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Gold Nugget Tavern & Grille
Categories: Restaurants American (New) Nightlife Bars Pubs American (New), Pubs [Edit]
14401 Excelsior BlvdMinnetonka, MN 55345
(952) 935-3600
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 11 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 1 am
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
32 reviews for Gold Nugget Tavern & Grille
Review Highlights
"Forgo the onion rings for the sweet potato fries."
(in 4 reviews)
"I was told they have amazing burgers."
(in 15 reviews)
"spacious, great beer selection, simple but good menu, clean..."
(in 3 reviews)
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32 reviews in English
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Review from Patrick R.
Minneapolis, MN
10/28/2011
Best burgers we've ever had, and we've had them everywhere (matts, 508, Vincent, Mannys, Lions Tap, etc.) Great atmosphere and service too!
Their burger of the week (new each and every week) is usually quite good. Great onion rings as well.
I'm really shocked they don't have a higher Yelp rating - strange. -
Review from Sarah E.
9/6/2011
GREATEST. SWEET POTATO FRIES EVER!!!
I'm not joking. I love sweet potato fries. My friend raved about the GN and they were amazing. Sweet dipping sauce too!
Turkey burger was very good on the pretzel roll. I would recommend to anyone in the Minneapolis area. -
Review from Chad G.
St Michael, MN
2/2/2012
Great food, relaxed atmosphere and service. Almost everything is made in-house.
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Review from Michelle L.
Minneapolis, MN
1/25/2012
So believe it or not....I'm not a huge burger fan, but Gold Nugget has made me a believer (well at least in theirs anyway). I got a delicious burger, sweet potato fries, and french onion soup. All really, really good! Wow, I love that soup! Also, had a bloody Mary (the spicy one) which was pretty good as well. Can't wait to go back again!
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Review from Victor M.
Saint Paul, MN
12/10/2011
The burgers were amazing.. They also have a large bar selection. I love the outdoor seating and the staff is great.. i would recommend
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Review from Rachel W.
7/17/2011 2 Check-ins Here
When we first walked into this place I was impressed. It's got a fun atmosphere to it and the bar area is very inviting. There's some TVs scattered around and It reminds me a little of a "mini" Champps.
On the menu there are lots of options for sandwiches, burger, salads, etc. but for some reason I was having trouble making up my mind on what to order. They have weekly burger specials and claim to never have any repeats (in 52 weeks). That tells me they really like to get creative. I was tempted to try their weekly special "black bean tostada" burger but ordered the "original gold nugget burger instead. For what seemed to be a signature item and a place that specializes in burgers I have to say I was disappointed. My bun was soggy (I like it crispy). I asked for cheese on it (and it came without any). You do get several options for sides and I went with the sweet potatoes fries which were good. My girlfriend felt the same about her burger and my husband said his walleye sandwich was just "ok".
Even though the food didn't meet my standards I like the ambiance here so I'd go back. It's worth stopping by if you're nearby. -
Review from Lucas A.
Eden Prairie, MN
11/9/2011
I love the atmosphere here. Casual, but a little more upscale. I'm also a big fan of the beer list. The food is good, although the menu is a tad limited. It's nice enough that I like taking out of town visitors here, but also casual enough to take my kids (5 & 4.) Overall a good experience.
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Review from Susan A.
Eden Prairie, MN
9/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
As a local gal I recall a time, long ago, when this restaurant was a destination hole in the wall, gem. While it's structure is nearly brand new and decor could stand on it's own against many other eateries...the burger (classic Gold Nugget Burger) and fries I got the other day did not match that of burgers past. Burger (ordered Medium Rare) was overdone, tiny little chubby char broiled beef on a big 'ol bun...with the usual suspects; lettuce, onion and tomato) oh, and a pickle. I was so bummed. The fries (I witnessed many plates come by my corner booth that looked yummy!) that were along side my burger were clearly run through the frier twice as they did not even resemble those of my sister's on the plate in the waitress' other HAND! heLLO! For $10 I expected better or at least better that this.
