I sat inside and ordered. Not sure why you have to use the phone Had a burger and onion rings. Diner was empty. A bunch of girls came in and ordered drinks I ordered wrong. A single w Chile. And onion rings. Was totally not happy but I ordered wrong. I should have ordered a double w lettuce , cheese and then added onions, etc onion rings were great could have been more I will go a second round read more

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The chicken was dry and not hot. Think it was fried in old oil. The service was unwelcoming and unfriendly. The phone ordering system is outdated and hard to use. I do not recommend this place. read more

We just happen to see the Cardinal on our way back to Brevard from a day chasing waterfalls. it was a wild card, but what an awesome surprise. My grandson had chicken strips and they were huge, crispy, and delicious. my wife had a grilled chicken salad, just the right size for a late lunch. And I had the Double Chili Dog Combo. Everything was delicious, the food came in fast... And the price was amazing! My wife said we should eat here every day for lunch!! Take a shot and check out this little retro drive-through, you won't be disappointed. read more

I went here this past week with my church group and it was cute and I loved the idea of a drive in, I don't think I've ever been to a real one and I was very excited to go! But, the service was not good, they got lots of things wrong with my order. I got a chicken nugget combo with fries and added sides of buffalo sauce, as well as a side of onion rings and they forgot the fries, the sauce and the onion rings and seemed kind of annoyed when I went in and asked for sauce. The food was okay, the milkshake wasn't super amazing but I don't think I've ever had a cheesecake milkshake and it was good to branch out but it was an okay shake. Maybe there are better drive ins out there in NC, I hope so! read more

i went here for dinner , i got the six peice chicken tenders and fries, asked for NO COLESLAW but when i open it up has coleslaw in it. not only that but the fries are so unseasoned. meanwhile there chocolate shake is just chocolate milk but in icecream. read more

Drive up and not get out lol. I got a sundae . It was very delicious. Hole in wall worth revisiting

So we traveled to Brevard an hour to tour and eating specifically at the cardinal. Yelp said it was open but not lights were on. We did see workers inside. We parked the car thinking they just forgot to turn all the signs on. It was 11:15 am on a Saturday. The doors were locked. We again saw people working inside so we knocked on the window. The lady didn't even look at us. We then called them which they didn't answer the phone. Is this the way a " valued customer " gets treated ? What's going on here? We do feel dumb traveling up here to try to eat at the cardinal. Guess we aren't as valuable as I thought. So now we are eating at the Brevard Diner. read more

CASH ONLY Great little spot to go and have a date night. They do have a little bit of a wait (30-45min) and service was okay but makes up for it with great food and delicious ice cream. My wife ordered a orange creamsicle and said it was the best she's ever had. Would recommend! read more

Great hot dogs. Better onion rings!! Service is fast and friendly, prices are fair. Downside - they only take cash, but you won't need a lot to have a nice lunch - enjoy!! read more

Super mediocre, no flavor on anything. The food seems as if it was bought out of the frozen food section at Walmart. read more

Cardinal Drive-In - menu - Burgers Near Me - Brevard, North Carolina

The food was so good! The prices were very reasonable. It was very good and would come back! The service was also very good very very VERY! nice! Come here if in the area! read more

The food was mediocre at best, or at least that's what I thought BEFORE I noticed the whole head of hair in my food... sure hotdogs are disgusting, I know that's a given, but pulling a long dark hair out from underneath the skin is to much. The lady who delivered our food was also a complete jerk, a frowney faced lady who stood in silence with her hands on her hips as we paid. As for ambiance, we ate in the car in the parking lot, so not much to say there. The only good part of this experience was leaving. read more

Cardinal Drive - In is an institution for our family right up with Dolly's Dairy Bar! First starting coming here as a child attending summer camp over in Cedar Mountain and loved the milkshakes. The business has been independently owned since 1981 after it was originally built as a Sonic a few years prior. Food is decent for a greasy spoon old-school drive-in fare...my personal favorite is the chicken sandwich with l,t,o & pickles with fries...all washed down with a strawberry milkshake. Staff is friendly and service is medium speed but it's about the experience at this vintage joint! It is on the way to some great climbing and hiking spots and off the beating path. Interior is cheesy but they had a fire back in summer 2012 where most of the decor was replaced. Go give it a try and let us all know your thoughts on the overall experience. read more

So great to have a professional dry cleaners nearby. You can also drop off or pick up in Cashiers. They do a great job. Thank you!

