Porky's Drive-In — Saint Paul MN

On my way back and forth between downtown Minneapolis and the Hmong attractions of Saint Paul's Frogtown I passed Porky's many times. At last my curiosity got the better of me and I stopped for a Twinburger.



This is the original Porky's, in Saint Paul since 1953. Currently there's one other location, on Central in Minneapolis.



The entire structure, including this classic sign, is in remarkably good condition. They don't make 'em like that anymore.



I'd guess that originally Porky's was a true drive-in with car hop service. They've eliminated the car hops (at least during the day) but added a drive-thru window.

All I had room for was a Twinburger (and even that was pushing it).



I was a little surprised that the Twinbuger—dressed only with cheese between the patties, shredded lettuce and some mayo-based sauce—came equipped with a single giant onion ring. I simply did what seemed proper.



That onion ring made all the difference in the world, elevating a pretty ordinary fast food burger into something marginally special. For a glimpse of Midwestern fast food in the pre-Ray Kroc era Porky's is a worthy destination.

Porky's Drive-In
1890 University Av W
St Paul MN
651-644-1790
http://www.theoriginalporkys.com/

I do remember Porky's. Just the sign, though. (We never ate there.) What kind of kid could forget a pig in a top hat and bow tie?

OMG, we went there all the time. There was another location Back In The Day on Lake Street. I went to high school with two kids who were sons of the owner, Nels and Roy Truelson. They lived in a mansion on the shores of Lake Harriet. There was some family tragedy involving a sister. Forty or more years ago. Porky's figured in the Coen brothers masterpiece, Fargo, that despite the title was set 98% in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs. What a blast from the past.

I enjoyed a Porky's earlier today, which was exponentially better than my House of Wong dinner tonight (more on that forthcoming in this thread). Fresh seeded bun and the nice crisp onion ring saved a gray, unseasoned burger and industrial unmelted cheese from total mediocrity. Fries were somewhat edible. This was basically an Unjuicy Lucy, but still somehow satisfied my burger craving, at least until Tuesday when we visit Burger Jones, which has recently opened to great reviews. I'll be hitting the International Market tomorrow, with thanks to Rene as always for inspiration on the road.

I lived not too far away from the Porky's that was once on Lake Street so had some familiarity of its past. Porky's was an iconic institution at one time that epitomized the 50s drive-in auto culture. Other than its sign, which you can appreciate on a drive by, you're not going to get a drive-in and car hop experience that a few drive-ins in the Twin Cities still have with pretty decent oversize classic servings better than the fast food size stuff Porky's has.

I tried the place for a pork tenderloin sandwich which used to get rave reviews in the Twin Cities. The breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is my specialty pursuit hobby. Mind you Minnesota BPTs are nominally a notch below Indiana, Illinois and Iowa and I have tried over two dozen in the Twin Cities and Porky's is one of two in Minnesota I would recommend not to try. I revere its history and love the sign but will not be going there again for any reason.

They have opened another Porky's restaurant on Central Avenue in Nordeast Minneapolis that as inside dining so they are not dying. Maybe the University location was just surviving on a shoestring at the time. So, giving them some benefit of the doubt, maybe they have renewed themselves a bit. But still...

Santander,

Burger Jones is in a totally different league than Porky's. BTW, Burger Jones is on West Lake Street right next door to the old Lake Street Porky's site which is now a restaurant called Tryg's.

See for yourself. Here is the Burger Jones "White Trash Burger" served with melted Velveeta cheese, chicken-fried bacon and fried cheese curds.

It is indeed!

Burger Jones turned out to be somewhat Kuma-ish (no metal vibe, but hipsterpop, indoor-outdoor seating, mammoth creative burgers, full bar service), and, for my money, was quite good. I had the green chile burger (different from NM green, more of a fire-roasted green chile salsa) with cilantro, cheddar, and onion straws, very fresh and tasty, cooked slightly past medium rare. I thought many here would appreciate the Hangover, which featured hot sauce and a runny fried egg, the two sacred condiments of LTHForum that make everything better (bacon is a close third). We saw many others enjoying the tower of mixed french fries which include some maple-bacon battered concoction. I could not tell if they're making their unusual dipping sauces in house a la WASC, and it was a bit too loud and busy to ask.

I still have to write up Red Stag Supper Club and India Palace, both coming sooner or later with pics.

<<Burger Jones is in a totally different league than Porky's. BTW, Burger Jones is on West Lake Street right next door to the old Lake Street Porky's site which is now a restaurant called Tryg's.>>

Hm, Trygve was the name of one of the Truelson brothers, I wonder if the location is still in the family.

trpt2345 wrote:<<Burger Jones is in a totally different league than Porky's. BTW, Burger Jones is on West Lake Street right next door to the old Lake Street Porky's site which is now a restaurant called Tryg's.>>

Hm, Trygve was the name of one of the Truelson brothers, I wonder if the location is still in the family.

