Mug 'n Bun (Speedway, IN)

5211 West 10th Street, Speedway, IN 46224, T: 317-244-5669

In the 1950s probably every American town had a drive-in, but today these places have become a rarity. Normally they only survive in small towns without competition... or, if they are really good, in more competitive places. Mug 'n Bun is billed as "Indy's Oldest & Finest Drive-In" and has a huge menu: all the classics, floats, fish and seafood. It's most famous for its root beer.

I have been wanting to go here for a long time, and now that I am finally here, I want to sample as many things as possible. Unfortunately, I am alone... First, I get a Coney ($4.50): chili and onion, fairly soft bun, little sausage, not much taste of the chili. The Breaded Tenderloin ($3.80) is thinly breaded and very tender tenderloin on a soft bun with mayo and lettuce/tomato/onion: huge and delicious. The French Fries (regular at $2.00) are wrinkle fries, nothing special. An original dish are the Onion Nibbles (regular at $2.00), small onion rings, lightly battered and tasty. I dip them in a side of Horseradish Sauce ($0.70), which is very fresh though not very spicy. Finally, the large soda ($1.60) is watery, but comes in their mug.

VERDICT: 84/100

Mug 'n Bun is a very decent drive-in and if you choose wisely, i.e. breaded tenderloin and onion rings, it is both tasty and affordable.

South Side Grill & Dairy Bar (Effingham, IL)

906 South Banker Street, Effingham, IL 62401-2809, T: 217-342-3592

I ended up at the South Side Grill & Dairy Bar because two other places were closed or out of business. It is in front of a largely empty mall outside of downtown. It is probably better known for its ice cream than its burgers.

I ordered The Big South ($3.75), French fries ($1.60), and a small chocolate shake ($2.20). By and large, what I got was a Big Mac meal with a smaller but tastier shake. The fries were freshly made, which made them superior to most McD fries I ever had, but the burger's "secret sauce" was mayo-ish.


VERDICT: 65/100
What sense does it make to copy McDonalds? They provide roughly the lowest quality burger but also for the lowest price. They can do that because they are all over the place. So why copy that if you have only one restaurant?

Dog n Suds (Lafayette, IN)

601 Sagamore Pkwy S, Lafaette, Indiana 47905, T: 765-447-5457
(there are some 20 other locations in the Midwest - and 1 in AR)

Dog n Suds started in Champaign, Illinois, in 1953, and had some 600 (!) locations in 38 states and Canada n the mid 1970s! Nowadays they are back to some 20 locations in the Midwest. They are famous for their "coney dogs" and root beers. To be honest, I don't understand what attracts people to eating in their car... it is inconvenient and messy.

I ordered a Texas Burger basket and a strawberry shake (together just over $10). The burger is "made using two burger patties, 1 1/2 buns (One top, one middle, and one bottom), a slice of cheese on the top burger, lettuce and the Dog N Suds secret sauce on the middle bun, and Coney sauce on the bottom bun" (Wiki); I had it without cheese). It tasted ok, but overal a bit spongie. I would have preferred only the Coney sauce. The fries were uneventful, while the shake was big and sweet.

VERDICT: 72/100
Dog n Suds is a relic of the past, which might do great dogs and roots, but their burgers, fries and shakes are not exceptional.

Penguin Point (Elkhart, IN)

840 W Bristol St, Elkhart, Indiana, T: 574-264-5252‎
(there are 12 other locations in the North Indiana area)

Let's face it, who can resist a burger place with a penguin??? Well, clearly I couldn't, while driving through the desolate town of Elkhart, Indiana. Penguin Point is a local chain that sells chicken, burgers, and tenderloin.

I was very hungry, so I ordered a Super Wally value meal, which comes with a medium drink and medium fries ($6.09). A Super Wally is a kind of Big Mac (TM), but spongier and drenched in "Wally sauce" (a kind of salty, fatty Béarnaise sauce). The wrinkle fries were barely warm and cardboard-like.

VERDICT: 45/100
Do look at the website of Penguin Point, enjoy their logo, but stay away from their food (unless you are really starving and can't find a McDonalds or any other fast food place around)!

Frisch's Big Boy (Springfield, OH)

2201 E Main Street, Springfield, Ohio 45503, T: 937-325-5571
(there are various other restaurants in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky)

On my way to another pig out spot, I pass Frisch's Big Boy in Springfield, Ohio, and, intrigued, decide to eat there. It looks like an old-school diner with drive-thru, but is actually quite new. While the original Frisch's Big Boy started in Kentucky in 1946, it has more recently started various new restaurants, mostly in the Cincinnatti region. While it looks like an old-school diner, it seems to atract a lot of its clients because of its big salad bar (which actually looked very fresh).

