Last week it was national cheese curd day, which is not a day I was prepared to miss.

You can see proof of my cheese curd obsession here.

I was super confused when I asked boyfriend where there were good cheese curds to try close to us in the East Metro and he suggested we go to 5-8 Tavern and Grill…Yes, it’s official, I was [last Thursday] years old when I discovered that 5-8 had more than just the Minneapolis location… (they actually have FOUR locations 🤦  ).

**Spoiler Alert: the cheese curds were amazing and I will definitely be visiting the 5-8 Maplewood location again!

Food:

Every Minnesotan knows about the Juicy/Jucy Lucy burger battle between 5-8 and Matt’s Bar. If you’re somehow NOT familiar with the source of the Lucy controversy, see below:

The Juicy Lucy, or Juicy Lucy burger, is Minneapolis’ contribution to world cuisine. It’s a cheeseburger with the cheese inside the meat, such that the cheese melts to a molten core when cooked. It is served with a warning against scalding yourself with liquid cheese.

The Juicy Lucy burger was invented in a south Minneapolis bar sometime in the 1950s, and depending on who you talk to, that was either the 5-8 Club, where they serve the “Juicy Lucy”, or Matt’s Bar, where they make the “Jucy Lucy”, and let customers know that “if it’s spelled correctly, you’re at the wrong place”. – Clara James

I’ve had my fair share of Lucy’s and I have to say that the 5-8 one is absolutely fantastic.

Cheese Curds: Wisconsin white cheddar served with a side of marinara

Anytime you see the menu reference Wisconsin cheese you can just go ahead and know that you’re in for a treat. These were no exception. They also serve theirs with marinara which boyfriend was pretty excited about. I’m usually a ketchup or ranch girl, but you can’t go wrong with a good marinara.

Onion Straws

Boyfriend insisted we had to get the onion straws, because he supposedly used to be a Monday evening regular at 5-8 and get them every week. They come in a huge serving so be prepared to take home leftovers (hopefully you have an air fryer!)

Halloween Feature: Monster Lucy

Yes, I am a child and did spend the extra $1 for the “Halloween Special” Juicy Lucy which is nothing more than a Juicy Lucy with a food monster face. Zero regrets. It put a giant smile on both of our faces and I’d so do it again. So freaking cute!

Juicy Lucy: stuffed cheese burger. USDA ground chuck on a bakery fresh bun

The Monster Lucy is basically The Classic Juicy Lucy with American cheese. The original is actually my favorite, but they have a variety of award winning Lucy’s available!

SEE THE MENU

Drinks:

Titos + Soda

Per usual I stuck to my classic, but they have a pretty good wine and beer list as well!

Service/Atmosphere:

5-8 Bar is what we’d lovingly call a Dive and like every good Minnesota dive they have a very loyal, local clientele. We were both starving so we went to dinner right at 5pm, but by the time we finished dinner we didn’t see any open tables.

They are of course distancing, which limits their capacity, but it was also nice to see these “Sanitized By” cards as a guest. When you walk in they have you give your name and phone number and take a pump of hand sanitizer before they walk you, masked, to your table.

Our server was great and the food all came out timely and delicious.

5 Stars.

5-8 Tavern and Grill
2289 Minnehaha Ave E.
Maplewood, MN 55119
Sunday – Thursday: 12PM – 8PM
Friday – Saturday: 12PM – 9PM