The Basics
Cuisine: American
Ambiance: Neighborhood Pub
Address: 16 S 6th St, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Neighborhood: Downtown
Phone: 612.333.6612
Web Site: http://lyonspub.com/
Must Taste (Dinner):
- Dinner: Plymouth Burger – burger with Swiss cheese, American cheese, and grilled onions on marbled rye with hand cut fries.
- Drink: Choose from the pub’s nice beer list.
Best For: Group Outing (with friends or co-workers)
What to Wear: casual
Fave Points: Interesting burger concoctions – they aren’t too over the top, but they’re a step ahead of the typical options (hamburger or bacon cheeseburger?) even just in the bread/bun options.
My Fave Dish: My fave dish was the Plymouth burger (or do I like the Wells Fargo better…hmm). I’m a bit traditional at times and was worried I wouldn’t like how the burger was served on marbled rye bread instead of a typical burger-bun, but I absolutely loved the marbled rye substitution.
Menu pricing and availability subject to change.
My Dish
I was in Minneapolis for work and went out with a group of co-workers to grab a relaxed dinner at self-proclaimed “neighborhood pub” Lyon’s Pub after flying into town on a Wednesday.
Normally, when I’m traveling, I try to hit up restaurants featuring a city’s specialties, so while I was looking forward to hanging out with my co-workers, I wasn’t expecting more than bar food at the restaurant, but I’d be happily surprised by the pub’s burger list.
The inside of the pub really did have a friendly neighborhood-like feel with lots of rustic wood and a relaxed ambiance. It was May and pretty hot, but the front windows were wide open, so the temperature was a bit warm inside the restaurant. I did kinda of like the open-air feel, which reminded me a bit of how they’ll swing the windows open at restaurants in Charleston, SC (where it gets quite hot and muggy).
I was expecting to order my usual bar fare – some sort of burger. What I wasn’t expecting was the most-awesome list of creative burger concoctions, which had more than just the usual bacon cheeseburger. The burger combinations weren’t all that unusual but small changes, like rye buns instead of traditional white buns, were nice to see. I had a hard time narrowing down and selection and lucked out that the lady across from me said she’d split her burger with me if I split mine. Done and done. I love sampling as many flavors as possible, so this seemed like a win-win.
I’m a pretty healthy eater on most days and find getting my veggies in while I’m traveling for work to be a bit of a challenge. To get at least a serving or two, I started my dinner with a side salad, which was HUGE. Lots of iceberg lettuce, cucumber, tomato, shredded carrot, and plenty of croutons. I had ranch dressing on the side.
I also managed to get an onion ring and 1/2 cheese stick the group was sharing for appetizers. They were nice and crispy.
I ordered the Plymouth – a burger with Swiss cheese, American cheese, and grilled onions on marbled rye with hand cut fries.
I traded half of my Plymouth for half of a co-worker’s Wells Fargo burger, which had swiss cheese and bacon on a rye bun.
Both burgers were awesome! I was happily surprised at the burgers and really enjoyed both. I was so glad my co-worker wanted to trade sandwiches because I was torn between ordering the two and got to taste them both this way! I’m still not sure which one I liked better.
Final Dish
While there are many fancy options for eats in downtown Minneapolis, check out Lyon’s Pub if you’re looking for a casual dinner in a friendly bar environment. They have an open interior and nice beer selection. I imagine the place can get pretty busy and loud on the weekends, but it is a pub, afterall. We were there on a weeknight and the place was nice and laid back with what appeared to be a handful of regulars.
The waiter we had was quite personable and friendly and helped answer all our questions. Definitely try one of their interesting burger creations for a different kind of burger dinner – maybe the Plymouth? If you’re looking for a MN-themed eat, try the Beer Cheese Soup with Popcorn topping. I didn’t get it but wanted to try it. Maybe next time?