Welcome to the second installment of METRO’s Hole-in-the-Wall Guide. Last year, when we set out to cover the Twin Cities’ best corner shops, mom-and-pops, drive-ins and dive bars, we didn’t think it would turn into an annual undertaking.

But it turns out we missed a few--that’s the nature of these joints, after all. More than a few, really: We came up with another 50 this time around, with more in the hopper (like any good hole-in-the-wall, it’s a little cramped in here). So if we missed your favorite, let us know. The criteria are simple: Is it smaller than a two-stall garage? Does the waitress call you “sweetie”? Is there a sign that reads, “You don’t have to be crazy to work here, but it helps” or “Sorry, we’re open”? Do you kinda, sorta want to keep it your little secret? Bingo.

FINGER LICKERS

• Lee’s and Dee’s Barbecue ExpressBarbecue doesn’t have to come from a hole in the wall, but for some reason it always tastes better—and the experience feels realer—when it does. Case in point: Lee’s and Dee’s Barbecue Express, a well-worn storefront that’s been feeding the Summit-University neighborhood for 15 years. You can’t help but feel the authenticity of the place as you order your pulled pork from Lee, whose huge presence fills half the tiny restaurant. But what does “authentic” even mean? This is St. Paul after all, not Memphis. We’re not sure, but if there ever is such a thing as “St. Paul-style” barbecue, Lee’s and Dee’s will be the place to get it.
  [161 Victoria St. N., St. Paul; 651.225.9454]

• ›››Ted Cook’s 19th Hole
  Perhaps the truest hole-in-the-wall experience on this list, Ted Cook’s 19th Hole is a bare-bones takeout joint just off 38th and Hiawatha that serves smoked ribs you can smell from the light rail. But it isn’t the Spartan digs that makes Ted’s a shoe-in--it’s the fact that when you order your rib tips or pork dinner, with finger-lickin’ sauce (sweeter than most and best ordered hot) and the usual sides (slaw, greens, rice and beans), it comes handed to you in a brown paper bag through … a hole In the wall. Doesn’t get much better than that. There’s nowhere to sit, though, so keep the car running and get home while the grub’s hot.
  [2814 E. 38th St., Mpls.; 612.721.2023]
   
• Rooster’s
  Whether it’s the cartoon cherub chasing the cartoon pig with a cleaver on Rooster’s façade, the dusty collection of toy roosters and pigs behind the counter or the vintage video game doubling as the restaurant’s fourth table, Rooster’s sure feels like fun. This is not to say it isn’t rough around the edges; the booths were likely molded in 1970 and the fry-o-later scent will stay with your sweater long after lunch is over. Go for house specialties like a Memphis-style pulled-pork sandwich (with slaw heaped on top) or heavily smoked baby back ribs. Memories of vinegary sauce flecked with pepper seeds--order it hot--will not disappoint.
  [979 Randolph Ave., St. Paul; 651.222.0969]
   
• Scott Ja-Mama’s
  When a place has but 120 square feet of real estate, and patrons are willing to spill out the door and wait for their blessed turn at the counter, you know something remarkable is up. A grease-spotted paper bagful of barbecue from Scott Ja-Mama’s is nothing short of edible treasure, its customers stealing away like masked bandits with their booty. A better pulled-pork sandwich might not exist, and at $4.65 (including chips and slaw), you’ll never feel better about your thieving ways.
  [3 W. Diamond Lake Road, Mpls.; 612.823.4450; scottjamamas.com]

PIZZA & PASTA

• Carbone’s on Randolph
  In 1962, the Carbone brothers--Mario and Frank--co-founded this restaurant with their sister, Delores, as the fourth pizzeria in the family’s Gopher State empire. Delores eventually bought her brothers’ share in the restaurant, and for the past 35 years her family has run the Mac-Groveland landmark independently of the burgeoning chain. Thankfully, they’ve changed absolutely nothing: not the happy chef on the steam-puffed pizza bags, not the dark wood paneling on the walls and—most importantly—not the magic recipe for the ultra-cheesy pie itself, which is deliciously close to crustless.
  [1698 Randolph Ave. W., St. Paul; 651.698.0721; carbonesonrandolph.com]
   
• Fat Lorenzo’s
  Thin may be in, but fat is where it’s at. Seriously, if you’re like us, you long for the better days of inch-thick pizza crusts, piles of chunky red sauce and more mozzarella than your body really needs. Well, Fat Lorenzo’s is just the place to wax nostalgic. A tiny Italian pie shop in south Minneapolis, it’s home to great big pizzas (and a long list of delectable hoagies and pasta). It has other charms, too, like--enter the angel chorus--homemade gelato. The restaurant always has a dozen flavors on hand, and it’s just across the street from Lake Nokomis. So try, as best you can, to save room for dessert.
  [5600 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.822.2040; fatlorenzos.com]
   
• ›››Golooney’s East Coast Pizza
  Golooney’s defines scruffy. Open the door and you’re literally in the kitchen with whoever wasn’t too hung-over to work that day, hanging out with a staff that is something of a boys’ club. The radio’s always tuned-in and cranked-up, and most days you can expect to be serenaded with everything from Ozzy to the Osmonds while you wait for your order to come up. When it does, count on a flavorful, fully loaded sub, pizza-by-the-slice or a whole pie. Plus, the aptly named Perfect Pita is literally that: perfect.
  [2329 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.377.8555]
   
• Vescio’s
  Stepping into Vescio’s in Dinkytown is like falling into an episode of Happy Days—complete with wood-paneled walls and jukebox-quality classics like Billie Holiday. Bubbling plates of cheesy, spinachy conchiglie shells or cannelloni top the just-like-mama-makes-‘em menu. And don’t forget to order up a classic iceberg lettuce salad, complete with a house-made creamy Italian dressing. Mrs. C would most certainly approve.
  [406 14th Ave. S.E., Mpls.; 612.378.1747; vesioscucina.com]