JL Beers

This place has great burgers. Awesome beer selection too. Got try the jalapeño fries! Don’t forget to send a postcard from there!!!

I love this place and many things about it. I’ve driven by this place countless times, judging it to be a divey, possibly dirty place, from the signage in the front. But one lucky day, I won a $ 5 gift certificate from a holiday party in the area, and the rest is history. JL Beers is pretty small, cozy and surprisingly clean with tables large enough to accommodate parties of 4 or less. The menu is simple — with offerings of burgers, fries, chips, beer, ice cream, and that’s it. The prices are quite reasonable, running around $ 5-​$ 7 per burger depending on how many toppings you want.
Each burger is cooked to order. I’ve tried a few, and I’ve liked them all, but my particular favorites include the Classic, the great American, and the Slawesome. I don’t really care for their bacon — it’s thicker cut, but limp and not crispy. I am in love with their cheese sauce — which they arrogantly (or honestly?) dub the «Best Beer Cheese Dip Ever.» I also love their loaded fries which is a lavish salt fest with seasoned (aka heavily salted) fries, salty spicy bits of jalapeño, little bacon crumbs, and the cheese sauce. If you love salt, you will love this. I also like their wide selection of beers on tap, which they rotate very regularly and provide long descriptions for, on their beer menu. The service has also been consistently excellent. BTW — they don’t charge for tap water :)

We were so excited to have a new place here in Burnsville that wasn’t a chain restaurant. We both were underwhelmed. My husband loved the beer and that was about it. We both had the classic burger and an order of fries. More bun than burger and the burger was dry and tasteless except for the overdose of peppercorn on it that I was still trying to get it out of my teeth hours later. We were going to share the fries, but there was hardly enough to share and the pieces were all small stubs. Don’t know if these issues were because we ate late (8:30pm) or just how things are. But I have to agree with another posting that if you’ve got «great burgers» in your name, you should be able to make one. On the other hand, the service was great.

This place is extremely small, and probably not a good place for a group of people, which is the mistake we made. We had six people and were put at a table that should have sat four (maybe five). However, we got lucky and were able to move to a bigger table that opened up. As for the food, I thoroughly enjoyed the burger and it was very inexpensive. Everyone I was with ate their entire burger. They do have a large selection of tap beer, however, a bunch of their taps were out. For a place that advertises a large beer selection, they should have beer ready to be tapped when one runs out.
Anyways, as for the servers… they were extremely nice and quick with getting us beer. They did mess up our order a couple of times, which became frustrating. We ordered the cajun and BBQ chips and got fries instead. When we told our server, she asked if we wanted chips instead, so we said yes. Then we waited probably 40 minutes for our chips and when we asked where they were, she said she didn’t realize we wanted them and hadn’t put the order in. We eventually got the chips, but not an apology and we had to pay for the fries. Regardless, I did enjoy the atmosphere and burgers.

Considering this place prides themselves on having a great beer selection, I was very disappointed. Quantity doesn’t necessarily mean quality. Also, the food is very mediocre and the atmosphere leaves something to be desired. If you want a good beer selection and worth while food just walk one block down University to New Bohemia.
This is also the only place in town that is very kid unfriendly. They are very vocal that even though kids are now allowed to enter (when they first opened no kids were allowed, even for dinner at 5pm on a Tuesday) they will not cater to them in any way shape or form. Every other restaurant in the neighborhood is very accommodating. Don’t waste your time.

The service here is great. Everyone is super attentive to your needs which I loved. We got to taste a few different beers after asking our bartender about them which was nice — they know their beer. I also got a burger — the Classic — which was great and also a fantastic price, around $ 5.

Well this place is a small Location seating 47 at a time. 40 taps of beer yum mines to taste and the stuff behind the bar does an excellent job serving the busy location
The burgers to me are some of the best I have tried anywhere. I enjoyed the first one so much I had to order a second to ensure quality of course ;). The chips and or fries are all Made in house and are so worth the calories
And the friendly staff will make sure you are fed and «watered» with the beverage of choice. Stop in and have a pint or 3 :)

THE BEST simple burger in the twin cities. And I have tried most of them all. Great service, fun bar!!! My friends who fly in for a visit have this as a must visit– a favorite.

Beer. Cheese. Sauce.
If you need anymore nouns to convince you go, then we can’t be friends I am sorry.
They serve Beer and… wait for it… Burgers. And fries. You pay extra for the cheese sauce.
The price is right at about 5-​ish a burger. I got the Rajun Cajun burger, my manbeard got the University Ave burger and no complains here. We shared a side of fries with… beer cheese sauce.
The fries were good but we were even complaining they were too narrow (shoestring style) because the fries are at this point just a vehicle for the cheese sauce. We ended up dipping our burgers in said sauce by the end of the meal. I am thinking of a porn pic starring this cheese sauce no lie.
They have a tvs I can see the manbeard and I coming here for games. The beer array is good. The service is good. All in all, not a bad place at all.

