Wally’s Roast Beef

5 stars… I know this place from the old location & the new location and I haven’t been back in a while until recently. Randomly I read the reviews… The people that didn’t give it 5 stars shouldn’t have walked in the door… It’s roast beef.

Excellent roast beef sandwich. I got the blue plate special with gravy on the side. Staff is friendly.

What a great find in the bottom of an office building. Definitely a fan, the roast beef was full of flavor, moist and absolutely delicious.
Looks are definitely deceiving as you wouldn’t expect the quality from this location! If you are looking for a delicious, full of flavor lunch this will not disappoint!

Best roast beef in the Twin Cities. Have yet to find anywhere that comes close to the same quality.

Plain, hearty and in this time of overpriced everything, this back to the 50’s roast beef diner stands out.
Roast beef sandwich is 3.79 and little cups of au jus or melted cheddar is only 0.49. Malts and shakes are 2.79. Full Blue Plate special open faced roast beef with mashed potato, gravy and canned corn is 7.99. Meatloaf for 3.29.
The menu is full of meat and potatos. I had the roast beef sandwich, though not the best I’ve ever had, was never the less tender and very edible. I didn’t even mind the movie theater nacho sauce that was my melted cheddar. The service was fast and friendly. You can’t find places like this in the cities anymore!

I had a really enjoyable meal at Wally’s. The service was freindly and efficient. The owner was right up there in the front lines helping customers, which is always reapectable. I got the french dip, and it was juicy and pink… the way a french dip should be. One of the things that stuck out for me was it was a high quality meal, that was inexpensive, and fast. I got my meal in less than two minnutes. Definitely recommend it if you work in the area, and are looking for a quick bite with good quality.

Makes a great place to stop at after see… a friend… good food good service… it’s another place to get real mash potatoes and gravy with a open face Turkey meal

Food was average. I had a French dip sandwich. Meat quality was comparable to Arby’s though they were generous with how much meat they put in sand which. The location is really weird and hard to find. Very confusing when I got there.

The roast beef sandwiches here are amazing. Simple high quality that brings you back for more. It’s always the same for me, roast beef with cheddar and bacon. Their bbq and horseradish sauce are the perfect toppers. Glad a coworker introduced me to this place. Staff has always been polite and courteous.

Delicious food at an excellent price, friendly staff and speedy service. Only complaint would be lack of space to sit during the rush but it clears up quickly. Definitely worth a visit.

If you don’t get two roast beefs with au jus, cheesy fries and top it off with the special ‘Wally’s sauce’ and horseradish you’re doing it all wrong and you haven’t actually been to Wally’s. A classic establishment that is affordable, melt in your mouth good and fun to be at.
I wouldn’t mess around with the plate specials — not because they are garbage or awful tasting, but because you are missing out on the roast beef deliciousness!
Great ownership and friendly staff.

Good basic roast beef sandwich, a little on the small side. Added Swiss cheese and some of their horseradish sauce. The flavor was very good, it didn’t need any salt or pepper. Careful with the horseradish sauce, this stuff was potent. It was closer to wasabi than any horseradish sauce I’ve ever had. The fries were good but I don’t think worth almost twice as much as a McDonalds small fry. They were very close in size. Again, seasoning was good, somewhat crispy, good, but I don’t think 1.79 good. I understand they are in a high rent space in an office building, but, they should have thought of that. I think for that price they should be overflowing the small bag that they come in. The staff were great, and attentive, but this place is kind of out of the way for me. Next time I think I’ll hit up Mavericks in Roseville, great food and larger portions for the money.

Pretty disappointed in the roast beef sandwich however the Aus Jus was decent. I ordered the Wallys roast beef sandwich and Aus jus sauce with a chocolate malt. Customer service was slowish and the person that took my order was a young gal who felt like I was inconveniencing her and was quite snarky. Also, the Aus jus sauce spilt all over my passenger seat due to their unsecure styrofoam container! The malt was runny and not mixed well! Save your money and head to Arby’s instead!

I once worked at a hospital and there was a janitor there who did his job with unbelievable dedication and thoroughness. Very few noticed and he certainly wasn’t promoted or celebrated — he just did a very simple job, incredibly well and it was inspiring. This is Wally’s. Nothing pretentious, nothing extreme, nothing earth-​shattering but everything very, very good, and pulled off flawlessly. You won’t find any breast-​fed, yoga farmed, freely messaged Kobe organic beef here — just very good beef and sides. When you factor in how incredibly cheap this place it, it may be the best value I’ve ever had. The cheese, su jus, potatoes, sauces — all excellent!

I really wanted to like this place, small menu, busy and friendly staff.
Everyone raves about the RB, but I’ve definitely had better. The atmosphere is cool and side items are pretty good. But the sandwiches are just not that special.

