There's nothing like a good -- no, GREAT -- burger.

And nothing hits quite like a stuffed cheeseburger with ooey-gooey cheesy goodness tucked inside a juicy hamburger patty sandwiched in a great bun.

And whether you call it a "Juicy Lucy," "Jucy Lucy," "Blucy" OR a "Juicy Nookie," these burgers are all tasty, juicy, cheesy and memorable. (Just don't burn your lip on hot, oozing cheese...)

The origins of this stuffed burger are in dispute. Matt's Bar and The 5-8 Club have battled over where the Lucy was born. They agree the birthplace was Minneapolis, but not much else.

But for our purposes, it doesn't matter. We were craving beefy-cheesy goodness and a culinary adventure in the Twin Cities.

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So two friends and I set out one recent Saturday morning on a quest to name our favorite "Lucy" among four big hitters in the Twin Cities.

Sadly, I won't name a favorite because they're all different and unique. And Lucys are not an apples-to-apples comparison.

But I WILL tell you what we thought about the Lucys we had at each place.

 


 

MATT'S BAR

3500 Cedar Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55407
(612) 722-7072

 

(PHOTO: Tim Lyon)
(PHOTO: Tim Lyon)
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THE JUCY LUCY

 

We waited in line for a half hour just to get a booth at this iconic bar and short-order restaurant in south Minnie.

It was totally worth it.

With a strong dive-bar vibe, Matt's cranks out all its burgers and fries from a small grilltop right off the bar. I watched as the cook laid down a whole grill of patties and dropped fries.

I had a classic Jucy Lucy with fries. Gooey and juicy and full of flavor (and American cheese), it was everything you would hope for in an iconic burger. Bar food nirvana.

Check this box off on my culinary bucket list.

 


 

CASPER'S & RUNYON'S NOOK

492 Hamline Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55116
(651) 698-4347

 

(PHOTO: Tim Lyon)
(PHOTO: Tim Lyon)
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CUTIE LUCYS

 

We needed to pace ourselves so the three of us ordered a trio of Lucy sliders called "Cutie Lucys" and some sides, including "Leprachaun Legs" which are battered and deep-fried green beans with ranch. Yum.

The sliders were little Lucys filled with cheese, a novel take on their traditional "Juicy Nookie Burger." The mini-burgers are about three great bites each. Perfect if you're doing four restaurants. And an order of three would be a great main course with a side.

The "Cutie Lucys" and "Juicy Nookie" are just two of the stuffed burger offerings at The Nook. They have several -- including Juicy Nookies named for former Minnesota Twins Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and Joe Mauer as well as Food Network host Guy Fieri who profiled The Nook years ago on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."

 


 

THE BLUE DOOR PUB

They have four locations -- we were at the Longfellow location.
3448 42nd Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55406
(612) 315-2470

 

(PHOTO: Tim Lyon)
(PHOTO: Tim Lyon)
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THE LONGFELLOW BLUCY

 

Third stop -- The Blue Door Pub in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Here we ordered two Lucys -- or "Blucys" as they're called here. "The Classic" -- white American cheese, pickle on the side -- AND a "Longfellow" -- with herbed goat cheese, garlic and blackberry sauce.

Both were great -- but the Longfellow stands out for "shouldn't work, but it totally works" nods. The goat cheese and blackberry sauce play well together in the same way a Monte Cristo sandwich shouldn't work, but it totally does.

Solid burgers. And the big basket of tots with plenty of barbecue sauce was a perfect side.

 


 

THE 5-8 CLUB

They have four locations -- we were at the Minneapolis location.
5800 Cedar Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55417-2648
(612) 823-5858

 

attachment-5-8-Lucy
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THE CLASSIC LUCY

 

Fourth stop and SURPRISE, we were getting full. But we stopped at The 5-8 Club and ordered a Classic Juicy Lucy with Jojos.

Like the other places we visited, the burger was juicy, gooey and flavorful. I don't remember which cheese we got, but they offered American, Amablu bleu, Pepper-Jack or Swiss.

The 5-8 offers several types of Lucys including a Big Mac type called "The Saucy Sally" as well as other varieties with peanut butter and jelly, bacon and onion, buffalo chicken and a bleu cheese and steak sauce burger.

Tasty, tasty, tasty. I now know why The 5-8 is royalty in the Court of Lucy.

 


 

FINALLY...

 

There are several other places we'd like to have visited. But after four, we were out of calories, not to mention room in our bellies.

I recommend all four of these places -- just not all the same day.

 

 

LOOK: 20 American foods that raise eyebrows outside of the US

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Gallery Credit: Charlotte Barnett

 

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