This Restaurant Is The Most Fascinating In Minnesota, Food Site Says

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Diners who want both good food and a restaurant that tells a story should head to Matt’s Bar in Minneapolis, according to a food site’s inventory of “The Most Fascinating Restaurant In Every State.”

Food Love, whose content includes recipes, food news, and opinion pieces, ranked the selections. Some states had more than one restaurant in the ranking. Illinois had three, and Arizona, California, Connecticut, Maine and New York each had two on the list.

Matt's Bar ranked No. 39 among the 58 restaurants on the list. Editors said:

“This Minneapolis bar, established in 1954, is famous for being the home of the Jucy Lucy – a burger patty stuffed with cheese that was created at a local customer's request. On biting into it, the customer proclaimed, 'that's one juicy Lucy,' and the rest is history (complete with unintentional spelling mistake). There are now many places to get this burger in town, but this retro spot is largely regarded as the original and best.”

In 2014, President Barack Obama stopped by the no-frills eatery for a bite of the local classic and left declaring it "quite tasty."

The selections were based on user reviews, awards and accolades, and first-hand experience by members of the Food Love team.

“There are countless restaurants in America that tell a story – whether it's because they were beloved by presidents or film stars, because they reflect the state’s own fascinating history, or because they were the birthplace of a dish that went on to become iconic,” Food Love wrote.

Tennessee’s Prince’s Hot Chicken in Nashville topped the ranking. As the story goes, its spicy fried chicken “was invented after Thornton Prince’s scorned lover tried to take revenge on him by adding a significant amount of chili and spice to his favorite fried chicken,” the site said. “Far from hating it, he loved it – and he spent his time perfecting the recipe before opening his own restaurant.”

Rounding out the top five were:

No. 2 Gianni’s at the Villa, in Miami, Florida, housed in the mansion where fashion designer Gianni Versace lived – and died;

No. 3 Katz’s Delicatessen in New York City, founded in 1888 and featured in films and television shows, including the famous Meg Ryan scene in “When Harry Met Sally”;

No. 4 Golden Steer Steakhouse in Las Vegas, Nevada, whose famous diners have included Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio and Natalie Wood; and

No. 5 The Griswold Inn In Essex, Connecticut, built in 1776 to house shipyard workers who worked on the first warship for the American Revolution and steeped in local and national history since.