With all of the raving reviews, I was expecting something more wow. I had thought the roast beef was going to be served warm, but as another poster mentioned, it was room temperature beef. Unfortunately, this made me question the meats safety somewhat, as I asked how it would be prepared. it was supposedly held «warm» and then sliced for service. I wished I had just brought it home so I could have microwaved it before I ate it.
The roast beef itself was very good. The bun, swiss cheese, horseradish, and bbq sauce complemented it well. The fries were solid. Unfortunately, nothing is worse than a warm sandwich served cold.

Real Food. Like 1950s Diner.
Kind of a weird location — the 1^st floor of an office building — but who cares — the food is great. Wally’s was packed and the line was out the door at weekday lunch — its easy to see why. Tasty piles of medium rare, juicy, roast beef. Served at room temperature as to keep the pink juicy goodness perfect without over cooking it by keeping it hot. The buns are grilled and steaming bowls of Au Jus for dipping warm up every bite. So good.
Thick, sturdy, crunchy, fries. How do they do that? Every table had baskets of huge onion rings for sharing. I got the Blue Plate dinner with real mashed potatoes, layers of roast beef between 2 slices of white bread all smothered in brown gravy. Crisp corn on the side. Heaven!
All the sodas are canned and there is some nice seating on the patio weather permitting. Order when you walk in at the counter and they bring the food to your table. If you are going to the Mall of America — eat here first. Just blocks away from the Mall of America.
There seems to be a little bit of a competition in the Twin Cities for best Roast Beef sandwich between Mayslacks in NE, Maverick’s in Roseville, and Wally’s in Bloomington. Each is worth a trip but Wally’s is the best. Mayslacks has a full bar so that is nice for the weekends and evenings.

First time for me at the new location. Wally’s is every bit as good as I remember. They even managed to create some of the old time restaurant feel in the first floor of this large suburban office building.
It’s easy to get to, just off Penn Ave and just south of about 3 dozen un memorable suburban restaurants at Penn and I-​494. Get here and you won’t be disappointed. Lots of free parking.
This is THE PLACE in the southern twin cities to eat roast beef. Try Mavericks in Roseville if you are on the north side or closer to either downtown. Wally’s and Mavericks. There is no other place for roast beef.
I’m a fan of the standard roast beef sandwich with a side of potato cakes. Superb. Great horseradish puts a kick in your sandwich!
It staff is fast, friendly, and look like they’ve worked here since the place opened back in 1969. That’s a good thing in case you are wondering.
Wally’s is a gem, a real treat, very original and well worth your time.

To fully enjoy the experience that is Wally’s, I made sure to order more than one kind. I chose a regular roast beef sandwich along with the same with a slice of Swiss cheese and followed it all up with fries and a vanilla malt. Talk about some good roast beef! It was tender, had an interesting seasoning and the horseradish and BBQ sauces really hit the spot. Now, I know what you’re thinking, if they are so great then why the 4 stars? While the sandwich was absolutely divine, it still left a little something to be desired. It was served a little warmer than room temperature and I guess I was expecting something hot. The same can be said about the fries. However, the amazing taste of the roast beef and the delicious malt more than made up for its shortcomings.
TLDR: Get a sandwich and a malt. Don’t worry about the sides.

Although everything was very reasonably priced, it was overall a disappointment to go here for lunch. Especially after so many good reviews. The roast beef was the only thing that was worth while in this experience but the bun tasted like it was bought in the cheap section of the supermarket as well as the salad was literally just condiments put in a Togo box (iceberg lettuce, tomato, white onion, and a little bit of green bell peppers). I won’t be coming back here again.

Though it was my first check-​in, I had their French Dip Sandwich a month ago before I went on vacation for like 3 weeks. It was brought in to work and my coworker told me it was really good. I ate it and was craving it while I was away on the beach and all.
Now that I’m back, I had to make it a point to go back and have some more of those yummy roast beefs. I’m a sucker for roast beef sandwiches anyway. I even liked the old Hardee’s roast beef as well as Arby’s. Last time I went to Arby’s, I had a fat binge session between the sandwich and curly fries, and it sent me to the hospital for gallbladder attack. But, hey. i’d still go for roast beef. However, now that I found Wally’s…
It was a little hard to find and the location and the theme were a little not synchronized for me. It’s an office building! I didn’t expect a roast beef diner inside. The line was out the door at lunch, so if you want something in and out, this is not the place. Though, the line moved pretty fast. It was hard to find silverwares and extra napkins too. You have to ask the counter people but they’re busy moving that line.
This time around I tried their roast beef sandwich with au jus with french fries. Yummm. I just can’t wait to come back. The malt shakes also look awesome! I didn’t try though as I wanted to limit my caloric intake. Blue plate special would have been my choice but I had to go back to work and didn’t want to nap there. Looking at it, I imagined I would feel so happy and full and curl up and sleep. Maybe I’ll try it on weekend.
Bottom line, great food, cheap, sliced to order roast beef that’s to die for! I like it!!!