Hubby and I were originally going to a nice restaurant in downtown Brevard called The Falls but we happened to come across this cute little drive-in place. I thought we can have a pre-dinner burger and a shake. We parked and almost ordered th right the drive-in but decided to go inside the restaurant. That was when we said "never mind about fine dining". The inside had black and white floor and pictures of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean like a mural alongside a juke box which was also a mural and not a real working one. It's a 1950's diner but we had to order our food from a red phone that every table had. The phone didn't have a keypad just a the part you speak into. Don't think I handled one of those in many years. I read a review that the phones didn't work but it was surreal to order your dinner over the phone inside a drive-in restaurant. The phone worked for us. The food was another story. Giving it. 2 Star for effort but it was a cute place. read more

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Good - milkshake and crinkle fries Bad - bun had mold on it (like a quarter-size green blob) read more

We were excited to eat at a drive-in restaurant but very disappointed in the food. The French fries were soggy. The hot dogs flavorless and the grilled chicken sandwich was on two slices of grilled white bread. The milkshakes were okay but the chocolate malts didn't taste like malt or chocolate. I rarely give reviews bad or otherwise. read more

Neat little set up. Sonic style outside, phones in the booths inside. food was OK, but nothing to write home about. was actually dissapointed with the "extra onions" where several bites of my dog had zero onions. But it was cheap and quick and quirky, so say a two for food, three for value and a four for neat little place. read more

On vacation out here in the mountains and stopped in for lunch. Let me just say it was great drive in food. So, yes a little inconvenient cash-only but there is an ATM. Not a big deal. Burgers are really great. You know when the burgers have been cooked on a really hot griddle and there is that layer of char on the outside? Yeah- really good. Butter toasted buns. Go for the double. My son had chicken tenders- thick breading but really good and juicy. I tried some of his. Fries- not really impressive. But the tater tots and hand-made onion rings were fantastic Onion tings are full onions- sweet and crunchy on the outside. Needs a little salt Wife had the double chili cheese dogs and liked them as welll read more

From the first time visiting Cardinals as a small child attending a summer camp in the area, until now as an adult visiting a summer camp in the area it never disappoints. Nostalgia awaits you as you drive in or park and sit inside of this classic venue. Go for the milkshakes. I recently had a cookies-n-cream one and it was amazing! This is a recent flavor addition and it was a big upgrade from the chocolate, vanilla and strawberry choices of my childhood. Everything else on the menu is just okay. This is what I hear from others who have eaten off of the regular menu. I have to admit that I have only had a milkshake there. read more

This is a solid 3 star. not a 2.75 rounding up. not a 3.25 rounding down. The interior is chockful of tables with broken telephones. (I'll get to that in just a minute). Outside, there are a number of drive-up slots that have inoperative communications as well. I went inside, expecting to order from a person. Instead, I quickly got the picture. there are phones and menus at every table and you order that way (I haven't yet read the history on this place, but I'm guessing that was WAY cool back in early days). Ordered the Cardinal burger and a pepsi. quite reasonably priced - but after having the burger, felt that it was fairly priced all things considered. Quality of service as average - not unpleasant - not unpleasant. I stopped because of the hip factor. Anytime I'm driving by one of these relics, I always stop. read more

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They have the best milkshakes ever!! We had eggnog, cookies & cream, banana, and orange creamsicle. I had banana, but made my kids give me a taste test! The burger I got was very good and those homemade onion rings were huge and so yummy! Food came out quick too! We all enjoyed our meal! It's a drive-in like sonic. read more

I had the steak burger and fries they were homemade and tasty but not mind-blowing. I'm going to keep going because it's a local business and they have indoor seating so maybe I'll like that better. read more

All in all it was good food. A little greasy for my liking but the taste was great and the prices are even better. I ordered a burger and shared onion rings and tater tots with someone else, and let me say that the onion rings were the best I've ever had. I would definitely recommend for a cheap quick meal and honestly it's worth the drive if you don't live close by. read more

Cardinal Drive-In - Burgers Near Me - Brevard, North Carolina

I would like to say that this is the first time I have left a review for any business, food or otherwise. The food was very bad. The buns were hard, our burger came with nothing but the bun, and none of it tasted very good. The only reason there are two stars is because the woman serving food was beyond sweet. read more

This is your classic old time drive in... The staff was very nice. The food is what you would expect from a diner. The onion rings are huge. The milkshakes are very thick. You need a spoon.. The hamburgers are really pretty good and they are huge! It looks like it hasn't changed in 50 years... If you're looking for the classic drive-in, this is the place...fun for a small group too!!! read more

