I grew up with Swensons in the 60s when there was one location in Akron. The last one I had was in 2017 at my 50th HS reunion. We recently moved back to Ohio and visited the Anderson location for lunch today. First, I must say the Manager, Cierra was fantastic, and the server, Aiden, was all you could ask for in one of their runners. The cheeseburger, unadulterated except for mustard, tomato, and lettuce (as it should be!) was excellent, tasting just as I remember it. The slight sweetness of the meat, and the bun matched my memories. Of course, the prices are higher and the burger a little smaller, but it tasted great, which is why we went. The onion rings were great, crispy and not greasy, and they have Diet Dr. Pepper! Sadly, they don't have onion hearts anymore (anyone remember those?). We'll be back. read more

When I initially tried Swenson's' food, it was pretty good. This time I need to give it a thumbs down, way down. I ordered the fish dinner and my oh my, where to begin. The fish was hard fried, with the absent of any flavor. The fries, hard and burnt on the edges. They toasted a burger bun and called it toast. It's called Texas Toast, for future reference. The coleslaw had an awful before and after taste to it. (Tossed it!) Bad coleslaw is a bad sign. Everything tasted artificial and out of a stale box. The best thing about the entire meal was the milk shake and the nice customer service. read more

My bride and I stopped in for a quick dinner bite and it always delivers. Our server Olivia was a rockstar! She was hustling in and out from the restaurant, made sure our food was hot and our order was right. She had a wonderful attitude and a big smile: 11/10 for service and the quality of the food was right on point. I ordered a double cheeseburger and my bride got the galley boy. We split some sides and shared our famous Ohio and Florida drinks. The old school sock-hop feel is fun for families or just a date night out. We'll be back! read more

Swensons Drive-In - Drink cup as we sit car side - Burgers Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

The service was great, Jaxon our server is fantastic. He has a great personality, is very friendly and helpful. The burgers were cooked as ordered and very tasty. We had some kind of jalapeño poppers that were very very good. Perfect balance of jalapeños as to not over power. The menu is out of bounds, if you can't find something that you want, you are impossible to satisfy. I will be returning! read more

The service here is above and beyond. I don't think I've ever seen people so happy to take and deliver an order in the freezing cold! The hot chocolate milkshake is worth the drive. They have a good basic menu with an excellent grilled chicken sandwich. The loaded tots are good too! read more

Swensons Drive-In - Great classic menu - Burgers Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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It's good but not fond of the special sauce which makes the burger sweet and off tasting. Good onion rings but nothing special. Quick service and food delivery. read more

I have avoided Swensons because I heard their food was greasy. Gave in with a group order to try. wow! I was surprised how good the burgers and onion rings were. Someone else got the potato's and enjoyed them. I missed taking pictures for my review. We also got the fried shrimp. They met our expectations. Nothing special but still good. read more

Swensons Drive-In - Burgers Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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What a fun place to have lunch. So happy there's a Swensons drive-in near us. Service is great here. We left. They have delicious hamburgers and milkshakes. read more

Great customer service and I loved the unique set up where you dine in your car like they did back in the day. The quality of food was lacking and the portions were small so the lower prices really aren't that amazing. Very greasy and just mediocre. The "special sauces" on the Galley Boy are BBQ and tartar sauce which I wish I would have asked prior to ordering, it's as bad as it sounds. read more

Amazing service by Danielle. She was fast and efficient with our order! Great job Danielle!

