# Things you've always wanted to know but were afraid to ask. aka: What's White Castle? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 21, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605 "2005-03-21T18:29:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/61 "2005-03-22T03:41:02Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Having lived in only the midwest and the Florida there’s a few burger joints that I have never seen, and there are some I’ve only seen regionally. > > Steak N’ Shake- I’ve only seen them in the southeast > > White Castle- I’ve only seen them in the Midwest > > Krystal’s- I’ve only seen them in the Southest > > Sonics- I’ve never seen one. > > Jack in the Box- I’ve only seen one in Vegas, none east of the Mississippi > > Checkers- I’ve seen them in the souteast. The one’s in the midwest seem to have closed. > > In-N-Out Burger- Is this a west coast thing? Never seen one. But what of **Royal Castle**? I think it was the southern branch of the **White Castle**. We had no WC here in Fla when I was growing up and none now AFAIK. And yes, the stoners loved it twice-fold… a butt load of food cheap and open all night for the after-the-bar crowd. Plus, our occasional 3am food fight didn’t always require a call to the local police. ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/62 "2005-03-22T03:48:14Z")
twenty something years ago White Castles were the ultimate food for the (Munchies) Now that I am older and somewhat wiser, They still go down well about every three months or so. Yeah for White Castle! ---
**Author:** ![Time\_Like\_Tears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@Time\_Like\_Tears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Time_Like_Tears)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/63 "2005-03-22T03:49:01Z")
> [@CapnPitt](#): > > And Sonic…oh how I miss Sonic. Chili Cheese Coney Dog please…and how can you not love a place that offers Tater Tots as a side. And a 44oz Cherry Limeade. Oh yeah, and they have carhops that bring the food out to you. No inside sitdown at a Sonic. That is exactly my usual at Sonic. We have one less than five minutes away. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/64 "2005-03-22T04:09:23Z")
Anyone ever hear of or try American Burger? They had only two outlets I ever knew of; one on Sunset in L.A. in the Hollywood area. I think they went belly up – not bad for a burger joint 🙂 – but they had delicious, thick burgers long before Mickey D’s thunk up the quarter pounder. One of my favorites in years past. And while we’re in _ **Hollywood** _, how about Uncle John’s on Vine (torn down for a parking lot) – he put an entire, raw onion and a head of lettuce on each giant burger. Or so it seemed. And you couldn’t ask him where he got his giant onions, or he’d take offense. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/65 "2005-03-22T04:10:33Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > In that case, regular hexagons would work just as well. (As would many other polygons.) Actually, I think there are only three regular shapes that tesselate the plane: the square, the triangle, and the hexagon. I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/66 "2005-03-22T04:17:20Z")
> [@LindyHopper](#): > > Wow. Weird. 😉 > > [sub]You’re literally the only person I’ve ever heard express anything close to a middle-of-the-road opinion on the Castles.[/sub] Wow…I knew I was unique, but not THAT unique. Cool. 😃 [sub]And no, I really mean it, I really _am_ middle-of-the-road on it. But it’s cool anyway.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/67 "2005-03-22T04:31:10Z")
> [@galt](#): > > Can anyone familiar with both compare **White Castle** to **Dick’s** (in Seattle, don’t know if they’re elsewhere)? Dick’s is just in Seattle. I’ll happily go to Dick’s (granted, usually at two in the morning, and with the understanding that it’s not that great), but I won’t eat White Castle. Dick’s is also much more of a “standard” burger than White Castle. ---
**Author:** ![Caiata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@Caiata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caiata)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/68 "2005-03-22T05:29:35Z")
Oh man … Jack in the Box … tacos … or double bacon cheeseburger … _drool_ I am way, way, way too far from home ☹ ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/69 "2005-03-22T05:50:03Z")
> [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](#): > > I had plenty of Krystals in my time too. I say that the White Castle is far superior. Let the Holy War begin. I personally prefer Krystal. Not so much in a head-to-head in the “hamburger” department (though every time I’ve had a White Castle “slyder”, the whole experience has been… soggy), but all the other things Krystal has on their menu. Chiks, Pups, Corn Pups! White Castle has a fish sandwich (always a big hit in fast food) and something called a “chicken ring”. I’m not sure how Krystal Chiks and White Castle’s Chicken Ring Sandwich compare… but a Chicken Ring doesn’t sound very appetizing. Anyway, chickens have a cloaca, not a ring. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/70 "2005-03-22T05:56:36Z")
I bet that none of these places makes their burgers properly - **with beetroot**. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/71 "2005-03-22T06:52:40Z")
[Teddy’s Burgers](http://www.teddysbiggerburgers.com/) are the best damn burgers I’ve ever had. 1. In N Out 2. White Castle 3. Sonic 4. Bob’s Big Boy Yeah, I’m old. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/72 "2005-03-22T07:17:53Z")
> [@CapnPitt](#): > > We finally got a Steak N’ Shake in Pittsburgh a few years ago. When I lived in Memphis/Jonesboro in the Mid-90s, I can point to Steak N’ Shake as a high point. I believe they originated in Illinois. A quick look at their [location map](http://www.steaknshake.com/states/location.asp) shows them to be mainly in the Midwest and the Southeast(as you guessed). There was a Steak N’ Shake in Champaign Illinois when I lived there in the '70s. I’d be hungry if some of you hadn’t turned my stomach discussing In N Out. Tried it twice, dreadful both times, not counting the worst fries I’ve ever had - freezer fries are far superior. Yuck. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/73 "2005-03-22T12:42:50Z")
