Food & Drink

Food Network names Kansas’ ‘most nostalgic’ food. Do you agree?

Food Network named White Castle’s original square sliders as Kansas’ most nostalgic food.
Food Network named White Castle’s original square sliders as Kansas’ most nostalgic food. Unsplash

As families plan for summer road trips across the U.S., Food Network named the most nostalgic foods in every state.

“Take a tasty trip down memory lane, from vintage ice cream parlors and candy counters to retro soda shoppes and drive-ins,” a Food Network writer wrote when publishing the list. “Plus, visit some old-fashioned general stores, farms and take-away windows that somehow remain unaffected by time — even the menu prices.”

The goal of the list was to inspire travelers’ next road trips, but for people traveling through Kansas, they’d have to venture into a grocery store freezer aisle.

That’s because Food Network named White Castle’s original square sliders as Kansas’ most nostalgic food.

History of White Castle in Wichita

The very first White Castle — also known as the first fast food hamburger chain — opened in Wichita in 1921.

And by 1987, the chain had expanded to offering those sliders in freezer aisles of grocery stores across the country.

“Ironically, there are no White Castles left in Kansas, as the company relocated to Ohio in 1934,” Food Network wrote. “However, you can always find the Original Sliders in the freezer aisle of your local grocery store.”

There has not been a White Castle in Wichita since 1938, and the original building at the northwest corner of First and Main no longer stands.

Where to find White Castle sliders in Kansas

The good news is that many locations in Wichita and across the state of Kansas still sell the original frozen sliders, along with some other varieties.

To find a grocery store near you that sells the White Castle sliders, visit whitecastle.com/grocery. Store locations include Dillons, Target and Walmart.

Nostalgic foods near Kansas

If you’re planning to take a road trip for some nostalgic eats, here are nostalgic foods of nearby states, as determined by Food Network:

  • Colorado: Mountain Pie pizza
  • Missouri: Gooey Butter Cake
  • Nebraska: Butter Brickle ice cream
  • Oklahoma: Root beer
  • Texas: Buc-ee’s Beaver Nuggets
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Kaitlyn Alatidd
McClatchy DC
Kaitlyn Alatidd is a service journalism reporter for The Wichita Eagle. She is a graduate of agricultural communications & journalism at Kansas State University. 
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