Potato teezers are always amazing! Tater tots are also nice and crispy. All food comes perfectly hot. The servers are so nice and always give us a pup cup for my guy! The burger could use some work but I'm really just there for the potato teezers. read more

Had my first Swenson's hamburger today. First of all I give them praise for putting the correct pickles on a cheeseburger. They have old fashioned dill pickles that is what a perfect hamburger should have. Too many restaurants destroy theirs with garlic koshers and most don't have a clue that it doesn't belong on it! They have a really good hamburger but the sweetness is too much. read more

Food was super lackluster, and lacked items. BLT sandwich came with no lettuce, no tomatoes, and no sauce. Galley boy came in super flat, lacked the olive and toothpick. read more

Swensons Drive-In - The Galley Boy - Burgers Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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This is my first time at Swensons, I have been to a similar place in Akron, but not Swensons. If you have never been here or it is busy, it can be confusing. First the come to you like an old school car hop. The will put a card on your window and when you are ready to order turn on your headlights. (So face the building by backing into your parking spot if not at the building.) The food is pretty good, they do tend to overcook the burgers in my opinion, but at least they are not raw. The galley boy is tasty and what I ordered, two Pattie's, cheese, two types of sauce on a bun and an olive on a toothpick. I also got the potato teezers which are very tasty and not overly spicy even with jalapeños in them. And I got a caramel coffee milkshake. How can you go wrong there. Personally I pulled in and ordered via their app on my phone. And I am glad I did. After parking and waiting 5 minutes with the 3 servers running around mad like. I downloaded the app and ordered. It still took 5-8 mor minutes before they came out even though I had my lights on the whole time. I told them I already ordered and they got my name. A few minutes later my food came out. Now as far as the app goes, I think the idea is good, but the application is bad. Let me explain and this is the reason for 4 stars, even with the wait for "fast" food. You order via the app and it tells you what parking spot to wait in. How in the world can you wait in a spot that is already occupied? The app should allow for either vehicle make and color and/or the spot you actually got to park in or both. Or even have designated parking for online orders. I watched the staff run out with food and try to find people for several minutes because someone was to be in a spot that they couldn't park in. This to me slowed everything else down. I am sure if on a not busy day would not matter, but a Saturday when most spots are full this is crazy. Do I recommend this place yes, but with a caveat of order via the app, turn on your lights and tell them you pre ordered so you can give them your name. read more

Swensons Drive-In - Busy staff, running around crazy like. - Burgers Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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The Hamburger was like a shoe sole. No flavor, The fries were soggy. The Milk Shake was something other than ice cream Gainy and an artificial Strawberry flavor. I do not recommend it and will never purchase there again. read more

I discovered Swensons today, and I was there twice. I absolutely loved it. I found it by accident, and once I tried the food for lunch, I had to bring my husband back with me for dinner! It was such a neat vibe, literally felt like I was transported back to the 50's. The pricing was honestly better than I thought it would be- our total was $27 and we got a double cheeseburger, fried mushrooms, potato poppers, a 12 ct shrimp, and a milkshake. The servers were quick to get our order and attentive and really took the time to walk us through the menu. Might be my new favorite restaurant. We love Swensons!! Such a fun summer date night. read more

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The food is super duper good and the service is pretty fast! I would definitely recommend!

Went to the Willoughby Swenson's this evening. There were exactly 5 cars including mine in the lot. Waited 15 minutes, lights on for a server to come out and take my order. There were three of them. I could see them goofing around with each other the whole time. I even made eye contact with one of them. After 15 minutes, I left. Call me stupid but I drive the the University Heights location from there. University Heights had one server and about 15 cars waiting. I waited 10 minutes here and gave up. Would like to rate the food but at two locations , I couldn't get any... read more

My friend is Akron, from where this franchise originates and she asked me to accompany her to Anderson, from Westwood, to try out this place. She got two burgers, and I got two hot dogs and a strawberry shake. I'm not even going to belabor my review - I like Dairy Queen better. Nothing to see here. read more

