Third Rail Burgers

Menu

Dishes marked with dietary tags are prepared in a kitchen that also handles wheat, dairy, shellfish, and nuts.

Burgers

11 items

Two 2.5-ounce balls of chuck and brisket, smashed to the steel and scraped up with the crust. Every one comes on a griddled potato roll. Take a patty off for two dollars less.

  • The Standard

    $9.50

    Two patties, two slices of American, dill pickle, diced white onion, Rail sauce. This is the burger the place was built on and it has not changed since 2016.

  • The Triple

    $13

    Three patties, three slices of American, pickle, onion, Rail sauce. Order it if you skipped lunch. Do not order it if you did not.

  • Bacon Jam Double

    $13.50

    Two patties, aged white cheddar, and a spoon of bacon jam we cook down every Tuesday with black coffee and brown sugar. No lettuce. It would only get in the way.

  • The Hangover

    $12.50

    Two patties, American, thick-cut bacon, and a fried egg with a runny yolk. Eat it over the tray.

  • Patty Melt

    $12

    Two patties and Swiss on rye, griddled in butter with onions we cook down slow all afternoon. The only sandwich here that is not on a roll.

  • Blue Line

    $12.50

    Two patties, blue cheese crumbled on while the patties are still hot, and a pile of crisp fried shallot. Sharp and salty. Not a starter burger.

  • Mushroom Swiss

    $12

    Two patties, Swiss, and cremini mushrooms browned hard in the corner of the flat-top with thyme and a splash of the house lager.

  • Jalapeno Crunch

    $11.50

    Two patties, pepper jack, pickled jalapeno, and crushed jalapeno chips on top for the noise. Hot enough to notice, not hot enough to ruin the beer.

    • Spicy

  • Black Bean Smash

    $11

    A black bean and roasted poblano patty we press on a clean corner of the griddle, with American, pickle, onion, and Rail sauce. Ask for it vegan and we swap the cheese and the sauce.

    • Vegetarian

  • Chalkboard Smash

    One burger, one week, whatever the kitchen felt like. It is written on the board over the counter. Ask what it is and what it costs before you commit.

  • The Little Rail

    $6.50

    One patty, American, pickle if they want it, and a small fries. For anyone under twelve or anyone who says they are.

Not Burgers

7 items

For the one person in your group who does not want a burger. We are not offended.

  • Hot Honey Chicken

    $12

    Buttermilk-brined thigh, fried to order, hot honey, slaw, pickles. Takes eight minutes because we do not hold fried chicken under a lamp.

    • Spicy

  • Crispy Chicken Sandwich

    $11.50

    The same thigh without the heat. Mayo, shredded lettuce, two pickles, griddled roll.

  • Fried Bologna

    $9

    Two thick rounds of bologna scored and griddled until the edges curl, yellow mustard, American, white bread. Order it once and you will understand.

  • Chili Dog

    $8

    All-beef quarter-pound dog, split and griddled, house chili, cheddar, raw onion. Napkins are on the wall by the door.

  • Brat on a Roll

    $9.50

    A local bratwurst simmered in lager and finished on the flat-top, with kraut and stone-ground mustard.

  • Fried Cod Sandwich

    $12

    Beer-battered cod, tartar sauce, shredded lettuce, lemon. On the menu every day, not just Friday.

  • Grilled Cheese

    $7.50

    Three cheeses on buttered sourdough, pressed on the griddle until it goes gold. Add bacon or a patty and it stops being a grilled cheese.

    • Vegetarian

Fries & Sides

9 items

The fryer runs beef tallow. Nothing here is baked.

  • House Fries

    $4.50

    Russets cut in-house every morning, blanched, then fried hard in beef tallow and hit with seasoned salt. This is the side. Get the side.

  • Loaded Fries

    $8

    House fries under beer cheese, bacon, scallion, and a drag of Rail sauce. Meant to be shared and never is.

  • Chili Cheese Fries

    $8.50

    House chili, cheddar, raw onion, pickled jalapeno on the side. Comes with a fork and our sympathy.

    • Spicy

  • Tots

    $5

    Fried until the outside cracks. Salt only. Nothing else needs to happen to a tot.

    • Vegetarian

  • Onion Rings

    $6.50

    Thick-cut sweet onion in a lager batter, fried to order, six to a basket. They come out loud.

    • Vegetarian

  • Beer Cheese Curds

    $7.50

    White cheddar curds from a dairy two hours west, battered in the house lager and fried. Ranch on the side.

