Eat-Rite Diner

Asked around for a Saint Louis staple for breakfast and a few people said Eat-​Rite Diner. Googled it and it was close to our hotel downtown. I had no idea it only seats 14 people so cool. This is exactly the kind of place I like to try.
My son and I both had hot cakes and bacon with eggs. Luckily we were the only ones when got there because 10 minutes later it got busy. Hot cakes were small and but not too small and nice and crispy on the edges the way I do it at home. Food was cooked quick and it was delicious and everything I hoped a dive diner should be. Definitely eat here again if and when I go back to St Louis.

Great little place and the crew behind the counter knows how to take care of you. If you want something, just ask for it. Best Slinger in SL, MO! Thanks guys!

The parking lot supervisor told us we could park in his place for $ 20 for baseball game. To our surprise we came back to a $ 40 parking ticket. The employees of the store knew this has been going on and would not refund our ticket or the parking fee! They basiclly told us to get out. This business scams cardinal fans of there hard earned money. I went and grabed an officer and brought him to the store. Then We filed a police report, but I’m sure it won’t go very far. Please don’t park here for games or support their business.

This is the best slinger I’ve ever had! The chilli and hash browns were super high quality. The onions were so thinly sliced it was great. Wonderful that a place with such good food and character is open after my gigs are done.

When you just can’t decide where you want to eat, Eat-​Rite is there for you ²⁴⁄₇.
You want breakfast, or burgers, eggs, bacon, fried chicken, chili, or all of it? Each bite is better than the previous bite! Sure, there’s only 9 seats in the whole place… but worth the wait if you have to. Timing is everything. Just be prepared to rub elbows with a perfect stranger.
Don’t let the janky appearance sway you… just go in and be friendly.
Just a great, and I mean GREAT place.

This place is great for a casual dining atmosphere. Food is decent, staff are down to earth real folk. Was happy I got to visit a local spot like this during my top in St Louis.

Pro: The most unassuming «greasy spoon» you may ever visit. This small diner gives you 24-​hour access to either A) a meal to end a long night of drinking, or B) a meal to completely wreck your previous diet goals. Either way, I’m down! No judgment from me! The «Slinger» (with its copious amounts of hash browns, chili, beef patties, eggs, and onions) was their way of letting you know that you are gonna be lazy for the rest of the day! However, the most noteworthy item I tried was their cheeseburger. Eat-​Rite somehow makes a patty, grilled onions, and American cheese so much more than the sum of all parts. Dee-​freaking-​licious! I may or may not have accepted the self-​induced challenge of eating 4 of them in one sitting (and NO, that was not a typo…4!). I conceded after 3.5 of them and walked out with equal parts of satisfaction and shame. Yay, gluttony!
Con: Sketchy area, incredibly small, and cash-​only. There may be some un-​repaired bullet holes from a robbery attempt from back in the 80s. Make no mistake: Eat-​Rite will not make my Date Night list. If you’re looking for romantic ambiance here, then I hope your looming divorce goes smoothly. Also, the 2-​member service staff could get easily overwhelmed if the small house gets packed.
Bottom Line: Your fitness trainer will chastise you for the empty calories. Oh well. Cheat on your diet and love yourself at Eat-​Rite!

St. Louis, Missouri —
A «Run-​A-​Way Bill» Favorite!
This downtown location is convenient to the Cardinals baseball stadium, plus it’s a 24 eatery …
Breakfast was a BIG smile
I TOTALLY enjoy finds like the «Eat Rite Diner» …
The grill master was workin’ the 2^nd part of her double shift & she was a delightful character
«Run-​A-​Way Bill» was here!
Party Reptile (.com)
09÷16÷15