OK, self disclosure here, I initially thought this was Swensen's (the ice cream chain) and remembered they had good food when I visited a location in Michigan years ago. When their food truck rolled up at a company sponsored event, I realized they were not one in the same. That being said, I did try them out at the food truck. Being a paired down menu, my initial introduction to Swenson's was a very good one... so good that when I had to have service done on my vehicle across the river it was a pleasant surprise to find their store about 5 doors down and swung in for the full experience. The employees raced to meet my vehicle before my I had even put it my truck in park. After they had marked me as "being met" I was given a few minutes to look over the menu board or download the menu off the QR code reader. I had a half healthy choice: Grilled chicken and onion rings. Both brought out in about 5-6 minutes and scorching hot! The chicken was quite flavorful and the onion rings thick and crunchy - just the way I like it! I'm sure when I am in the area I will stop in again. I really was quite impressed. read more

I suppose I just don't get it. I had their Galley Boy...it sounded a bit plain, so I added onion and pickle and, to me, it still missed the mark. It wasn't horrible, but the combination of their one sauce with BBQ sauce was odd. Their fries were good, but it's kinda hard to screw up fries. They did have fountain Ginger Ale...which was cool, but all in all, it was....meh read more

I love this old classic drive in! The original was only in Cleveland so I was so excited when they opened one here in Cincinnati! The service is prompt and friendly and the food is so delicious! You can get it to go or eat it in your car, which is a ton of fun! Their milkshakes are to die for and so are their burgers! read more

Ok Cincinnati, I've played your games with chili on spaghetti and sampled the regional mystery meat known as goetta*... now as an ex-Akronite I'd like to introduce you to the blast-from-the-past carhop cheeseburg experience known as Swenson's. This is a Northeast Ohio original that's been slowly making its was south with recent outposts in Columbus and now our very own Cincinnati location here on Beechmont. It's always a concern when regional specialties move far from their region but let me tell you, this is a Swenson's. From the crackled burger buns to the hustling wait staff, the Cincinnati location made me feel right at home. What to expect when you go: Find a parking spot and pull or back in so that your headlights face the building. Turn them on for service (and then OFF after you've been helped). Someone will run out to your car to get your order. Then sit tight and wait; when the food arrives you'll pay with cash or card from the comfort of your vehicle. Then dig in and enjoy! (But make sure to turn your headlights back on when you leave if it's dark out!) We stopped in for dinner on a Tuesday and were served quickly. Between the two of us we ordered one Galley Boy, one cheeseburg with everything ("everything" here being onion, pickle and mustard), one order of fries, one order of potato puffs (tots) and a hot fudge shake. The food was hot and fresh--actually maybe the best order of Swenson's fries I've had in recent memory. (But pro tip, they come basically unsalted so priority number one when you get your food should be to dump a couple salt packets right in the bag and shake while they're still very hot!) The shakes, though, have always been my favorite part. They are super thick and creamy, and the hot fudge flavor takes me straight back to childhood. I know nostalgia plays a role in our food preferences and that this may not be for everyone but darned if I'm not going to defend it as fiercely as the arguments in favor of Skyline I've endured over the last decade in this city. For a Swenson's that just opened, this one is on par with its predecessors. It tastes like home. I unapologetically love it. *for the record both of these things are also delicious read more

I was so excited to hear about Swenson's coming to Anderson. I love that it is a privately owned Ohio born and bred restaurant. Great History I thought this would be a great meal. Service was super fast but our server left after taking the order and had to do traffic duty. No worries. They were busy. He said it would be 15 min wait and it was not a minute more. But the food was underwhelming at best. We got a Galley Boy,a plain Double Cheeseburger, chicken tender meal, salad boy, a shake onion rings fries and potato puffs (tater tots) and 2 Xangos. So a good section of the menu and it came to around $40 plus change and tip. The Galley Boy was overcooked and the bun was kind of stale and smashed. Plus it only had the red sauce not the other which I think is tartar sauce. The double cheese plain had red sauce not the plain we ordered and was in the same shape as the galley boy. Tenders were nothing special just deep fried chicken tenders that you see at Sonic or other fast food places no special flavor etc. Fries were soggy and cold, and potato puffs, great marketing copy they are tater tots cold and soggy as well. The shake was just chocolate flavored soft serve. McDonalds has even upped their game on shakes. This was just bland. It should be much better. The Xango was kind of neat like a chimichanga or deep fried cannoli. Not bad. Problem I have is the disconnect with their copy about Swenson's and the great history. There are lots of burger offerings in the area that warrant the high price sadly Swenson's has all the sizzle in the story but loses it on the quality of the product. I hope this was just a bad night for them. read more

