Back in the 1920s, there weren’t fast food chains on every corner. If you wanted to eat out for dinner, you either went to a diner or a fancy restaurant and you hoped the service was quick and pleasant. In 1921, White Castle started in Wichita, leading to a craze for sliders and fast food that spread across the whole country. One year after White Castle, one other 1920s restaurant in Kansas saw an opportunity to make sliders of their own, and became a local legend. The best sliders in America? We think so!

You might have guessed it already, but today's amazing restaurant is Cozy Inn!
Gina Lastrapes/Google
Their classic sliders are more than meets the eye, probably because we've been eating them for generations! If we've loved them this long, they have to be good.
Cozy Inn started in 1922, a year after White Castle opened its first restaurant in Wichita.
The Cozy Inn Facebook
They saw how popular these new "sliders" were, and decided to open up shop in Salina, where people went crazy for them. Originally, the price was five cents apiece, and they sold plenty of hamburgers even through the Great Depression, providing cheap meals for everyone who came in.

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Today, they have vintage-style signs that look just like they used to back in the day.
Steven Flores/Google
The building is also pretty small, which means limited seating room, and all the more reason to buy a sack of sliders to take home with you.
Speaking of the sliders, what makes them so good anyways?
Kelly Peetoom/Google
Simple flavors and meat with less fat content make these the perfect burgers for everyone. They're cooked with onions, which produces the signature scent that all Cozy Inn employees and visitors carry when they leave. Mustard is standard, but they won't judge you if you like your burgers without.
During the warmer months, sitting outside on their vintage style seating is preferred by most, to keep you from smelling like Cozy Inn for the rest of the day. It's a recognizable smell to many fans, but not everyone loves beef and onion perfume.
sleeksm4/Google
Cozy Inn is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.

You’ll find the Cozy Inn right where it’s been for years, at 108 N 7th St., Salina, Kansas.

If you love eating a piece of history and you like homestyle food, you’ll love what might be the oldest still-operating restaurant in the whole state. Come have a bite sometime and tell us what you think!

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