The slinger is a late-night diner pile-up: two eggs over hash browns and a hamburger patty, smothered in chili and cheese and topped with raw onion. It is breakfast, dinner and a hangover cure in one.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
The slinger emerged from St. Louis's all-night diners in the mid-20th century, with the now-closed Eat-Rite Diner among the spots that claimed it. There is no single inventor; it grew out of the griddle-cook habit of combining whatever was on hand into one plate for late-shift workers and bar crowds. Diners across the south side still serve it around the clock, and Fleur STL now plates an elevated version in the old Eat-Rite building.
Common allergens: Egg, Dairy
Tip from the editors. Build it in layers so every forkful gets hash brown, patty, egg, chili and cheese at once.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
A 24-hour griddle institution, Courtesy Diner serves the classic St. Louis slinger and diner plates around the clock, a go-to for after-bar meals.
Try: The slinger and griddle classics
Tip: The slinger at 3am is the rite of passage here. Cash and card both work; the counter stools fill late on weekends.
In the old Eat-Rite Diner building, Fleur STL plates an elevated slinger and griddle food, carrying the Route 66 diner torch on a Thursday-to-Sunday schedule.
Try: Elevated slinger and diner food
Tip: Now Thursday through Sunday only; the prime-patty slinger remains the order. It honours the all-night Eat-Rite legend that stood in the same building.
Since 2012, Southwest Diner has served New Mexican breakfast in a small Dogtown room, known for cornmeal pancakes, green-chile huevos and house biscuits.
Order: Huevos rancheros with red and green chile.
Tip: Order the chile Christmas-style, red and green. The cornmeal pancakes are the local cult order; expect a weekend wait.
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