BURGERS AND BEERS !!
Yup the name says it all if you want a steak not your place. If you want a burger and a beer you made the right choice. Great selection of beers and the burgers are great. J.D. and Tara welcomed us newbies
I had the new jalapeño burger and fries, it was done perfectly and quickly. A a double heated press?
We did beer cards to a few friends, when you get them we will return.

The other night my boyfriend and I were craving some bar grub. Being close to the NE part of Minneapolis, we settled on JL Beers. We both heard different things about the food so we decided to create our own opinion on it. Inside the space is small, with an elongated bar with tons of stools and the other side a smaller row of booths and high top tables. We snagged a spot at the bar, where a friendly bartender attended to us.
Being a super inexperienced beer drinker, the bartender spent a good seven minutes trying to find the right beer. I ended up with the Big Wave, a light beer with fruity notes that danced on my pallet, a perfect match to my University Burger. The burger consisted of a juicy piece of meat smashed with cheese, bacon and multiple type of BBQ sauces. It came with a side of fresh French fries. My boyfriend ordered their Philly Cheesesteak burger with a hand made chips. He ate it so fast I couldn’t get a bite in myself! Either way, the food is good, the beer is good and the staff is good. What more could you want it a small burger/​bar joint?
Bottom line: Make JL Beers your go-​to for a quick, delicious burger and an array of beer selections.

The burgers here are delicious (my fave is the ragin Cajun) and they have worked out some kinks since opening a few months ago (free water, not forcing their quirkiness on customers who don’t want to wear a name tag).
I am a little worried about this place, though, given all the competition in the neighborhood. They have plenty of beers to choose from but sometimes I try one that is a bit flat (are they really getting enough business to go through that many kegs?). Be sure to sample before you go out on a limb!
I also wish they had invested in some higher quality furniture– all they have are those cheap silver barstools which are quite uncomfortable if you’re there to hang out for a while.

We stopped in to JL Beers for a late night bite to eat on our way out of town. We called before we left our friend’s place to make sure they were still serving food and they said the served food until 11. We were there 10 minutes later at 10:15 and when we got there we sat down at the bar.
The bartender asked us what we wanted to drink and we said we were ready to order too and he looked over to the cook and back at us and goes «grills are turned off». I responded by saying we had just called and were told they would serve food until 11. He shrugged his shoulders and said sorry in a real «I couldn’t care less what someone told you on the phone» kind of way and asked us what we wanted to drink again.
Needless to say we didn’t want anything to drink and we left. It’s one thing to falsely advertise your kitchen’s hours, but it’s another thing to be a total jerk. It was 10:15 on a Thursday. We could have gone to any other bar that serves food and I guarantee their kitchen would still be up and running. You couldn’t pay me to go back here.

I got a free burger card in the mail, so yesterday my boyfriend and I thought we would venture over and try it out. I didn’t know what to expect, and it wasn’t what I thought it would be. I thought it would be more similar to Red Cow, but instead my boyfriend compared it to 5 Guys (I have never been, but he did say he likes 5 Guys better).
The restaurant is much smaller than it looks like on the outside, and the burgers are made on one side of the bar. The staff hands out name tags and post cards that you can fill out and send for free when you get there. We tried to get into the experience, but unfortunately weren’t really feeling it at 2pm.
I ordered a burger and cajun chips. The burger was fine, but unfortunately about half of my chips were soggy instead of crispy (so unfortunate, as i love chips). My boyfriend said the same thing about his fries.
Prices were cheap, and as some people have mentioned, water is now free.

I met here for an online date and it was great!
I don’t like beer that much but I have vowed to try new things this year so we both ordered beer flights. The server here was amazing! She had a new trainee with her and they made our night. The server was so helpful, explained all the different flights of beers, which one I might prefer since I don’t like darks, etc. She was a true gem!
The flights are adorable when they come in the wood platter and many were truly delicious. $ 8 for five generous tastes which I thought was a great price!
We ordered burgers and some homemade chips and the burgers were great! I had a bacon cheeseburger which was cooked perfectly, bacon nice and crispy like I asked, and the perfect amount of BBQ sauce! Yes, believe it or not, I forgot to ask for my normal side of BBQ and I didn’t need it. My online date had the burger with the egg and he said it was also perfect, so much that he didn’t even use ketchup or anything on it. The Jalapeño chips were tasty as well. Next time I will get fries but regardless, the amount is perfect to share. The food is extremely reasonable and our entire bill was less than $ 30.
We sat and talked for hours, and I did not see many people so I am a little concerned as to if they will succeed or not… It was a Monday night so I know its slow but if you can, check this place out. Its a really great neighborhood place to hang out and get some good beer and grub!
P. S. I ordered water and it was delicious!!! Free too!

