Door Pub in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Here we ordered two Lucys – or “Blucys” as they are called here. “The classic” – American white cheese, pickle on the side – AND a “Longfellow” – with herbed goat cheese, garlic and blackberry sauce.

Both were excellent, but the Longfellow stands out for its “this shouldn’t work, but it totally does” nods. The goat cheese and blackberry sauce pair well together in the same way a Monte Cristo sandwich shouldn’t work, but it totally does.

Solid burgers. And the big basket of tots with lots of BBQ sauce was a perfect accompaniment.

They have four locations – we were at the Minneapolis one.
5800 Cedar Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55417-2648
(612) 823-5858

THE CLASSIC LUCY

Fourth stop and SURPRISE, we were full. But we stopped at the 5-8 Club and ordered a classic Juicy Lucy with Jojos.

Like the other places we visited, the burger was juicy, melty and tasty. I don't remember what cheese we had, but they offered American cheese, Amablu blue, Pepper-Jack or Swiss cheese.

The 5-8 offers several types of Lucys, including a Big Mac-style called “The Saucy Sally” as well as other varieties with peanut butter and jelly, bacon and onion, buffalo chicken and a burger with blue cheese and steak sauce.

Tasty, tasty, tasty. Now I know why 5-8 is royalty at Lucy's Court.

There were several other places we would have liked to visit. But after four hours, we were out of calories, not to mention room in our stomachs.

I recommend all four of these places, but not all on the same day.