It is.

Davydd wrote: I have tried over two dozen in the Twin Cities and Porky's is one of two in Minnesota I would recommend not to try.

Davydd - I'm back in the Twins and had what I thought was a delicious breaded pork tenderloin sandwich at Porky's today. The components were thick buttered white toast, a very fresh pounded tenderloin (that for once was the same size as the toast), and the token Porky's golden thin-battered onion ring. No gravy or other condiment offered, and I thought it was just the right balance of buttery crunch.

An outlier to be sure - unconventional bun, small cutlet, extremely limited accompaniment - but I enjoyed it.

If this is one of the places you don't recommend, what are the places here that you do up here? Is there a listing by geographical area (or even better, a map) on your site? I couldn't locate one on first glance. (LOVE the site and your project, btw).

Porky's in Saint Paul was open and fun and funky when I moved to the Twin Cities in 1976, but if my memory is correct it closed soon after. I believe that it was deserted in the 1980s (I left in 1990). Perhaps I am wrong, but I think so. So I'm glad to know it is back. I had some good burgers back in the 70s. I wonder if it is the same owners.

Santander,

You must be very easy to please or you haven't had many pork tenderloin sandwiches. BTW, my onion rings came looking like this.

Davydd wrote:Santander,

You must be very easy to please or you haven't had many pork tenderloin sandwiches. BTW, my onion rings came looking like this.

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My sandwich was from the University location, patronized and depicted by Rene above, and the onion ring looked just like his. I regret that your order was overcooked and had what appears to be a melted googly-eye from a 2nd grade craft project on it. In any case, as my comment about Porky's being an outlier hopefully suggested, I've had my share of pork tenderloin sandwiches in IL and MN for good or for ill, and yet still defer to your thicker rolodex of experience and arterial walls.

So, if I'm to hit one more place while still up here, do you have a recommendation for the best?

Generally Minnesota BPTs are not on par with Indiana, Illinois (outstate) and Iowa where they are a primary item on the menu. If you want a better, and true drive-in experience, the Minnetonka Drive-In on County Rd 15 (Shoreline Drive) in Spring Park between Mound and Navarre on Lake Minnetonka serves a decent one. If you go on a Thursday night you will be treated with an unforgettable experience of seeing it filled with classical cars, 50s music and car hops. If you are a biker, it is located right on the newly opened 18 mile Dakota Trail that goes from Wayzata to St. Bonifacius.





If you want to try the Minnesota variation of toast, battered instead of breaded tenderloin that is common to Nordeast Minneapolis and have a great 14 stool diner experience, then the Ideal Diner on 1400 block of Central Ave in Northeast Minneapolis is the place. They are the best of that bunch.

Beautiful! I'll hit Ideal if I can and report back. Thanks.

Is it just me, or is the pronunciation for "porker" spelled out a little ... off?

Anyhow, next time I'm in the Minneapolis-St.Paul area, it looks like I have some new spots to hit.

Binko wrote:Is it just me, or is the pronunciation for "porker" spelled out a little ... off?

You mean you've never heard of a purkeeeer?

Great work Davydd. I went to Minnetonka High School and never heard of the Minnetonka Drive-In. That's what you get with LTH forum: people who know your hometown better than you do!

P.S. The late, great Snuffy's (at Hwy.7 and 101) was our hang out--until they sold out to a bank.) I think Hart's Cafe in Wayzata is the only place still around from the old days.

Josephine,

The Minnetonka Drive-in may have been at one time an A&W drive-in. Hart's Cafe is no longer in Wayzata. It was replaced sometime ago by a restaurant called Sunsets. Snuffy's is now in a strip mall at 101 and Minnetonka Blvd.

Davydd,

Thanks for the update. In that case, I certainly have been to the site of the Minnetonka Drive-In, way back when it was an A&W. Snuffy's as it now exists (at the site of the Old Super-Value in Deephaven) is nothing like the original. I'm not sure if the folks that run it bought the name, but I don't consider it Snuffy's anymore. Snuffy's was all about the car hops and the sea of cars and the possibility that your folks would give in to your pleas to go to a movie afterward at the 7-Hi Drive In Theater across the hwy. As for Hart's Cafe--no great loss. Though I now wonder about The Buckhorn. Do you remember that place? It used to have great fried chicken and biscuits. Speaking of all the old familiar places RIP-I was saddened by the loss of the Excelsior Amusement Park roller coaster-It's kind of odd to go eat sushi now in downtown Excelsior, right by where I used to get hot dogs and cotton candy (and leave them by the Tilt-O-Whirl). Oh well.

