Snuffy’s Malt Shop

Very cool little malt shop. Very nostalgic in nature (yep they have phosphates). The bacon cheeseburger and onion rings I had were good. Typical diner/​malt shop fare. Lots of malt options available. The chocolate, Reese’s pb cup, and the fudge-​banana shakes were all good. Fun atmosphere and good food.

Excellent service — a blonde waitress towards the end of the night. We arrived at 7:32p and mistakenly read their hours to be open until 9pm. We felt bad but she still happily took our orders and told us it wasn’t a problem. The malts are divine (brownie FTW!), the fries are perfect, the tots… perfectly heated. I had the veggie burger and declared it the best I’ve ever had. Visit this spot, it’s in a small neighborhood and deserves your business!

If you’re looking for a good, old-​fashioned malt, served with the tin cup, Snuffy’s is the place. It’s been here a long time, and they do malts well. The food is nothing to go out of your way for (I’ve had very unmemorable burgers), but the malts certainly are. The ambiance of this place is like a diner. They cater to families and children. It’s a place of tradition/​nostalgia. Everyone should try it at least once. Go with someone you love and share a malt!

People love the *idea* of Snuffys. That’s not to say Snuffys is *bad* per se; it’s just that Snuffys isn’t fine dining by a long shot, and people seem surprised by this and then talk trash behind Snuffys’ back.
Kids love Snuffys. Snuffys knows its audience well. It’s all junk food and sundaes and goofy murals on the wall. There’s a candy claw machine that apparently you can’t lose bc Tapas plays it with a dollar’s worth of quarters and always returns to the table with a handful of bubble gum and tootsie tolls. This is a good thing. He feels accomplished rather than frustrated and dinner is more pleasant for everyone.
Don’t go to Snuffys for the food. It’s perfectly serviceable burgers and grilled cheeses. Go for the atmosphere. Go to make your kid happy. Go to entertain your nephews that you’re babysitting. Go to share a malt with a friend. Tapas had a friend over and the two of them were driving me nuts. We walked to Snuffys (tired them out), they split a sandwich and fries and then each got to pick their own sundae toppings. I was cool for like an hour and a half to them.
I’ve only ever seen one actual adult working there, and she’s awesome. She’s always energetic and funny and kind to kids. All the other people behind the counter don’t even look old enough to be St Thomas students, and this is great. No one except crabby customers gets bothered by all the kid noise.
And if you’re crabby at Snuffys, there’s something not right about you.

Snuffy’s tastes like nostalgia.
This place is a perfectly preserved malt shop where you MUST MUST MUST order one malt with two straws to share with your sweetheart. Or you should each order your own because sharing is overrated.
When I came here with some friends, I think we were the oldest people in there, including the staff. But I can’t blame this place or those kids because if I would have grown up in this neighborhood, I would have made Snuffy’s my main hang.

The onion rings, the burgers, The malts, Where to begin… Just a fun great neighborhood kind of place to have lunch.

I’m not joking, Snuffy’s Malt Shop has the best side garden salad in the twin cities. The lettuce is surprisingly always fresh, along with the tomatoes, croutons, and ground cheese. The burgers, fries, and malts are greasy and excellent. Don’t stray too far on the menu. The cartoon animals painted on the walls and the walk down to the bathroom may give you or your child nightmares. Seriously Snuffy’s, its time for a proper restroom.

This place is a St. Paul staple. If you went to any of the nearby schools or participated in grade school sports you know how motivating it was to get malts at the end of the year or after a game. It has a great atmosphere for kids, with beautiful animal paintings on the walls, a collection of Twins memorabilia, and a «play until you win» candy crane game for only a quarter! For the most part the staff is friendly, though the always-​busy atmosphere keeps them from interacting with patrons. The older man who has run the place for decades has never smiled in his life, I’m sure of it. I’m pretty sure every St. Paulite has their loyalties to one of the many malt flavors, I prefer root beer myself. The malts are definitely their most delicious and sought-​after menu item. For those of you who like fries with your malts — you’re in luck because Snuffy’s has some delicious ones. As for everything else on their menu… It’s pretty mediocre, at best. I would not recommend their burgers. They are severely overpriced for the tiny flab that they give you and have no flavor. You can even get malts (and food) to go! So call ahead and grab something on your way home.

Bad, tasteless burgers. Bagged, not fresh cut fries. Malts that are made with cheap ice cream. Gross. Just don’t.

My first time at Snuffy’s was great! I had a bison burger with blue cheese. My boyfriend and I split fries and a peanut butter chocolate shake – one of the best shakes I’ve had! Fast, friendly service

Amazing apple pie malt. Burgers and fries are great too!

I’ll preface this by saying that I much prefer hard ice cream, but I was on a bike ride and saw the opportunity to try a local malt shop. If I were dining the ambiance would have been nice, but I took mine to go. The malt was like many others I’ve had in the past so I was not moved to rate above a 3. I’m sure there must be better malt shops in the twin cities. I’ll continue enjoying asI serendipitously discover each.

Of all the diners in the city, I really like Snuffy’s. While I didn’t grow up around here, I can appreciate that nostalgia. Those weird murals on the wall just scream «high school lunch room». Sad to see that other people had negative experiences. I’ve had nothing but good from this Snuffy’s though. I love a good, cheap burger with fries or onion rings. Top it off with a malt that costs more than half their menu, now that’s what makes a good diner.
If you don’t frequent the area often, watch out for the killer potholes on Cleveland.