I know someday someone will drag me back in there but I will not order a burger OR fries...hmmmm...this IS a burger place, right? :\ -
Review from Ashley Y.
Eden Prairie, MN
7/15/2011
Finally a nice place for burgers and beers and you don't feel bad about bringing the kids. I've only had their happy hour burgers but I haven't been disappointed. Service is usually pretty good but as previous posts have said, it can get busy.
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Review from Katie P.
Minneapolis, MN
3/6/2011
Went there on a Saturday night and waited about 30 minutes to be seated. That was expected as just last night they were on the news for best burger.
I was looking forward to trying the original burger because of what I saw on tv. Then I look to see that each extra topping costs extra, from .50 - 1.00 more. It can get expensive. I decided on a cheeseburger. It was very good but not worth the price.
We also got the golden nuggets - cheese filled hashbrowns. Definitely not worth it. It was $8 for 8 nuggets that weren't even that great.
I'd probably go back to try it again but next time I'll skip the appetizer.
Service was so-so but they were very busy. I'll wait til the buzz dies down a bit before going back. -
Review from Megan S.
Eden Prairie, MN
10/29/2011
They have a great GF menu and I love that they cook their fries separate so us GF'ers can have fries. Thanks GN. I will be back
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Review from Liz B.
San Francisco, CA
5/14/2010
I love Yelp because it's the only website I know where I can truly trash a restaurant and know that people will actually listen.
So, hear me out.
If you're like me, someone who is flexitarian, you'd hate this place. I was told they have amazing burgers. So I decided to go with a meatless burger, aka the southwest bean burger. Whoever decided to prepare a burger bigger than its bun totally shouldn't operate their own restaurant. I'm serious. My buns were so soggy, I couldn't eat it! Second of all, these types of restaurants are the reason why for the first time in YEARS, life expectancy for Americans today will be shorter than former generations. Say whaaaat? Yes. It really is in our diet guys, so I really do hope that restaurants like this need to rethink the way they serve food. Less is good... -
Review from Michael N.
Minneapolis, MN
5/15/2010 1 Check-in Here
Again, this is a hard one to rate because I was here for the Goose Island Beer Dinner. The experience I had there was probably deserving of 5 stars but I doubt their regular menu is as good so I knocked it down one to 4. The dinner started out with Grilled Vegetable Antipasto with Crostini, Herbed Chevre and Balsamic paired with 312. Second course was Pan-seared Halibut with Clementine Gremolata and Wilted Greens paired with Sofie. Main course was Grilled Lamb Rack with Chimmichurri and Olive Oil Crushed Potatoes paired with Matilda. The dessert was a Chocolate Stout Cake with Salted Caramel Ice Cream (from Izzy's) paired with my favorite, Bourbon County Stout.
The chef did an excellent job on the pairings and all the courses were cooked to perfection. -
Review from Charlie W.
Minneapolis, MN
8/5/2010
Really!
Do you all work there?
The original was different maybe the atmosphere or a seasoned griddle but since the remodel everything taste manufactured, especially the burger which is dry and mealy. -
Review from kyle t.
8/5/2009
I must admit I returned to the nugget a skeptic! We had eaten at the original nugget many a times and I loved it there. The burgers were great, fries very solid and I loved the fact it was not frills, wine or beer and a great little place to meet friends. When I saw the way they had dolled up the new Nugget I thought to myself "great another over the top yuppie-burb spot catering to the m-class". Well they may have that design but the atmosphere inside still seems to have a strong neighborhood feel and the food here was much better than I expected.
They have stayed with the traditional Burger motif and from my 1st experience they have done a very good job with it. I had the Black and Blue burger with caramelized onions and both cheddar and blue cheese. The flavours were perfect. The onions were very well done and had a nice sweet taste. Bun was good, burger was moist and tender and the combinations of the cheeses were perfect. I was not expecting much and was impressed to the last bite. I will say as well the fries were every bit as good as the burger. Very thin cut and crispy.
Another big nod goes for the tarter sauce which was very obviously made fresh, not a lot of places do that. My wife ordered the fish which could have been a little crispier on the outside. It was a little soggy but again the tarter sauce covered that over in my mind at least.
