Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Swensons Drive Ins - Akron Classic

So I was out in Cuyahoga Falls to take a hike in the Gorge Metropark, which by the way is a really nice park and well worth checking out (see the website here) and I was looking for a place to eat nearby. Well with Chapel Hill Mall and the other shopping centers nearby I figured it should be no problem; but I try to stay away from the usual chains. Luckily I noticed that there is a Swensons right by the entrance to the park, so since it had been a while I thought give them a try. For those who don't know Swenson's is a small Akron based chain of drive-ins that have been around since 1934. Swensons is a true drive-in; you park the car, or in my case motorcycle, a server brings you the menu takes your order and brings you the meal on a tray. That's right curbside service and eating in you vehicle still lives and thrives. Not only that but Swenson's actually has a fairly diverse menu (go here to see it) with burgers, other sandwiches, salads, fries, onion rings and lots of drinks, including some very unique ones. The menu and the place has a 50's feel, but they have added more modern things as well. I ended up getting a fish sandwich and an order of onion rings. For under $5 it was a nice meal. The fish was an actual filet nicely fried and served on a standard bun, overall freshly cooked and tasty. The onion rings were nice sized rings with a medium breading; tasty without being overly oily; a very good old fashion onion ring. I will be heading back when I am in the area to try the shrimp basket and some of the other sides like fried mushrooms or zucchini. I also want to try some of the different drinks; with 17 flavors of milkshakes, smoth-eees, phosphates and even drinks called California and Florida, it could take me a while to get through this menu. Some how the Mint Whip seems like it might be first on my list. The servers at Swensons are friendly and seem to be having fun, despite having to run alot to keep up. If you want to get away from the usual chains, or you want to get something a bit different, or heck you just feel like reliving Happy Days, give one of the Swensons locations a try (list of locations is here).

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