Meet our new food critics: Jason DeRusha and Joy Summers
Restaurant Revisited: Lions Tap
Still serving great, simple burgers at Lions Tap
JD: Confession time, Joy.
JS: I didn’t know where Eden Prairie was. I know, it’s embarrassing and snobby all rolled into one.
JD: I also had never been to Lions Tap. It’s all the way past Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie. Old school, rural Eden Prairie, not new-school Vikings player mansion EP.
JS: The menu is a one-pager best summarized as: You’re Getting a Burger.
JD: Your main choice is single or double. I was a little worried the current chef obsession over hamburgers might have ruined me. But no!
JS: This baby hit all the right nostalgia points for me—reminds me of the small family-run restaurant burgers of my country girl roots. I want a squishy bun, melty cheese, skinny-crisp bacon, and unadulterated beef. Plus, I want real ketchup. I harbor a deep, sincere disdain of that house-made chef-i-fied stuff.
JD: Me too! There’s nothing wrong with Heinz 57! And the famous Lions Tap seasoning was perfect. You can get that on the burgers on Sun Country flights now.
JS: I clearly need to get out more.
JD: OK, can I be a food critic for a second? The thick slice of tomato on the California burger was clearly of the industrial variety. Heirloom season is over, but still.
JS: I pull out the tomato and the lettuce. This is just about the burger, fluffy bun, and my industrial ketchup. I do hate an out-of-season tomato. Why hold up the artifice? Lose it.
JD: There’s a reason they’ve been slinging burgers for nearly 60 years. Lions Tap reminded me that executing something simple can be great.
Lions Tap. Photo by TJ Turner.
Quick Tips:
When to go: After the soccer match
Don’t miss dish: You’re gonna get a burger
Where to sit: By the fireplace
Kid friendly: Absolutely, if they like burgers
Lions Tap • 16180 Flying Cloud Dr, Eden Prairie, MN 55347 • (952) 934-5299, lionstap.com
