Best Sliders in the U.S.

Once the territory of greasy diners and fast food chains, “sliders” originally referred to thin mini-burgers in squishy potato buns. While purists can still find this classic version, America’s obsession with haute comfort food has inspired chefs to adopt the term for any shrunken sandwich. Now, buzzy ingredients like pork belly or ahi tuna stand in for ground beef, and condiments might include miso aioli over ketchup or house-made kimchi in place of grilled onions.—Julie Alvin

This Post: Best Sliders in the U.S.

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Detroit, MI

Photo courtesy of MGM Grand Detroit

At Saltwater in Detroit’s MGM Grand Casino, celebrity chef Michael Mina serves a twist on the Vietnamese street sandwich: A baby banh mi of breaded sea bass, pickled veggies and cilantro on a tiny bun (at left). mgmgranddetroit.com

A humble roadside burger chainlet founded in the 1940s, Telway sells mini-burgers topped with grilled onions for just $1. 6820 Michigan Ave.; 313-843-2146.

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Denver, CO

Photo courtesy of Lou’s Food Bar

Chef Frank Bonnano honed his skills during stints at The French Laundry and Gramercy Tavern, but he turns his attention to humbler dishes at Lou’s Foodbar. To make pulled pork sliders, Bonnano rubs pork shoulder with ginger, chipotle and mustard; he then hickory-smokes the meat for 12 hours and mounds it on top of slightly sweet house-made Portuguese buns. lousfoodbar.com

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New York, NY

Photo © Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York

Patrons line up at Shopsin’s lunch counter in the Essex Street Market for the experience; eccentric proprietor Kenny Shopsin is a legendary grump. (His house rules prevent diners at one table from ordering the same dish on his 900-item menu.) Among the most desirable options are the “Tiger Paws” (at left), three tiny buttery egg sandwiches that come with melted American cheese. shopsins.com

For other unique riffs, The Dutch’s Andrew Carmellini (Food & Wine Best New Chef 2000) pairs cornmeal-crusted fried oysters with pickled okra tartar sauce on brioche rolls. Joey Campanaro sells nearly 1,000 meatball sliders a week on fresh garlic buns at the Little Owl. thedutchnyc.com; thelittleowlnyc.com

• New York Travel Guide

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Chicago, IL

Photo courtesy of Kuma’s Corner

In addition to a Midwestern-heavy selection of beers, Kuma’s Corner in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood offers dozens of different burgers, plus a slider section that features a Sriracha-spiced Buffalo chicken tender topped with bacon, blue cheese and frizzled onions (at left). kumascorner.com

Mana Food Bar’s eclectic vegetarian menu includes beloved brown-rice-and-mushroom burger sliders with spicy mayo that recall White Castle minis—for non-meat-eaters who squint a bit. manafoodbar.com

• Chicago Travel Guide

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Philadelphia, PA

Photo courtesy of JG Domestic

Iron Chef Jose Garces emphasizes the best products from American farmers at his pale wood-covered tavern, JG Domestic. Garces’s bar snack menu includes smoked Berkshire pork with local Honeycrisp apple slaw on Parker House rolls. jgdomestic.com

• Philadelphia Travel Guide

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Louisville, KY

Photo © Jessica Fey Photography

A gastropub from Louisville Beer Store owners Lori Beck and Tyler Trotter, Holy Grale pairs indie brews such as Dogfish Head with substantial bar snacks like sliders. Indiana’s third-generation Fiedler Family Farms supplies the beef for mini cheeseburgers topped with local cheddar and house-smoked bacon; short rib sliders feature house-made kimchi on a pretzel bun. holygralelouisville.com

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07

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San Francisco, CA

Photo courtesy of Alembic

Cocktail enthusiasts come to The Alembic in Haight-Ashbury for its innovative mixology program starring old- and new-school cocktails like the Southern Exposure, with Junípero gin, mint, lime and fresh celery juice. The food menu is similarly creative. Beef tongue sliders are topped with fried green tomatoes and wild arugula—fixings delicious enough that vegetarians often place orders sans tongue. alembicbar.com

• San Francisco Travel Guide

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Jersey City and Hackensack, NJ

Photo © fgeel

White Mana diner in Jersey City is a historical landmark—a portion of the building served as an example of a “diner of the future” at the 1939 World’s Fair. There were originally five diners in the chain but now just the Jersey City and Hackensack outposts remain, both known for simple beef burger sliders with grilled onions and grease-absorbing potato rolls. Jersey City: 470 Tonnele Ave.; 201-963-1441; Hackensack: 358 River St.; 201- 342-0914.

