Brisket in Minneapolis lives everywhere from white tablecloth dining rooms to takeout counters with no seating at all, and the smoke ring does not care which one it is. This list runs the actual range: a North Loop special occasion room, a Japanese tableside grill working a different cut entirely, and the neighborhood BBQ counters that have fed the same regulars for decades.
№ 01
Butcher & The Boar
901 N 3rd St, Ste 195, Minneapolis, MN 55401 · +1612-886-1769
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The beef long rib is the draw at this North Loop dining room, served alongside cheddarwurst and sour cream and chive mashed potatoes on a menu built for business dinners and celebrations. It is not a brisket specialist, but the smoked and grilled meat program runs deep enough to anchor a special occasion table, and the kitchen's range across courses is part of the pitch.
What to orderBeef Long Rib, Cheddarwurst, Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes
№ 02
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
$$$
3025 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408 · +16122249888
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Tableside grilling is the whole format here, with yakitori, beef short ribs, and seafood skewers cooked over the table rather than pulled from a smoker. The lunch special, two grilled items with rice, miso soup, and salad, is the value entry point. Groups fill the room on busy nights, and the format rewards ordering wide rather than deep.
What to orderyakitori, beef short ribs, seafood skewers
№ 03
Ted Cooks 19th Hole BBQ
$$
2814 E 38th St, Minneapolis, MN 55406 · +16127212023
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A takeout only counter with no seating and no beer, Ted Cook's has held its neighborhood for something like three decades on brisket, ribs, and pulled pork. There is no dining room polish to speak of. The standing has been earned on consistency over the long run rather than on any recent reinvention, and the regulars keep coming back for it.
What to orderbrisket, ribs, pulled pork
№ 04
Scott Ja-Mama's
$
3 W Diamond Lake Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55419 · +16128234450
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The pulled pork sandwich paired with a twice baked potato is the order regulars have kept for over a decade at this counter, which runs mostly as takeout. Ribs and beans hold up well; the coleslaw and the roll draw more mixed reactions. It is small and plain by design, and the brisket crowd treats it as a fixture rather than a discovery.
What to orderpulled pork sandwich, ribs, twice baked potato
№ 05
Wings & Seafood To Go
$
3404 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408 · +16128258682
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Wings are the headline, but the fried catfish and chicken egg rolls pull their weight too at this small, family-run takeout spot. The walleye plate with two sides gets repeat orders. It is built for carrying food home or to a gathering rather than eating in, and the pricing stays reasonable across a menu that covers more ground than its name suggests.
What to orderchicken wings, fried catfish, chicken egg rolls
№ 06
The Fabled Rooster
520 N 4th St, Fl 1, Graze Provisions + Libations, Minneapolis, MN 55401 · +16124704820
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Located inside the Graze food hall in the North Loop, this counter orders on screen and moves fast, which suits its lunch crowd. Brisket, pulled pork, and ribs are the range, and the results split opinion: some find it a reliable stop for barbecue in the food hall format, others find the meat dry and the sides under seasoned.
What to orderbrisket, pulled pork, ribs
Frequently asked
What is the best brisket in Minneapolis right now?
Based on the Insider Score, the strongest overall showing on this list is Butcher & The Boar, though its beef long rib is not a straight brisket play. Among the dedicated barbecue counters, the score gap between Ted Cook's and Scott Ja-Mama's is close enough that either is a fair pick depending on whether you want ribs or pulled pork as the centerpiece.
Where can I find good barbecue near me in Minneapolis without a long wait?
The counter service spots, Ted Cook's 19th Hole BBQ, Scott Ja-Mama's, and The Fabled Rooster inside the Graze food hall, are built for quick takeout with minimal wait. None of them offer a sit down dining room, so plan to eat elsewhere or at home.
Is this list ranked by paid placement?
No restaurant pays to be listed here or elsewhere on this site. Every entry is ranked using the Insider Score, which reflects the independent review record for each restaurant.
Is Gyu-Kaku actually a barbecue restaurant?
Not in the smoked brisket sense. It is Japanese style tableside grilling, where diners cook short ribs, yakitori, and seafood skewers themselves over a tabletop grill. It is included here because it is a legitimate grilled meat destination in Minneapolis, not a smokehouse.
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The data first, then the verdict
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Hodan Abdi
Staff Writer · Top of Minneapolis
Hodan Abdi is a Staff Writer at Top of Minneapolis. Raised in Cedar-Riverside two floors above the Somali mall her aunt worked in, she now lives in Eagan and covers the whole metro ring. She writes the guides, sweeps the suburbs, and covers the Somali and East African tables as the beat she knows best.
