Back To the 50’s

Good food and tries for the drive in diner atmosphere. My only problem was that when my daughter’s chicken sandwich arrived it was grilled and not fried. When I told the waitress the problem, she said that I had ordered grilled and that she even repeated the order back to me. It’s not only possible, but even likely that she was right. However, when she repeated the order back she did so very quickly and I was somewhat preoccupied with my two kids. That being said, I asked if they could make a fried chicken sandwich for us and she went to talk to the manager. The waitress came back and said that they’d make the new sandwich but as it was my fault, I’d have to pay for both sandwiches! I immediately went to speak to the manager and told her that I’ve NEVER been to a restaurant where they made the customer pay to fix a mistake, regardless of who’s to blame! After some back and forth, they agreed to make it right for no charge. I get that I was probably at fault here, but to ask me to pay for the mistake, I think, is cheap and shows very poor customer service. Maybe it’s just me…

Cute place. Glad we stopped to try it, but it’s a little pricey for what you get. The burger was great. My husband said the hotdog was the worst he’s had. The kids really enjoyed the paper cars that the kids meal comes in.

Really great food and a very nice staff. Matthew Smith and indelible grace will return whenever we are near. Now onto Holland!

Came for dinner on a Saturday night around 6pm. Restaurant was pretty packed and there was only one waitress taking orders. She seemed flustered.
We ordered from our car and asked if the cheeseburger could be cut in half she said she doesn’t think so because they were busy. How hard is it to cut a burger in half? We asked if we could sub the regular fries for chili cheese fries she said probably just with cheese. Ok… all you have to do is charge me for the additional chili and cheese. So far not a good experience.
It took over 30mins for the food to arrive, definitely don’t come if you’re in a rush. Good thing we were trying to waste some time.
Onion rings: comes with three huge onion rings, pretty good but really greasy
Chili cheese fries: eh, nothing to write home about. Fries were a bit soggy, they are the thin kind by the way and they skimp on the chili and cheese
Cheeseburger: I really like the burger especially since they serve with shredded lettuce and tomatoes.
Shrimp basket: shrimp was delicious, nicely battered and fried. Came with soggy fries
Would I be back? Eh maybe, but there’s other restaurants I would wanna try before coming back here.
Parking is limited, but you can park in front of the tables and they will serve you from the car. I suggest hiring another waitress or two for the nice sunny days so they’re not overwhelmed.

Great place to stop for friendly service, a delicious meal, and good prices. It hasn’t been reviewed in a while, but is still a winner!

Thanks for another great meal Unilocal!The burgers and onion rings were awesome. The chili dog was so so. You can get your beverage in a frosted mug. Very cool

As we arrived in South Haven, MI late after a 7-​hour drive, we were looking for something cheap and cheerful — a quick bite as we were tired from the trip. «Back to the 50s» came up on Unilocal,so we headed in that direction!
It’s a cute spot on the side of a highway — you can choose to eat in your car (the servers come to you) or sit under the awning at one of several picnic benches.
The service was A+ — a couple young kids working. 50’s/60s music kept the vibe light and fun.
I had two sliders (mini burgs) with a side of chili cheese fries. The patties on the sliders were small, but tasty. The fries were shoestring — pretty simple yet yummy!
My hubby ordered a burger with the onion rings. Note: the onion rings are HUGE. You get three very large onion rings that are heavily battered and fried — so make sure you’re into that kind of thing before you order.
Delicious fountain pop = gold star in my book!
We would definitely go back if we ever return to South Haven.

My family and I came here for a quick lunch after driving past it for 4 days while staying in South Haven and man am I glad we did! I got a classic cheeseburger with all the fixings and my boyfriend also got a burger but went with the double with grilled onions and absolutely loved it! He said it was the best burger in South Haven and I have to agree! Captain Lou’s is the loser in this town! But enough about the burgers, the real winner is the onion rings! You get 3 to an order which sounds wimpy but trust me, those rings could be around Saturn. Everything was so heavenly and I guarantee I will be dreaming about those onion rings for days!

