Unearth The Voyage
There is a burger sitting on a plate in a suburban Minnesota pub that genuinely stops people mid-conversation. It arrives stacked tall, draped with crispy bacon and a crown of golden onion strings, and it looks almost too serious to be called bar food.
The kind of place that serves something like this does not need to shout about it. Word travels on its own, and for good reason.
If you have been driving past this corner of New Hope without stopping, you have been missing one of the most satisfying meals in the Twin Cities area.
What Pub 42 Actually Is
Some restaurants take a while to figure out what they want to be. Pub 42 already knows.
Located at 7600 N 42nd Ave in New Hope, Minnesota, this American pub and eatery has built a loyal following by combining a relaxed neighborhood atmosphere with food that punches well above its weight class.
The menu reads like a greatest-hits collection of American comfort food, but the kitchen clearly takes quality seriously. Portions are generous, ingredients are fresh, and the variety goes far beyond what most people expect from a spot with this kind of laid-back vibe.
There is a full dining room, a bar area, and a large patio that fills up fast when the Minnesota weather cooperates. Whether you are stopping in for a quick lunch or settling in for a longer evening, the place has a way of making you feel like a regular almost immediately.
The Millionaire Burger That Started the Conversation
The Millionaire Burger is the dish that keeps coming up in conversation about Pub 42, and one visit makes it obvious why. This is not a burger that plays it safe.
It arrives built tall, with toppings that are generous to the point of being almost theatrical.
Thick-cut bacon adds a smoky, satisfying layer that actually tastes like something rather than just filling space. The overall construction holds together well, which matters more than people realize when a burger is this loaded.
Multiple diners have called it the number one item to try on the menu, and the kitchen backs that reputation up consistently. The grilled flavor on the patty comes through clearly even with everything else going on.
For a burger that looks this dramatic, it delivers on substance just as much as it does on presentation. That balance is harder to pull off than it looks.
Bacon Done the Right Way
Bacon is one of those ingredients that can either elevate a dish or disappear into the background. At Pub 42, it earns its place on the plate.
One diner described the bacon on the Millionaire BLT as having a sweet and spicy quality that made it a genuine highlight rather than an afterthought.
The quantity is also worth noting. Reviewers have specifically called out the sheer amount of bacon served, pointing out that it goes well beyond the token strip or two that most restaurants offer.
The deviled eggs appetizer even comes with two full strips of bacon alongside, which tells you something about the kitchen’s priorities.
Bacon shows up across the menu in ways that feel intentional rather than routine. When a restaurant pays this much attention to one ingredient across multiple dishes, it is a signal that the kitchen cares about the details throughout the entire menu.
Onion Strings That Deserve Their Own Spotlight
Onion strings might seem like a supporting player on a burger this loaded, but they carry real weight at Pub 42. The kitchen makes its own battered onion rings in-house, and that home-battering approach shows up in the texture.
Light, crispy, and not greasy, they add crunch without overwhelming everything else.
One long-time visitor specifically praised the homemade deep-fried onion rings as a standout, and another first-timer raved about them as an appetizer. Getting that batter right consistently is a skill, and the results here are noticeably better than what you find at most casual spots.
When those same onion strings land on top of a burger already loaded with bacon and a well-seasoned patty, the combination works in a way that feels completely natural. The crunch, the sweetness from the onion, and the smoky bacon create a layered bite that is genuinely hard to put down.
The Millionaire BLT and What Makes It Different
The Millionaire BLT at Pub 42 takes a sandwich most people think they already know and turns it into something worth talking about. Fresh tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and an amount of bacon that one diner described as almost unimaginable come together in a way that makes this feel like a completely different experience from a standard BLT.
The quality of the ingredients matters here. Fresh tomatoes and vibrant lettuce make a real difference compared to the limp, pale versions that show up at lesser kitchens.
When the bacon is this good and there is this much of it, the sandwich stops being simple and starts being special.
It is the kind of dish that makes you wonder why you ever settled for a smaller version anywhere else. For a pub that serves food across a wide range of styles and flavors, the Millionaire BLT stands as proof that the classics deserve serious attention too.
Popovers and the Guinness Honey Butter
Not every pub in Minnesota is serving popovers. Pub 42 does, and they have become one of the most talked-about items on the menu.
Light, airy, and almost croissant-like in texture, they arrive warm and ready to be pulled apart.
