Casper's & Runyon's Nook

Bar, Eatery

492 Hamline Ave S
Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55116-1613
United States

(651) 698-4347 | map
crshamrocks.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.26
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
21
pDev:
12.44%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jsprain1:
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Reviewed by jsprain1 from Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -19.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 2 | food: 4.5
A cool little bar area up front with tables and a couple tvs in the back. It has some cool photos on the wall and a couple televisions. One really comes here for the food. The Paul Molitor burger that is stuffed with pepper jack cheese is particularly good. The fries are above average. The beer selection, however, is poor. Leinenkugel, Summit and Flat Earth are the only solid options on tap. Service is friendly but can be pretty slow at times. Go for the food, but don't expect much out of the beer.
Nov 12, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.58 by U2Chaser from North Dakota

Oct 15, 2018
 
Rated: 4.28 by Richie_C_Johnson from Minnesota

Mar 20, 2018
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Reviewed by KarlHungus from Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev -16.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4.25
The soul reason to go to the Nook is their Juicy Lucy. It isn't anything fancy, but for a greasy burger it is quite good. The beer selection is minimal. They have some Summit, Surly and Sierra Nevada, but nothing remotely adventurous.
Feb 01, 2016
 
Rated: 4.14 by ovaltine from Indiana

Jan 01, 2016
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Reviewed by SerialTicker from Michigan

4.71/5  rDev +10.6%
*My review from Yelp*

It's hard for me to rank things like... "best burger I've ever had", but if the Spanish Fly at The Nook isn't the best burger I've ever had, it's certainly right near the top. Coming in at Friday at about dinner time I was expecting a massive wait, but got sat immediately. My first thought of The Nook was, "Wow. This place is dingy... I like it!" It had the look I pictured it would have.

Alright so the food and all of that. Like I said, I got the Spanish Fly. Ground beef patty mixed with chorizo and stuffed with cheese? Why the hell not? Was cooked perfectly, tasted just as perfect, and served "third-degree burn in your mouth hole" hot. The fries were fresh cut and simply seasoned with salt -- very good. The thing that really got me was the fried cheese curds with bacon and honey. Yes, you read that correctly. I know Wisconsin is supposedly "Cheese Head" country, but I've not had better fried cheese curds before. No doubt the honey and bacon aid in that... but yeah, if you want to punish your arteries something fierce, ORDER THEM!

The prices at The Nook are also nothing out of the ordinary, which came as a bit of a surprise for a place with such awesome food. The cheese curds were a little pricey, but I guess that makes up for the great value from the burger. For craft beer fans, there are a decent number of taps from craft breweries and also from the "big boys" (more like "little girls", but whatever).

If you're ever in about a 30 mile radius of The Nook and don't visit, you should be sentenced to lethal injection... it's seriously (well, almost seriously) that delicious.
Dec 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by CCutch from Minnesota

Nov 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by millelacsmark from Minnesota

Oct 19, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by fuzzcherry from Minnesota

Aug 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by BobFluhrer from Minnesota

Jul 10, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by Jimandhisbeerd from Minnesota

Jun 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by ABVMVP from Minnesota

Jan 26, 2014
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Reviewed by ShannonRedCow from Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev -20.7%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.25 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Long wait, no problem. Might be good to have someone up front to sort of "direct traffic". We eventually maneuvered our way to the bar. Bartender brisk but friendly. I like the small St Paul feel to the place, although I like Shamrocks alot better!
Jan 19, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by Pug from Minnesota

Jan 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by joh02034 from New York

Dec 09, 2013
 
Rated: 5 by MNBeer1017 from Minnesota

Dec 06, 2013
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Reviewed by mjryan from Minnesota

4.28/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 5
Best burger in MSP. Best Lucy on the planet. Ive had burgers all over this country and even the world. Some good, some bad. None do them better than Minnesotans. The Nook. Awesome place. Recenently remodled after a fire gutted it. Better lay out now, a bit more room. Good beer selection, nothing fancy. Locals from Summit and Flat Earth. Some other craft like Boulevard IPA or New Belgium Ranger. The selection rotates some, so some visits are better than others. You know what though, a bar doesnt need to have a beer list that gives BAs boners to be kick ass. The best part about The Nook, isnt even The Nook istelf. Its The Nooks basesment, known as RanHam Bowl. Sometime around 1960 someone built a bowling alley in the basement of a building in St Paul and its there today in all of its authentic classic glory. Seriously, this place maybe got a minor face lift around 1970, maybe. Food is served in the bowling alley and transported to there via dumbwaiter, no shit. They have a couple of drafts, I was drinking Summit Black IPA last time I was there, and a huge selection of Silo cans. Big Friendlies, PBR, Bud, Tallgrass (IPA, Ale and Oasis), Brooklyn Lager etc. They even have Skee Ball. Anyway, The Nook is fun, they have some good beers, awesome burgers and a fucking 60s era bowling alley in the basement. Whats not to like?
Dec 28, 2011
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Reviewed by DesMoinesMike from Iowa

4.35/5  rDev +2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Right off the interstate in St Paul is a little burger joint that I saw on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" that amazed me with the concept of a burger with the cheese on the INSIDE. I HAD to investigate. On my way back home from a marathon in Eau Claire my wife and I stopped in and were blown away with the quality of the food. We had the Juicy Nookie which is a 1/3 lb burger filled with gooey cheddar cheese on a bun made from a bakery 2 blocks away. On the side we had their house fries AND sweet potato fries. On top of having great food, we were seated at a table that was a classic video game console.
For beer there was Leine's, Bass, and a few others from the Upper Midwest on tap; nothing special, but the food was our main objective. This is definitely a repeat stop when I'm back up there.
Another plus is that it's 3 blocks from a Trader Joe's!

EDIT: This establishment has re-opened after rebuilding from the fire in December.
May 04, 2010
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Reviewed by jjanega08 from Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev -14.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 1.5 | food: 5
Been to the Nook an many many occasions. The atmosphere is easy going. It's a small place and real friendly toward the everyday guy. A more famous local (Joe Mauer) has been spotted here on a few occasions as he's good friends with the owners and went to high school across the street. The service is pretty average. All the times I've been here I've never really felt THAT special but I have felt welcome. The quality of the food is excellent. The beer is average at best. Which leads me to the selection. This place has only the bare minimum on tap. They have Summit but the brewery is only right down the street... Other than Summit they have the usual suspects. The food however is great. The burgers are named after local sports stars mostly and I would recommend the Paul Malitor burger; a juicy lucy with pepperjack cheese inside. The fries are whole potatos cut daily and to die for. The value is average to good to the food you get. While I would say average for a hamburger... a juicy lucy of this caliber it's really a pretty good deal. Overall this place is a hamburger joint not a beer destination. I love the place for being as cool as it it but hate it for the beer selection.
May 01, 2010
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Reviewed by happilysurly from Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev -11.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 2.5 | food: 5
The best thing about eh Nook and Shamrocks is the burgers, but everyone knows that! On tap they have American Lagers and the local gem Summit. I've never been disappointed with the freshness of the Summit, some of the best I've had the cities. The service is good, catering more to the regulars, but welcoming to the newbies. The Nook is a crazy small spot so the atmosphere is more fun and intimate, but Shamrock's has added some space and done some really nice remodeling and is a lot easier to get into. Not for those who want a great selection of craft brews, but if you want an awesome burger with an awesome Summit, this is the place to do it.
Apr 24, 2010
Casper's & Runyon's Nook in Saint Paul, MN
Place rating: 4.26 out of 5 with 21 ratings