Never ever again!!! We are new to the Asheville area but we love visiting Brevard. We normally go to Rocky's but on this day it was closed so we decided to try Cardinal for the first time and it was our last time. Inside was dated and there was an ATM because they only accept cash inside. The phone where you order food was dirty and nasty. Since it was our first time there we weren't sure how the menu worked ya know if drinks were included or sides and such. So we picked up the phone and asked if a server could come to our table. When she arrived and we stated it was our first time there she simply looked and said "yeah" and did not smile or say welcome or anything. She acted like we were bothering her. So not friendly and had the personality of a stick. Actually a stick has more personality. So now for the food(brace yourselves). My husband ordered burger and fries. Burger was ok but fries were just generic crinkle cut you can buy at any grocery store and cold and bland. Now I ordered the chicken dinner. It came with fries,coleslaw and a roll. The chicken was so dry and tough. It was like it was from the day before and had been re fried. It was like trying to eat leather except leather wouldn't have been that tough. Even my husband had a tough time trying to eat it. We looked like Clark Griswald in Christmas Vacation trying to eat the turkey that Ed's wife cooked. My husband even tried dipping it in ketchup and didn't help. The coleslaw tasted like pure mayonnaise and was disgusting. And the roll tasted like it had been left out overnight and then microwaved. The drinks were good but hey water is usually pretty good. Don't waste your money on this place because we certainly won't ever again!!!!!! read more

5 stars just for the milk shakes and onion rings, they are exceptional. A true blast from the past drive in with speaker phones and car hops. One of our first stops whenever we are in town. read more

Horrible experience. My good gets delivered by a lady with no gloves or mask on and tells me I have to pay cash only. Cash only during a pandemic? How f&@king disgusting. She makes me go inside the building (which I did not want to do because of all the employees in there not wearing masks) next thing you know the ATM doesn't work. So then I have to drive down the road to get money. So now the meal costs an extra $3! The burger was great but a horrible experience overall. read more

Mirroring the previous reviews, Cardinal is all about the MILKSHAKES!! Absolutely delicious and great flavors! There's something very old school and nostalgic about going to a Drive-In restaurant where you order through a speaker and the waitress brings the food out to your card for you. Back to the days before we got so busy and just went with Drive Thrus. The food that I've had here has been decent, but not fantastic, but I will continue to come back for those milkshakes. Have no doubt about that! read more

The isn't so much a review in the food but on customer service and lack of hygiene practices during COVID 19. Ordering is done at a drive-in style set up and was easy. The food was ready quickly and prices seemed fair but I felt very uncomfortable with the manner in which it was delivered to our car. The server was not wearing a mask and the straws were already placed in our drinks with the wrapper fully removed and straws exposed. This would have grossed me out pre-COVID 19. Had the food been exceptional I may forgive a bit on the hygiene but overall this was not a pleasant take out experience. read more

Best onion rings and chocolate malts ever !!! Use to enjoy them and live here as a kid. First place I went when got in town and they are still as amazing as I remembered read more

Stopped in with a friend Sunday and sat down in the dining room. Wasn't sure if we were supposed to use the phones at the tables or if they were for nostalgia sake. And frayed wires were coming out of it - Waitress came into the dining room twice. Didn't even acknowledge us so after the 2nd time we got up and left. Screw it. Not sure about the others' experiences but our's wasn't great. Would maybe come back but probably not. read more

This was my first time here. Cute atmosphere. We did the dine in instead of the drive in. The person on the other end of the phone had no personality whatsoever and hung up on me when they thought I was done with my order. They didn't say thank you for your order or we'll have that out soon, nothing. Maybe that's part of the charm but I found it rude. The waitress was super nice. I think she may have been the only one working because we had to get up to find her to get essentials like ketchup, salt or pepper. We did later realize that these were sitting available at the from of the restaurant but again as newcomers didn't know that. Food was great and despite the negatives mentioned, I would return. read more

Terrible. The burgers are plain and boring and the fries taste like oven baked store brand frozen crap.

I hate to do this, but....I thought this was going to be great burger joint? But....... no. The burger patty was pre-cut, almost black, and almost underdone on the inside. Also, the fries were "meh". So, good luck, but y'all need to try harder read more

They have the best milkshakes! The hamburgers are good too,made to order.The waitstaff was always nice and the manager is more than happy to fix any indiscretions with your order. read more

I love this place..the food isnt that great but it has such a old school feel to it. My grandma lives on lake toxaway and owns the trailer park in tbrevard so as a kid when i was in town id come down here fairly often. There strawberry banana milk shakes are the best. read more

BLT was packed full of bacon! Onion rings really are the best! Chocolate shake - A+ Cool little drive-in! Bite: Cash only!

First visit had a regular cheeseburger, meh, I've had better at McDonalds. The onion rings an milkshake were good though. So we went again and tried a chili, onion burger. Barely edible! The cheapest canned chili, etc. the onion rings were also terrible, very greasy & flat tasting. Milkshake was still good. Stick to the ice cream, skip the food! read more