Dari-ette Drive In

My mother works in St. Paul, on 7th St. Most every nite I take my mom home from work (and I live in Eagan). She lives a couple miles away from the Dari~ette, and this is the place she wants to visit for her late nite dinner. The Dari~ette Drive In is quaint (charming) and has better than home made food. The menu is even bigger and better than most restaurants. My mother and I enjoy sitting outside the Dari~ette, having good food and enjoying good conversation. \r \r Great place to take a date, your family, grandparents or even when your walking your dog...cuz they have places to sit outside. \r \r The Dari~ette is not only cute but they have awesome, yummy food :)\r Enjoy ~ Peg more

So back in September I bought a coupon for 1/2 price food, ($15.00 value for $7.50) only to find out that, unlike a typical DQ that serves food throughout the winter months, they close for the winter, and my coupon expires in February 2012!! I have two words to say ""RIP OFF!"" Will they be honoring these online deals when they open next season? I doubt it, as they refuse to even discuss it with me,..NICE CUSTOMER SERVICE! If not, why would they offer a deal with an expiration date four months AFTER they close, (and probably a month or more before they re-open!?!) I would just like to add that the website where I purchased this made no mention of their closing for the winter, it only gave an expiration date next February, which is what I based my purchase on! They have since deleted all of my posts and requests on Facebook to honor their discount coupon that I paid for!~ more

The food is great, but call ahead if you are in a hurry. They make the stuff fresh, if you want McDonalds don't come here as they cook it as they get the order and they get busy. Give them about a 1/2 hour for the chicken but since Jerry's is gone on White Bear this is now the best fried chicken around. more

Old school drive in with great burgers, root beer floats and sandwiches. Tried the spaghetti and meatballs last fall and was happily surprised at how delicious it was - thick sauce with a really rich flavor. Garlic cheese toast almost didn't make it home with the rest of the to go order. Pros: delicious food - great prices Cons: none I can think of more

The Dari-Ette is a staple of the East Side of St. Paul. The business is built on family values and doesn't sacrifice quality. As a former employee (many years ago) I know that the owner will never sacrifice quality in ingredients and it will always be the cleanest place that you will ever eat. I look forward to the opening every year and drive 25 + miles to get there. Yes, sometimes it pays to call ahead because the wait may be long but sometimes patience is necessary when you are doing buisiness with a small establishment. This is not a chain restaurant and all items are made to order. The prices could be less expensive too if the owners chose to use cheap ingredients but that wouldn't be the Dari-Ette way. I recommend the Dari-Ette to everyone who appreciates excellent food and family tradition. Pros: Family Owned, High Quality, High Standards Cons: You may need to be patient more

I Live in Delano now (was an eastider) and I still drive there once in a while. May not make the trip anymore since they changed the Bread on the Italian sandwich, very unhappy about that. Checkout the bread at Cossettas Hot Italian sandwich, makes all the difference. Hope you change it. sorry Pros: Great food more

This was always a favorite spot when we were kids, so I thought it would be fun to take my own children. BAD IDEA. We waited over an hour for our food. People who came in 20 minutes after we did got their food before us. Not only is the food just average, it is way over priced. I would not recommend, especially with hungry children. Pros: Nostalgic Cons: Terrible Service more

We went here after seeing it on Food Network because my husband wanted to try the Italian Sausage sandwich and I wanted the meatball sandwich. It was a 25 mile trip one way and, let me tell you, it was more than worth it. The waitress was very friendly and we got our food in a timely manner. They have the best meatballs and sausage and the tastiest sauce. We will go back and visit again. Pros: great food, good service, friendly employees Cons: a little too far from home more

I visited the Dari-ette on 8/15/07 after seeing it on the Food Network and I have to say it isn't all that it was made out to be. The food is good, but not fabulous, and the service I received was rediculous. I ordered their ""famous"" fried chicken. On the menu board is says ""allow 20 minutes cooking time"". Well, I waited an hour and 15 minutes for my order. I finally told the young man car hopping that if I didn't have my order in 10 minutes I was leaving. Now, were they busy? Yes, but my grip was that the cars that came in on both sides of me arrived 15 minutes after me, received their food and leisurely ate it; 15-20 minutes, and my food didn't arrive for another 20 minutes. If my order was started in the correct order then I should have gotten my food 10-15 minutes after them, not 40. Since the food was not any better than I can get at other places, I don't know if I will try it again. First impressions are really important. Pros: A bit of the past still alive, menu Cons: Service, service, service more

I grew up going here as a kid and even as an adult I still go there....It has been around for many, many years and their food is awesome....Family owned and operated...Great for everyone in the family....The chicken basket is very good and you get a lot for your money..Also, their pork chop basket is a good choice as well....as long as they are open, I will continue to go back there..... Pros: Very Friendly Employees, Great Food more

More people should go to the Dari-Ette! It is a wonderful little 50's drive in restaurant that is sometimes very busy but always well worth the wait! The food is Italian and American and always fresh and delicious. They are a seasonal place but deserve more attention! Pros: Fresh-cooked to order, Fun more