Sara’s

This is a fun diner /​lake town hotdog shop. We had hotdogs, soda, and orange sherbet vanilla twist. The orange sherbet is a throw back that I had not had in a while. Worth the stop if you are visiting Waldemeer or Presque Isle.

Parking can be a challenge and that’s the reason for 4 stars. The lines were very long but it went very quick. The cashier was extremely pleasant and helpful a first timer. It’s definitely better than I expected

Wow, what a busy place. You know when it’s this busy there must be something good here. We went on a Saturday at lunch and the place was really hopping. There are two counters to order at. We ordered the footlong smiths dog, peanut butter milkshake, onion rings, bottled water, and pop. The bottled water is sitting in a tub or cold fridge. The pop is from one of those cool coke machines where you can do any type of soft drink with different favors. The food came up pretty quick. We sat at one of the many outside tables instead of eating inside. The footlong dog was delicious, and the onion rings were crunchy. I liked the peanut butter shake as it wasn’t too strong on the peanut butter. There are bathrooms in the back as you follow the yellow brick road.
Souvenir merchandise is in the old Sally’s diner nearby. I noticed some funny $ 15 t-​shirts there.

I can’t resist a good milkshake, so when I heard Sara’s had one of the best shakes in Erie, how could I pass that up? True to their word, the Peanut Butter Milkshake was insanely delicious! My boyfriend’s Big Baby swirl cone was also magical. Their ice cream is the perfect balance between smooth yet thick and creamy — just how it should be.
Since Sara’s is such a popular spot, seating gets filled very quickly. The indoor seating area can get very humid hence the reason why I was sweating up a storm. Don’t even get me started on the parking lot situation. Absolutely chaotic. BUT I’m willing to make these sacrifices for those wonderful milkshakes.

A MUST if you like hotdogs, burgers, fries and milkshakes!!! If you like any of those things and or 50s diners. This is the place for you! Highly recommend for families as well. The beach is only a short walk away!!!
A+ Fun 50’s Dinner!

After hearing all the hype from the locals about this place, I had to give it a try one sunny weekend. It’s a lot smaller than I thought and a lot more crowded than I expected. There are a few tables inside, a few tables outside and a drive through for those about to hit the road. The food came out quickly and prices very reasonable for locating right at the beach entrance.
I tried their footlong hotdog, onion rings and blueberry milkshake. A meal for 2 was under $ 20. The footlong hotdog was not as filling as expected, I easily finished it in one sitting. The flavors were on point though, fresh and juicy! The onion rings tasted good, but fell apart, making it a total hassle to eat. I’d probably go with the curly fries next time. Blueberry milkshakes really hit the spot with real chunks of blueberry with every sip.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time at Sara’s. I will definitely be back every time I stop by Presque isle. The sunset on Lake Erie after dinner at Sara’s was the cherry on top to a perfect evening.

Every time we go to Presque Isle we see this restaurant. We decided to actually try it. It looks cute. It is very throw back to the 50’s. It’s totally cute. There is tons of seating which is also nice. It’s rare for my husband and I to order the same thing but for that meal we did-​bacon cheeseburgers and onion rings. It didn’t take long for our food to be ready. Then you «dressed» your food the way you want it with condiments along with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, etc. there are three places to do that which helps the line to keep moving. Soda is also self serve.
Our burgers looked good and the onion rings looked great. We dressed our burgers and say down to eat. The onion rings are the only reason i can give even 2 stars. They were lightly coated, lightly crispy and the serving is BIG. We went to eat our burgers and my husbands was almost raw. I traded him burgers since mine was over done and dry. The buns are good but the bread to meat ratio was way off. It was too much bread for the burger patty. The cheese wasn’t even slightly melted. My husband ate half of the over done burger and couldn’t eat anymore. Even with condiments it was still very dry. I took two bites of the undercooked burger and waved the white flag. I don’t mind rare but this was truly raw. YUCK! We are a few more onion rings and headed out. I think it’s safe to say that we won’t be back.

