I blame Adam Richman of Travel Channel’s Man v. Food. No. Seriously.
If not for his stop in Minneapolis one season, I never would have even known or thought to look up a restaurant known as the 5-8 Club. Now, being a vegetarian, this meat-heavy menu normally wouldn’t appeal to me at all. But unlike some restaurants, this one-time speakeasy can prepare all but their two signature burgers (the Juicy Lucy and the Saucy Sally) as a veggie burger. WIN!
Make sure if you plan to eat at the 5-8 Club, you plan ahead. Because it gets busy…and stays busy! This is not a bad thing, unless you are absolutely starving. Granted, while the wait we had wasn’t too bad, the place was packed. So, my aunt held the spot for snagging a table and my roommate, my cousin and I all ventured outside to the nearby park to relax before being called to sit down for dinner.
This place is known for their burgers. The Juicy Lucy being the prime one that is featured on Travel Channel’s Man v. Food and Food Wars. One other establishment that claims to have invented the burger is Matt’s Bar, which has an alternative spelling as well (Jucy Lucy). So…the battle began over whether this burger was born at the hands of the owners of the 5-8 Club or Matt’s Bar. But after simply watching an episode of Man v. Food, the burger at the 5-8 Club looked much better than Matt’s…plus it used proper spelling (always a plus with this journalism major!)…so…decision made.
We did have a couple try to persuade us to go to Matt’s instead. They claimed Matt’s had the better version of the Juicy Lucy…but we were set on the 5-8 Club. And I’m glad we stuck to our guns on this one.
After finally snagging a table in the bustling restaurant, we looked over the menus and made our decisions. I was getting the Mushroom Swiss Veggie Burger (no bun) with fries. My aunt got the California Burger with fries. My cousin, Natalie, got the Juicy Lucy with American cheese and fries. And my roommate…she got the Juicy Lucy with American cheese and onion rings.
So…what is a Juicy Lucy? After all that set-up, I suppose I should at least explain the signature dish. Well, it’s simple, really. The Juicy Lucy is a half-pound burger that is stuffed with cheese. That’s right, the burger is folded around the cheese. And at the 5-8 Club, you get your choice of either American, Swiss or Blue cheese for the center of your burger. The magic is when you cut the burger in half…which you’ll want to do to avoid scalding. You see, the burger is then grilled up, so that the meat is still juicy, but that the cheese that is inside melts down. When you cut it in half to cool it off, the cheese oozes out of the burger. It’s meaty, cheesy magic and people eat it up (literally!).
Most burgers at the 5-8 club are quarter pounders. However, the Juicy Lucy and the Saucy Sally are both half a pound. So…come with an appetite. They also don’t skimp on the sides. I had more fries than I knew what to do with, as did both my aunt and cousin. And my roommate…well…after eating her entire Juicy Lucy, she still tackled her fries and only left one behind. What a foodie trooper!!
But the whole purpose of my blog isn’t to showcase meat. I mean, I don’t even eat it. So, what about my meal?
The Mushroom Swiss Veggie Burger was a veggie burger patty, topped with sauteed mushrooms and melted swiss cheese. Basic. Simple. But still…bursting with flavor. The veggie burger is actually packed with real vegetables. It was nice to slice into the vegetarian patty and see the fresh ingredients that were part of it. And the cheese was melted to gooey perfection over a bed of perfectly seasoned and sauteed mushrooms.
The fries were AMAZING! Most people recommend this establishment’s Jojo Fries…but I’m not a fan of wedge fries, so I went with the standard ones and was very impressed. They weren’t over-salted. Seasoned, yes…but not overdone. And crisp on the outside with the perfect mash of potato on the inside. Yes…these people have been cooking up delicious food for decades and it shows with the quality of the food they put out. When people say the 5-8 Club has the best burgers in town, it’s probably true. I can at least say I enjoyed one of the best veggie burgers I have ever had the pleasure of eating. And my carnivorous dining partners all praised the burgers that they had.
If you are headed up to Minneapolis and want to try out an interesting, eclectic place with a fascinating history and fierce competition within its city…hit up the 5-8 Club. Even if you are a vegetarian like me, you still get an amazing burger at a great price. And the atmosphere and history just make the experience all the better. Best burgers in town? They have the awards on the wall to prove it, but I suggest going in and trying it for yourself. I got the vegetarian option and was blown away!
The Celiathlete 