A & W Root Beer Drive-In

My first visit reminded me of a Sonic until a colleague reminded me A&W had car door service before Sonic was even a thought. They also have indoor seating and you order by a phone mounted in the center of the table (neat concept).
Typical fast-​food style menu, from burgers to dogs to chicken and the portions are adequate for the price. Our meal arrived quickly and was hot. While not a fan of fast-​food, it was an enjoyable change of pace for «cheat day» from the diet.
NOTE: They don’t take credit cards, but they do have an ATM on-​site.

Stopped in on my trip through Cortland today. Service was great, restaurant was clean, and friendly staff. They had my sandwich out in a few minutes and I was back on the road. Only this time I had a delicious root beer float to enjoy on the way home.

This place is kind of my guilty pleasure. Wish we had one in Syracuse. (The one in Clay is not a drive-​in one). Plus you can do some mini golf, it’s right next door.

Great place to go after a few rounds of mini golf right next door. Good food and good people make for a delightful experience. I have no bad things to say about this place and will come to Cortland for minigolf and a burger for years to come!

Fantastic food and service! Recommended for anyone looking for excellent, quick food.

A&W holds a special place in the heart of my family. Back when I was a child it was tradition for my grandfather to head down the hill and pick up a couple of buckets of their Broasted (yes I said broasted, deep fried and pressure cooked at the same time!!!) chicken and a few jugs of their made in shop rootbeer for our get-​togethers. It was only as an adult that I even tried the other options on the menu. Let us say it became an addiction. All grown up, with a wife and child of my own, we go down for friday night dinner directly from work. It all starts with us wanting a both, having my daughter rip the menu out of my hands (even though she gets the same thing every time). Then we proceed to argue over who will place the order on the actual corded telephone receiver connected to our booth. My wife has to say,“DON’T TOUCH THE PHONE!” to my daughter several times and then we have to beg her to get the Wisconsin cheese curds. Let me cut in again and mention, this is all part of our new family tradition (as well as my wife telling me that I am going to have a heart attack eating two deluxe baking double cheeseburgers AND a foot long chili cheese dog). A hop brings the food out, we are always delightfully surprised that they know us by name (I might have neglected to say that this place is where I have met many a new friend) and they have this psychic ability to know what we are going to pay, change already in hand before we even get the money out! We then mow down the delicious trays of Americana cuisine, feeling stuffed and happy. A&W is always very busy, always very awesome. If you are ever in Cortland, NY you have to go. Or else you cannot say you were ever in Cortland, NY. In fact once you go, you’ll have to come back, making it a family tradition of your own!

I grew up down the hill from this place. I loved it then and I love it now. This is one of 4 must stop eating experiences every time I’m back in New York. Tee just aren’t many of these places left. Sure, there’s a Sonic right around the corner from my house but it just isn’t the same.

We only have the luxury of going to this place once a year. We live in NJ, but travel to Lake Otisco every 4^th of July for a family reunion. The first time we came here, we actually had taken a wrong turn heading to 81S, and we wound up stopping to eat (much to my excitement!).
Anyway, this is a really great drive-​in food joint, that dates back much further than my lifetime. I love the age on this place, and how friendly everyone always is to serve you. You can’t not order a burger and some cheese curds (which, if you are not familiar, are basically bite-​sized fried cheese sticks). I also always get a huge A&W root beer, as there is just something about getting it at an «actual» A&W as opposed to just the grocery store.
This is definitely a place we look forward to seeing every year, and I’d highly recommend if you are in the area to check this place out. The food is old-​fashioned and delicious and the service is local and friendly!

This a great place! We opted not to use the car hop service and dined inside. The food is delicious artery clogging greasy spoon fare. The interior is very clean. The staff is quick and friendly. The highlight of course is the A&W which somehow just tastes so much better than out of a plastic bottle.

I give this ³⁄₅ stars because as far as FAST food goes, this is great. The SERVICE was awesome. The NOVELTY of ordering from a phone at your table (or from your car) never gets old. I went here for the first time in 10 years last week with with some girlfriends, and now the one who has kids can’t wait to bring her kids here. We only had root beer mugs and some fries, but I’m glad we stopped. I’ll be back in a few years. Hint: They have a different special every day of the week advertised on a sign out front and the signs are so retro! If you love you rootbeer and are passing through, it is worth a stop. Also, the put put next door (open in summer) is cute for the kiddos.

Adorable family fast food, holding out as a rare bastion of idyllic americana. No surprises except that it even exists. They seem like good people.

Expect typical drive-​in food. Nothing too special as it is a chain.

A and W was our «go to» place for a Friday night dinner treat for my family of 6. I’ve always tried to make a stop when I travel back there. It’s like going back to the future. Mini-​golf next door in summer is another plus. Was cash only back then when I didn’t even have a credit card.

The address is 883 NY Route 13, in case your GPS takes you somewhere else (as mine did). This food was even tastier after we got lost for a hungry hour coming from Ithaca. Worth the drive. There’s also an ATM in case you forget to bring cash.

cash only. do not accept national coupons. swvere attitude.

Family of seven and we enjoyed a tasty meal for $ 32 including tax and tip. This place is a throwback. You order your food from a telephone, even if you eat indoors (you can also eat from your car). The chubby chicken is really good fried chicken — not cheap nuggets. Fries are crisp with the right amount of salt. Burgers are tasty. And the root beer is served in frosty cold mugs and heavenly on a warm day. There’s also a neat mini-​golf place right next door. If you’re in Cortland, NY, I’m not sure you can do any better. Oh yeah, cash only, so stop at an ATM.

Yes, 5 stars. But know what you are getting into, here. This is a drive-​in, fast food joint. Hang the tray on the window, deal. Like Sonic, but with better food.
Their prices are low, their food is good. Their root beer is delicious. It’s just a fun thing to do. Just be sure to tip your car-​hop. I have a bad feeling not many folks do.
Their burgers and fries are really great considering how cheap they are.

A&W is the Mel’s Diner to my American Graffiti.
One of the few independent A&W’s around (not attached to a freakin’ Long John Silvers sitting lonely off the side of the interstate), this location still has the retro boxy look of the 50’s complete with brown and orange trim and drive-​in stalls where one can eat in their car while watching the locals butcher a good game of mini golf.
I spent more childhood days, more highschool lunch breaks, more visits back home from college here than anywhere else in my hometown of Cortland.
The food has never changed, the prices only barely, and the staff just slightly. Inside, you order food from a phone positioned at your table. The service is quick and you better have cash ready for the waitress. Every day there is a different special, but I recommend getting the traditional cheeseburger basket with crispy fries and dripping cole slaw. The real treat of this establishment is the root beer which is the finest in the land. NOTHING HAS EVER COME CLOSE to touching A&W root beer straight from the fountain. It’s so good, you can buy it by the gallon and take it home to bathe in (you know you want to).

Yum.
As far as food, it’s the same as every other A&W chain restaurant out there. What this place has going for it is REAL old-​school drive-​in mojo.
Pull your car up, hit the button to order, have your food brought carside on a tray. Yes, I’m sure Sonic is cleaner and newer with a more expansive menu, but there aren’t any of those nearby.
This place was worth the 30-​min drive from Ithaca to Cortland when I was in school, and is still worth the trip if you’re a fan of classic old-​school Americana.