Friday, June 18, 2010

The Port Drive In (Chesterton, IN)

419 N Calumet Rd, Chesterton, IN 46304, T: 219-926-3500


The Port Drive In is an old-school family restaurant that has been in business since 1953. It has quite some fans in the area and advertises its homemade foods and drinks, most notably its chili and root beer. When we entered only a couple of seniors were in. The place looked authentic, but smelled a bit funky.


We ordered three different hot dogs: a classic Chicago Dog (tomato, relish, pickle, sport peppers,
mustard and onions), a Chicago Dog Vendor Style (tomato, cucumber, lettuce, relish, peppers, mustard and onion), and a Chili Dog (homemade chili and onion). All dogs came on big, though not well steamed, buns with soft and tasteless wieners.The chili was mainly salty, while the Vendor Style dog tasted more like a salad. We also had waffle fries, which tasted ok, but were mostly tit bits rather than whole waffles. The only good things were the drinks: M. loved her home brewed root beer, while I loved the fresh fruit strawberry shake, which was not too sweet, yet thick and fruity.


VERDICT: 73/100
The Port disappointed with its food, but if you like root beer or fruity shakes, you should stop by this summer.