It has a captive audience, beats most cafeterias. I got a RB sand, that tasted great and was stuffed. It was pre done so I was in and out. I liked the bun, more of an egg type. It was so packed that I didn’t bother with condiments. It could be a destination place, but not at lunch hour. I’ll come back to sample more.

Great food, selection, and value! They have several other options available if you don’t want roast beef. The lines are long around lunch time, so get there early!
The roast beef sandwiches are the real deal! Great tasting food for a fair price!
I will be back again and again! Try this place if you’re looking for a quality lunch meal!

Great spot for cheap (like really cheap) man food, but truly not for me. I came here for lunch with a group of coworkers and sadly didn’t want anything on the menu. All the options were standard meat and potatoes: BBQ Beef, Roast Beef, Meat Loaf, Philly Beef Steak, Prime Dip and Cheeseburgers. Honestly the menu was really boring and I was so surprised there weren’t any other options. Who wants chicken anyway?
I ended up getting the BBQ beef sandwich because it was the cheapest and had a salad on the side. You can tell salads are pretty foreign to them because they fill a plate with lettuce and throw sliced onions and tomatoes on top that were clearly intended to go on a burger. It tasted fine, it’s all just presentation. My BBQ Sandwich was good, but definitely the kind of good you could make at home. For $ 2.99 though I can’t complain about it not being gourmet, it was a good value.
The guys I went to lunch with loved it though. Most of them got the Blue Plate special that included a hot beef sandwich smothered in gravy, some mashed potatoes and corn. I guess it’s just a guy thing.

Wally’s is what Wally’s is. It is not fine dining, never has been. It is not diet food — anyone that thinks it is needs to get a clue.
What is Wally’s? It is classic, affordable, stick to your ribs kind of food. On the run and need a quick bite? Grab a roast beef sandwich for $ 3.49 (plus tax). Bigger appetite? Grab one of the plate specials with meat, bread, potatoes, gravy and veggie — you can call whether you need a full or half order.
Sandwiches are served on a toasted bun — condiments, pickles and onions are to the right, by the water fountain. Please use the tongs provided to grab your toppings as I don’t want your fingers anywhere near food that someone else might eat. There is also barbeque and horseradish sauce. The horseradish is a creamy type, but any resemblance to Arby’s horsey sauce ends there — this stuff has a real kick. FYI — I didn’t see any mustard in the area, which would be good on a roast beef with swiss.
The coleslaw is lacking. I would never order it again as it was just a 2 ounce cup of nothingness.
The roast beef could have stood to be seasoned a bit more, but I guess they keep it bland for the senior citizen crowd.
For a quick, affordable spot to grab lunch in the area Wally’s fits the bill.

Walk into Wally’s and you’ll be transported back to the 60’s and 70’s.
Part of an office building, Wally’s is a little bit hard to see from the main street. Once you’re there, you’ll find a classic dinette décor with green and white colors. Staff is friendly and helpful, in a neighborly kind of way.
Everyone comes here for the roast beef sandwiches, so that’s what I got. Also decided to add some Swiss cheese and au jus. Got cheesy fries and an IBC root beer to go along with the lunch. While my order was almost instantaneous, it took just slightly longer for my friends’ orders to come out. I’m assuming this is because my sandwich was already made, and someone before me decided to not want it anymore? Anyway, the sandwich itself was lukewarm-​ish, and the cheese had signs that it had sat on the kitchen counter for a bit longer than «just ready». In any case, it tasted just fine, and paired up with the au jus, it was an old-​school sandwich experience. The au jus was just salty enough but a bit lacking on depth of flavor. The fries were quite excellent.
Overall, Wally’s is a place where you go maybe once in a while to get that old-​school beef sandwich kick. It may not be the best sandwich you’ll ever have, but it’ll satisfy that craving for the time being.

Should’ve read the reviews. I was confused by all these exit only doors! Soon enough I figured out you had to walk into the building to get into the entrance. Duh!
I got there a bit after lunch rush but there were still a few tables and a couple singles sitting around enjoying their meals. The jukebox was playing nostalgic music, my favorite of the day, Crazy by Patsy Cline, kept me company while I waited for my order. It took about 5 – 10 mins to get my to go order of a French Dip and cheesy fries. I think what really got me though was the price for the quality. For that price the meal really is insanely tasty. I couldn’t finish it, it was a lot of food but it was well worth the $ 7 I spent on it.
The roast beef had a slightly sour taste to it which intrigued me, but the meat was tender like nobody’s business. The bread was soft yet chewy, buttered and toasted, AMAZING. The au jus was good albeit a bit messy, the way it was intended. The cheesy fries were well worth the less than $ 2 price tag. They were fried to a crisp, you could tell they were made from real potatoes. The cheese though is a better quality nacho cheese, so don’t be expecting cheddar fries now!
All in all would definitely come back especially to try the color plate specials, think there’s a blue, a green, and… An orange? Anyway I will be back!