Shamrocks: St. Paul, MN

Shamrocks
995 w 7th street
St. Paul, MN 55102


Website: http://shamrocks.rfsportal.com/
Menu: http://www.shamrocks.rfsportal.com/index.cfm?optionid=14779


How Did I Find This Place? 
Found this little gem through my fabulous coworker Stephanie who is a St. Paul expert.  If you're looking to go to the Nook but just can't wait out the line since it has limited seating, skip on over to Shamrock's and have the same burgers by the same owners!

Shamrock's exterior

What Makes This Place Unique?  
Ted and Mike purchased a little hole in the wall dive bar called "The Nook" in 1997.  With some guidance, hard work and many supportive patrons the bar is now thriving.  So much so that they were even recognized on Food Network's show hosted by Guy Fieri, "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives".  In 2006 they decided to expand and open an additional restaurant with MUCH more room, Shamrocks.  

Shamrocks burger of the month board

Lobster tank claw machine where you can win your own...why not, right?

What's On The Menu?

The "Juicy Lucy" is a type of burger that was invented in the Twin Cities...by who is up to debate.  What they do is that take two beef patties and put a large chunk or multiple slices of cheese between them and cook to perfection.  Well, Shamrocks coined their own version of these burgers coined "Nookie Burgers" which takes on many different personalities and ethnic interpretations.

Shamrocks main dining room

Our Meal  
Our group had a little bit of everything over the course of our two trips:

Two Guys From St. Paul (Monthly Special): Burger stuffed with swiss and then topped with  thin sliced pastrami, swiss and cheddar.  Served with both fries and onions

Olive Burger: Served with a dollop of cream cheese and a olive tapinade on top

Asparagus Burger (Monthly Special): Havarti cheese, burger, asparagus, hollandaise sauce

Side salad, nice portion!

My Thoughts

I've had the opportunity to eat at the most well known places in the Twin Cities for Juicy Lucy's, Matt's Bar and the 5-8 Club, and for multiple reasons I prefer Shamrocks over all of them.  Here's why:

• Seating and Wait Time - Of any of the locations that I've been for a Juicy Lucy, the seating situation is the best, especially for large groups
• Variety - while the 5-8 has a larger selection than Matt's, Shamrocks takes the cake in their originality and variety of burgers and overall selection
• Fries- they are so fresh that I found myself eating those before I even got my burger both times!
• Atmosphere - while Matt's is priceless and everyone should go if you haven't been there, you have to be prepared to smell like Matt's the rest of the day since they cook the burgers and fries in the main dining room, REAL bar style

And why would l leave you with anything else but the following warning that came with the molten cheese filled burgers?