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Swensons Drive In Restaurants
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner, Late Night
- Alcohol:
- None
8 reviews for Swensons Drive In Restaurants
It was quite simple. I was made to believe that if I was in Celeveland, and did not trek out to Swenson's, I'd be commiting crimes against humanity and would no longer be considered a worthwhile human being.
Or something like that.
Probably nothing like that really, but fellow Yelp Elite mag m. and her associate made damn sure that I understood just how important going to Swenson's would be.
And it was.
Aside from them, Forbes Magazine was also adding to the hype, claiming Swenson's has the best burger in the ENTIRE COUNTRY. I'm not sure what the hell a finance mag knows about burgers, but my curiosity was piqued nonetheless.
Full disclosure time: I've been on a holy quest in New York trying many of the "BESTBURGERSINTHECITY", and have had my fair share of high end gourmet hamburger creations.
So with that in mind, it's important to understand the breath of fresh air that was Swenson's. Baby, you're not in New York anymore. A place like this could really only exist out in the middle of some podunk suburb of Cleveland. No pretense. No pretentiousness, and no fancy cheeses you can't pronounce. This place is pure 'ol fashioned Americana.
First of all, you need a car - which is problematic for a lifelong New Yorker who could swear he's SEEN cars before, but never actually touched one. (Kidding(ish))
So I stole the car of a friend from Jersey (don't judge), and drove it out to the middle of suburban Ohio in search of the Burger Holy Grail.
I only got a little bit (a lot bit) lost, but when I found it, I was amazed. The place was basically a big parking lot with a tiny run down building inside, with two college dudes running around from car to shack to car to car, taking and delivering orders whenever your lights turn on.
I was sold on the gimmick immediately, and could only hope that the food lived up to it.
I was commanded to try the Half Pounder Plus, and the Potato Puffs. And hell yeah it lived up to it. By the time I was done, I wasn't sure if I was going to explode from happiness or from heart failure.
Your food comes to you in a tray that they hook onto your window, and you get to inhale half a pound of meat along with some deep fried potato balls. And there is ranch too as if you weren't already shaving years off your life.
The subtly sweet tasting burger is cooked to order with your choice of trimmings - grilled onions, cheese, pickles. Whatever you want, they probably have it.
Oh, and it's all dirt cheap.
Amazing. Truly amazing.
I'm not sure if I'd go as far as Forbes and proclaim this the best ever, but with an amazing burger, and an awesomely retro gimmick that actually feels like it belongs (instead of feeling like well... a retro gimmick) Swenson's is truly a place worth making a pilgrimage to.
You won't regret it (but your arteries might).
I love Swenson's. The menu is certainly not healthy, but well worth a trip if you are in NE Ohio. Between the experience of a drive in restaurant, the unique menu (get a galley boy burger!), and a small town feel, Swenson's is one of my favorite spots to go out for a treat with my friends.
Everything about Swenson's is perfect. It's a drive in restaurant, so it has that novelty going for it. Forget about everything else on the menu (except maybe the milkshakes, if you're in the mood), because all you need are the burgers. Their specialty is the Galley Boy, a double cheeseburger with two kinds of special sauce, but the regular cheeseburgers don't disappoint either. There's some kind of special seasoning in the meat (rumors say a touch of brown sugar?), and the buns are lightly toasted and perfect.
The rest of the menu might as well not exist, because the burgers are just that perfect. If you live in the area or are passing through, there is no excuse not to try it. By the way, they have seven locations throughout the Northeast Ohio area, not just this one, so go to their website, http://www.swensonsdri.../, to find the closest near you.
My vote: 1/2 lb burger = best burger in Cleveland
A retro twist on the burger scene! Gotta love waiters and waitresses literally running food to your car and hanging it on your window. No, you do not get out of your car...you just turn on your headlights each time you need a waiter for a menu, to place your order, or to pay. Swensons reminds me of something from a 1950's movie or the Flintstones cartoon intro.
Anyway, I've eaten here several times and the burgers are just sooo tasty. I'm totally recommending the half-pound burger! They have great milk shakes too and their onion rings are the best in town. Since it's a drive-up and not a drive-thru, expect your order to take more time than a fast food restaurant. However, the food is made to order so it's fresh and hot - just how I like it.
