Krystal vs. White Castle: The Great Slider Debate

Which slider is tastier - White Castle or Krystal? Mr B and I seize the opportunity to weigh in on The Great Slider Debate, and pit the original Southern sliders head to head. 

Jump to:

• The Original Slider
• White Castle versus Krystal
• And the Winner is...
• More Southern Cooking & Recipes

Over the last decade, sliders have been popping up like daisies on menus all across the US, from greasy spoon drive-ins to upscale gastropubs. In no place are they more ubiquitous than in the American South, home to the original, White Castle sliders and their tiny-burger rivals, Krystal sliders. 

The Original Slider

White Castle, generally credited as the country's first fast-food chain, also gets credit for inventing the original slider - a little two-inch square burger with a ridiculously thin meat patty - and introducing it to the world. 

White Castle first opened its doors in Wichita, Kansas in 1921. Eleven years later, Krystal was founded in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In a modern-day Mason-Dixon fast food standoff, Tennessee and Kentucky are the only two US states in which the two chains cross paths. 

Since Mr. B and I had to grab a couple of quick meals on our last trip to Tennessee, we decided to seize the opportunity to weigh in on The Great Slider Debate. 

White Castle versus Krystal

We tried to be as objective as possible in our review. It had been more than 15 years since either Mr B or I had eaten a White Castle slider, and neither one of us had ever tried Krystals slider before. In both cases, we sampled the basic Cheese Slider (or Cheese Krystal, as the case may be).

Appearance

The sliders look basically exactly the same. The White Castle slider seemed a bit loftier; it was almost as tall as it was wide. By comparison, the Krystal slider was a bit flatter and had more the appearance of a miniature burger. 

Point: Tie

Size

I didn't get out a caliper gauge or anything, but by all appearances, they seemed to be exactly the same size. Both White Castle and Krystal sliders take up about the same amount of real estate as a Saltine cracker.

Point: Tie

Buns

White Castle buns seemed much lighter and airier than Krystal buns. More importantly, they had a very slight, yet distinct sweetness that I missed in the Krystal bun. The Krystal bun felt a little more dense, and would probably hold up a bit better if you had to take it home before eating it.

Point: White Castle

Cheese

Standard fast food yellow processed cheese. Nothing distinctive in either case.

Point: Tie

Meat

The meat in both sliders was the same size and thickness (just under ¼' high). White Castle's slider meat seemed to be slightly seasoned, whereas Krystal's tasted a little flat to us.

Point: White Castle

Onions

In both cases, the onions used were reconstituted from dried onion bits, or at least they tasted like they were.

The onions were better on the White Castle sliders; they tasted like maybe they put a little Worcestershire sauce or beef stock or something on them to season them, or perhaps it was just "flavor crystals" from the grill. In any case, the Krystal onions were just not as flavorful.

Point: White Castle

Condiments

White Castle sliders come with a pickle. Period. Krystal sliders come with a pickle and mustard, which Mr B and I both liked, so...

Point: Krystal

And the Winner is...

On paper White Castle, is the clear winner. However, it all comes down to flavor, and your tastes may be different.

If you enjoy a sweeter, lighter slider, White Castle is the place to go. If you like a more tangy slider with a denser bun, go with Krystal. In any event, if you've never even once sunk your teeth into one of these little east-of-the-Mississippi coronary cloggers, it's an experience you might want to try. At least once.

More Southern Cooking & Recipes

For delicious slider recipes that you can make at home, check out our round-up of 25+ Savory Southern Sliders!

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