Here at The John Schuster Group, our forte is real estate, but today we’re coming to you with hard-hitting journalism; we wanted to answer one of the toughest questions for a Minnesotan to answer: Who has the best Juicy Lucy Burger? For those of you who live on Mars, a Juicy Lucy is a cheeseburger with a gooey pocket of cheese inside the meat—a culinary masterpiece! 

We sent some of the best hamburger eaters on our team to try to get to the bottom of this quandary: Tim Lehman, Sterling Donely, Tim Sabin, and myself (John Schuster). Our first stop was Matt’s Bar, founded in 1954 and located on the 35000 block of Cedar Avenue South in Minneapolis. At 1:01 in the video above, you can watch our first taste test in progress. Quick note: You have to be careful taking your first bite of a Juicy Lucy, as the cheese inside turns into molten lava!

“Ultimately, we had to ask ourselves one critical question: Is the burger as juicy as it is Lucy?”

After chowing down on the burgers from Matt’s Bar, we drove 23 blocks south to the 5-8 Club, located right on the south side of Lake Nokomis, to try their version of the Juicy Lucy. All taste testers were asked to evaluate the Juicy Lucy burgers on four specific points: 

  • The beef. This includes the taste, freshness, and fat-to-meat ratio 
  • The meat-to-bun ratio 
  • The doneness—not too overdone but not raw
  • Inside cheese. Did the cheese that defines a Juicy Lucy survive the grill? 

Ultimately, we had to ask ourselves one critical question: Is the burger as juicy as it is Lucy? When the time came for The John Schuster Group taste testers to cast their votes, it was clear the Juicy Lucy question wouldn’t be easily answered by mortal men; alas, we had a draw! Two votes for Matt’s Bar, two for 5-8 Club. At 2:06, you can hear each taste tester’s reasoning behind their choice. 

Though we couldn’t resolve this long-standing controversy, the bottom line is that you need to get out there and try the Juicy Lucy at both of these beloved establishments! If you live in the Twin Cities area,—heck, even if you just have a two-hour layover at MSP airport—make the journey for these iconic burgers. We promise your tastebuds will thank you! 

Matt’s Bar and Grill
612-722-7072
3500 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407
http://www.mattsbar.com/


5-8 Club
612-823-5858
5800 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55417
https://www.5-8club.com/

For all of your non-hamburger needs (i.e., real estate needs), reach out to us via phone or email, or explore our website further. We always look forward to hearing from you, and we’re ready to help!