Every White Castle Slider, Ranked Worst To Best

When White Castle debuted their now-iconic square-shaped sliders and sold them for five cents a piece back in 1921, they changed the game not only for the concept of fast food restaurants, but for burgers in general. White Castle is now synonymous with late-night cravings of a certain kind, and devotees of the chain's tiny burgers can sign up to be part of the company's Cravers Nation program. For the most dedicated fans, there's even the Cravers Hall of Fame, where customers who have done crazy things in pursuit of White Castle greatness can apply to be immortalized. Think: camping out in the parking lot of a new White Castle location to be among the first customers, or creating crave-worthy photo art. 

Today, the White Castle menu goes far beyond the basic slider. In fact, there are at least 16 different ways you can order a slider at White Castle locations. Some are in fact worthy of taking a long drive if you don't have access to a location in your hometown, while others maybe shouldn't exist. To help you parse through the menu night time you order a Crave Case, we've ranked some of the chain's most popular sliders, from worst to best. 

Because menus vary by location, not all sliders mentioned here are available at some White Castle locations. 

The plain Fish Slider at White Castle is better than the travesty of the Surf & Turf, but not by much. The patty is made from Alaskan Pollock, and is very thick and flaky, but unfortunately the outside is not at all crisp. The flavor isn't overly fishy, per se, but it has the consistency of fish meal despite the flakiness. 

It doesn't have the same satisfying crunch and fresh flavor as the Filet-O-Fish from McDonalds, so if you're a fan of that sandwich, don't go to White Castle in search of a smaller equivalent. You can get it with or without cheese, but unfortunately White Castle doesn't offer tartar sauce, which we think is a big mistake. The sandwich needs something creamy and tangy to offset the oily nature of the fish patty. This is the kind of fish sandwich that makes people think they don't like seafood. 

We initially had pretty high hopes for White Castle's Impossible Slider, especially because the Impossible offerings at other fast food chains, like Burger King's Impossible Whopper, are so reliably good. Not so with this iteration of vegetarian fast food, unfortunately. 

One of the most disconcerting things about White Castle's Impossible Slider was how improbably square it was, especially compared with the restaurant's beef sliders. From the moment you take it out of its cardboard sleeve, you know this is fake meat. You could probably cut through paper with those sharp corners, and the patty itself, was thin, dry, and fairly devoid of flavor. It lacked the satisfying meaty bite of other Impossible patties, and the lack of any kind of sauce besides ketchup is a miss. 

If you're going to order this, we might suggest adding some ranch, too, but there's really no need except to satiate curiosity when the much better Vegetable Slider exists to serve vegetarian-leaning White Castle customers. 

Let's talk a little more about those miniature Belgian waffles that form the basis of many of the items on White Castle's all-day breakfast menu. For starters, they are extremely sweet, which won't be a problem for some, but will be extremely off-putting to others, especially as they're paired primarily with savory sandwich fillings. These waffles taste as though someone took instant yellow cake mix and cooked it in a tiny waffle iron, which again, won't be an issue for people with a massive sweet tooth. 

What will be a problem for almost everyone, though, is the fact that 8 times out of 10, these waffles come out totally soggy. If you get a soggy pair of waffles, your sandwich will lack structural integrity, which will make it very hard to eat. Such is the case with the Belgian Waffle Slider, which has no patty to hold it together. White Castle cracks an actual egg for every one of their breakfast sandwiches, which automatically puts them a cut above most other fast food breakfast sandwiches. However, this particular one is a mess to eat, and the flavors are all over the place. There's not enough salt to balance the sweet of the waffle, and the egg and cheese just feel out of place. 

There is something very pure about White Castle's Egg and Cheese Waffle Slider, which is basically the Belgian Waffle Slider without meat. It tastes like the kind of thing you would order for a child who is both a picky eater and has a small appetite. 

This breakfast slider is very bland, but in an oddly good way. The sweetness of the waffle is nudged more towards the center of the spectrum by the egg and cheese, which are not particularly salty or flavorful, but are just savory enough to keep this from veering into the territory of something that might be better off as a dessert. It's also the kind of thing you might want to eat if you've had a long night, aren't feeling great, and want something that is all at once small, filling, and plain: the White Castle Egg and Cheese Waffle Slider is exactly that thing. It is not the best thing on their menu, but it is also not the worst. 

The Double Cheese Slider is significantly better than the Original Double Slider, which is proof that two slices of cheese can make a whole world of difference. 

All of White Castle's sliders can be ordered with either American, cheddar, or jalapeño cheese slices. For this particular sandwich, we recommend going with the Jalapeño cheese, which has a particularly satisfying melty quality, and a surprising amount of spice that keeps this from becoming too bread-forward and bland. Because there is a slice of cheese on each beef patty, the fact that there are only additional toppings on the top layer isn't as much of an issue as it is with the Original Double. 

If you like the bigger bite and additional slice of bread that a double-decker sandwich offers, the Double Cheese Slider with jalapeño cheese is as good as it gets at White Castle, though we wouldn't say no to the same with either American or cheddar. 

The Sausage Egg and Cheese Waffle Slider is one of the best items on the entire menu at White Castle, and is a standout of the breakfast menu. Anchored solidly by the sausage patty, this sandwich is much easier to eat than the Bacon Egg and Cheese version, which can be prone to falling apart. 

The sausage patty is not only salty, it also has a delightfully spicy kick to it that does the best job of balancing out those cake batter-flavored waffles. The bite starts out sweet and finishes spicy, and there's a great textural balance between the sausage, melted cheese, fried egg, and miniature waffles. 

On the best day, this is better (and cheaper) than what you would get at some high-end brunch places. Even if you end up with a lukewarm and not particularly crisp version, this is a pretty good sandwich. If you're a fan of sweet and savory breakfast sandwiches, this one is a must-try. 

The Veggie Slider is one of the sleeper hits of the White Castle menu, and is absolutely a better choice for anyone who wants to take a break from eating meat than the chain's Impossible Slider. One of the most surprising things about this patty is the fact that you can actually see the vegetables it's made from, like carrots, peas, and soy beans. It's also delicious, with a crisp exterior, a softer interior, and an overall flavor that's vaguely reminiscent of a mildly-spiced pakora. It has a good balance of texture, and the relatively bland flavor of the slider bun actually highlights the flavors of the vegetables that make up the patty. 

This slider is not served with any toppings or sauces, and it doesn't really need any, although it's pretty good with both ketchup and ranch if either of those are your thing. Even if you are an avid meat-eater, it is worth trying White Castle's Veggie Slider at least once. 

The only thing better than a White Castle Original Slider is a White Castle Cheese Slider. Take everything we just said that makes the original slider great: the depth of flavor of the onion-infused steam-grilled beef patty, the sweet umami of ketchup, the tang and crunch of a pickle slice, that buttery slider roll — and then add a slice of perfectly melted cheese to the equation. Even though it is a relatively minor addition to the equation, it takes this sandwich to a whole new level.

The Cheese Slider is great with cheddar, American, or jalapeño cheese added, but since we tend to like things a little more on the spicy side, we think this slider is best ordered with jalapeño cheese. We also think that this cheese melts better than the other two options on the White Castle menu, which earns it extra points. The Cheese Slider and the Original Slider, combined, are the things Crave Case dreams are made of. We could go for a dozen or so just thinking about how good these little burgers really are.