Much improved!
Okay, I said I wouldn’t do it… but I went back. I was invited (via Unilocal) by Julie (representing JL Beers). I thought this was a very brave thing to do since my previous review was so bad.
Here’s what happened on visit #3:
1) I got through the front door with my 13 year old daughter – a good start.
2) Tap water is now free (like everywhere else). I didn’t get a good explanation about this, something about installing filters to make sure it’s super duper extra great tap water.
3) They still handout name tags. I got around this by using my James Bond, super spy alias!
4) I opted out of the free silly green hats they were handing out for October Fest. I’d probably like them better if I was drunk.
5) The food was very good. The burgers were great. And the fries, chips, and custom dips were fantastico!
6) Most importantly, my daughter (who was previously denied entry and who previously said she hates them and who is pickier than I am) said she now really likes JL Beers. But she still hates Justin Bieber.
We’ll probably be back since we have business in this area every Saturday afternoon.
–Daddy Maxx Retro

My boyfriend raved about the burgers from here, so on one of our recent biking adventures, we decided to stop and give the actual restaurant a visit. The interior is nothing spectacular, but is interesting given the small strip of land they have (Also, the bathrooms are pretty cool). I read reviews on Unilocal while waiting for food and quickly became scared! So much anger towards this plastic water bottle policy. It was too late, though. I had already ordered myself a water and the waiter hadn’t said anything about me having to pay for it.
The kitchen area is open, allowing you to watch them make your burger in front of you. The portions aren’t huge, but good enough for me. plus, they’re inexpensive. Maybe $ 5 a burger. Our waiter was nice, down-​to-​earth. Nothing outstanding, but he had a cool vibe.
My boyfriend ordered two burgers and a beer while I had one burger and a water. Our total only came to $ 25. and guess what? No charge for water! So I’m not sure why so many others have had such poor experiences with it.
I wasn’t completely won over by the food as my boyfriend was, but I did enjoy my time there despite the fear instilled by these looming Unilocal warnings. I would not mind coming here again.

You know how there are signs on the subway in NY that say «No spitting»? No reasonable person would ever spit on the subway but then you see that sign and all you want to do is spit.
That’s how I feel about JL Beers? Not following me yet?
It’s the water thing.
I read some of the reviews… and all I kept thinking about when I was there is how much I wanted a water but didn’t want to pay for it. Seriously though. It really is stupid. I was there to watch a hockey game for a couple hours. Drank a few beers. Sure would be nice to have a water towards the end of that.
Also had some burgers. They were pretty good. Fries tasted like they were undercooked. Too firm in the middle. Couple of us noticed that.
They do have a nice beer selection. So they have that going for them.

Burgers & Beer (Burgers & Beer)
Gosh darn it I love a mouthwatering burger and beer, but not just any burger and beer. It has to be a nice juicy, full of flavor and delicious burger and a nice cold beer to wash it down. The kind of burger and beer that comedian Rodney Carrington would want to sing about instead of the lyrics he was singing which I will refrain from including… :)
Was looking for a quick bite to eat and was heading to the «Nordeast» part of Minneapolis. If you want to know where to eat, ask a «Nordeaster «for recommendations and you’ll be taken care of. The problem was, now what? No really, the selection was that good! I ultimately decided I wanted a burger and went to a place that has only been open for the last couple of weeks. JL Beers was my decision and it was an excellent decision if I do say so myself.
Sat at the bar by my lonesome self and lucky for me, an employee who happened to be off that day was sitting next to me and supplied me with all kinds of recommendations. I ultimately decided to go with the Philly Cheese Burger — grilled peppers & onions, provolone cheese atop their famous burgers and between their signature bun. If you want «just a burger», you won’t be happy here. If you want an outstanding burger and easily one of the best burgers you’ll have, then JL’s is a place you need to visit. Outstanding flavor and easily one of my all-​time favorite burgers!
They also made hand cut fries and fresh cut chips right in front of you. While I didn’t order any during this first visit of mine, I will be paying them another visit or 2 or 3 or more and trying some of these fries and chips as well as some additional burgers. They also have plenty of beers on tap to choose from with an excellent selection of local brews as well.
There’s one thing daddy likes and that’s burgers and beer and I thank god all mighty for those burgers and beer (big ol’ burgers and beer). I’m looking forward to my return to JL’s and this time with my wife so she can experience the awesome burgers JL’s is pumping out!

Take a chill pill people.
If you want your free tap water, go to Applebees.
You are at JL Beers. They serve BEER. You come here to drink beer, not water. Duh.
I’m sure if JL Beers can rate you as a customer you would get a negative one star for insulting their business. SMH. You don’t go to an Asian restaurant to order a hamburger do you?
I don’t drink beer but I came here ready to embrace what the establishment had to offer.
–Nametags. Check.
–Friendly staff. Check.
–A wide selection of beers to choose from. Check.
–Good burgers. Check.
–More than reasonable prices. Check.
What did I leave with?
–A happy belly and more money in my pocket. Cha-​ching.
The wait was a bit too long for a table but this could be due to that they had just opened. I would definitely come here again. Maybe next time the line would be shorter because the free water drinkers would be at Applebees.