Smack Shack Truck

Great food. Lobster corn dogs were the bomb. Really nothing on the menu I’ve had that was short of delicious. Nice patio, Bloody Mary was a meal in a glass. Little expensive, but not crazy for a seafood joint. Fun place, can’t wait to go back.

Once upon a time…
I was skeptical. How much for that sandwich? And it’s just some lobster or whatever? And the line is how long? Ehhhhh.
Yeah it’s that good. And worth it. The food truck version seems to have slightly changed over the past couple years but it is still damn good either way. And I just love that toasted milk bread. Damn that is good.

Was excited to try the Shack inside the 1029 Bar. A guy outside told me the Lobster mac and cheese was great, I went with the Lobster Roll. I didnt get euphoric over it like I was expecting. It costed $ 15, and filled me up and was ok. It is a cool bar and everyone was really nice, a great neighborhood Nordeast corner bar.

Such a yummy Lobster sandwich. I was looking for a food truck
at this location only to find out the food comes out of the bar within
this location. Don’t miss it!!!

My mouth is watering as I write this review. I might have to go tomorrow to eat another Lobster Roll or maybe some Lobster Mac and Cheese.
I have been wanting to eat here for about a year and it was worth the wait! We were debating whether to come to the 1029 Bar or try the restaurant on Washington in the Warehouse district but we opted for the 1029 because we wanted a more casual atmosphere.
The place was packed still at 1:30 but we found a table near the kitchen. Our server was the nicest lady ever! She was fun, friendly, and helpful to us newbies. Two of us had the lobster roll and Ci had Bacon Mac n Cheese. We ordered fries to share. All of it was incredible. The chunks of lobster are huge, the sauce is perfect with the exact right amount, and the toasted milk bread literally melts in your mouth. The food comes out super hot which I love and the lady kept my diet cokes coming. Pure Heaven for a few hours!
We saw many orders of chicken wings coming out of the kitchen so that might be what I try next or along with my Lobster Roll because I am not sure I could NOT order that.
Try this place out and get the Lobster Roll. You will not be disappointed!

My friends forced me to come here. I’m not a karaōke fan, so have been avoiding it for months. However, their foodie recommendations finally broke me. I had to try the lobster roll.
Bringing 8 people to the bar and trying to find seating is harder than it looks, but we were able to secure two round top bar tables. Overall, the service was impeccable — fast, friendly, and spot on. Next, the ambiance: it’s a bar with a kitchen served by a food truck, so it’s hard to expect incredible food. However, the bar ambiance was just what I needed — warm, dark, and quiet enough where you could hear yourself talk while having the perfect level of background noise. Next, the food. Incredible. The lobster roll was well worth the $ 15 (bargin!), and I was tempted to order another. The lobster mac and cheese LOOKED amazing, but overall, I was disappointed in this: too cheesy (funky, sharp, pungent) and not enough lobster (big chunks, which was great, but the lobster taste was lost with the strong cheese). Nevertheless, the good overall was fantastic. I WILL go back!

We finally made it to the Smack Shack, oops I meant the 1029 Bar, I mean the, oh what the heck, we made it here and we are glad we did. The place was pretty full on a Saturday about noon as the Gophers football team was getting thumped by Wisconsin, which was humming across all the bar TVs. We found a seat back by the kitchen, and I was able to keep an eye on the chefs as we decided what to order. Well I HAD to have the Lobster Roll and my wife decided to get the special for the day: Fried Chicken & Biscuits, oh and a side order of fries. I spied on the kitchen as we waited. Everything was under control, and no funny business was taking place. Okay, so far so good.
In about 20 minutes, our food arrived in a slew of baskets. For some reason, everything tastes better in a basket, and our baskets were filled with a plethora of visual delights. I tore into the lobster roll, and my wife started dissecting the chicken. The lobster roll was a thick piece of toasted bread, sliced ¾ of the way through and filled with cold lobster. The lobster was delicious. The only minor complaint was the lobster pieces would have been better if they were in bite-​sized pieces. Occasionally, I was dragging out a whole piece of claw meat when I was taking a bite. Also, there was no need for the chopped cucumber in the sauce. It was just fine on its own. The order came with potato chips (which were wonderful), and a pickle slice. I think I completed eating it in record time. It was terrific!
My wife had the fried chicken, which consisted of three pieces; breast, thigh, and leg. The biscuit was a moist piece of bread with the sausage gravy on the side. Both the chicken and the biscuits were very flavorful and tasty. The side of fries (¼ inch slices) were crisp and perfectly done.
The service was good, with no complaints. Other than the Gophers getting pounded, it was a great fall afternoon for a stop at the smack 1029 shack bar. Or whatever it is. .

