In the 1930's, the small building that is the home of Car's Drive-In was a gas station that did a side business selling hot dogs and root beer. In 1959 the gas station was bought by Carl Meyer, who turned it first into a traditional drive-in, and then by 1962 a diner, enjoying a prime location on historic Route 66 outside of St. Louis.
In 1987 Carl's changed ownership again, this time into the skilled hands of Frank Cunetto, who can still be found behind the counter daily meeting the demand for his amazing hamburgers and house made root beer.
Carl's is a small sixteen-seat building, with the staff working in the space between two eight seat counters. Diners have a view of the flat top griddle, where hockey puck sized hamburger patties are spatula-smashed until they are thin and begin to caramelize on the edges. Folks who are unlucky enough to miss grabbing a stool wait patiently behind people at the counter, or can take their burgers outside to eat at nearby picnic tables.
Each burger is made fresh and topped right on the griddle while buns get a quick warm up to one side. While I was watching Frank work, I began to wonder if this was what it was like to visit one of the original McDonald's in the 1940's, before process "improvements", accountants and billions upon billions served turned a pristine product into a grey and lifeless burger, overshadowed by its toppings and devoid of soul.
And soul is what Carl's is all about. The grill-man works fast in four to eight burger salvos that eventually become single, double and triple burgers, served on small paper plates. Turnover is quick and the diners are for the most part silent, with the exception of brief comments to neighbors regarding this amazing communion of authentic American classic, born of The Mother Road, and its hamburgers that seem to disappear faster than they are made.
Opinion: Highly Recommended
9033 Manchester Rd
St Louis, MO 63144
314-961-9652