The service was very good. We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed a nice fall (August but feels like fall) night. Waiter was friendly and came around just the right number of times.
One last comment about the food - Home Made Pickles! These were very tasty. I always like a place that will take a time, save a jar and make pickles themselves. In my opinion it shows that you take pride in "Everything" on the plate, not just the main items.
I do miss the feel of the old nugget and love the dive burger joint that is almost extinct in suburbs these days but at least this place held on to the belief of a very good burger. I know I'll be back but probably not until I have tried more of the other great burger places that surround me.
KT -
Review from Scott J.
Eden Prairie, MN
6/12/2009 1 Check-in Here
Glen Lake is as cool a neighborhood as you'll find in the 'burbs and the new Gold Nugget is great...spacious, great beer selection, simple but good menu, clean, nice staff...all in all, a great addition given the chain restaurant in a strip mall options that dominate the suburban zip codes.
The old Gold Nugget, a dive bar with a grill staffed by long time characters, is a genre that is almost extinct and we are worse off for it. Remember the old Will Hop Inn not too far away? Those places are dying fast and the only ones left are either in small towns or neighborhoods in the city; the breed no longer exists in the suburbs.
If you live in the surrounding area, the Gold Nugget deserves a slice of your dining dollar. -
Review from Thomas D.
Eden Prairie, MN
5/27/2009
Mayonnaise. A good gauge for a restaurant's ingredient quality is how good is their mayonnaise. More on that in a minute.
The HOLE that was the Gold Nugget is now gone, and the new place only bears resemblance in the name, which the current owners purchased. The old place was dirty, the new place is clean. The old had no windows, and the new is lined with them. The old had "your-in-a-dive-bar" service, and the new has a full wait staff. The old had a 5 person bar and the new holds 20+. The old had disgusting indoor-outhouses, and the new has spacious contemporary restrooms. The old Nugget was a dive bar that sold cheap hamburgers. The new place is a restaurant with general dining area, huge bar area, huge patio area, and I think they even have a private rental room.
My wife and I have been to the new Gold Nugget 3 times already. That is indicative of how bad the southwest suburbs are in need of a restaurant that is casual and isn't a chain. The food was good all 3 times even if it is a little bit expensive (about $30.00 for 2 people having burgers and a beer). We all enjoyed the Gold Nugget original burger each time and I loaded mine with cheddar, thick cut bacon and slices of avocado (killer). I did order the Kobe burger once, but to be honest I didn't notice a significant upgrade so I would say skip it. But, do not skip the house salad which is a great add-on to split with another person. Fresh & crisp with good greens, tomato, and shredded cheddar. A very good bleu cheese to go with it, which I recommend on the side as opposed to having it tossed in it. The fries are the long shoestring type and very good.
Which brings me back to Mayonnaise. It is a condiment/ingredient that many times in restaurants gets skimped on. If the mayo is high-quality most of the time all of the rest of the ingredients are too. The new Nugget hasn't skimped. I enjoy mayo with my burger, AND my fries, which I realize isn't the flave for everyone. But, some of you out there know what I am talking about, and to those I say get your mayo with confidence that come-in-a-single-serving-packet, convenience store, petroleum based gelly will not arrive at the table.
In reference to the other review listed here I can say that the service is not stupendous. In fact it definitely needs work, and I would rate it slightly above mediocre, which is not good when you see how many people are working there. But, the place is very new, and is obviously working out some tweaks.
Overall I really like the new place. The food is good, and the prices & service are decent. The location is perfect for there is a severe dearth of decent food in the area. If you want to the tiny dive that it used to be head to The Nook in St Paul. Their burgers are absolutely amazing, and all you have to do is wait in a closet for an hour to get to sit at a table the size of a stamp to get one (aka it's "cozy"). If you want a casual walk in any time, sit down at a big table that is not 6-inches from the next guy, enjoy some quality eats, and not need to go to the Fridays Factory (ack!) then head to the new Gold Nugget -
Review from Andy G.
