White Castle Is Serving a $2 Veggie Burger that 'Bleeds' & Tastes Like Beef

Traditionally, White Castle has been more about attempting to house an entire Crave Case than it's been about conscientiousness dining -- and that's why it's a beloved institution. But times change, and White Castle is partnering with the futuristic Impossible Burger to release a new meatless slider. 

Starting on Thursday, Impossible Sliders will be available at 140 locations across New York, New Jersey, and the Chicago area. One slider will cost $1.99, and the faux-burger is supposed to be so realistic it even bleeds. And don't worry: The buns will be square. There'll be pickles and onions and smoked Cheddar. It'll be the White Castle you love, just from the future. This launch is a test run to see if the rest of the country is interested in a meatless slider-cramming experience.

For Impossible Foods, this is part of an attempt to win carnivores over to a less environmentally impactful and more animal-friendly eating experience, as the vegetarian market is relatively small. And the White Castle crowd seems like an open-minded bunch; they eat square patties with holes drilled in them after all. 

“Even before we launched our first proof of concept for the Impossible Burger, we have always intended to be available everywhere, and to be affordable,” David Lee, the chief operating officer at Impossible Foods, told Fast Company. If there's anything White Castle represents, it's availability (the whole open obscenely late thing) and affordability (the whole Crave Case thing), so Impossible Burger has probably come to the right chain to send that message.

If you want to try the Impossible Burger and you're not near one of the trial cities, versions of it are also at 1,300 US restaurants -- Bareburger, Umami Burger, Fatburger, among others -- so you have a decent chance of tracking it down. White Castle, however, is the first-food chain to serve the futuristic patty and the largest restaurant company "by far."

If this goes well, this meatless burger, which arrived on the scene back in June of 2016, could soon be everywhere.

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