    • Vegetarian

  • Fried Pickle Chips

    $5.50

    Dill chips, cornmeal crust, Rail sauce for dipping. Sour and salty and gone in two minutes.

    • Vegetarian

  • Vinegar Slaw

    $4

    Cabbage, carrot, cider vinegar, celery seed. No mayo. It is here to cut through everything else.

    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten-free
    • Dairy-free

  • Side Salad

    $5

    Iceberg, tomato, red onion, house vinaigrette. Somebody has to order it.

    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten-free
    • Dairy-free

Sauce & Extras

6 items

Build it however you want. Nobody is watching.

  • Rail Sauce

    $0.75

    Mayo, ketchup, pickle brine, a lot of black pepper. We sell it by the cup because people kept asking.

    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten-free

  • Beer Cheese

    $2

    Sharp cheddar melted down with the house lager and mustard powder. Good on fries, better on the patty melt.

    • Vegetarian

  • Extra Patty

    $3

    Another 2.5 ounces of chuck and brisket on whatever you already ordered.

    • Gluten-free

  • Thick-Cut Bacon

    $2.50

    Two strips, cooked on the flat-top in the morning and crisped again when you order.

    • Gluten-free
    • Dairy-free

  • Pickled Jalapenos

    $1

    We pickle them in the walk-in with garlic and oregano. Two weeks minimum.

    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
    • Gluten-free
    • Dairy-free
    • Spicy

  • Hot Honey

    $1

    Local honey steeped with chile flake and cider vinegar. Put it on the chicken. Put it on the fries.

    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten-free
    • Dairy-free
    • Spicy

On Tap

9 items

Twenty lines, mostly Missouri, mostly cheap. Pours are 16 ounces unless the beer is over 8 percent.

  • Rotating Tap

    Line four changes whenever the truck comes. Sometimes it is a stout in July. Ask what is on and what it costs.

  • Rail Lager

    $5

    Brewed for us four miles from here. Corn, rice, cold. It is not complicated and it is not supposed to be.

    • Vegan
    • Dairy-free

  • Missouri Pilsner

    $6

    Crisp, bitter at the end, 5.1 percent. The beer the cooks drink after close.

    • Vegan
    • Dairy-free

  • Hazy IPA

    $7

    Cloudy, 6.8 percent, all citrus and no bite. Poured in a 14-ounce glass because it will get you.

    • Vegan
    • Dairy-free

  • Amber Ale

    $6

    Malty, caramel, 5.4 percent. The one that goes with the patty melt.

    • Vegan
    • Dairy-free

  • Coffee Porter

    $7

    Dark, roasty, 6.2 percent, brewed with beans from the roaster on Delmar Alley. On tap October through March.

    • Vegan
    • Dairy-free

  • Dry Cider

    $7

    Missouri apples, nothing added, 6 percent. The only gluten-free thing on this list.

    • Vegan
    • Gluten-free
    • Dairy-free

  • The Kessler

    $8

    A pour of well whiskey and a Rail Lager. Sit at the bar and it arrives together.

    • Dairy-free

  • Non-Alcoholic Lager

    $5

    A real NA lager, cold, in the same glass as everything else. Whoever is driving still gets a beer.

    • Vegan
    • Dairy-free

Shakes & Soft

6 items

Hand-spun in a steel cup. We give you the cup.

  • Chocolate Malt

    $7

    Hard-pack vanilla, chocolate syrup, malt powder, whole milk. Thick enough that the straw stands up.

    • Vegetarian

  • Vanilla Shake

    $6.50

    Three scoops and milk. That is the recipe.

    • Vegetarian

  • Strawberry Shake

    $6.50

    Frozen Missouri strawberries blended in whole, so it comes out pink and full of seeds.

    • Vegetarian

  • Root Beer Float

    $7

    Draft root beer over two scoops of vanilla in a frosted mug. Kids order it. Adults order it and pretend it is for the kid.

    • Vegetarian

  • Fountain Soda

    $3

    Cola, diet, lemon-lime, root beer, orange. Refills are free and the machine is by the pickup window.

    • Vegan
    • Gluten-free
    • Dairy-free

  • Drip Coffee

    $3

    Roasted on Delmar Alley, brewed all day, black or with cream. Two dollars if you are eating.

    • Vegan
    • Gluten-free
    • Dairy-free