Hagberg's Meats in Lake Elmo for Lunch and More

Thanks to the tip from S L Hodges, we have 'discovered' a new fun place for lunch.

Several times we've headed to Lake Elmo and turned on the 'main drag' to grab a cup of coffee and a quick bite at Lake Elmo Coffee.   Since we always turn, we missed a great place  just a little past the Twin Points Tavern.

Hagberg's 

The Meat Place

On a really rainy lunch hour this week, three of us took the little adventure drive to Hagberg's Meats, a country market, gas station, meat market, and lunch counter.   What a gem!

 

Hagberg's Meats:  Everything...Great!

The meat counter alone was worth the drive...stuffed chicken breasts, jalapeno cheeseburger patties and bacon cheese patties ready for the grill, stuffed beef roasts, sausages and more sausages, lots and lots of drool-worthy temptations.   Turn around, and there's a whole cooler full of bags of dog bones!   This place must sell A LOT of meat.

The assortment of BBQ sauces was impressive, with many really good brands of sauce.   The grocery shelves had great products, too...a carefully crafted selection of high quality goods.

A prepared food cooler drew me in immediately with trays of mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, and main dishes to take home for 'heat and eat'.   My hand kept reaching for a tray of mac & cheese...I resisted temptation...this time.....another reason to return in the not too distant future.

Bushel baskets of veggies in the front of the store....butternut squash, several kinds of onions, potatoes....plus veggies, like lettuces, in the cooler.   It felt like a country store....but with great quality grocery items...to complement the tremendous meat selection.   Additionally, a tempting array of breads and other locally baked good in attractive bags with cello windows added additional reasons to come back for 'groceries'.

Hagberg's Meats...How Lunch Works

But let's get to the food.   There are daily specials...today there were 3 of them.   Smokehouse pork, taco boat, and chicken wild rice soup.   There was a separate menu of 'every day' items plus a menu of 3 choices of Nordic Waffle.  (Mr. Hodges failed to mention the enticing Nordic Waffles in his hint).   The specials rotate on about a weekly basis....we'll have to go back on Cubano day (Friday this month) and give one a try.

 

 

 

There's also a deli case with great selections like:  broccoli salad, their great combo of baked beans that includes gigante beans--wow!, potato salad, .....

 

So, we decided to go for a range of options for our first visit.    One person went for the special of the day:  smokehouse pork plus a cup of the wild rice soup,  one Nordic Waffle--the breakfast version with egg, cheese, and bacon (this was a difficult decision..they all sounded great), and an assortment of goodies from the deli case including the broccoli salad and the gigante bean baked beans (4 or 5 kinds of beans....I could tell you more but someone was hoarding!!!!).

 

 Hagberg's Meats: Well...How Was Lunch?

Let's start with the smokehouse pork.  A giant sandwich loaded with BBQ pork, crispy fried onions, and slaw on a giant bun.   This required a fork....I mean really, really required a fork.   You could eat for half an hour before you set down your fork and tried to pick this baby up.    It was a meal for many.....let's just say that eating the whole sandwich AND some wild rice soup....too much for our whole table...and probably for most people.  The sandwich was YUGE....and don't  forget...tasty.

I've only had one other Nordic Waffle (at the coffee shop in downtown Columbia Heights (name???)).   These are very popular at the State Fair, too.   The one I had in Columbia Heights was good....but not all that memorable.   The one at Hagberg's had an unforgettable ingredient.....really, really meaty tasty bacon.   I would rate this bacon an A.   A good egg, lots of cheddar, wonderful bacon...on a folded soft but firm slightly sweet Nordic Waffle...it was hard to put it down (and yes, I shared the bacon with others....a little reluctantly ).   Delightful!

Our 'deli selection' lunch companion was somewhat quiet.   Then I noticed why.  The broccoli salad had disappeared and I had to reach very, very carefully for a bite of the baked beans in order to maintain the integrity of my digits.    They were fantastic.  The 'selection' person also decided on the cutest mini carrot cake with cream cheese icing (yes, I was

allowed a small bite....but between my Nordic Waffle and 'helping' with the pork sandwich and soup, a small bite was all I could handle.   Hagberg's had monkey bread and one or two other selections left in the bakery case.....I think the morning crowd had raided it pretty effectively.

Just as we were wrapping up our lunchtime, an older gentleman sat down at the next table....with a basket containing a smokehouse pork.   He was baffled.   Finally, he said out loud...how are you supposed to eat this?   We laughed and said to start with a fork.....and eat a LOT of it with the fork before trying to lift it.   He TOTALLY AGREED and set off to find a fork, chuckling all the way.  He's probably still working on that thing today!

Hagberg's Meats:  We're Definitely Headed Back

 

What a great experience....the essence of a traditional small town grocery and meat market...but with high quality baked goods, grocery items, lunch and deli selections, and bushel baskets of veggies.   We plan to return to try some of the take home items

(like the mac and cheese), some meat choices--maybe we'll start at one end and just work our way across the case over the course of a few months...well, maybe many months.   The bakery items in the cello window bags will be on the list, too.

Hagberg's-The Meat Place...the total package! 

 I'd call it the meat, deli, bakery, take home, make your dog happy place.  But I suppose that won't fit on the sign.

 

Details:

Website:     https://hagbergsmeats.com/ 

Directions:  Google Maps 

Menu:         Lunch