Carl's Drive In Awards

Carl's Drive In Restaurant Review:

If, as owner-cook Frank Cunetto says, the secret to a great burger is getting it from the grill to the customer as fast as possible, it stands to reason that his joint only seats a few customers at a time. Longtime fans know to call ahead and get a burger to go, because by 1 o'clock on Saturday afternoons Carl’s is crammed with folks with frosty mugs of root beer, waiting on the cook. Crisp-edged burgers are flat-grilled; the double has the best meat-to-bun ratio. The menu is short --- hot dogs, chili dogs, fries and onion rings. The curly dog is a conversation piece: a hot dog sliced open and deep-fried till its shape fits into a hamburger bun. For dessert, it’s a tossup between the root beer float and made-by-hand milkshakes with a consistency that is almost sippable, a St. Louis rarity.