Ivanhoe's Drive-In is probably what we'd call a Marion/Upland institution. It's primarily known as an ice cream joint and as I found myself wheeling through the Marion area on a Tenderness Tour it was a place that my roadie for the day insisted I needed to visit. As I had been wheeling for the day and had no obligations for the evening, ice cream sounded good and off we went.
Ivanhoe's has been owned by the same trio since 1965. It was formerly Wiley's Drive-In. It's actually part of the Garfield Trail, a trail of roadside stops commemorating Garfield creator Jim Davis (who's from nearby Fairmount). There are I think about a dozen stops on the Garfield Trail - each one has a photo op type statue of Garfield.
I tend to be a little hit-and-miss with these smaller town iconic spots. Often times, it seems like they're iconic precisely because they're unique enough that they stand out in a smaller town. This is at least partially true with Ivanhoe's, a restaurant for fairly average food with slightly above average ice cream that is most notable because they have about 100 different flavors of shakes, sundaes, and ice cream.
They serve up burgers, tenderloin sandwiches, a famous chicken salad (I'm not sure how chicken salad gets famous), meal-size salads, etc. It's the kind of place where there seems to be an assumption that you know how things work - for example, they have a separate line for ice cream but there's not really much present that's telling you that. You have to figure it out. This likely works fine for locals, but if you're drawn in by its reputation as a destination spot then it can be a little frustrating. Fortunately, I was with someone who'd been there multiple times and didn't have much of a hassle. Plus, the line was long enough that I had time to peruse their menu of flavors.
The tenderloin sandwich has some notoriety to it - I found it fairly mid-range. It was good, but not great. The ice cream was definitely enjoyable. The employees were enthusiastic and helpful. The line was somewhat narrow for a wheelchair, but it worked. A good majority of the tables worked well for a wheelchair, as well.
As a fun fact, they have what's called the "100 Club." If you try all 100 of their flavors, you get a t-shirt and your name on a plaque in the restaurant.
I've heard hit-and-miss things about the pandemic experience here, so that's something that might be worth checking out. I'm personally enjoying mostly drive-thru or carry-out meals these days, though occasionally I'll have a meal on a well spaced patio.
I honestly don't remember the flavor of ice cream I got - knowing me, it was some variation of chocolate or cookies and cream - my usual go to flavors.
I enjoyed my experience at Ivanhoe's - if you're in the Grant County area, it's easily a place to stop for the Garfield experience and for some ice cream. It's not really what I'd consider a destination drive unless you want to do the entire Garfield Trail or visit Fairmount where you can also check out some James Dean spots. 3-stars for me sounds about right - I'd say this is a bit oversold, but still enjoyable. It's mostly staffed by high schoolers. I won't rush back, but I'd definitely visit again when I'm in the area. read more