Minneapolis burger culture runs on two tracks at once: the Cedar Avenue rivalry that invented the stuffed cheeseburger and a wave of neighborhood bars and chef-driven rooms building their own version around it. This list covers both, from the original Juicy Lucy counters to the vegan patty giving them competition.
№ 01
Red Cow 50th & France
$$
3624 W 50th St, Minneapolis, MN 55410 · +16127674411
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The Mediterranean bowl, built on fresh mint and dill, pulls as much attention here as the burger does, and that split menu is the point: groups land at this Minneapolis room because it seats seven without a fuss and moves fast enough for a pre-movie dinner. The burger itself stays the reliable order for anyone not sold on the bowl.
What to orderburger, Mediterranean bowl, fries
№ 02
Francis Burger Joint
$$
2422 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418 · +16122086870
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The vegan Juicy Lucy is the reason to know this Minneapolis spot's name: a stuffed patty built without meat that reportedly wins over people who came in skeptical. The standard burger and fries hold their own too, and the room works as a rare split-the-difference stop for a vegan and a non-vegan eating at the same table.
What to ordervegan juicy Lucy, burger, fries
№ 03
Maxwell's American Pub
$$
1201 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55415 · +16123547085
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This is a neighborhood bar first, a burger stop second, the kind of place regulars treat as a standing weeknight habit. Pub fries and wings round out a menu built for happy hour, and the room holds a crowd on a weeknight without losing the quiet, easy pace that keeps people coming back after work.
What to orderburgers, pub fries, wings
№ 04
The Patty Wagon
$$
6042 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55419 · +16128615500
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Parking is tight next to the sports bar it shares a lot with, so street parking is the better bet at this Minneapolis counter. The turkey burger sits alongside the standard burger as a real second option, though the experience reads as uneven: some orders land well, others leave diners cautious about a repeat visit.
What to orderburger, turkey burger, fries
№ 05
Hamburguesas El Gordo #1
$$
4157 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407 · +16127221087
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In Powderhorn, this counter runs until midnight on weekend nights, which makes it a real late option in a neighborhood short on them. The loaded fries and tacos draw as much praise as the hamburguesa itself. The churro line has been known to run long, so factor that in if dessert is the plan.
What to orderhamburguesa, tacos, loaded fries
№ 06
Dusty's Bar
$
1319 Marshall St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413 · +16123789831
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Live music and a full bar built around Polish food set this Minneapolis dive apart from a standard burger stop. The Dago sandwich, served with a scoop of potato salad, is the dish regulars order alongside the burger, though it lands as solid rather than standout. Bar prices stay reasonable, and the staff keeps the room moving.
What to orderburger, Dago sandwich, potato salad
№ 07
Tom's Watch Bar
$$
609 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403 · +16124306113
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Screens run everywhere here, patio included, which is the entire pitch for a downtown Minneapolis room built around Twins and Timberwolves games and located close to Target Center. Chicken nachos and wings are the shared plates that work best for a group watching from the patio, with burgers as the solid fallback order.
What to orderchicken nachos, wings, burgers
3500 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55407 · +16127227072
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This is the dive bar where the Jucy Lucy started, spelled Matt's own way, and the order is still just the burger with onions or without. There is no expanding the menu around it: this Minneapolis counter keeps the format tight, and a food truck version now travels to festivals for people who cannot make the original room.
What to orderJuicy Lucy, cheeseburger, burger with onions
№ 09
Red Cow North Loop
$$
208 N 1st Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401 · +16122380050
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Milkshakes and a shaded patio make this North Loop room in Minneapolis a stronger weekend brunch stop than its sibling location, with reservations running through OpenTable for the sizable dining room and bar. The burger and fries stay the anchor order, and service recovery after a seating delay has reportedly included a round of free appetizers.
What to orderburgers, fries, milkshakes
5800 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis, MN, 55417 · +16128235858
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The other half of Minneapolis's stuffed cheeseburger rivalry, spelled the 5-8 Club's own way, with a filling that runs cheesier and gooier than its Cedar Avenue rival by most accounts. The Classic Burger and fries round out the menu, but the Juicy Lucy is the entire reason this room gets cross-town comparisons and repeat pilgrimages.
What to orderJuicy Lucy, Classic Burger, Fries
Longfellow $$
3448 42nd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55406 · +16123152470
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The Blucy, this Minneapolis pub's own stuffed-burger variant, anchors a Longfellow room built for families early and dates later in the night. Boneless wings are the solid secondary order, and longtime regulars treat this location specifically, not just the brand, as their standing favorite in the neighborhood.
What to orderBlucy, boneless wings, burger
№ 12
The Lowbrow
$$
4244 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55409 · +16122080720
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Grass-fed beef is the base of the house burger here, served on a gluten-free bun by default, and the vegetarian option gets called out by name as one of the better meat-free burgers in a Minneapolis dive bar. Regulars return with different orders each time and report consistent results across visits.
What to orderThe Lowbrow, grass fed beef burger, vegetarian burger
Frequently asked
What is the best burger near me in Minneapolis?
It depends on the neighborhood. Powderhorn, Longfellow, the North Loop and the Cedar Avenue corridor each have a strong option on this list, and every pick here is ranked by its Insider Score, which reflects the review record, not any payment. No restaurant pays to be listed.
What is a Juicy Lucy and where did it start?
It is a cheeseburger with the cheese sealed inside the patty instead of on top, invented on Cedar Avenue in south Minneapolis in the 1950s. Matt's Bar spells it Jucy Lucy and the 5-8 Club spells it Juicy Lucy, and both bars still dispute the origin. This guide takes no side and lists both.
Are there vegan or vegetarian burger options on this list?
Yes. Francis Burger Joint's vegan Juicy Lucy is built to match the stuffed-cheese format without meat, and The Lowbrow keeps a standing vegetarian burger alongside its grass-fed beef version. Both get called out specifically in customer feedback, not just offered as an afterthought.
Which of these spots are good for groups or before a game?
Tom's Watch Bar is built for pregaming near Target Center with screens on the patio, Maxwell's American Pub works for a weeknight happy hour, and Red Cow's two locations both handle larger groups well. Each restaurant's Insider Score reflects its actual review record, and no placement here is paid.
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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.