Everything inside screams "chain" and "unauthentic" (except for the white trash clientele). As the "Super Big Boy" looks like the spitting image of a Big mac (TM ;-), I go for a pork tenderloin sandwich platter with two sides (I choose fries and onion rings) for $8.13. The onion rings taste like carton, while the fries are prefab and lukewarm. The tenderloin sandwich tastes mainly salty. Even the side of Frisch's tartar sauce, which they sell in their restaurants and in grocery stores, is heavily disappointing: fat and salty.

VERDICT: 25/100

This must have been some of the worst 'fast food' I ever ate. Maybe the salad bar is worth the visit, but the greasy dishes clearly are not. Stay away fast foodies!

Young's Drive In (Mount Vernon, OH)

206 Wooster Rd, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050, T: 740-392-3238

Young's Drive In is an old-school drive in in a small town in Ohio, which clearly hasn't invested much money in it's looks since opening in, I guess, the 1950s. Although it offers hot food too, -including burgers, hot dogs, and even shrimp - it seems to mainly sell ice cream, slushes, and shakes. Particularly on the hot summer day that I am there (92 degrees!).

While all the kids in front of me order slushes, I fear brain freeze and decide to go for an ice cream. I choose the Buckeye Classic, which turns out to be a kind of mocha ice cream with big chunks of chocolate. It tastes very sweet, not my style.

NO VERDICT

As I only had one cone of ice cream, I don't feel I should judge the place. It seems to a be a regular small-town ice cream shop with very sweet ice creams.

Westside Drive In (Boise, ID)

1939 West State, Boise, Idaho, T: 208-342-2957

The day before I made my (second) cross-country trip from Oregon to Indiana, I had bought the book Roadfood, which also has a website, and that was undoubtedly my best purchase in years. The Westside Drive In was one of their tips; not just because of their (allegedly famous) Chef Lou or their signature potato ice cream desert, but most of all because of their overall high quality food.

The Westside Drive In has a huge menu, including a broad variety of burgers, sandwiches, different types of fries, shakes, ice creams, etc. etc. I went for a Cajun burger, small curly fries, and a small banana shake (all for $10.57). DELISH!!! The burger, which was juicy and tasty, came with lecttuce, pickles, friend onions and peppers, and a zesty red sauce. The curly fries were tasty, if standard. The shake had real banana and was not too sweet or creamy.

VERDICT: 91/100

The Westside is definitely the best drive in I have visited so far. I wish I had another opportunity to sample some of the other burgers and shakes.

Fins Drive-In (Springfield, OR)

4090 Main St Springfield, OR 97478-6456, T: 541-741-3467

I had passed Fins Drive-In many times before, always saying that I should go there, but it would be the day before I leave Eugene that I finally went. Fins is an old-school diner/drive-in situated on Springfield's (at times dodgy) Main Street, which has survived for decades.

M. went for a veggie burger basket with fries, while I went for the Double Fins Burger basket with onion rings. We also shared a small cherry shake. This together came to a total of $16.85; not cheap, but also not very expensive. Unfortunately, the burgers were not very good; the veggie burger was similar to the one at Safeway's, while the Double Fins tasted fairly similar to a Big Mac. The good thing was that both the crinkle-cut fries and the beer-battered onion rings were tasty )even though both were probably also not originally made). The cherry milkshake was creamy and sweet.

VERDICT: 68/100

Fins Drive-In is an authentic old-school diner/drive-in, where the sides are better than the burgers. Given that Giant Burger is only a minute away, I would advice real fastfoodies to go there.

Miner's Drive-In (Yakima, WA)

2415 S 1st St, Yakima, WA‎, T: 509-457-8194

In town to see a game of the Yakima Reds, we stopped by the Miner's Drive-In, after having read raving reviews on a variety of websites. Allegedly, it is a Yakima tradition, famed for its Miner Burger. One thing became clear right away: Miner's Drive-In is all about size! It is the biggest drive-in I have seen so far.

When coming in you are greeted by someone who either directs you to the next available free counter (if you are a regular), or answers your questions (if you are a newbie). The place was bumping with various soft ball teams celebrating their victory/eating their defeat away as well as people from all ages (but mostly the same size...). In the end, I decided upon a Miner Burger meal (clearly, one has to taste the original), while M. had a grilled chicken sandwich. We then headed to the sauces counter, where you can fill little cups with various different sauces (including fry, ketchup, ranch, and tartar).