I am doing this strict paleo eating thing right now (Whole30) that makes it difficult to eat at restaurants. And being that I LOVE restaurants, this is very hard on my life. Enter the Smack Shack to make everything all better. Like a mom with a Band-​Aid.
We had 1029 plans for a friend’s birthday on Saturday night, and it dawned on me that the lobster arugula salad might actually be OK for me to eat without the bread and corn. Cue nervous excitement that only people with dietary restrictions might understand.
I called them in the afternoon and asked Dave (the sous chef, I think) a bunch of annoying questions about the aioli and everything else that goes into the dish (lobster, tarragon, lemon, mayo, greens — i.e. the recipe for food bliss). My heart sank when he said that the mayo was made with canola oil… but it grew three sizes when he offered to make a special batch of aioli with only olive oil for me.
ARE YOU SERIOUS, DAVE? You just made me so happy and I will be your friend forever.

I think yesterday was my 3^rd or 4^th visit to Smack Shack. Not including one side trip to the 1029. I treated a friend for her birthday and we both got the lobster rolls. Hers was a king but I didn’t inspect it to see what was so royal about it. I’ve thought the rolls were always good, but nothing I would stand in line in sub zero weather for. But, my opinion has increased thanks to a trip 2 weeks ago to a high-​end restaurant for an anniversary dinner. We had a lobster app that was more or less like a deconstructed lobster roll with toasties. The lobster salad part had 2 claws and misc bits of lobster. It was a sad $ 15. So, when you compare that to Smack Shack’s $ 13 roll that is abundant with lobster and overflows with seafood goodness, my opinion definitely shot up.
The bread is rich and buttery like a big slice of croissant but it’s not too overwhelming and rich. I don’t feel like my fingers are coated in grease after eating. I don’t feel overdone in mayo. There are little bits of crunchies, but it’s not a cucumber salad with bits of lobster. It’s good stuff.

A friend and I decided to grab lunch from one of the food trucks on Marquette on what could be one of the last nice days of the year. Enticed by the delicious picture of Shrimp and Grits posted on their twitter, we decided on the Smack Shack.
When we arrived at 11:15am, we were the immediately greeted by a friendly girl taking orders. I went with what my eyes were craving, the shrimp and grits-​The buttery and spicy shrimp were well cooked, and the grits were creamy, but bland. My friend got the shrimp po boy The insides of the sandwich were great– the shrimp were coated with a light, zesty batter and the vegetables were fresh and crisp. Sadly, the bread was a little soggy.
I thought the items we got were good, not great. I’d go back there again, but its definitely not top on my list.

The lobster roll: JIZZ IN THE MOUTH experience.
Definitely got my money’s worth, will be back over and over again until lobsters go extinct.
All the other twin cities food trucks are like toddler-​scratch-​shit in comparison.

