A battle has been taking place between the tiny hamburgers of the North & South…
In the North there’s White Castle which was founded in 1921 and is the oldest hamburger fast food restaurant chain in the US. They serve tiny square hamburgers known as “sliders”. See the White Castle Wikipedia article for more info.
In the South there’s Krystal, which was founded in 1932 and is the fourth oldest hamburger fast food restaurant chain in the US (the oldest in the South). They also serve tiny square hamburgers. See the Krystal Wikipedia article for more info.
Here’s a map from Wikipedia showing White Castle vs. Krystal locations in the US. The blue states have White Castles, the red states have Krystals and the green states have both. One thing is certain, the West Coast is missing out on all of the tiny square hamburger action.
photo galleries: White Castle & Krystal
See Previously:
- In-N-Out Burger, A Fast Food Underdog With a Cult Following
- Shake Shack, A Unique Hamburger Joint In The Heart of NYC
photos by Scott Beale
Related Posts:
- Burp Castle, New York’s Temple of Beer Worship
- SF Chronicle Article on South Park & Web 2.0
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
Bastard. Why you gotta go waving Krystal in my face like this?? That's my first stop from getting off the plane in ATL and heading to my buddy's house in Buckhead! The next day it's Chick-Fil-A. Sadly we don't have Krystal and the only Chick-Fil-A is in mall in Fairfield. Bah!
I <3 Krystal.
I've asked Northerners I've met in the past that have tasted both Krystal and WC burgers and the unanimous take has been that Krystal is superior
krystal are all dried out cheap imitations of the great white castle slyders.
i have lived both in the south and the north and frequented both chains many times.
although krystal may have breakfast food also , white castle has a superior burger by far!
Scott, if you ever happen to find yourself in Fort Wayne (where I was hatched), you should check out Powers Hamburgers. http://www.slashfood.com/2007/05/23/burgers-of-...
While you're at it, don't miss Coney Island for yummy hotdogs!
Damn, now I want to deep fry a couple of these at home. I guess that would mean I'd have to go to a *real* grocery store for the first time in ages.
This is like comparing the Brittish with the US version of “The Office.” They're both delicious.
At least frozen White Castle's can be bought in some west coast grocery stores (I get them at Smart n Final). Never had a Krystal, so I can't make a comparison. Actually in NY, White Castle's were often called “belly bombers.”
I am technically a northerner. In a border state, Missouri. I have had both and I have to side with White Castle. Their variation, the Jalapeno Cheese burger is a force to be recconed with!
However, for a small cheap burger Eat-Rite in St. Louis is the place to go. 6 burgers for $4.50!
And when you ask for fries the Slingblade-esqu waiter simply states “you don't need no fries….mmmh”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenstein/sets/290079/
Oh, and on a side note. When my dad was in college in New Orleans on visits to St. Louis he would pack up a few coolers full of dry ice and White Castles and sell them back at the Tulane campus. I guess a precursor to the frozen grocery store Castles.
Oh man! Those Powers Burgers look horribly delicious!
Krystals has less of an effect on my stomach, so I deem them the winner!!
nor do we get Checkers here in NorCAL.. well, at least for not closer than 140 miles to SF.
Krystals, Checkers, Whataburger…. ahh yes… all staples of the South.
oh dont forget Piggly Wiggly too. ;)
We don't have many of the famous hamburger chains in Portland, but we do have Burgerville: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgerville
- Fresh, local ingredients
- Sweet potato french fries, berry milkshakes and halibut sandwiches
- They use only canola oil, compost their food waste, and use only wind power
Yum!
I am the authority on Krystal burgers. Ask me anything. Krystal actually started in Jacksonville Florida (30 minutes from where I was born). There are Krystal burger joints every couple of miles. I'd say 15% of my meals growing up were krystal. I know that's horrible but it's the truth.
Umm.. Krystals started in TN… not FL. Look it up
Krystal and Chik-Fil-A are the two places I miss most by living here in San Francisco. I i loved chik fil a breakfast!!!!
