Tiny Burgers

Tiny Burgers, tucked along Lucas and Hunt Road in St. Louis, has a name that suggests a very specific kind of meal. Take one look at the menu, though, and it becomes clear that burgers are only the beginning. This is a casual neighborhood food spot where sliders share space with fried fish, chicken, pizza, loaded sides, breakfast items, and a few dishes that give the place considerably more personality than the name alone might suggest.

The most obvious place to start is the Sloppy Joe Tiny Burger. Customers can order two, three, or six of the small burgers with fries, with a choice of turkey or beef. It is one of the menu items that actually delivers on the “Tiny Burgers” name. Those looking for something larger have plenty of options, including cheeseburgers, bacon cheeseburgers, a turkey burger, double burgers, and the wonderfully straightforward Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger.

What makes the menu more interesting, however, is how quickly it moves beyond burgers. Catfish Fillet Strips are currently listed as a featured item, while the fish section also includes buffalo, swai, whole jack, and jack fillet. There are tripe sliders as well, plus a tripe sandwich, pork chop, Philly cheesesteak, wings, and chicken sandwiches. It is an eclectic lineup, but one that leans heavily toward filling, familiar comfort food.

The sides reinforce that impression. Instead of stopping at fries and onion rings, Tiny Burgers offers fried okra, spaghetti, green beans, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, and fried broccoli. That selection gives a fish or wing order quite a different character from the standard fast-food combo. Loaded fries, loaded nachos, and a loaded baked potato are available when something less restrained sounds better.

There are a couple of other quirks worth noticing. The online menu currently includes Taco Tuesday choices such as tacos, quesadillas, chili-cheese nacho fries, and wings, while breakfast brings a waffle slider along with sandwich and meat options. Those additions make Tiny Burgers harder to categorize,and that is part of its identity.

Tiny Burgers looks best suited to diners after an unfussy meal with plenty of choices rather than a narrowly focused burger experience. The Sloppy Joe Tiny Burgers make sense as the introduction, but the catfish strips, tripe, fried okra, and comfort-food sides are the details that give this St. Louis spot its own character.