Patty Melt
The diner staple done the classic way: a patty with caramelised onions and both American and Swiss cheese on grilled marbled rye, with thousand island on the side for dipping. Crisp bread, soft onions and gooey cheese. If you like diners, you already know why this is on the list.
The story
Nobody knows for certain who first put a hamburger patty between two slices of rye with Swiss cheese and fried onions, but the name that keeps coming up is William “Tiny” Naylor. His Tiny Naylor’s drive-in, opened in 1949 at Sunset Boulevard and La Brea Avenue in Hollywood, claimed to be the birthplace of the patty melt, and the sandwich was on its menu in the early 1950s. Food writers date its invention anywhere from the 1930s to the late 1950s. What is agreed is that the Naylor family spread it through their Southern California coffee shops, and from there it became a fixture of American diners and family restaurants.
What’s inside
- beef patty
- caramelized onions
- American cheese
- Swiss cheese
- grilled marbled rye
- thousand island on the side
Make it at home
There is no copycat of the Patty Melt yet. Until there is, these recipes on the site come closest to it, judged by what goes into the bun.
- Shares beef, a special sauce and cheese
McDonald's Big Mac (Copycat) - Shares beef, cooked onions and cheese
Viral Bacon Spiral Burger - Shares beef, cooked onions and cheese
Onion Bomb Burger - Shares beef and cheese
Baby You Can Chive My Car
Similar burgers at other chains
Built around the same things as the Patty Melt.- Bareburger · beef, cooked onions, a special sauce and cheese
Standard - Burger Lounge · beef, cooked onions, a special sauce and cheese
The S.O.B. “Son of a Butcher” - Better Burger · beef, cooked onions, a special sauce and cheese
SignatureSmashed Double Cheeseburger - myBurgerLab · beef, cooked onions, a special sauce and cheese
Jammin’ With Elvis
More from Big Boy
About Big Boy
Bob Wian opened a small diner called Bob’s Pantry in Glendale, California, in 1936. A year later he invented a burger so tall it looked like a leaning tower, and when a chubby six-year-old named Richard Woodruff walked in, Wian greeted him with “Hello, Big Boy.” The name stuck, and the boy became one of America’s best-known restaurant mascots: pompadour, red-and-white checked overalls, burger held high.
About 50 Big Boy restaurants in Michigan, Ohio, Nevada and North Dakota, four Bob’s Big Boys in California, Frisch’s Big Boy in the Cincinnati area, and a separate Big Boy chain in Japan.
Not affiliated with Big Boy. Trademarks belong to their owners.