Minneapolis, MN
2/17/2010
Came here today with some coworkers for my birthday and it didn't disappoint. We all ordered burgers and every last one of us was very impressed. I ordered a wild rice burger topped with a portobello and white cheddar. The thing was a monster of a burger but it fit in my belly quite nicely. They also had a nice selection of beers on tap that I will extensively sample in an after work environment.
The prices seemed a bit steep to me at first but once the food hit the table it was justified. The fries and rings were top notch too.
If only this place wasn't in BFE..... -
Review from Keith B.
Eden Prairie, MN
Updated - 5/8/2010 3 Check-ins Here
So I made it back to the Nugget to try their food and have some more great tap beers. Upon entering I noticed 2 things; 1) This place was freaking packed!! I guess it was friday night. 2) All the tap beers I came hear to enoy were now gone!!! WTF???
The Nugget apparently pulled a deal with Great lake breweries out of Ohio to put 5 of their craft beers on tap. I have to admit i was pisssed, my previous experience with Great Lakes Beer were unflattering. Being the beer whore that I am, I decided to give them another try. After all I haven't had any of the five on tap. The IPA was pretty damn good, the Porter was robust and roasty and the Amber was a good low body finishing beer. Thumbs up, crisis averted!!
Now for the Food, Great Burgers!! I had the Juicy Lucy with a few finishing touches added (Bacon and a Fried egg of course!). Fries were awesome and the siracha (?) Mayo was bomb. Overall very happy with the burgers, service and ambiance. Price of the burgers was another matter! The Juicy lucy started at $11 without anything else on it. Cheese was another $1, Bacon $2 and The Fried Egg $2. $16 for a bad ass burger seems alot to me. Worth a try once i guess!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/5/2010
So far so good. After an extensive Internet search to find a bar with a decent tap selection close… Read more »
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Review from Ryan D.
Minneapolis, MN
1/3/2006
The finest burger in the twin cities in the absolute friendliest atmosphere in town. Sit down order a shell dark, have Chad or Al grab you a bacon cheeseburger with fried onions and an order of onion rings. Grin mischeviously knowing that you can now die having had the greatest burger of all time. This is the "Cheers" of burger joints, If you come enough they just might immortalize you with a picture on the wall.
Make sure to stick your business card on their bulletin board for all others to see....you came, you ate, you conquered. Get there soon; they are moving soon and I fear that the atmosphere will not be retained. -
Review from Jeffery G.
Minneapolis, MN
5/8/2011
I tried one of their famous burgers a week ago and when the waitress asked me pink or no pink I knew it was trouble! Any reputable hamburger joint knows how to cook a burger to temp! Medium, Mid-well and well, how hard is that? Well, for GN it's very hard! I went back again to try their house specialty Kobe burger, grilled rather than fried, and guess what, NO PINK in the first 2, then the 3rd try they make me a special pattie and they fry it on the flat top grill not the flame grill! It was cooked rare and the meat was still a bit red in the middle, but it had zero flavor! I ordered the Kobe beef so it was FLAMED grilled! Oh well, the fries were good and the service was great! Too bad the burgers are crap! Maybe if I ever go back, I'd try something else. If they can't even get a hamburger right what does that say about the rest of the food?
If I want a burger, pink or no pink, I'd go to Red Robin and have an average burger!
They did take my meal off the bill and they should have, but I may never stop back!
GN should stand for Good for Nothing, but this place sure has a good crowd so something is bringing them in! -
Review from DJ L.
Brooklyn, NY
2/4/2010
I had no idea what to expect when I got here, but somehow they were able to accommodate our party of 14 (which included two young children) right before a Vikings game came on. I kept hearing about how Minnesotans are really into their teams and how amazing they were doing. (So naturally I was disappointed to come all the way out there and watch them lose at home). But I digress...
They had a pretty good beer selection it looked like, and they served both short and tall glasses of what they had on tap. If you're like me and wanted to try something that you're only going to get in MN, apparently the Jalapeno Juicy Lucy is what you're going to order. I guess what is special is that the cheese is inside the patty. I don't quite know if it measured up to the hype, but their portions are decent and they have sound from the games piped into the bathrooms so you don't miss any of the game. Overall it was a pleasant dining experience despite the chaos and crowd. -
Review from Green Z.
