Searching for Minnesota's Best Jucy Lucy

There is one thing that I can easily recommend to anyone who has chosen to begin their own Jucy Lucy search. If you're attempting to try more than one Jucy each week, give yourself a night off in between.

Unfortunately, I hadn't been warned prior to my trip to Matt's Bar in south Minneapolis last night. I figured my best bet to determine the difference (and a preference) between Matt's and 5-8 would result in trying the two as closely together as possible. Matt's has an advantage due to its underrated and vibrant surrounding neighborhood. With a local farmer's market, charming locally owned shops, and a budget movie theater, the Nokomis neighborhood offers many options for a full evening of fun - beyond just the Jucy Lucys.

Fortunately for myself and my co-reviewer, we were able to determine a clear favorite. We have yet to shed any further light on the true originator of the Jucy. Matt's has one thing that the 5-8 is lacking - atmosphere. It appears to be a hole-in-the-wall from the outside, but has a certain character and charm when the patron enters the basement restaurant. Also - it's impossible to complain about the price.

While Matt's also offers the traditional option and little else in the way of the Jucy Lucy, the homemade "whiz" has some sort of special ingredient that has an apparently addictive ingredient. It appears, from my co-searcher "Jfood's" review of Matt's that I may have missed out by forgoing the fried onions option.

In my amateur opinion, Matt's beats the 5-8 by a landslide.

Check back next week when I'll be comparing two SE metro restaurants, Lucky's 13 Pub in Mendota and Newt's Bar in Rochester.