Kewpee Hamburgers

On a recent road trip to the Pork Rind Festival in Harrod Ohio, my husband I decided to take a detour to Kewpee. I found this restaurant on
and was sold on the giant Kewpee statutes. We ordered hamburgers and fries, because that is what you do when you are at Kewpee’s. The burger was warm, the fries were crinkle cut and delicious. The prices were soooooo cheap! and the menu was hilarious, Vegetable Sandwich: $ 1.80 (I wonder if its a vegetable of your choosing?) Cheese sandwich: $ 1.40, Olives: $.30
While I can’t say I recommend this place on food, I do recommend this place as a must visit, cheap eats.

Went here last summer when I came to visit a friend in nearby Algier. Absolutely loved it. Greasy burger, frozen lemonade were excellent. Had the strawberry-​rhubarb pie and have dreamt about it since. Only thing I could find wrong was the cleanliness of the joint. But that didn’t mean much to me anyway. Building is historic and beautiful. Great place!

I ate at Kewpee’s at the request of a friend who said they have great burgers there. When I got there, I had to wait in line to put an order in. The menu is very limited so I got a double cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate malt/​shake. The burger was okay, it was better than fast food like Mcdonalds or Burger King, but was closer to a better version of a Steak N’ Shake burger. It was not better than five guys or other burger places that are a little more expensive for a hamburger. The fries were okay but not great. The malt/​shake was a little different though. It was not a shake or malt as I expected but merely a soft serve ice cream in a cup. Not bad overall for under $ 8 though.

I was born and raised in Lima and grew up eating Kewpees. As I aged perhaps my tastes have changed but 5 Guys and Wendy burgers are a cut above Kewpee. Kewpees are too greasy. They’ll degrease it for you however it doesn’t alleviate the lump it leaves in your gut. I’ll eat Kewpee in a pinch, but plain.

Awesome burger. Parking and getting access to the shop is a trick thanks to the crazy street system in Lima, but it was worth the hassle. Be sure to get green olives on your burger.

Heard of this place. In town for work, saw 1across the street from my hotel and came over here.
Pros: yes its similar to Wendys but, food & malts are better. Service is better. Its like old time, being back in the past with a diner like feel. Prices are gr8!
Cons: yes I suppose, if you want to pay $ 10 – 15 @ 5 guys then they are better. But remember, if ur paying that much then it should be that much better. Ive had In & Out & don’t agree they are better. Oh and 1 other thing! How many fast food joints have homemade pie. A slice is under 2 dollars! Apple, cherry, peach, pecan, strawberry rhubarb, apple brown betty & several others!
Wendy’s doesn’t do that!
People are missing the point on this place. Its an icon that should be enjoyed before its gone. We had a place in Illinois that was similar. Cock Robin. Great burgers, malts, sodas and awesome ice cream. Icon in Chicago suburbs. Now its gone cause people went to McDonalds, Baskin Robbins & the like. The point here is to enjoy them b4 they are phased out. You get great value for the buck. Burgers are fresh, malts are good and the service is topz! Theres an older gentleman who waited in me, joked around w/​me and was fun. It felt like I was talking to Mayor Kewpee! He also advised me (after I told him I would be in town for a bit)
on good places to patronize. You know what? All the places he told me are mom & pop places. That goes with my idealogy. Patronize the little guy cause you’ll get better value, & service. Good place, glad I came over here!
Thx mayor kewpee!

Kewpee has classic burgers at reasonable prices. The meat is juicy and very tasty. I’m honestly unsure if Kewpee’s food is that amazing or that I’ve just had it since I was a child and it reminds me of home. Whatever it is, when I’m back in Lima I find myself at Kewpee having a delectable burger.– 5 stars.

One of the best hamburgers you will ever have. They have been around for ever. Having a malt finishes off the meal. Only downside is that they have a limited menu. No salads or other fresh items. Still the best place for burgers. Very affordable

I do not understand Lima’s love for this place. To begin, the naked doll on the wall is strange and off-​putting. The service was fine — it’s just a fast food joint, so I didn’t have high expectations.
More importantly, the food. The meat wasn’t very good — comparable to McDonalds. The bun was nothing special. It wasn’t terrible, but it’s very disappointing to have after hearing everyone in Lima rave about it.
A couple of reviews tried to compare this burger to In N Out or Five Guys. Both of those burgers are miles ahead of the Kewpee burger.

The cheese burger was just okay reminds me of 5 guys because you can choose different toppings but does not compare in taste. If you’re from out of town… Don’t go. I really don’t get the naked baby and neither do my children, it was Cree pee

And I’m very particular about my burgers. We lived in Lima for 38 years and moved to Columbus in 2002. Since then I’ve been on a quest to find a burger as good as the Kewpee. No, this isn’t one of those, Oh I love Lima so I have to love Kewpee things, I can tell you without reservation, there is nothing in this city or surrounding area that can compete with a Kewpee. I’m going to Lima next week and I’m definitly getting a Kewpee for dinner. As I said, my love for Kewpee isnt’ from some naustalgic feeling, the burgers taste like burgers and you don’t have to pay $ 9.99 for one. Best advice to Kewpee, open a chain in Columbus and let me buy stock… we’ll both make a lot of money.

I would give this place 5 stars because the food is great and I love how authentic the place looks, however, I was greeted with terrible customer service. In fact, the young lady who took my order, didn’t even say hello, just «what do you want» and continued to stare at me.