Eden Prairie, MN
3/22/2011
Great place for a beer and a burger. Good selection of draft beers. Nice place to relax.
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Review from Amy D.
Hopkins, MN
4/27/2010
We dine here every few weeks as it's close by and is consistently good food. My hubby has ordered a variety of their burgers and is always pleased.
I honestly would keep coming just for the fries with truffle salt. Mmmmm.
The salmon is great, my personal fave. The tartar sauce which is divine makes the fish+chips another favorite. I just wish they did walleye instead of generic cod.
The kids menu is pretty predictable, I wish the had some things less sterotypical. It'd be great if they offered kid portion versions of other things on their menu, so the kids too could taste some more unique options. My boys would love smaller Juicy Lucy's! I digress...
Overall we are very happy to have TGN in our neighborhood, and will continue to frequent it as it's good food in a nice atmosphere that feels local and personal. The staff and service has always been good, even on really busy nights. -
Review from James S.
Eden Prairie, MN
1/5/2011
I never leave the Golden Nugget feeling regretful. I love their beer good selection, seasoned fries, different burgers, and sitting at the bar.
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Review from Colleen H.
Glen Lake, MN
2/14/2010
Burgers are great; but will never replace the original... The Walleye cakes used to be good when they first opened; not so good now...
Still miss the old dive, but I guess this will do..
:) -
Review from Ken H.
Minnetonka, MN
7/2/2010
Food and service were marginal at best. The old Gold Nuggets burgers and fries were way better. They seriously screwed up a Reuben during a recent visit.
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Review from Lady D.
Tallahassee, FL
6/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
First, there was no veggie burger but we talked to the manager to bring it back. However, the whole dining experience was great. This is an upscale sport burger bar with cloth napkins and real plates. Everything is made fresh and on the premises. They have a different burger special every week. I had a burger on a pretzel roll with cheese. Hubby had a black and bleu burger and ate every bit. The soup of the day was butternut squash and it was yummers. perfectly done. The appitizer of walleyed patties was heaven on a plate, served with spicy sauce similar to tarter but not. It also came with fresh spring greens. Even the kids plate sliders looked wonderful and the kid refused to share. Forgo the onion rings for the sweet potato fries. The flight of beers were a food way to make a drinking decision. Hubby only got the Minnesota beers. Our service was good, the company wonderful and my tummy full and happy! Too bady son missed out on the best burger place yet!
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Review from William M.
Minnetonka, MN
8/5/2010
The Gold Nugget is a great local restaurant and bar. It's a remake of an great old dive that was leveled during neighborhood development, so many folk lament the loss of the old place. But, the new Nugget has the same great burgers, legendary onion rings, and many other great menu choices. Great ambiance, outdoor seating, beer selection, music on weekends sometimes. Highly recommended!
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Review from McLain C.
Hennepin, MN
9/30/2009
Nice food, great new atmosphere, lots of beer taps. I like the turkey burger and the pulled pork sandwich.
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Review from PATRICK M.
Hennepin, MN
8/1/2009
I do miss the ambience of the old Nugget, yes I agree with the other reviewers that its cleaner and has more space "but" since I and 2 close friends of mine had been patronizing the old Nugget often for over 20 years and when we heard of the closing we urged the ownership and staff to not take away the burger and fries character and quality, they had the best fries around at the old place and the burgers were top 3 in the area, so when we arrived to finally try the new burger and fries with very high anticipation we were to the person visibly upset, yes were over it but we have not been back for a second round, I do tell all the burger oficianados I know about this experiece and some had been there and agreed its not as good foodwise, just my opinion of course but why wreck a good burger and frie when you had some of the best.
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Review from Kelly B.
Minnetonka, MN
7/26/2010
Don't be fooled by the new location it's still basically mediocre bar food. Service is terrible!!! I only go back because there aren't many restaurants in the glen lake area.