> [@1010011010](#): > > At the risk of bringing up a Holy War topic… > > [Krystal](http://www.krystal.com/default.asp) makes pretty much the same thing as White Castle. If Nashville didn’t have both chains, I’d probably have thought it was a Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr. type situation. I disagree. The White Castle bots use better ingrediants, & keep the joint cleaner. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/74 "2005-03-22T12:50:28Z")
By the way, thanks, **Stranger** , I could drive there with my eyes closed by it’s nice to see the website. And now, lest we forget, [Johnny Rockets](http://www.johnnyrockets.com/index2.php) , over-priced but a damn good burger and milkshake. **Cliffy** we still have Hamburger Stations in the Akron area and they still turn out a better mini-burger than White Castle. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/75 "2005-03-22T13:13:24Z")
I cast my vote for the [White Rose System](http://www.hollyeats.com/WhiteRose.htm). (Also [here](http://orig.app.com/day/story/0,2379,857840,00.html).) White Castle:White Rose System::Maynard G. Krebs:Charles Bukowski. I broke eight years of vegetarianism here to prepare my gut for a trip to the Third World; suffice to say that nothing slid any faster than it was supposed to. Go after 11 PM and everyone is the place is on probabtion or high or both. And it’s in an old NJ metal diner that they built on some kind of time vortex so that the food is in the bag before the order quite gets out of your mouth. I love that frickin’ place. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/76 "2005-03-22T13:17:54Z")
Am I the only one who prefers McDonald’s over White Castle, Wendy’s, Jack in the Box, BK, and In-n-Out? I’d take a McChicken or Filet-o-Fish over those any day. The food is better (IMO of course), the drivethru is faster, and the burgers I order are much cheaper… ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/77 "2005-03-22T13:34:39Z")
Not a chain – anyone ever been to “Gridiron Burger” in Killeen, TX? Fast food, drive-through only, and probably _the best_ fast food burgers ever. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/78 "2005-03-22T14:02:09Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > . . . Anybody ever eat at Winsteads near the Plaza back when they had real silver and glassware, before they ripped out the drive-in and became just another fast food joint? There are few things I miss about Missouri, but that (or the nostalgia of it) is one of them. I ate at Winstead’s many times back when I lived in K.C. Thanks for the memory. I wonder if **picunurse** ever ate at Winstead’s. (We lived in K.C. during the same period of time and have established that at least once we were in the Plaza within 10 minutes of each other.) ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/79 "2005-03-22T14:33:59Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > By the way, thanks, **Stranger** , I could drive there with my eyes closed by it’s nice to see the website. > > And now, lest we forget, [Johnny Rockets](http://www.johnnyrockets.com/index2.php) , over-priced but a damn good burger and milkshake. > **Cliffy** we still have Hamburger Stations in the Akron area and they still turn out a better mini-burger than White Castle. Now you did it. Now were entering best overpriced burger from a chain restaurant territory. Pricey, but boy do I love a [Cheeburger Cheeburger.](http://www.cheeburger-cheeburger.com/menu.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/80 "2005-03-22T14:35:44Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > **Cliffy** we still have Hamburger Stations in the Akron area and they still turn out a better mini-burger than White Castle. I’m glad it’s still around. I remember the one downtown (where my dad and I always used to go) had to close because David Brennan was going to build something on that block, and another one I’d been to (can’t recall the location) was closed as well. Then I moved away, and I was always afraid they hadn’t survived. Of course, the best burger in Akron is to be found at the Swensen’s drive in. I sometimes crave one so badly I tihnk up reasons to visit, even though I don’t really know anyone who lives there anymore. My folks now live in Memphis and I’m terribly anxious to go to a Sonic but it’s tough to do. Usually, since we’re visiting, it’s either nice restaurants or my mom’s fantastic cooking, (plus a trip to the Cupboad on the way to the airport) and I’m certainly happy with that, but everybody raves about Sonic. Even if I do manage to get away by myself some afternoon, it’s a higher priority for me to get to the excellent comic books store there than to hit a Sonic. Also good in Memphis is Backyard Burgers which I loved when I lived there for nin months back in the '90’s. Memphis has Krystal as well but even when I lived there for three years in the '80’s I don’t think I ever got there – my dad grew up in St. Louis loving White Castle, so he looked down his nose at Krystal. I’ve only been to White Castle a couple times (and that 15 years ago), but I loved 'em. I’ve eaten at In-N-Out three times now and I love it. My firm is based in L.A. so whenever I find myself in California I make sure to find an excuse to get to an In-N-Out. Five Guys is great, although now that I live in Maryland it’s a real journey to get there unless I have to cross the river for some other reason. Whenever Dad comes in to town we always take him, though. A great cheeseburger in D.C. can surprisingly be found at the snack shop at the Haines Point golf course. Another fun place for a burger is Hamburger Mary’s north of Dupont Circle. If you consider the name and the location, you can probably guess what it’s like. I believe they have half-price burgers on Wednesdays. As you can see, I’m something of a fan of a good hamburger. –Cliffy [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605.md?page=5)