Also an SF transplant from Knoxville (even though I lived the first 15 years of my life in Sacramento… it's a long story…).
I miss Krystal's and real BBQ the most. There is so much good food out here; but honestly, you can't get decent fast food nor southern food. It's a damn shame, too.
BTW, in East Tennessee, Krystal's are called “belly bombs.”
I just drove cross country and back again, having stopped for both Krystal and White Castle and have to report that unless you grew up on them, they are both terrible. Super greasy in the bad way, like it coats the inside of your mouth and you can't taste anything for a few days kind of way. And trying to get them out of their little cute boxes is a lesson dry cleaning for your clothes. Now, Krystal was better, but why choose when you don't have to.
J-Rad,
Sigh. Of course they're greasy – it's what you need at 3 AM on a Saturday after some heavy partying.
The White Castle that was closet to where I lived in NY (West Hempstead) was open 24hr.
My real fav these days is In 'n Out Burger in California. Mostly for the fries and burgers “animal style.”
I'll always be a white castle fan for life and I think it's a damn shame that the West Coast is missing out on our mini hamburger delectiblness.
Evan.
http://www.beyondrace.com
um, what about chattanooga?
Also The Beacon, don't forget The Beacon.
Greensboro, NC here.
Where can Krystals be found in North Carolina? Anyone? Help!
thanks!
West coast is into the bigger is better craze. Supporting tiny burgers on this side of the nation is not an accepted cheeseburger lover lifestyle.
I don't know what these people have been smoking, White Castle is a whole hellava lot better than Krystals. Krystals is dry and lacking taste. White Castle melt in your mouth and full of flavor, yes you may have a little gas but it's worth it. You can't pay me to eat Krystals again. Can't wait for White Castle to come to the ATL. White Castle's RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now What!!!!!
Head on over to http://www.whitecastlevskrystal.com and vote for your favorite now!
They need to bring either White Castle or Krystal Burger to Colorado. I’ve had both and they would do great out here!
The only “sliders” we have are those sad discusting things at Good Times, and to be honest I would rather eat my shoe.
They say things are bigger in Texas, so why in the hell don’t they have the big taste of a White Castle here. As for the Krystal Burger it will never beat the taste of a White Castle ever.
I’ve eaten at both restaurants several times, even back to back. Hit White Castle for lunch on the way out of KC, Missouri, and hit Krystals for dinner when I pulled into Memphis, Tennessee. I don’t see why there is arguing, the burgers taste exactly the same. The only reason I like Krystals better is because their sides are better and a wider variety. Krystal’s chili cheese fries are the best!
Does anyone know of a hamburger called the mile burger.
It was long and thin and served on a hot dog roll.
Thanks
Jerz gal 12
Uh, Adam, if I were you I would retract the remark about being an authority on Krystal hamburgers. The Krystal chain was started in Chattanooga, TN in 1932 and is still headquartered there. Where in the world did you come up with Jacksonville, FL? I don’t know which Krystal you’re referring to, but the original is this one.
I spent a few years at Ft. Campbell, KY where they had both Krystal and White Castle. I personally believe that White Castle is much better, but what matters is the war the brewed on base. I witnessed many fist fights on drunken Saturday nights about two things: video games, and who had the best burger. I have to admit, we usually ended up going with the majority, and the majority usually chose Krystal. I learned an important lesson…. Either burger is going to make Sunday morning spent in a small room with soldiers unbearable without a gas mask :-)
A very important detail has been completely left out of the conversation (at least as much of it as I read):
White Castle = onions, pickle and KETCHUP
Krystal = onions, pickle and MUSTARD
I’ve had both and have to say that White Castle beats Krystal at least in my experience. A properly prepared castle burger is steam grilled to the point where you can’t tell where the bun ends and the burger begins. When I’ve had Krystal burgers I was actually able to lift the bun completely off the burger effortlessly. It just didn’t taste the same. But to each his own…
I had krystals in ATL this past weekend.My hubby said that “oh there just like white castles” BULL SHYT!….nothing like it….It was horrible and disgusting.Shakes nasty as SHYT…never again