Highland Park Soda Shop

Dirty, old, and iconic. Ok, so not really «dirty» in fact they were cleaning just inches from us the entire time. Tip: don’t sit at he bar unless you want to see the under belly of this Dallas soda shop. The ice cream was super yum, just shy of $ 10 for three and a to-​go tea.

LOVE. LOVE THIS LITTLE PLACE!
The food is classic and every drink there is literally perfect. Cherry soda is my favorite. And the owner is the cutest and most welcoming person ever.
Only complaint is that sometimes the kids who work there are a little lazy and unattentive. But the 2 times I was getting frustrated the manager came into play quickly and made the experience great!
Couldn’t be a better place in a perfect location!

What else can you do than bring your friend to a soda shop when you find out that they’ve never experienced the joy of consuming an ice cream float. This was the only the soda shop that I could find in the Dallas area, and the fact that it’s been around for 100+ years makes it that much better.
We each ordered a sandwich and float. I had the Pimento jalapeño cheese sandwich and root bear float. The sandwiches remind me of something your mom would make for you at home, which is amazing because that pretty much defines diner/​old-​school food for me. Although the sandwiches aren’t anything out of the ordinary, they’re quite filling and pair well with the ice cream floats. I was very satisfied with the ratio of ice cream to soda for my float. You never want to see only a small floating island of ice cream in a massive sea of soda. That’s the worst kind of float.
We were intrigued by the «phosphates» on the drink menu and decided to order the vanilla one to check out this concoction that reminded us of something we would make in organic chemistry lab. Sadly, it tasted no different than a soda with vanilla flavoring mixed in. I can’t say anything for the other flavors, but I would say go for an ice cream float instead. They’re about the same price and you def get more bang for your buck with the ice cream float.
A perfect place to go for a nostalgic day out.

Food is very basic, tasty due to being some pretty unhealthy stuff. That alone would merit 3.5 stars or so.
However, the owner/​older female cashier was very rude when I was paying today– Unnecessarily confrontational and condescending.
For that I have to say don’t support this place.

We visited around 5 on a Saturday. Thankfully, the the place wasn’t too packed and we got a seat immediately. The owner came out and was more than welcoming. It was our first time visiting and he talked to us a bit about the place. It’s so hard to find great people like that sometimes in the service industry, it was much appreciated! The rest of the staff were just as welcoming and courteous. An older lady, I’m guessing the co-​owner, also came out and was all smiles.
The food here is OK. We tried a variety of sandwiches. They were standard sandwiches that you could make at home or in other words, what you see people eating at lunch counters on TV. It was a bit pricey for «just» sandwiches, about $ 5 for one sandwich with a few pickle slices on the side.
I think most people come here for the ambience and the SHAKES. Hands down, BEST SHAKES I’ve ever tasted. This place make other shakes taste fake and uninspiring. If you do nothing else, order a shake. I tasted several, with and without malt, and they were all amazing. I suggest you add the malt for the very small charge.
We also tried the hot fudge brownie sundae. I don’t recommend. The ice cream is great, but the brownie is a pre-​packaged and tasteless disappointment.
I would recommend you visit this place. You probably won’t be impressed with the food, but you will love the shakes and the service!

Stopped in for lunch today and was very pleased! The staff was friendly and they even let me sample the tuna salad and egg salad to see if I would like it. I ended up getting a half club sandwich and cup of chili — both were really yummy. I thought it was a cool place with good lunch diner food and very affordable. Thanks!

Best place on Knox next to Toulouse and Harry’s and closely followed by Chuy’s. You cant get anything more original than this place. Yes its pricey for a grilled cheese and shake, but enjoy it you are in an expensive part of town. This place is simple and cant be beat. There should be more places that deliver good classics. Order a grilled cheese and chocolate shake.

No matter how long the line-​up is it is well worth the wait. The line moves pretty partly due to the broken Waffle machine along with people being super indecisive regarding what they want to order. If they had menus outside which people could look at while in line I think this would speed everything up.
Get the ice-​cream sandwich — amazing.

What an awesome place! I had the grilled cheese — simple, classic and delicious. Never saw what my husband ordered because he ate it so quickly. We also got eh chocolate and butterscotch milkshakes which were great. We’ll definitely be returning.