It’s a ²⁴⁄₇ diner… enough said. Expect a sketchy location, ambiance, and customers as well an unsanitary cook in the kitchen cracking raw eggs and then touching bread to put into the toaster without washing hands. If you’re prissy or have a weak stomach, don’t dine here. Besides that, the food was pretty decent or maybe that was because I was starving at 1am after a night out at a Cardinals game and brewery. Either way, Eat-​Rite Diner did the trick.
I ordered the Slinger which was a bed of hash browns, meat (yes they labeled it as just meat… probably better not to question what was in the patty), eggs, chili and onions. Sounds like a recipe for disaster but it was worth it for the most part. The flavors were decent, the chili was mainly just beans but this is diner food so don’t expect anything over the top.
The waitress was still fairly pleasant even though she was the only one working and there were a lot of annoying people (drunk and sober). The diner is tiny but it got packed fairly quickly; luckily we sat down just in time to grab seats at the counter.
If you’re looking for something to eat late at night, check out Eat-​Rite but know ahead of time the food is greasy and the customers are quite characters.

This is a historic spot on the route 66 in st Louis this a tiny place. Menu on the wall and open for breakfast and lunch. 4 people and the total with drinks was 30. It was very filling and good. You sit at the counter no seats or booths. And the Cook takes your order cooks it serves it. The place is worth the stop just for nostalgia purpose

Maybe I’m just not that into diners. Not to say that I didn’t fall in love with the charm of Eat-​Rite: the building is so tiny, and everything is right there in view for you as you sit along the perimeter of the kitchen on one of the limited barstools. When I visited, a man and a woman were washing dishes, flipping patties, scrambling eggs, making coffee and getting things out of the fridge all at once. They make your order super fast.
Having never had a St. Louis slinger, I ordered one. According to the rest of the reviews on this page, Eat-​Rite is a solid choice to get a slinger. For the uninformed, it’s chili, egg, hash browns, cheese, onions and some meat patties. The chili here was just beans and bean juice, I think. I’m going to be frank here (trigger warning: fecal reference ahead) They could do better with presentation. My slinger just looked like a plate of diarrhea.
It was served with two pieces of toasted bread that were sprayed with that fake butter nonsense so it sort of tasted like aerosol and popcorn. Not a huge fan, but I wasn’t judging based on the toast, anyway.
I can’t say the slinger was bad; perhaps it is only my lack of passion of breakfast food that the rest of the word seems to possess. I sort of picked around it and tried to taste everything, but it didn’t seem worth finishing.
Nevertheless, I had a great time. The staff were so nice. The machines in there – an ATM and some pinball game thing – were retro and cute. The whole place was old-​looking and adorable. However, a friend warned me that the last time he had gone, he had witnessed a shooting in the area. That’s scary and enough reason for me to not go back.
Eat-​Rite is so cool, you have to come here at least once. And don’t do what I did, get something you know you’ll like!

This place is legit. Traveling cross country with the family and passing through St. Louis to see the Arch before carrying on.
Had a hellacious night camping so by the time we arrived, we were bone-​tired exhausted. A simple, no frills meal that was dirt cheap (and not fast food!) was in high order.
We came shambling in to find all but one stool taken, but waited maybe 5 minutes before two people left and 4 other diners shuffled over to make room for the 3 of us. We didn’t even have to ask. Locals are real nice here and it was much appreciated.
We quickly ordered an egg sausage sandwich, eggs and potatoes, and hot cakes with bacon plates. Coffee to wash it all down. Our food was placed in front of us within 5 minutes and didn’t last as long.
Eggs cooked perfectly to order. Bacon was crisp. Toast heavily buttered. Hot cakes with a hint of sweetness. Potatoes perfect. The meal stuck to our ribs and refueled our tanks.
We left rubbing our bellies and bemoaning our good fortune in finding such a dive gem, ready to tackle the Arch.
We would be regulars too, if we lived here.

Slinger was excellent and super fast.
Man this guy can handle a ton of orders and fast.
When I was there, about 15 people packed into the tiny place and the 1 man show began.
This guy cooked and served at least 3 slingers, and 15 cheeseburgers, with bacon, and fries in the time it took my friend and I to eat our slingers.
Voting with my wallet and will be back.