What was the name of the great gourmet restaurant in Wayzata, right near the lake, that closed in the late 1970s. When I moved to Minnesota it was one of the two or three serious dining restaurants in the Twin Cities. I don't know when it opened, but I think that it was gone by 1980.

Josephine,

The Excelsior Amusement Park closed I believe around 1973.The old wooden Excelsior roller coaster was moved to Valley Fair Amusement Park in Shakopee. The amusement park site is now occupied by Maynard's, a middle of the road price wise restaurant and bar with a dockside outdoor eatery similar to Lord Fletcher's. I was just there for lunch yesterday. Excelsior has Maynard's, Jake O'Connor's Public House (an Irish Pub) at 2nd and Water St. in the old hardware building, the Sushi place you mentioned, a middling Chinese restaurant where Bacon Drug used to be, Biella's, an upscale Italian restaurant, and 318, an entertainment cafe where the lumber yard used to be.

GAF,

I don't recall any gourmet restaurant in Wayzata back in the 70s unless the definitions have changed. There was Hanson House out west on Long Lake which later became Billy's Lighthouse and is now closed. The Hanson House was about the most upscale place that I can recall back then and wouldn't be by today's culinary standards. It was a supper club similar in scope to Lord Fletcher's in Spring Park on Lake Minnetonka. Wayzata now has Northcoast, Gianni's Steakhouse, Bluepoint Seafood, and Wayzata Eatery for more upscale dining. The Wayzata restaurant I liked was Chez Foley, a simple, small but upscale French themed restaurant with low-key live dining entertainment (usually piano). It closed a few years ago. There was a restaurant south of Wayzata in Deephaven near Minnetonka Blvd on 101 known for its prime rib but the name is escaping me.

Davy, It was right across the street from the lake in what passes, I guess, for downtown Wayzata. Somewhere at home I have an old restaurant guide to Mpls/St.Paul which we bought when we arrived. The other "gourmet" restaurant was a continental style restaurant in downtown Mpls. Within a few years, New French Cafe, 510 Haute Cuisine (510 Groveland), and a few others had opened. And for a short but brilliant moment there was Les Quatre Amis in Northfield before it moved the Mpls and collapsed. (Also, of course, the reliable Lowell Inn in Stillwater).

GAF - the Wayzata restaurant you were trying to think of was "Chouette." Fabulous French food. The chef was Jean-Claude Tindillier (sp). Blue Point Restaurant occupies the space now, and it looks much the same - http://www.bluepointrestaurantandbar.com/.

Davydd - the Deephaven restaurant you were trying to think of was "T.Wright's," actually in Minnetonka. And just for the record, the Excelsior Amusement Park roller coaster was demolished, but the carousel was moved to Valley Fair.

Chouette, of course. The name brings back memories. A great restaurant at that moment in time.

EMS wrote:GAF - the Wayzata restaurant you were trying to think of was "Chouette." Fabulous French food. The chef was Jean-Claude Tindillier (sp). Blue Point Restaurant occupies the space now, and it looks much the same - http://www.bluepointrestaurantandbar.com/.

Davydd - the Deephaven restaurant you were trying to think of was "T.Wright's," actually in Minnetonka. And just for the record, the Excelsior Amusement Park roller coaster was demolished, but the carousel was moved to Valley Fair.

Chouette was a long time ago. Completely forgot about it. It seems Blue Point has been around for some time. I worked in Wayzata for two years in 1973-4. But I mostly worked in downtown Minneapolis my whole career. Blue Point is underrated I think mainly because the more urban food crowd just won't venture out to the suburbs.

You're right about the carousel. I haven't even been to Valley Fair since the 80s. We moved to Minnesota in 1970 so did get a couple of seasons in at the amusement park at Excelsior. My wife was born in Excelsior but never lived there and only visited in summers (grandparent thing).

Excelsior is a very lively community now with quite a variety of restaurants. Between that and the excursion boat rides boarding at the end of Water Street the town is packed every night during the summer. They raised an old steam powered streetcar boat that was sunk in the 1920s, restored it and started offering rides in 1996. They also have an old street car on rails route that goes between where the amusement park used to be over to where the Lyman Lumber Yard used to be.

T. Wright's has been closed for some time too. They served a great prime rib but that was about it. It was kind of an old fashion kind of steak, potato and salad place. Technically, yes it was in Minnetonka. I always think of the intersection at Highway 101 and Minnetonka Blvd as the entrance to Deephaven, thus I said Deephaven since Minnetonka, that barely touches on Lake Minnetonka is just a large amorphous suburb.

Porky's closing: That's all folks.

As I just moved to the Minneapolis area, this thread has been very interesting. I need to check a few of these places out.

I heard alot of the reports of Porky's closing...but didn't understand the big deal as people I talked to up here said it wasn't even decent.

Is the other location on Central still open?

Is the other location on Central still open?

Nope. It is now Falafel King.
LO