Always new and delightful surprises at Smack Shack! We stopped by 1029 bar at 10:50pm on a Thursday, expecting a quiet bar. Boy, were we wrong! Karaōke night was in full swing!
We went to the window to order some food, since they stop serving food at 11pm, we had to get our order in right away. They were very accommodating getting our drink and food order in quickly and not annoyed by the fact the kitchen was about to close.
We plopped ourselves down at a table in front of the karaōke bar and waited for our food. The karaōke host was fun and everyone was very supportive of the singers. It really added a great, hip, fun atmosphere to this dive bar with great food.
We had the «ooey gooey» lobster Mac and Cheese. It had lots of cheese, but I couldn’t quite figure out where the lobster was. This was a very rich, creamy, heavy mac and cheese. The lobster was in very small pieces, almost impossible to find. It was good, but no where as good as the lobster roll or shrimp po’ boy.
The lobster roll is always refreshing, with fresh chunks of lobster over Texas toast. My favorite by far is the shrimp po’ boy. I just love the seasoning and how it has a little bit of spice. Just like the lobster roll, the shrimp po boy doesn’t skimp on the shrimp!

Gourmet food served off a truck? No scratch that, gourmet food served at the dive bar that the truck parks in!
We were told that they would be serving lunch inside the bar and that there’s a bigger menu option available. I must admit I was hesitant when I stepped into the bar and to top it off we had our kids with us. We were from out of town so what the heck, let’s take our seats and order some food!
We ordered the lobster roll, shrimp basket, burger and wings. The lobster rolls were very good and they def do not skimp on the lobster meat and is served on a buttery warm roll, I just wished that the lobster meat itself was served warmer or even room temp. The shrimp basked was not what I expected, I envisioned shrimp covered in oil and batter but it was far from it. It was cooked in a light crispy batter and seasoned very well, I couldn’t stop eating them they were very addictive! The wings were ok, they were cooked well but were covered in a sauce that was on the sweet side. My husband had the burger and he said it vas very good, unfortunately he didn’t offer me a taste.
The Smack Shack has me craving for more and is definitely a gem and a great find, I’ll definetly be back for more if I’m in the area!

Maybe my hopes were set too high by all the reviews gushing about the lobster roll, or maybe the Smack Shack food at 1029 Bar is not as good as the truck. Perhaps I was just thrown off by eating at $ 15 lobster sandwich with a plastic knife and fork at a bar, but I was not impressed with the food here.
I decided to finally try out Smack Shack at the 1029 bar after being on my Unilocal bookmarks for months. I split the lobster roll and lobster mac and cheese between 2 people (FYI 1 order of lobster mac is plenty for 2 people):
The lobster roll was not very good. The giant mound of ice cold lobster was good quality but the luke-​warm texas toast did not taste very good with it. The cold lobster on warmish bread was a poor combo and it was overall really bland. I feel there are a lot better dishes to be made with quality lobster than freezing it and putting it on toast.
Lobster mac and cheese is the better of the two. The portion is huge. The lobster did taste pretty dang good in the mac and cheese, but i must say, you could put that amount of melted cheese on cardboard and it would be delicious.
1029 bar in itself is a pretty cool place. It felt like a comfortable dive bar that has been well maintained. I could see myself coming back for a drink and not even getting any food sometime soon.
I have no idea what everyone is raving about after eating this food.

Is it cheating if I had Smack Shack at 1029 bar instead of visiting the truck? Whatevs.
You know when you walk into a room and you and another person zone in on each other and lock eyes and from that moment on no one else exists? K that’s never happened to me. Unless you count me opening the Smack Shack menu, seeing «Bacon Mac and Cheese» and ONLY «Bacon Mac & Cheese». Menu closed. As far as I was concerned it did not matter what other food was offered.
Cheese so thick you can barely chew. And that’s the way I like it. It wasn’t painfully rich, but don’t think your cheese tooth won’t be MORE than satisfied. The corn kernels added the perfect amount of homeyness and the bacon added the perfect amount of smokiness. Basically it could feed a family of four. Which I didn’t think would be a problem and was SO looking forward to leftovers for like, two days. Here comes the problem. There’s so much cheese that if it’s refrigerated, it all gets stuck to the bottom of the paper tray it’s served in and doesn’t come out so nicely. I basically had to shred all the macaroni with a fork to get it off.
In case you’re wondering this will NOT deter me from coming back. I just wish I could’ve experienced more of the mac goodness!