Swensons Drive-In - Swenson's Galley Boy - Burgers Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Pretty Good! The service was great, they brought out a sample shake of the chips ahoy! burgers themselves are a bit small-kinda like wendys-but still have good flavor! Prices were good too! Me and my partner said we would both go back. read more

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Stopped in for some late night food on the go for a couple reasons... one being we haven't heard of it or ever tried it and two it was one of the few things still open at 10 o clock at night. We were greeted at our car with curbside service and they offer an array of different menu items. We got the famous galley boy they call it which to us tasted like a bbq burger and was very good. This was accompanied with fries and coleslaw which were also great but small portioned. There is a lot I would like to go back and try based on the menu offerings. Only advice I can give is order more than you think you need if you are hungry, portions are on the small side and it doesn't hurt to try a few things! read more

This place rocks. It has the charm of an old fashioned carhop, with outstanding customer service and tasty food. I've been here three times and great experience every time. The servers jump hoops to quickly serve you your custom order. Some have criticized the wait. GUESS WHAT GUYS? It is not McDonalds! Meals are made to order, not in advance. If waiting 10 minutes is too long for you, go elsewhere. And if you don't like tartar sauce and bbq on a burger, don't order their signature sandwich and act surprised when you get it. Too many snowflakes. But I do suggest splurging the extra cents for the sautéed onions. Delish. And their rings are great too. read more

Do NOT order from this place at night. They still serve chili that has been sitting since noon. Stomach issue warning.. Cmon Swenson's. Take care of your door dash fans. read more

Swensons is ok! Service is fantastic, the food is just ok. I think it was pretty busy in the beginning because it was a novelty but I'm not sure crazy about bbq sauce on burgers. Just me personally! read more

Went for the first time and my whole family loved it. Food was great and so was the service!

Swenson's is next to none!! The service was quick and friendly, the bellhops actually run your order out and the food was fresh, delicious and had a unique but amazing flavor. The restaurant grounds were clean and well kept and concept was a little different from sonic. My friend and I thoroughly enjoyed it! We will return when we're back in Cincinnati! read more

Three strikes, Swenson's..... you're out First visit, strike 1: got a plain small cheeseburger just to test the place out. 4 dollars and a 20 minute wait for a kid's meal sized cheeseburger. Price and wait aside, it was meh at best Second visit, strike 2: Some sort of tag was placed on my windshield within 2 minutes arrival. 25 minutes later, having not been approached again, I decided to leave. Someone immediately rushed out to grab the tag before I left. They had time for that. Third visit, strike 3: parking lot had between 6 and 10 cars the entire time I was there.....this is somewhere between a 6th and a 4th of their capacity, so they were not very busy. I got waited on pretty much right away, but it took 40 minutes to get a 1/4 pound cheeseburger and fries. There were no apologies nor or offers of discounts/comping made due to the wait. The extra slice of cheese I had asked for and was charged for was missing. The bun was stale, the burger was overcooked to an extreme state of dryness, and the fries were neither seasoned nor fresh - limp, no crispness whatsoever, like leftover fries from the night before. Not recommended read more

Stopped in tonight to see what all the hubbub was about - have been seeing lines & backups so thought we'd check it out. Just a "meh". I had a quarter pound burger with onion rings & my daughter had the crispy chicken sandwich with fries and a strawberry shake. We took the food to go, so we were 10 miles away before I found out my burger was missing the bacon I ordered and paid extra for. Onion rings were hot, crispy, and good. Chicken sandwich was underwhelming - kind of soggy & sad - but the strawberry shake was what finally sank the meal. Tastes fully artificially flavored, as if made with vanilla with a sweet "strawberry-ish" syrup added. Very disappointed as we really wanted to like it. Service was prompt & friendly but it's got to be about the food too. Sorry, but I don't think we'll be back. read more