This is the spot that you want to go to when you are drunk at 3am. This is also the spot you want to go to when you are drunk at 11am. Bottom line: the food is cheap, the staff has the patience of a saint to put up with as many drunks that it does.
I have never came in and found some friendly banter between strangers. The place looks scary as all get out. Don’t let the off putting spot fool you. The place is old but good enough to eat from. (the same people that will eat at a buffet trough will be the first ones telling you about restaurant cleanliness bleck)
You need to visit once at least. I promise you then you will learn what all the fuss is about!

Great place for simple greasy spoon, diner food. Bring cash and a great conversation… you won’t be disappointed.
Be sure to add cheese, onions, chili, etc to your food to enhance your experience.
P. s. — you have to experience the the slinger if you area foodie.

Downgrade!
If you thumb through my other reviews, you would see that I have a soft spot for greasy spoons. In fact, I would quite often prefer late night breakfast or heart-​stopping diner food over fancy dining. However, it doesn’t always work out.
Riverfront Times recently published an article about Eat-​Rite Diner, and while heading home from Busch Stadium, I thought that I would give them another chance. The first review reflects my initial indifference.
The diner seats about a dozen people, and on a Friday night, you might have to stand awkwardly behind the patrons if you really want to wait. If anything, Eat-​Rite serves as a perfect scene for people watching. And people were interesting last night! One man was thrown out for being unruly, claiming that he’d waited twenty minutes for his food. Another woman didn’t like the fry cook’s raunchy sense of humor and basically let everyone in the diner know about her distaste.
I didn’t have a clear view of the menu, which is painted on the hood over the cooking station. Honestly, as long as you stay with the breakfast food and the burgers, you will be fine. However, I pulled an audible and ordered their fried chicken. When my meal arrived, the chicken had been overcooked, and the portions were small. Instead of complaining, I just ate my food, paid, and got out.
Also, the diner is cash only, which allows for reasonable prices. However, the ATM machine takes a $ 3.25 service fee.
If you’re looking for average to mediocre diner food and a possible fight, Eat-​Rite Diner is your place. There are plenty of great diners around the city to enjoy, and quite often in safer neighborhoods.
Side note: please read my first review. The opening paragraph is a personal favorite!

Greasy spoon dive w/
–St Louis style slinger
–6 pack hamburgers (share with friends but individual bowls of chili)
Understand beforehand
–Press buzzer to get in
–SMALL w/​just a few seats
–basic food so be ready to add onions, cheese, hot sauce, mustard & pepper
–only takes cash
–terrible basement restroom
Individual stories are many
–remember checking on that lady with a naked a$$ hanging out of a car & having a debate if we should call the police? The one guy in the diner that kept his head down, said nothing & kept eating ended up being the driver. He just woke her up & told her to get her a$$ in the car then drove off.
–I remember getting $ 50+ worth of 6 packs of burgers & the food gone in 5 minutes when I got back to the bar
–Do you remember that conversation? Neither do I.

I don’t even know how to start with Eat-​Rite… It was everything you want in a diner.
First, there was a car without anyone in it sitting, and running in the parking lot, we told them about it, they said it had been there several hours. Must have been a drunk that went home with a friend. Bonus.
Second, they have to hit a button to let you into the place. Bonus #2.
Third, the ladies working there must have been there for years, and they know how to cook diner food. Bonus #3.
I had the slinger, because, well, slinger. Enough said. It was very good. The hash browns are mostly just mashed potatoes flat topped. The burger was a star, and the chili was some of the best I’ve had in a diner.
In case you need to be reminded this is a dive, the cigarette smoke in the background from the waitress was there. They only take cash, and there is only 9ish seats at the bar.
Would I go here again? Absolutely. This is what the Midwest is all about.