We really enjoyed our lunch, we would deem this comfort food, with flavors tasting the way you would expect. We had the Tuna Melt and a BLT as our sandwiches; accompanied with a cup of chili, and a chocolate malt. Bottom line, would not change a thing, and will return once more when we are in the area.

What a fun place that takes you back a little in time! The Highland Park Soda Shop is pretty much a pharmacy deli counter from bygone days that has been preserved thanks to some great folks.
The hand made sodas, shakes and malts are delicious. They also serve food, mainly sandwiches. My 4-​star rating though is mainly for the nostalgia of the place and the shakes, malts, etc., as the sandwiches are just ok. I mainly stick to the pimento and jalapeño pimento sandwiches. They are also pretty good and reasonable for breakfast.

This is a great place! The atmosphere is awesome and the employees made the place fun. It really is like taking a step back in time. I made some great memories with friends and enjoyed the best strawberry malt I have ever tasted. Prices are fair.

Our experience was fantastic! The selections are soup, sandwiches and fountain drinks. I had the grill cheese, the wife had a tuna melt and the baby had a hot dog. We shared a chocolate milk shake with a chocolate chip cookie. It was delicious! I went to pay at register and met one of the owners! Sonny Williams himself!
He appreciated our business and gave me a card for a free milkshake! Awesome!

Take a trip back in time — Butterscotch Malt is heaven on earth.
Love this place.
The old timers are part of the scenery, as are the little HP students.
The service is shotty but it’s typically a group of «first job» type of kids.
What are you gonna do? Still can’t beat the little soda fountain that’s thrived for over one hundred years.

Cute place.
I love how it’s survived since its been open in the early 1910’s I think? Hmm
We ordered several sandwiches… And my feelings on those are…
BLT-​meh, can make better at home of course. Nothing special at all.
Grilled peanut butter and jelly-​simply toasted peanut butter and jelly lol
Hot dog-couldn’t be more bland
Shakes were ok.
Staff takes a bit to warm up… But in the end seem pleasant.

It was the service that killed it for me here. I made the mistake of mentioning that I had a Groupon and we were pretty much treated like lepers after that. The shakes were fine, but in no way were they $ 5 shakes. I need a little whip cream and a cherry for that. We won’t be back.

I’m pretty conflicted writing this review. The older gentleman running the store is so nice and genuine. He’s so friendly and welcoming.
But the waitresses serving customers are horrible and I don’t think he has any idea that his staff are slow and have a bad attitude.
We took the kids here for breakfast and a milkshake. The food was good. It’s basically diner food. Quick sandwiches, soups, breakfast basics etc in a nostalgic setting. I thought the ambiance was unique and quaint.
Our server took a long time and generally seemed to have a lackluster attitude. We ordered a couple of eggs, toast and bacon/​ham breakfasts. And also a sandwiches. The portions were not big but that’s ok, it was breakfast. We also ordered a couple of chocolate milkshakes which were pretty tasty. Overall, the food was good.
Our fabulous server got our order wrong and got the bill wrong too. I had to chase her down a couple of times for more coffee even though there were only three customers in the restaurant. The look on the server’s face was like you were bothering them if you wanted anything. My wife was pretty irritated at the service.
When we left to pay at the cash register, the older gentleman was super friendly. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he had spent more time making sure we were taken care of than his two hired servers. He was such a nice old man. I hope he figures out that he needs new help because he’s got something that could be so much more.

A fun place to check out. We went for lunch just to see what it looked like. We sat at the counter and ordered sandwiches and soup, The lemon grass soup was unexpectedly tasty. It was a bit out of place for the atmosphere but in a good way.
The turkey-​ham club sandwich is a good bet. Considering the high rent area, the prices are very low. We don’t live in the area so special trips to eat here will probably not happen. However, if we are in the area at lunch time we will certainly stop in again.

Oh how I love this place. It has so much old school charm to it and I love the history behind it. If you go in, make sure to order a root beer float! I’m not a fan of sodas but I definitely order one whenever I come in here. The staff is so incredibly friendly. The people that come in are just as nice. Everyone sits around like its their regular place to come talk and meet with friends. So cute. There’s a few parking spots out front and on the street. If you can’t find anything close, there’s a huge lot behind chilis that’s within walking distance.

