Matt's Bar & Grill has operated as a neighborhood burger spot in Powderhorn Park since 1954. According to founder Matt Bristol, the Jucy Lucy was born here when a customer's request for two patties with cheese pressed inside produced a molten first bite and the exclamation that gave the burger its (deliberately misspelled) name. Matt's has held onto that origin story since, including the running line that any correctly-spelled "Juicy Lucy" elsewhere is a copy.
The menu centers on that burger: a plain-looking patty hiding melted cheese at its core, typically served with fries and a Grain Belt. The room is a small, no-frills bar with booths, drawing a mix of longtime regulars and visitors chasing the legend — a combination that's produced a genuinely split reputation, with locals defending it as an institution and some newcomers finding the burger underwhelming against the hype.
Matt's has appeared on Travel Channel's Man v. Food and Food Wars, and has drawn national press coverage over the decades, including in The New York Times. It's also included in Eater's list of Minneapolis essentials.
The menu centers on that burger: a plain-looking patty hiding melted cheese at its core, typically served with fries and a Grain Belt. The room is a small, no-frills bar with booths, drawing a mix of longtime regulars and visitors chasing the legend — a combination that's produced a genuinely split reputation, with locals defending it as an institution and some newcomers finding the burger underwhelming against the hype.
Matt's has appeared on Travel Channel's Man v. Food and Food Wars, and has drawn national press coverage over the decades, including in The New York Times. It's also included in Eater's list of Minneapolis essentials.