Small town USA has the best diners and Porky’s Drive In found in Mansfield, OH is no exception. Head there for classic burgers, fries, and homemade root beer in a retro atmosphere.
As much as I am resisting fall (because it’s still in the 80s every day), October isn’t that far away which means there will soon be ads circulating for the best haunted house in Ohio – Blood Prison at the Ohio State Reformatory. If you live in the area and that’s something you plan on attending, let me also tell you about a little diner nearby that’s also worth visiting – Porky’s Drive In.
Since 1949 people have been coming to Porky’s for fresh-cut fries, burgers, homemade milkshakes, and their own root beer. They have even caught the attention of the producers of America’s Best Restaurants who are visiting their restaurant in two days time (from the date this was posted)!
While you wait for the episode to air, I’ll give you a little sneak peek to when I visited last fall.
Found along Ashland Road in Mansfield, Ohio, inside you will find the 1950s charm is still going strong. And yes they are other American classics on the menu beyond just burgers and fries, such as fried chicken, hot dogs, grilled cheese, and more.
Like this salad with a generous amount of cheese on top – ha!
We obviously were there for the burgers, fries, and most importantly the root beer. I always appreciate a root beer joint that understands that root beer should not be served with ice. Don’t dilute the magic! Instead their house made root beer was served in as frosted mug the way it was meant to be.
And it was pretty darn tasty as well! I would describe it as creamy with a little zest to it, vanilla, and medium flavor. I tend to prefer more bold root beer but it was a close 4 out of 5 on my scale (keeping in mind that a 3 is an everyday god root beer in my book).
Check out my other Root Beer adventures:
- Ashland-Wooster Drive-In (Ashland, OH)
- Frostop Root Beer Drive-In (Huntington, WV)
- Ohio Root Beer Day Trip (Cincinnati/Dayton area)
- Ohio Root Beer Day Trip, Round 2 (Dayton area)
Five years ago: Monthly Meal Plan: September
Eight years ago: No-Churn Fluffernutter Ice Cream
Ten years ago: Pizza Quinoa Casserole
1 comment
You will have to take us to Porkys sometime.
It amazes me there are so many local root beers. Have you ever looked around the Knoxville area? I never see local root beer at the places we frequent around here.