The burgers and rings are the bomb diggity! Two thumbs up!
http://www.swensonsdri.../
This place was so-so. The double cheeseburger I got was pretty bland tasting and overpriced. I found myself regretting not pulling into the nearby Burger King instead and getting a bigger better tasting burger for a few dollars less. Very friendly service despite it being very slow even for a not so busy day. You can get better food for your money in this area. If you are really in the mood for the best chesseburger for the money drive over to Yours Truely or Red Robin in the neighboring Independence area 6 minutes away. It's worth it!
In an ideal world, every McDonald's employee would be taken out back at gunpoint. "You can now work for Swenson's," they'd say, "Or we can put a bullet in your head."
Then every McDonald's would be transformed to have the best burger in the whole dang world. And anyone who complained that they couldn't get their McNuggets would be shot in the head, and the world would be a better place.
I said in a previous review that Bearden's had the best burgers in town. I was wrong. This place has the most amazing burgers I've ever had... And as an extra-special blast, you get it in a retro-cuisine drive-in fashion!
That's right. You drive up, and park, and flash the lights, and a guy RUNS out to your car to take your order. Then he comes back with a tray, and he sticks it on your window, and you eat in the car and play the Grease soundtrack and feel quite the hipster at eating at a drive-in.
The burgers are amazing. The buns are like Hawaiian bread, very sweet and light and tasty, whereas the burgers are quality meat, done correctly. You want bacon? It's actual goddamned bacon. And the burgers are like $2.50 apiece, amazingly cheap (although you pay extra for every add-on, including tomatoes and lettuce).
They have fried mushrooms that are... Well, they're okay. I mean, they're fried mushrooms, which have the traditional problem of that if you eat them in two bites, the coating breaks free of the slippery mushroom inside, and you're eating either a shell or a mushroom.
They also have seventeen flavors of shakes. The shakes are thick and tasty; I had a butterscotch that was heavy on the butterscotch flavoring, and didn't feel made from ice cream - maybe it was, but it was more in the McDonald's vein of "gooey stuff" than "milk with ice cream bits in it." But then again, maybe I waited too long to eat it.
The only ding I have against Swenson's is that they have yet to take over the world and shoot all the McDonald's. I'm waiting, people. I'll even fill out the gun permits for you, if you ask nicely.
The only thing I find wrong with Swensons is that the parking spaces may not be wide enough. Translation- some of their most valuable customers may be among the world's worst car parkers ;-)
Enter their parking lot, pick a space, park the car, and turn the headlights on for service. Very soon you'll be greeted by a staff member eager to take your order and help you in any way. They run fast and maneuver around parked cars like they've been doing it for years!
This is all about fast food made to order. They have an extensive menu with burgers, chicken, hot dogs, and plenty of condiments to choose from. There are salads, shrimp, sides, soups, desserts and lots of fountain drink choices. They have Phosphates!
On this visit I had a quarter pounder burger, cooked well done, with ketchup, mustard, Worcester sauce, and grilled onions, on a slightly grilled roll-- you can tell this was NOT sitting under a heat lamp for five or more minutes. I had onion rings for the side- the skinner rings were a bit dry, the smaller rings were just right. Overall, very good onion rings. As for the soda I drank, I like my soda cold so they put the right amount of ice in there. If you choose not to have any ice, then you'll have to pay an extra 20 cents for the drink.
Swensons burgers are great- not at the level of a burger from Great Lakes Brewery or even Ruby Tuesday, but A LOT higher than McDonald's or Burger King, with a better advantage than Wendy's. If you don't mind a slightly longer wait for your meal, and appreciate good food made fast, and you like the outdoors, then this place is for you!
Heck, even ForbesFYI said Swensons has "America's best cheeseburger".
i know the secret! i know the secret! ready? it's maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla and raspberry extracts that makes these burgers so DISTINCTIVELY DELICIOUS. i know this because i met a dude in a bar in brooklyn who used to work there. and since i'm too far away to enjoy swenson's on a regular basis, i have been ad hoc-ing in my apartment, without success. but now i know! and so do you! let's spread swenson's goodness across the globe!