I have heard about Kewpee and how fabulous it is from my Lima friends for years… did not believe them, until I actually found myself in Lima. First stop in Lima, Kewpee of course! I ordered the double because I was told to not even bother with the single. Also, make sure you order the chocolate malt, it’s one of their signature items. Price wasn’t too bad. Not cheap like Wendy’s, but not overpriced like Michael Symon’s B-​Spot. Kewpee exceeded my expectations and I’m looking forward to the next time I visit Lima so that I can try other things on the menu

Kewpee Hamburgers is the epitome of Americana. After all, it is in Lima, aka Lost in Middle America.
Locally, the place is often compared to Wendy’s, but it’s kind of an insult to Kewpee because it’s so much better than that. There are no frills here, no gimmicks, simply great, fresh burgers and malts. And a giant naked Kewpie doll is the restaurant’s mascot, proudly on display outside.
When I lived in Lima for about a year, I usually ordered a cheeseburger with lettuce, ketchup and banana peppers, and a small chocolate malt. The malt is thick, creamy, and flavorful without being over the top. It’s the best. When I really was treating myself, I ordered a slice of pie, too. There’s an adorable pie display on the counter. My go-​to pie was pecan.
On another note, the fries are pretty run of the mill. I usually skipped them.
The downtown location was always my favorite, because it exuded the most charm, but I probably went to the west side location most because it was close to where I lived.
It’s obvious how this place became an inspiration for a national burger chain. I miss this place and will probably stop by if I happen to be in western Ohio.

The only reason I gave this 3 stars was because the cheeseburger was delicious. The fries I watched set in the window and not even under a heat lamp and guess how they tasted disgusting. I waited for ever for my food.

A neat little old diner out of the 60’s here. The burgers are $ 2 and decent for the price. This chain supposedly inspired Dave Thomas to start Wendy’s. It’s also not quite as old a chain as White Castle’s.

Best fast food burger ANYWHERE, hands down. No comparison. Malts & pie are the shiznit too!

Kewpee Hamburgers, known locally as THE Kewpee, is the taste of Lima, and the taste is good. The Kewpee is a blast from the past, a relic of the roaring 20s, where it was one of the original fast food chains– franchises doted the Midwestern landscape. Today there are only five remaining: one in Lansing, Michigan; one in Racine, Wisconsin; and three in Lima.
There is ample evidence that Dave Thomas was highly influenced by the Kewpee, and the similarities are astounding; the square beef patty, the featuring of frosties in lue of shakes, and the use of children mascots whose representations hang above the restaurant were all Kewpee hallmarks long before the ginger girl was a redhead, freckled gleam in Dave’s eye.
I have eaten at all three of the Lima stores, and they all stay consistent in quality of the food. My favorite is this one, the downtown version, which is the original one in the city. The building is on the National Register of Historical Places and dates back to 1928. It has the original slick angles of a 1930s Art Deco diner with long red strips running the white steel enamel of its overhang. If familiar, It should remind you of Inn and Out Burger, except here is the real thing– an original Art Deco palace in the heart of the rust belt.
But whatever the architectural or Americana significance of the building, it’s inside where the Kewpee’s real quality and virtue lies, for the Kewpee is the best fast food burger I have ever had. Made by local beef that have never roamed past the bordering counties, the Kewpee can claim to have the freshest hamburgers; never frozen, the Kewpee meat goes from grinder straight to the fryer. My favorite order is The Special: a patty, Miracle Whip, and the freshest hydroponic lettuce and tomato one can eat. They also have amazing fries, the aroma dominates the place activating your saliva gland while you wait. They taste fresh– baked potato like with a fried outer sell.
The bad thing about the joint is its dining room. More like a cafeteria, it’s hard back booths and echoing acoustics make the eating experience less than ideal. Just use the time to enjoy the small stools at the low counter, and view the original terrazzo flooring. Also the burger are pretty thin, but at their low price, and artisan like creation, they don’t miss a beat. They also serve soda in styrofoam cups usually reserved for hot drinks at other places.
Visitor unfamiliar with the place may find the mascot, a nude anatomically incorrect kewpie doll that strikes a crucifixion pose in the corner, disconcerting. This patron saint of kitsch, with her (his?) whipped up Alfalfa hairdo and bulging blue eyes looking down as you munch on the goodness, as if she’s tormented from 80-​years of hunger and 80-​years of being denied one single bite, may give you the heebie-​jeebies. It may make you think that the taste of Lima is good, but that Lima is tasteless; but to the initiated, she is the symbols of tasty food and a satisfied stomach.

This Kewpee location is the real classic with so much nostalgia! When visiting Lima, one must go to at least one of the Kewpee locations. What can I say? I grew up on the burgers, fries, and amazing pies and frosted malts! If you like Wendy’s you are sure to LOVE KEWPEE, which was Dave Thomas’s inspiration for the national chain.
The burgers and fries are ALWAYS hot and fresh, but let’s not stop there… you have to try the amazing chili, homeade pies, and deliciously smooth frosted malts (I always dip my fries in the malt!)
Just thinking about this place has my mouth water. As the Kewpee adds always say «Hamburger, pickle on top, make your heart go flippity flop!!»

Back to Kewpie’s! I headed here as soon as I pulled into Lima, town of my birth, even before I found a motel. It’s been four years so I was looking forward to it. I’m not sure if this is a great section of town to be in at night, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from enjoying the experience!
I ordered the usual, Cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate malt, but alas, they were out of my favorite, the sugar cream pie. :’(
The food was as I expected except the malt didn’t have a very pronounced malt flavor. I substituted mincemeat pie for dessert and it was very good for a fast food restaurant. I’m always amazed at how good the pie crusts are in the Midwest, wherever I go. Why can’t they get that right in San Diego?
Thanks Kewpies! I’ll see you next trip!