Retro Dining at Arnold’s Drive-In, Decatur, IN

As we were heading to Decatur to drop off something, decided to take advantage of Groupon for $8 for 2 burgers and fries at Arnold’s Drive-In as we had never been there before and we were glad we did as it took us back to our childhood memories.

It is a retro restaurant with a old style drive-in of the 1950’s-70’s with the option of dining in you car being served on by a roller staking waitress or going inside an retro black and white tiled floor complete with chrome stools with red seats and booths.   We opted for a booth and the walls, ceiling and was full of all sorts of memorabilia from days gone by and it is worth visiting to see that alone.    They even had a model train that went around the dining room near the ceiling.

I had a breaded cheeseburger, which was a staple at many family style  restaurants and truck stops  in the 1970s.  I  had not seen or had one over 25 years and didn’t know they were still being made.  It is thin burger with a thin bit of cheese inside a breading that coats the outside and deep fried which turns the cheese into a liquid and makes the outside crispy.   It sort of puffs up in the center and looks like a UFO.

It was served on a toasted bun and was served with a piece of lettuce and fresh tomato, but I recommended asking them to hold that and eating it without anything but a bit of ketchup or mustard as it hides the crispy cheesiness of the the burger.   It was also served with a side of hot, crispy fries.

My guest had Blue Moon Burger and it was a steakburger topped with bacon and bleu cheese dressing served on a toasted bun and a side of fries and he enjoyed as well.

Another pleasant surprise was a shake that was served in the glass and also the metal tumbler that it was mixed in left at the table with the remaining mixture, just like when we were kids.

I had seen some posts about the food being greasy, but we didn’t find anything that was out of the ordinary.   It takes taste buds back to a time before everyone worried about their cholesterol.

I would recommend going to the restroom either before or after dining elsewhere though as is the unisex bathroom with one commode, a sink and a urinal.   While it appeared clean, it had an unpleasant smell, probably due to the urinal, and the urinal was right next to the sink.

Aside for this, I would highly recommend checking out this place should you ever be in the area to get a slice of the past to see if you like it.