Although we were enjoying the sun on the grass outside, the wait was excessive. This was clearly not fast food (although, to be fair, it was very busy that day). As we had read online, and were told by the greeter, the portions were huge! This somewhat justified the also fairly excessive price (together roughly $16). Unfortunately, the food only stood out in size, not in quality or taste. The Miner Burger is a very average burger in taste, just twice the size. I could hardly taste the thin patty; I assume a half pound, but spread thin over a huge bun. The fries were crispy, but also not remarkable, while the grilled chicken sandwich was, despite including real grilled chicken, to quote M, "dumb" (the taste was totally dominated by the very hot mustard).

VERDICT: 72/100

Clearly, we were much less impressed by Miner's than other people who post online. Maybe this is the best Yakima has to offer (although I would like to sample the provocatively named "Major's before making that call), but on a broader scale Miner's only stands out in size. That said, I rather pay half the price and get half the food.

K-R Drive-In (Rice Hill, OR)

Exit 148 of the I-5, Rice Hill, Oregon, T: 541-849-2570, E: krdriveinn@hotmail.com

On the I-5, between Eugene and Roseburg, is one of the shabbiest drive-ins I have visited so far. K-R Drive-In seems to be mostly popular for its ice cream (and lack of competition). They have a big selection of ice creams and shakes as well as sandwiches; the fast food selection is rather modest.

I ordered a fairly standard deal: double bacon cheese burger (no cheese, but with BBQ sauce), fries, and a small banana shake. The shocking total was $14.50! Wow, I hear you think, that must have been some burger. Well, it wasn't! The burger was absolutely average, the fries standard, and the shake way too sweet.

VERDICT: 42/100

While the food is average, K-R's prices are far from. In fact, at any restaurant you can get the same for less (including tip and better quality). And believe me, the scenery doesn't add to the experience. In other words, if you are driving the i-5 and get up to exit 148, just keep on driving, I'm sure you can find something better and/or cheaper virtually anywhere.

Eastwind Drive-In (Cascade Locks, OR)

395 NW WA Napa St, Cascade Locks, OR 97014, T: 541-374-8380

Eastwind Drive-In has been a touristic staple since the 1940s, but recently went out of business. However, since mid-April 2009 it is open again, under new management, to the clear delight of locals, who were lining up on both outside counters (one is a drive-thru), mostly for ice cream.

I went inside, to sit at the small counter, and ordered a bacon burger ($4.65), small fries ($1.75), and small cherry shake ($2.15). Clearly the place still has to find its rhythm, as it took ages for my food to arrive, and it was at best lukewarm. The burger was mediocre, with a bland sauce, the fries thin and tasteless. My shake, which took even longer, and a kind reminder, was extremely sweet as a consequence of an overkill of cherry syrup (which made it also almost impossible to drink through the ridiculously small straws).

VERDICT: 57/100
This place might pick up after a couple of months under the new management, but just to be safe, I would advice the Char Burger further up the street!

Zip's Drive-In (Post Falls, ID)

3927 W Riverbend Ave, Post Falls, ID, T: 208-457-8444 

 

Zip's Drive-In is a fast food chain in the Spokane area of Washington state with a classic menu of burgers, shakes and deserts, and the obligatory chicken and fish. The different burgers have impressive names, such as The Big Zipper, Papa Joe, or Triple Triple. I had a The Grand and a regular banana shake for $5.60. The shake was sweet and icy and had no hint of real banana. The Grand included two thin tasteless patties (1/3 lb together), salad/tomato/pickles, and 1000 island sauce. The result tasted even (much) worse than a Big Mac! 

 

 

VERDICT: 35/100 

Worse than McDonald's!

C & D Drive-In (Boardman, OR)

103 N Main St, Boardman, OR 97818, T: 541-481-4981 

 

 

At exit 164 of the I-84 is the old-school C&D drive-in, self-acclaimed "Home of the Bozo Burger". Oddly enough, the drive-in is linked to an espresso bar and pizza place. Since it opened, I guess in the 1950s, it changed nothing, except for the prices.

 

 

The guy running the place was very puzzled about me taking pictures; he even asked whether I was interested on buying the place :-). Not very hungry, I ordered just a Bozo Burger ($5.50) and a small banana shake ($2.25). The shake was made with real bananas and was creamy and sweet. The Bozo Burger was nothing more than a bacon and cheese burger (which, as always, I had without the cheese), which tasted bland. 

 

 

VERDICT: 52/100

Although there are not many snack place on the I-84, I would advice you to find another place. If you do want to stop at C&D Drive-In, go for the shake and try something else than the burgers; e.g. the curly fries.