Jucy Lucy Minneapolis Staple

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Jucy Lucy! And, two eating places claim to be originators of the Jucy Lucy Minneapolis Staple. Specifically, one of them is a bar, with just a grill in one corner behind the bar. But the other is a full restaurant. At any rate, menus from both restaurants are in this post.

Jucy Lucy Minneapolis Staple
Here’s the picture. Should have taken a picture of the actual burger!

Jucy Lucy Minneapolis Staple

Matt’s and the 5-8 Club began battling over who invented the Jucy Lucy back in the 1950s. Furthermore, here’s a link to the StarTribune article on the battle. Of course, each place built up it’s “fan base” over the years. And new fans appear every year. The Jucy Lucy is as Minnesotan as a hot dish. That’s casserole to non-Minnesotans!

Jucy Lucy
Matt’s Bar menu. Just the facts, ma’am!

While the 5-8 Club goes to a full-scale restaurant and offers variations on the original, But, Matt’s sticks to basics. Matt’s Bar often classifies as a “dive bar” and it looks like it! However, both places “live” on Cedar Avenue. Matt’s at 3500 and 5-8 Club at 5800. On another note, the Mall of America is located on Cedar as well. And the former Metropolitan Stadium was on Ceder prior to its demise and the building of the Mall of America. So, here’s a link to my first post about MOA. Oh, by the way, here is a link to Matt’s. (Sorry about the glare in the photos, still learning that part!

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Jucy Lucy competitors

Matt's Bar Jucy Lucy
Matt’s Street view

Matt’s Bar became a neighborhood bar before the Jucy Lucy controversy started. Consequently, the residents embrace Matt’s as their own. Basically, Matt’s may have a better story about how it originated the Jucy Lucy. To illustrate, It’s in the link to the StarTribune above. But nobody really knows for sure anymore. To paraphrase, early on, when Matt’s first made the burger, a customer bit into it and said “that’s one Jucy Lucy”!

5-8 Club
5-8 Club front door

The 5-8 Club began life as a speakeasy in 1928. When it was opened, the 5-8 club was known as the 58th Street Club. And it was out in “the country” near the airport (MSP) then known as Wold-Chamberlain Field. It’s also near Lake Nokomis. (More on Minneapolis lakes in later posts.) And, here is the link to the 5-8 Club.

And an introductory post on Everything Twin Cities.

Classic Rock Recollection

This one should be easy for the Jucy Lucy!

“Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” by The Beatles

“Picture yourself in a boat on a river
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes

Cellophane flowers of yellow and green
Towering over your head
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
And she’s gone

Lucy in the sky with diamonds”

Written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Sue

    Love Matt’s. Reminds me of my Uncle’s “Tap Room” in 1940-50’s in St. Louis, a block from Sportsmen’s Park, home of the Cardinals at that time.

    1. Sue, thanks for reading my post. I always liked the Cardinals. Kind of my second favorite team after the Twins. Matt’s definitely has the old-time neighborhood bar feel to it.

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