Swensons Drive-in
- Multiple locations in Ohio, four in the Akron area.
- Phone: 330-928-3797
- Hours (all locations): Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.
- Website: https://swensonsdriveins.com/
When you pull up to a parking spot at Swensons, turn on your headlights and you’ll be quickly greeted by a carhop who dashes up to your window. Many customers have visited the classic drive-in restaurant so often that they don’t need a menu since they order the same things over and over again.
Swensons’ signature burger, the Galley Boy, is a double cheeseburger on a toasted bun with two signature sauces, Swen RED (barbeque sauce) and Swen WHITE (tartar sauce). The finishing touch is a pimento olive speared into the burger with a toothpick.
Other main offerings include standard burgers that come “with everything” (mustard, dill pickles and onions), veggie burgers, and fried bologna, grilled cheese and fried or grilled chicken sandwiches.
You’ll also find a number of tasty drive-in classics such as milkshakes and deep-fried sides, including potato teezers (a mix of potato, cheese and jalapeño peppers), French fries and onion rings.
Swensons opened its first drive-in in Akron in 1934 at 40 S. Hawkins Ave. in Wallhaven. Its other Akron-area locations are in North Hill at 658 E. Cuyahoga Falls Ave., in Stow at 4466 Kent Road and south of West Market Street in the Montrose area of Copley Township at 40 Brookmont Road.
There are 17 additional locations in Ohio, so you can get your Swensons’ fix even when you’re outside Akron.
2nd place: Missing Falls Brewery
540 S. Main St., Suite 112, downtown
234-231-1000
Given the Galley Boy’s iconic status in Akron, it’s no surprise it serves as a muse for others. Missing Falls Brewery’s kitchen manager, A.J. Johnson, said the Rubber City Classic is the brewery’s most popular burger and is his nod to Swensons’ best-known menu item.
The Rubber City Classic is served on a toasted brioche bun with American cheese and two special sauces.
Missing Falls’ burgers are smash burgers, meaning the patties are smashed thin on the griddle, browning the meat and giving it deliciously crispy edges.
In addition to the Rubber City Classic, Missing Falls offers five other burgers, plus a black bean burger and a build-your-own burger option with a number of toppings and condiments to choose from. The Royale with Cheese, which pays homage to the movie “Pulp Fiction,” is topped with American cheese, lettuce, pickles, onions and Royale sauce, a burger sauce made in-house.
And what burger isn’t complete without a side of fries? Luckily, fresh-cut fries are included with every burger.
Missing Falls Brewery, located in the Canal Place complex on South Main Street in downtown Akron, has been open since 2018. They serve up craft beers and a full lunch and dinner menu that includes burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, wings and more.
The brewery has a build-your-own burger special starting at $7.99 on Mondays and a $3 slider special on Thursdays.
3rd place: Ido Bar & Grille
(Best of the City’s 2024 best burger)
1537 S. Main St., Firestone Park neighborhood
330-773-1724