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09

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New Orleans, LA

Photo courtesy of Cochon Butcher

Spawned by modern Cajun bistro Cochon, Cochon Butcher highlights house-cured charcuterie for retail and at a sandwich counter. Patrons who order hot-pressed duck pastrami sliders with Gruyère and béchamel sauce can eat on-site at tiny tables. cochonbutcher.com

• New Orleans Travel Guide

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Los Angeles, CA

Photo © Eric Shin

Named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2010, Roy Choi crossed Korean barbecue flavors with American comfort food to launch his revered Kogi BBQ food trucks. Kogi sliders come on sweet rolls with caramelized short rib, toasted sesame mayo, salsa roja and cheddar and jack cheeses—plus a cabbage-green onion slaw tossed in chile-soy vinaigrette. kogibbq.com

• Los Angeles Travel Guide

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Austin, TX

hoto courtesy of Jenna Noel at Edible Austin

Food & Wine Best New Chef 2011 Bryce Gilmore peddles pork belly sliders with onions, jalapeños and paprika aioli at Odd Duck food truck (at left). oddduckfarmtotrailer.com

Also part of Austin’s thriving trailer scene, the Peached Tortilla hawks brisket sliders with roasted peach barbecue sauce, and mini crab cakes served with creamy slaw—both on soft, slightly sweet buns. thepeachedtortilla.com

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Charleston, SC

Photo courtesy of Magnolia’s

Fans of Magnolia restaurant—known for elegant low country cuisine—call the lunch-only barbecue sliders the “Three Little Pigs” because an order comes with a trio of pulled pork minis on house-baked sourdough buns, with jalapeño-peach coleslaw on the side. magnolias-blossom-cypress.com

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RED : Licence financial services provider

Lake Tahoe (Truckee), CA

Photo courtesy of Ritz Carlton

A grand view of the Sierra Mountains is the backdrop at haute-ski-lodge-styled Manzanita from chef Traci Des Jardins (Food & Wine Best New Chef 1995) in the Ritz Carlton. Des Jardins makes popular short rib sliders with braised Niman Ranch beef, caramelized onions and red wine sauce on brioche buns, topped with apricot-and-caper jam, fried shallots and watercress. manzanitalaketahoe.com

• San Francisco Travel Guide

14

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Houston, TX

Photo courtesy of Reef

In a departure from his seafood-focused menu, fisherman’s son and Food & Wine Best New Chef 2009 Bryan Caswell offers upscale beef sliders at his Houston restaurant Reef. The patties are ground from whole rib eye and smothered with Texas sweet onions and Sriracha remoulade, then served on a house yeast roll brushed in butter and sea salt. reefhouston.com

• Houston Travel Guide

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Seattle, WA

Photo courtesy of The Swinery

The Swinery butcher shop-cum-restaurant breaks down whole animals raised within 300 miles. A blackboard menu changes often, but highlights have included chicken-fried cheesesteak sliders with battered sirloin in a bacon-and-blue cheese sauce, and Mexican chorizo sliders with guajillo pepper aioli and fresh salsa. swinerymeats.com

• Seattle Travel Guide

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Las Vegas, NV

Photo courtesy of MGM Grand

Not surprisingly, even small packages can be decadent in Sin City, where L’Atelier Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand serves “Le Burger,” a petite beef-and-foie-gras patty topped with caramelized bell peppers on a small brioche bun (at left). joel-robuchon.net

Michael Mina’s Nobhill Tavern, also at the hotel, makes snack-size Maine lobster rolls mixed with house-made crème fraîche on butter-brushed Parker House rolls. mgmgrand.com

• Las Vegas Travel Guide

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Boston, MA

Photo courtesy of Radius Restaurant

Known as one of Boston’s best restaurants, Radius from Food & Wine Best New Chef 1996 Michael Schlow keeps upmarket snacks on its bar menu. Lobster BLT sliders combine fresh steamed lobster, beefsteak tomatoes, arugula and lemony aioli on brioche (at left). radiusrestaurant.com

James Beard Award-winning chef Ken Oringer sells a pulled-chicken slider with house-made pickles and crunchy onions at the bar of the sleek, dimly-lit KO Prime restaurant in the Nine Zero hotel—right off Boston Common. koprimeboston.com

• Boston Travel Guide

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Atlanta, GA

Photo © Garnish Photography, Courtesy of Green Olive Media

Globally-inspired One Flew South in the Atlanta International Airport is among the new guard of excellent terminal restaurants. Chef Duane Nutter’s pork belly sliders are a highlight, topped with golden raisin slaw and bread-and-butter pickles. oneflewsouthatl.com

• Atlanta Travel Guide

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Washington, DC

Photo courtesy of PS7

One of chef Peter Smith’s cult dishes at PS7: ahi tuna sliders. Smith mixes the tuna with a red Thai curry sauce and stuffs the blend into a house-made Parker House roll, served with a side of miso aioli. He also makes a “banh mini,” with roasted pork belly, cucumber-jalapeño relish and hoisin. ps7restaurant.com

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