The Guinness honey butter served alongside them is the detail that pushes this from a simple bread course into something genuinely memorable. The combination of the slightly bitter malt flavor from the Guinness and the sweetness of the honey creates a spread that works beautifully against the delicate, eggy interior of the popover.
Popovers show up in the customer feedback at Pub 42 more often than you might expect for a bread side dish. That level of enthusiasm says something real about how well they are executed.
If you visit and skip the popovers, you are leaving one of the more surprising pleasures on the menu sitting on the table untouched.
Cheese Curds Worth Ordering Twice
Cheese curds are a Minnesota staple, and expectations are high. Pub 42 mostly delivers on that standard in a way that keeps people coming back.
The best versions arrive with a light, crispy breading and a generous portion size, served alongside a fresh honey mustard made with whole mustard seeds.
One diner called them the best cheese curds ever had, praising the freshness of the dipping sauce and the quality of the breading. Consistency is the one variable that comes up occasionally in feedback, which is worth keeping in mind, but on a good day this appetizer is genuinely hard to beat.
The honey mustard detail is worth highlighting because it reflects the kitchen’s tendency to make things from scratch rather than reaching for a generic option. That approach runs throughout the menu and is a big part of why Pub 42 feels different from the average neighborhood spot in the Twin Cities suburbs.
Walleye on the Menu and Why That Matters
Walleye is Minnesota’s fish, and any pub worth its reputation in this state needs to handle it well. Pub 42 offers walleye in multiple forms, including fish and chips and a full walleye dinner, which shows a real commitment to doing it right rather than just checking a box.
The fish and chips version earns consistent praise for portion size, quality, and value. The tartar sauce served alongside it is described as a genuinely good addition rather than something to ignore.
Fresh-cut fries accompany several dishes here, and that same attention to freshness carries through to the walleye plate.
For visitors from outside Minnesota, walleye is one of those regional experiences worth seeking out. For locals, finding a version this solid at a neighborhood pub feels like exactly the kind of thing a place like Pub 42 should be doing.
It fits the spirit of the menu perfectly.
The Patio That Keeps Drawing People Back
The patio at Pub 42 gets mentioned in customer feedback more than almost any other single feature of the restaurant. In a state where outdoor dining season is genuinely precious, a well-designed patio with good energy and a nice view carries real value.
This one delivers on that in a way that makes it a destination on its own during warmer months.
There is also a Cana garden of flowers near the outdoor space that adds a visual warmth most pub patios do not bother with. That detail reflects a broader sense of care about the overall experience rather than just the food on the plate.
Weekend brunch on the patio is a particularly popular option, with the space filling up quickly when the weather is cooperative. The combination of fresh air, solid food, and a comfortable outdoor setting is exactly the kind of thing that turns a first visit into a standing habit for a lot of Twin Cities diners.
Weekend Brunch and the Breakfast Smash Burger
Weekend brunch at Pub 42 runs on Saturdays and Sundays, and it has developed its own following separate from the regular lunch and dinner crowd. The breakfast smash burger has become one of the standout items during that window, earning enthusiastic responses from diners who were not expecting a brunch menu to include something this satisfying.
A smash burger done well has a specific texture and crust that comes from the cooking technique, and the breakfast version here applies that same approach to a morning-appropriate build. It is the kind of dish that makes brunch feel like a real meal rather than a lighter version of lunch.
The Saturday brunch start time of 9 AM gives early risers a chance to claim a spot on the patio before the midday crowd arrives. For anyone who has not tried the weekend brunch yet, the breakfast smash burger alone is a compelling reason to set the alarm a little earlier.
Why Locals Keep Coming Back
The regulars at Pub 42 are not hard to spot. They know the menu well enough to have a standing order, and they tend to settle in rather than rush out.
The atmosphere earns that kind of loyalty because it manages to feel both comfortable and genuinely lively without tipping into either direction too far.
Multiple TVs make it a natural spot for watching Minnesota sports, and the energy during a Vikings game is described as loud and communal in the best possible way. The bar area and the dining room each have their own feel, giving the place flexibility depending on what kind of evening you are looking for.
The food consistency over time is what truly drives return visits. A place that serves a great burger one Tuesday and delivers the same result six months later has earned something that is harder to build than a single impressive meal.
Pub 42 has clearly put in that work.
