White Castle & Krystal, The War of Tiny Hamburgers North vs. South

posted by Scott Beale on Thursday, October 9th, 2008

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.

krystal-vs-whitecastle-locations

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

- Burp Castle, New York’s Temple of Beer Worship

- Albion Castle Update

- Albion Castle News

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filed under: Food, Travel

this blog post was written by Scott Beale on Thursday, October 9th, 2008

Viewing 22 Comments

:: r :: 10/09/2008 03:16 PM 1 point
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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.

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http://www.viddyou.com

adamjackson 10/09/2008 05:57 PM 2 points
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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!!!!

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idl3mind 10/09/2008 03:25 PM 1 point
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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

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http://www.brandonbbc.com

pewma 10/09/2008 04:14 PM 1 point
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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.

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Angela Baxley 10/09/2008 03:26 PM 1 point
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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!

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http://www.spunkygidget.com

pewma 10/09/2008 04:20 PM 1 point
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Oh man! Those Powers Burgers look horribly delicious!

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nate 10/09/2008 03:37 PM 1 point
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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.

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nalts 10/09/2008 03:48 PM 1 point
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This is like comparing the Brittish with the US version of "The Office." They're both delicious.

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http://www.willvideoforfood.com

Krewell 10/09/2008 04:03 PM 1 point
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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."

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Angel 10/09/2008 04:48 PM 1 point
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Krystals has less of an effect on my stomach, so I deem them the winner!!

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kapshure 10/09/2008 05:30 PM 1 point
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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. ;)

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http://www.berderp.com

orsty 10/10/2008 04:21 PM 1 point
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Also The Beacon, don't forget The Beacon.

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maureenmj 10/09/2008 05:35 PM 1 point
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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!

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adamjackson 10/09/2008 05:56 PM 1 point
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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.

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dwpbike 10/10/2008 03:06 PM 1 point
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um, what about chattanooga?

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vertigo25 10/09/2008 06:25 PM 1 point
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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."

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J-Rad 10/09/2008 09:23 PM 1 point
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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.

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Krewell 10/10/2008 03:33 AM 1 point
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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."

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Evan 10/10/2008 10:23 AM 1 point
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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.
www.beyondrace.com

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White Castle & Krystal, The War of Tiny Hamburgers North vs. South

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