Swensons Drive-In - Bacon ordered but MIA - Burgers Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Only 1 server for 40 car spaces, used Paper Notes for orders asking waiters to not use web site to order. Heat & effort likely to harm this worker! Also PRICES virtual invisible. Not on wall menu, web site doesn't show prices until AFTER payment info NO CALORIE data as required by ACA for over 5 years. Good good but customer & employee abuse is realentered read more

Wow, after all that wait, this is such a disappointment. I got a cheeseburger with the normal toppings (onions, pickles, mustard) and it was just bad. The burger had a sickly sweetness to the meat. The bun was dry and crumbly. The small hamburger did not stand up to big raw onion and too many pickles. Could barely detect cheese which was under the patty. Fries were OK, onion rings had nice breading but couldn't detect any onion, strange because there were huge raw onion rings on the tiny cheeseburger. Won't be back! read more

Didn't care for the Galley Boy or the Zucchini fries. I've had the fish sandwich, didn't care for it. The food is pretty average.

I dig the history, the setup and the service model of Swensons and I really want to like it. The food was cooked perfectly like the ones up north I've been to. The buns are awesome too as they're fresh baked. However their flagship burger is the sweetest burger I've ever eaten in my life. It's got sickly sweet barbecue and tartar sauce on it. And even the plain burgers are nothing better than other options nearby. read more

Really wanted to like this place but was disappointed. I do like their walk up to your car service. Burgers were a bit strange. The buns tasted like sugar was on them. Galleyboy not much to write home about and served with an olive?? Fries just OK. Also had the half pound burger and the meat was dry. read more

Swensons Drive-In - a hand holding a hamburger - Burgers Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

I'm a sucker for a drive in burger! This was a fun find when I had some errands to run on the other side of town. I will almost always choose to drive through the towns rather than a highway route. Finding restaurants/parks/shops are some of the find behind that! Swensons gets busy quick! When pulling in an attendant let's you know what to do when pulling in. Once parked, turn on your headlights and a server will be right with you. While many complained of waits, I only waited 2-4 minutes for server to pop out and take order. Super friendly and boy so they hustle. I mean literally, you will see these kids running from car to grill and back again. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings. Oh and don't forget a soda. New soda lines are always obvious at new restaurants, it's the best!! The burger arrived within ten minutes. Hot, fresh and with all the correct toppings. The bun was buttery and warm also! Gotta love that!!! The onion rings were crunchy with a panko style breading. They leave a tray with you for easier eating in your car. Once finished turn those headlights back on and they will clear all of your food debris and cash ya out. My total was $8 with my tip included. That's a helluva deal for a tasty burger. Will come back again when on that side of town and hopefully have the rest of the clan with me to enjoy! read more

Swensons Drive-In - Drive in tray - Burgers Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Five stars for shakes and fried mushrooms, three for service (five for friendliness, one for speed), one star for their Galley Boy burger and fries. TLDR - go for a Shake and 'Shrooms (patent pending) and order ahead. The famous Galley Boy burger - got it with everything - I didn't ask for the toppings to be on the side, but they were - all on the same half of the burger. The meat itself is devoid of any moisture for those with such allergies. The bun runs a close second in that regard. It's small for the price. The best part was, when you bit into the side that had the pickles and onions, it tasted just like a McRib, because one of their "special sauces" is a strong, sweet BBQ sauce. The other seems to be sweet pickle tartar sauce. The Fries - mushy and obviously warm from just being kept warm. The taste was different than most places, and not to my taste FWIW. Between the three of us, 3/4 of the bag was left uneaten. Shakes and fried mushrooms - delicious. Worth a trip for just that, then go get your burger anywhere else. read more