This place is the worst. Our wait time for each item we ordered was ridiculous. The malt was runny because it probably sat at the counter waiting for our server to pick it up for over 15 minutes. My husband’s burger was mediocre at best. My grilled cheese was one of the crappiest things I have ever seen. The cheese was not even melted and I only found about 3 edible bites of the entire thing. Never again.

DISCLAIMER: If you are a long-​time lover of Snuffy’s, stop reading this review now.
My boyfriend has been suggesting that we go to Snuffy’s for months now. Today (a rainy Sunday) seemed like a good day for greasy burgers and malts, so we decided to finally go. Snuffy’s was my boyfriend’s favorite childhood restaurant, and he had nothing but good things to say about it.
So we walk in, and I feel like I am in the basement of a 1980s roller rink. There are the weirdest pictures on the walls: rabbits wearing jerseys, a hippo (?) making a burger, etc. Crosby Stills Nash and Young’s «Suite Judy Blue Eyes» is quietly playing, and the place is almost empty. We look at the menus and both quickly decide on what we’d like: a family order of fries, a chocolate shake to share, the california burger (for me), and the Snuffy burger for him.
Prices:
Family order of fries– 4.50 ish
My burger– 5.89
his– 6.19
shake– 4.79
When the waitress brought out our food, my initial reaction was «ok, looks like average diner food». I was TOTALLY right. My burger seemed to be about a quarter of a pound, with a skimpy topping of tomato, cheese, lettuce, and mayo. The menu said all burgers served with pickles, but there were none to be found in my basket. The fries were average to below average– some were over-​cooked, some undercooked, and they seemed to be over-​salted. The shake was also really average– no whipped cream, very mild chocolate flavor, average size and presentation. Our total with tax and tip ended up being over 25 dollars. 25 dollars for a weird atmosphere, small, average burgers, salty fries, and a shake? I just can’t justify that.
Bottom line: Some of the other customers in Snuffy’s (particularly those with small children) seemed really happy to be there. I’m sure a lot of people have sentimental ties to the place and like the nostalgia of it. As a fairly new resident of St. Paul, I just found it underwhelming and over-​priced. Sorry Snuffy’s!

This is a great example of a «nostalgic» restaurant that does it RIGHT.
(coughcoughBonnie’sCafecough)
The burger I had (Californian with American cheese and grilled onions) was what a malt shop burger should be — a little greasy, honest, simple, and tasty. You’re not going to find an *artesian* burger at a malt shop. I wouldn’t WANT to find an artesian burger at a malt shop. You’re going to get a regular tasty burger or cheeseburger with some stuff on it, not a quinoa burger with chèvre and sun-​dried tomatoes. If you want that, go elsewhere.
My root beer float was killer (although I would have liked a can of root beer on the side to add to the ice cream). My boyfriend got the chocolate banana malt and it tasted like chocolate and bananas and was AWESOME. I don’t even really LIKE malts usually, but I liked this one. A lot. Almost enough to regret my root beer float… almost. They even have one of those authentic metal malt contraptions with the thingies (you know what I’m talking about, right?). Really just great.
The fries were the perfect size and texture, and were fresh from the fryer so super hot and tasty.
The service was very friendly and quick. The price was fair. All in all, a great first experience!

My sister got married in the methodist church-​turned-​synagogue 25 years ago. While we were waiting for the marriage ceremony to commence, a bunch of us ran across the intersection in our tux’s and suits for a burger. I went again last week.
Lesson learned: religion and marriages are fickle. Burgers and malts are not.

I have to say, I get a tad peeved when I have to order fries as an add-​on usually. However, if you walk in with a coupon, you’re good to go and on you’re way for saving a little dough. Though this is the original Snuffy’s location, it’s a bit on the shabbier side compared to it’s sister location in Roseville. Still a good place to eat generally speaking.

Wandering through St. Paul, my roommate and I were looking for a quick, inexpensive dinner. We drove past Snuffy’s and I insisted that we try it because I’ve had it bookmarked on Unilocal for ages. Oh yeah. Unilocal nerd right here.
My roommate and I basically ordered for one person and split it between the two of us, since neither of us were incredibly hungry. For a total of $ 17, we got quite a spread: a half Neopolitan shake (so good that I even drank the melted part. You probably couldn’t pay me to do that most of the time.), turkey burger (get it with pepperjack cheese to enhance the chipotle in the burger!), bison burger (with cheddar), and a single serving of sweet potato fries. Food was all delicious and left us full for the whole night!
Service was a little spotty (didn’t see our waitress much, and she also forgot the top bun for my burger?) but she was incredibly nice. While the striped wallpaper and décor may hurt my eyes, I wouldn’t mind coming back to Snuffy’s the next time I get a craving for burgers and shakes.

After being sick with colds J and I were looking for something quick, inexpensive and close by. Came across Snuffy’s, even better with a buy one get one burger coupon.
Place is sort of cute. Fudge malt was really good. Burgers are ok. Fries decent.
Our server was nice. The owner (?) reminded me a bit of Mr. Hooper from Sesame Street needs to smile a bit more. When we walked in he looked a bit grumpy. and didn’t project the most welcoming atmosphere, but eventually, he seemed to lighten up.