4 stars just for doing what they do. Providing good food to legions of cube dwellers from a truck parked right outside the office door is to be commended.
For me, the lobster roll itself is 3 stars but, it’s more a matter of personal preference than anything else I think. With all the summers of my youth spent in New England, I became a bit of a lobster roll purist. Mayo, MAYBE celery and a squeeze of lemon, period. The Smack Shack version with lemon aioli, tarragon, cucumber is just too darn fancy and hides the beauty that is lobster just a tad too much.

I am in love with the lobster roll! I went on facebook one morning and Smack Shack page had their lobster roll picture in front of my face and I told myself that I had to get it no matter what… luckily another friend was willing to come with me to downtown Minneapolis to find their truck… the waiting line was ridiculous. I didn’t know it was that popular!!! Mad crazy amount of lobster they give you for the price of $ 12 that comes with chips and a pickle!
The truck is usually in downtown Minneapolis from 11 to 1:30pm. If you ‘LIKE’ their page on facebook, Smack Shack, they will let you know where they will be. Also, I was told that they have a restaurant at Bar 1029 in Northeast. So if you missed the truck, you can always check out the restaurant with no line!
Worth it!

Lobsta — flaky, large, succulent pieces of lobsta flowing out of my sammich.
It was amazing — and I usually skip the bread on lobster rolls because you just get a crappy hot dog bun — but not this one — oh no — the Texas toast (which i also usually skip) is a perfect buttery, garlicy accompaniment without overpowering the lobster — and I would eat that Texas toast all day long.
Now onto the dressing — I hate mayo — the aioli on this was so light and tasty — i didn’t even think of the mayo that was probably in it.
It was the most perfect lobster roll I have ever had — get some.

Lobster rolls. I’ve already starting drooling just thinking about them.
Whenever I get a long enough break to head downtown, I go and hunt down Smack Shack. I can’t get over food trucks, and especially this one, no matter how many times I come here. You get huge portions for everything. The shrimp po’boy is great, and of course, so is the lobster roll. Last time, I got a chunk of lobster that was so large I honestly couldn’t even fit it in my mouth. Holy cow. Best $ 12 of my life every time I come here!

Ordering seafood dishes in Minnesota isn’t something I typically do given our geographical location and the logistics/​timing it takes to get «fresh» stuff to us. The Smack Shack definitely gets it right with the taste and freshness of their food. Finding where the truck was located turned out to be an adventure in itself.
I used the location listed on Unilocal for directions but was led to an empty parking lot. No problem, since I was able to make a quick pit stop at I Like You while I was in the area. I decided to look up their Twitter account to see if they listed their location but they only had tweeted about how nice the weather was that day (sigh). Finally, I checked their Facebook status which had them located between 6^th and 7^th St north of Marquette.
After trekking all over downtown trying to find the SS I finally was able to order one of their signature lobster rolls. Holy cow was it delicious! The big chunks of lobster were smothered in an awesome mayo/​lemon sauce and placed between two buttery pieces of toast. I tried to savor it the best I could but ended up gobbling down the lobstery/​buttery goodness.
I can’t wait to try their king roll and will definitely check their Facebook status before I head out next time.

Food trucks coming to Minneapolis are a great development. But they need to be offering interesting items with quality ingredients. The Smack Shack definitely succeeds.
I ran across this truck on my way to a Twins game. I saw lobster rolls on the menu and I just had to give it a try. The sandwich arrived on a great piece of griddled bread that was partially split open and filled with big chunks of lobster in a light dressing with bits of cucumber. To have this east coast staple right here in downtown Minneapolis was a revelation. This is one of the best things I have eaten all year. Seriously! I had planned on eating at the park but this blows away anything I have tried there, and I have tried a lot. I love the crawfish roll at Sea Salt but this lobster roll puts it to shame even without the lovely setting.
They are open for lunch right through into the late evening. Go Now!
Man would I get fat if I worked near this place