Minnesota Restaurant Now One of Best Seafood Places in Entire Country

Seeing as Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Lakes, it only makes sense that this popular restaurant has just been ranked as one of the best seafood places in the entire U.S.

As a rule, Minnesotans *do* seem to like seafood. Even though some of us might not enjoy some sushi or a fresh lobster roll, most of us like fish, right? I mean, the walleye sandwich is often considered an iconic dish here in the North Star State. It helps that walleye is also Minnesota’s state fish and is a popular menu item at many restaurants up north and along the North Shore.

Meanwhile, we also love our restaurants here in the Bold North too. They play a unique role in our economy and culture both here in Minnesota and across the country. The National Restaurant Association currently estimates that there are over 11,100 restaurants in the Gopher State right now, generating over $15 billion in sales.

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And now, one of those eateries just made this impressive list of the Best Seafood Restaurants in Every State by the consumer savings site, Cheapism. Being included on this list right now is especially handy, seeing as we're in the middle of Lent right now.

So which restaurant is it? That would be Smack Shack, a seafood restaurant that says its known for being 'casual, costal, delicious.' You can currently find Smack Shack at three separate locations here in Minnesota:

• Washington Avenue in the North Loop in Minneapolis
• 494 and France Avenue in Bloomington
• Potluck Food Hall in Roseville

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According to Cheapism, here's what they love about Smack Shack:

East Coast-style seafood is the star of the show at Smack Shack, which has three locations in the Twin Cities metro. Think lobster rolls and seafood boils, but don’t sleep on that lobster poutine during brunch.

According to its website, Smack Shack first started as a food truck in 2010 in Minneapolis, serving lobster rolls. In December of that same year, Smack Shack also started cooking in the kitchen of the 1029 Bar and became so popular the next year that the Food Network's Guy Fieri stopped by to film a segment for an episode of 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' that aired in 2012.

Due to its expanding popularity, Smack Shack then expanded into a full-service restaurant in 2013, opening its first brick-and-mortar location in Minneapolis’ North Loop neighborhood. It expanded to the Potluck Food Hall in Roseville in 2019 and opened a third location in Bloomington in 2021.

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