Fresh made cheeseburgers — no frozen parties there ;) AMAZING onion rings and cheese fries — super reasonable and super tasty — if we are back around that area, we will definitely stop again

Best burger and best onion rings I’ve ever had. No complaints from anyone at the table. Delicious!!!

Rolled into this spot during 4^th of July weekend and it definitely looked like a spot where the locals like to come. We chose to eat outside on the picnic tables, but realized at the end of our meal that there is also an inside dining area as well. This place is a splitting image of Superdawg in Chicago (outside of the food). Most customers like to order and eat from their cars as I assume that was the cool thing to do back in the 50’s. We ordered several cheeseburgers, cheese fries and hot dogs for the kids. The food was okay. I would put it a step above the local Wendy’s. Overall, a unique setting with decent food.

This is a real throwback kind of dive. You can eat in your car, at picnic tables under an awning, or inside. The staff is incredibly welcoming and friendly. I had a ¼ lb burger with everything and a side of onion rings. There are only 3 rings in the order, but they’re HUGE! A woman saw me eating them and came up to ask what they were; she thought it was chicken or something. When I told her that they were the rings, she got all excited & said she had to order them. The burger was very good — perhaps a little overcooked, but I actually liked it that way. It was very flavorful. And the onion rings were really good, too. They come with an optional side of ranch, but I prefer ketchup. They also came with a knife, but I just picked them up. There are actually several whole rings of onions in each battered piece, so you’re really getting more than it appears.

Fun place to take the kids. Hamburgers and shakes were awesome, and they even gave us a replacement hamburger when my four year old dropped his.

Great burgers and shakes!!! Glad we found this place as we were passing through! There are a few tables outside or sit in your car. Service was great!!! I had the ¼lb Quinn burger and it was really good, perfect size! We would definitely recommend it!

Tasty burgers, but small, bit pricey. Cheese fries were good. Reminded me of superdawg. Cute spot but nothing to rave over.

This attempts the ambiance of a fifties drive up Resturant. All that is missing are the roller skates. We have been eating here at least a half dozen times a summer for well over a decade. I can’t recall a bad selection. My wife’s favorite is the chicken tenders basket. The onion rings give Clementines a run. The staff are generally kids and they are particularly attentive. The prices are reasonable. Sit for a spell and enjoy the ambiance and take a brief respite in the past.
If you want something fast without the personal touch and character, there is a chain outlet down the street that has your food under a heat lamp.

Terrible disrespectful service!!! The servers are unfamiliar with menus and pricing. The owner claims that their food is similar to Chicago which is so far from the truth. If you want mediocre overpriced food this is the establishment for you. If I had to give them a star it would be for guts for lying about serving authentic Chicago food.

Great Chicago style hotdogs service is great
Have also had the hamburgers and French fries and tacos which are also very good it’s a drive in so you can eat in your car and they have picnic tables outside or a few tables inside of you prefer

Do you know why no one has reviewed Back to the 50’s Drive-​In since 2011? Because it’s where the locals eat (and I think they want to keep it as their little secret). We were directed here by some local residents when we pressed them for ‘where do the locals go to get away from the summer crowds’?
Anyway, we loved it. It’s perfectly campy, the menu is extensive, the prices are cheap, the food was VERY good, and the service was friendly (but a little on the slow side). That’s ok, it was a beautiful summer day and we chose to eat at one of the picnic tables instead of in our car. Even then, you grab a menu and wait for your waitress — you don’t order yourself at the walk-​up window. Faux pas!
The onion rings (pictured) and the best in town (sorry Clementine’s). The shrimp basket was a delight. Seven butterflied shrimp, lots of fries, and home made cole slaw… all for $ 8.95! My wife and oldest son had burgers and they raved. My youngest son had chicken tenders which, likewise, he really liked.
The drinks were good and the shake my wife ordered was nice, too.
Back to the 50’s Drive-​In did not disappoint. The perfect place for a family to get a really good lunch at reasonable prices in a unique setting. We’ll probably stop one more time before heading back to Chicago later this week.

So great! we stopped here randomly on a trip, great staff and great food!