We had a Groupon and decided to give the place a try for a late breakfast/​early lunch. I got lunch and the wife got breakfast. The prices are incredibly cheap.
The atmosphere is old time soda fountain shop (hence the name) and it has a retail portion to the store as well. The seating is limited and it probably is more fun to sit at the counter, like in the movies. We chose a table.
I got the club sandwich, a bowl of tomato soup, and a brownie. I must say, for as modest as the atmosphere is and the limited kitchen, the food was quite tasty. I have no complaints at all about the club; the soup was really good and better than La Madeline’s tomato basil, and the brownie was nice and warm. Yes, the food is simple and not particularly gourmet, but then a 1950s diner is not supposed to be upscale. I could make the same food at home (P and J sandwich for example), but that is not really the point of this place. I kind dug the atmosphere. I did not try the milkshake but would like to in the future.
The wife was impressed with her eggs and the bacon was mostly meat, not fat.
They’ve been around for more than 100 years so something is being done right. There is value in tradition and I think some people need an attitude adjustment. Just enjoy simplicity and a bit of history.

They have been open since 1912, and that is a lot of ice cream folks. Who doesn’t love a diner counter to see everyone coming in or to talk to other guests.
This Dallas gem sees all walks of life from young kids with their families or middle aged farts like myself enjoying fresh made quality old fashioned ice cream drinks.
The grilled sandwiches are filling, but not oozing melted cheese. Portions are a decent value, but definitely not overwhelming by themselves. Tonight I had a $ 30 groupon, so I tried a bit of this and that. My favorite was their turkey club, stacked high with lots of deli meat and fresh tomatoes. The frito pie and Highland’s homemade chili was welcoming and for sure a Texas legend. But nothing about it blew my cowgirl boots off. Just saying.

Highland Park Soda Shop is an old fashioned diner/​soda fountain/​gift shop in Dallas. It’s old, out of place, out of time. And as a result it’s awesome. Visiting is like walking into a time machine, and while they serve a number of sandwich items, do yourself a favor and come here for the root beer floats.
My Overall Rating — 4 Stars (Atmosphere, Service, Food, Return)
Atmosphere — Sitting on the corner of Knox & Travis St. is the Highland Park Soda Shop. You can’t miss the dark green awning and sign on the building. Walking in you find a long diner counter, complete with stools. You’ll find tables & chairs on the other side with other assorted random items. It probably looks the same as it did 15 years ago. And for a place like this that’s perfect. 1 Star.
Service — If you visit a diner you should sit at the counter. At least that’s what I did. It’s a cool sightseeing the hustle & bustle behind the counter. As I sat though, I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to flag someone down or wait for someone to help. There are menus on the counter so I grabbed one to read it, wondering if I should say anything. After a few minutes, one of the staff members behind the counter offered to take my order. A greeting would have been nice, but hey it’s a diner. ½ Star.
Food — Ok, I’m going to be up front here. I have no idea how good the sandwiches are. I come here for the old fashioned sundaes and ice cream floats. There’s something cool & nostalgic about sipping on a vanilla root beer float on a tall class cup. It’s sweet, creamy, full of soda, and most of all, it’s comforting. Yes, this is where I insert flashbacks to my childhood… or maybe an old Family Ties episode. Anyways, it’s a piece of Americana that has been kept intact. 1 ½ Stars.
Will I Return? — Yes. Highland Park Soda Shop is simple but cool. A time warp with for those with a sweet tooth. I’ll be back because last time I finished my float without sharing it with the wife and later realized I should have ordered two. Sorry babe. 1 Star.
My Unilocal Rating Scale (Sum of all parts):
1 Star — Atmosphere — Is it a cool dive? Perhaps an upscale place? No matter the type, atmosphere plays a big part and I’ll give a star if I like it or thinks it has great charm.
1 Star — Service — You can have a great meal with bad service. But that’s also what can make a five star joint drop to four. It’s important to the dining experience that service is great and on point.
2 Stars — Food — I’ll award up to two stars for the food, since this is the main reason we dine out. Sometimes the extra star is given for value, but it’s really all about the food.
1 Star — Will I come back? — If I know for a fact I’ll return, I’ll give this a star. A place has to make an impression for me to return.
Each Category can be given up to 1 star except food (2 stars) because I consider all these categories important to the overall dining experience. I will sum them up to provide my final Unilocal score.