Upon approach, the Eat-​Rite stands as a tiny building floating in an ocean of pavement and urban blight. In the parking lot, it’s not unusual to see a rusted-​out van parked next to a BMW. The Eat-​Rite is the great equalizer.
Upon entering this tiny rectangle, you are greeted to a small and well-​worn countertop encircling a modest kitchen with a griddle that must have been seasoned since the invention of cooktops. Above this modest counter is a menu on the wall, outlining all of the breakfast and lunch options. If the appointments haven’t already made you feel like you’ve traveled back in time, the prices on display will. You won’t find a more reasonably-​priced menu anywhere else.
The staff is friendly and accommodating, but not particularly warm or chatty. And how could they be, while they reign over a perfectly-​choreographed marvel of short-​order efficiency?
Order anything, and it will be amazing. Cooked on-​the-​spot and in plain view, each order sizzles and soaks up the seasoning of the cooktop, all finishing at exactly the same time, as if by magic.
The slinger is my favorite, and I think it’s the best example of this dubious St. Louis staple. The toast that accompanies it is eerily perfect, and makes me wonder what is wrong with my toaster. The pancakes are great, their flavor informed by the countless meats and eggs that have occupied the same space over the years. The burgers are cheap and delicious. And the bacon… it doesn’t look special when it goes on the griddle, but it sure is when it comes off.
My only misgivings about giving the Eat-​Rite a glowing review is that I really like the fact that the place is never overcrowded, and wait times are minimal, making it the perfect spot for a late morning bite. But, I suppose this is the sort of place I shouldn’t keep to myself.
It’s not fancy, and I can’t imagine that it’s super healthy, but the Eat-​Rite gets it right every time. And that’s why I’ll keep coming back.

«Wot a dump!», quoting Bette Davis from one of her tacky, campy movies:
Eat-​Rite Diner is a true, redblooded American DIVE. It should be designated as a Saint Louis cultural monument so that it can be preserved for the coming generations as an iconic piece of mid 20^th century America as well as keeping alive blue collar, Missouri border state native cuisine such as «The Slinger».
There are too many fast food chains out there which standardize the food so it tastes the same in Pony, Montana or Intercourse, Pennsylvania. How boring is that?
I was touring the local clubs on Market Street, Van de Venter, Chouteau, Menard, and even East Saint Louis when in a drunken stupor, my stomach informed me that it was time to eat at about 2 in the morning.
I drove down Chouteau in the direction of the Mississippi when in the darkness of the night, bright lights were pouring forth from the windows & glass door of a tiny square box of a diner. I looked up & saw EAT-​RITE DINER in bold blue lettering with a white background beckoning me.
(FYI: If you are the flighty, easy to scare, pee-​in-​your-​pants type with a compromised cardio– vascular system, going to the neighborhood around Eat-​Rite is not recommended.)
I looked through the window and could see a waitress in an old fashioned waitress outfit, dress, apron, and all. She also had a Beehive hairdo popular in the 1950’s, and this was August 2001.
This was definitely a «Twilight Zone» moment from the TV series by Rod Serling from the early 1960’s or a border state version of Edward Hopper’s «Night Hawks».
I entered and sat at the counter looking at the overhead menu board. I wanted something that wouldn’t take too much time to prepare since I was needing to get back to my B&B in the Soulard. I spied cup of Chili for a ridiculously low price of about $ 1.50 where all they had to do was ladle the chili into a cup.
This was one of the best chili’s I have had. The consistency was thick with a roux and meaty. Couldn’t tell if they had any beans in it. The dominant spice was garlic with a huge amount of Cumin that added a clean, smokey, acidic bite.
As I was downing the Chili, I could take the time to see who was there dining with me. We were a motley crew of drunks, barflies, truckers, down & outers, and probably some neer-​do-​wells. Eat-​Rite is a great place to observe the wide variation of humanity especially after 2 in the morning.
I love Eat-​Rite. We should have one just like it in Los Angeles. (Maybe there is, but I just haven’t found it yet in the 500 square miles we have in the city.) Oh, I got to buy an Eat-​Rite bumper sticker for a souvenir and remembrance of the great times in Saint Louis.