Old fashion and AWESOME! that’s the only thing I can say.
It’s a great place to hang and it’s definitely a place I want to keep alive. Get the milk shake with malts. You will not regret it! #delish!
I think this would be great as a tourist place right after walking all day with the sun under you.

LOVE this place!
Brought my kids to the soda shop for lunch. I had a BLT, my daughter had the tomato basil bisque and my son had a grilled cheese with bacon. For drinks, my daughter had a strawberry shake, I had a chocolate shake and my son had an old fashioned Dr. Pepper.
The BLT was very good but not a meal in itself for an old tubster like me. If I had had a «do-​over», I would have complemented it with a cup of chili. My daughter loved her soup but could have had a sandwich as well (gotta love skinny teens’ metabolisms!). My son had chips with his sandwich and he LOVED his grilled cheese with bacon.
I LOVED my chocolate shake! Oh! My! Gosh! Choco heaven! I am getting withdrawal cravings just thinking about that chocolatey greatness.
The place is small, quaint and fun. The staff are friendly and «go with the flow» types that needed with huge variety of people and group sizes that they energetically and aptly entertained.
This place is highly recommended!

This place is just neat! Still very much an old time pharmacy (scored a handmade Kent brand comb for my hubby’s pompadour — just like my grandfather used) as well as traditional counter seating diner complete with soda jerks (actually, they’re really nice gals), handmade shakes and malts, and easy cook foods such as sandies, soups, and general breakfast items. Any of the small complaints others expressed (e.g., super simple menu, slow service — really people?! Extra high standards and how much of a hurry can you possibly be in? — my service was great!) are exactly the reasons I have extra love for Highland Park Soda Shop!
If you desire fine dining and white glove service, I say this in the nicest way… tear your butt down the street to one of the other million dining options in Dallas. I’m certain the great folks at HPSS would love to have your continued patronage; however, you probably won’t be missed. Breakfast and lunch — the joint is packed! Be it regulars who the servers greet by name or the occasional visitors such as myself, there are people lined up to score a stool or seat.
Dr Pepper and Root Beer hand pulled sodas hit the spot. The DP was much better of the two (but sadly was not as great as those made at the DP Museum in Waco). The grilled PB&J sandwhich (Jiff and Welch’s grape on Sunbeam white bread) was a surprisingly tasty little treat — for kiddos and adults alike! The beef and barley soup was thick, creamy, and filling. The extra cheesy with bacon sandwich was absolutely delish — extra crispy bacon. The club is on the larger size (compared to other offerings) and has the perfect proportions of ham, turkey, bacon, L, and T on toasted bread. Really good salt and vinegar chips made by some guy named Uncle Ray. Chocolate shake not overly sweet and blended well. And, then there was the chocolate milk with a massive scoop of vanilla ice cream in it. That was all the hubster — and I could tell he was in complete heaven.
Of course this wasn’t all in one sitting. Rather lunch at the same place two days in row because it beckoned me back… back in time. Menu prices are a little more current, but a tad more affordable than some other places. But, if you order a cup o’ soup, grilled bacon cheese, a club (one of the more expensive things on their menu at ~$ 6.50), a bag of tator chips, a jerked soda, and ice creamed milk — lunch for 2 will cost you about 25 bucks plus tip. Admittedly, the prices are a bit much for what you get, but I bet the owner is forced to charge that much in order to earn enough money to keep the location is the same place for over 100 years in an area that has such high dollar real estate. Honestly, I don’t mind the prices being a bit high because I am all about supporting local business and maintaining the few and far legacies that are few and far between these days.
HPSS is truly a historical gem. Thanks for the warm and fuzzy nostalgic feelings of days long gone. My husband joyfully said it best after enjoying a cup of soup, easting his super cheesy grilled sandwich, and following it with chocolate milk and vanilla ice cream, «I feel like a kid.» Oh, back to the days of innocence and guilt free indulgence. LOVE IT!