This review was based upon the highly salted and rather insipid hot dogs that are a part of this location’s fame — Smith’s hot dogs, I believe.
I was brought here a few months ago by an Erie native welcoming me here (moved here for a good job). They raved about the hot dogs here, and insisted upon buying me one.
Let me introduce a few caveats in my analysis here. First, I grew up in Chicago, home of Vienna hot dogs. I mean, it is a hot dog town, so my standards are pretty high. Granted, ever since I read the ingredients on hot dog labels sometime in high school, my hot dog consumption has been really limited. Second, I’ve been (primarily) vegetarian since 2012, so hot dogs aren’t all that high on my daily dietary needs. I will occasionally eat meat though because I struggle with refusing food that somebody offers to me, out of a sense of politeness.
I got a chili hot dog. Now given that the last time I’d eaten a hot dog was in 2006 (so 9 year hot dog hiatus), I thought this was going to be special.
First, let’s talk about the hot dog. Salty, and not much else going on. Plus there’s a texture issue I had. See, I hate it when I bite into a hot dog and then the meat in the center comes out but some of the casing is left and I have to bite more on that. Tough casings gross me out. Starts to make me think of the origin of the casing.
Second, let’s talk about the chili topping. Salty, and not much else going on, same as the hot dog. On that topic, why is it on God’s green earth that so many restaurants mess up chili?! Chili requires minimal finesse. No technique really, no making sure you get the Maillard reaction when you sear meat or whatever. Just throw a bunch of stuff in a pot, some of it from cans if you’re in a rush, and that’s it. Anyway…
Third, I don’t remember anything specific about the hot dog bun. A proper hot dog bun is important too. This hot dog bun, as far as I’m concerned, was just an edible delivery medium for the hot dog and chili.
On the bright side, the setting is nice on a summer day. Since it is right next to the park area, it has that whole «yay we’re near the beach» retro feeling, a happy feeling. Given the happy feeling, I could see hanging out with friends and watching them eat, maybe just sipping on a soda from one of those fancy electronic zillion-​choice soda machines where you can get lime raspberry diet coke or whatever.

Location location location. Nestled right at the entrance to the state park, Sara’s is a great place to grab a drive in style bite. The fun old style atmosphere and décor alone is half the draw. I ordered the Bacon/​Kraut/​Chili dog with curly fries and was not disappointed. They had quick, friendly service and the prices are very reasonable, especially for a tourist area. There is a serve yourself toppings bar with a good variety of sauces (which I used for my curly fries).

In our first visit to the area we decided to dis it Presque Isle and wanted the whole experience, including a visit to the famous Sara’s, located just at the parks entrance. The first thing to say when you arrive/​enter is wow! They have one of the most wonderful collections of 50s and 60s memorabilia and neon decorating inside and outside. It’s worth stopping just to check it out. The menus is fast food of course, we heard famous for Smiths hot dogs so we tried one. My wife also ordered the Italian beef sandwich. Service was fast. The hot dig itself was tasty, I would describe as a natural casing Vienna style dog. The bun was awful. Too large, too stale and added nothing to the experience. Ended up discarding most of it. The Italian beef in the other hand was very nicely prepared with peppers and onions and I believe covered in provolone cheese. Is was something I would go back for… but not the hot dog. In summary we’d go back again if visiting he park just to give other menu Irma a try and to «tour» all of their wonderful stuff adorning the walls.

We stopped by Sara’s for dinner on our first day of vacation. After our horrible hotel check-​in, we decided to watch the sunset at the beach, but first, dinner at Sara’s. I had planned on coming here for our trip. It looked like a cool place to dine– and it was!
I ordered the cheeseburger meal with fries. Bobby ordered the Chicago style italian beef with onion rings. We enjoyed our dinner outside and he just kept saying how awesome his sandwich was. He ended up finishing half at home and talked about it even more that night.
Afterwards, we grabbed ice cream from Sara’s and headed to the beach for the sunset. Bobby wanted to head to Sara’s the 2 other times we headed to the beach but i said we should try other places… should’ve listened to him though because the sandbar sucked, lol.
If you’re in Erie, try it out here. Its a pretty unique spot to eat. The menu isnt huge but it has your basics. It’s located RIGHT outside of Presque Isle park and very easy to find.

Had lunch here today after spending the morning at the beach. We loved the atmosphere, and enjoyed the food! It is very reasonably priced. The fries and orange and vanilla swirl cone were my favorites, but would like to go back and try some more options. :)

When I walk into Sara’s. I thought of «American» .fun” and condiment lover’s dream!
It’s quite a unique restaurant. Staff was very friendly and our food came fast even though the place was packed. Theres plenty of seating inside and out.
I ordered the «Chicago Style Italian Beef Deluxe» and was pretty good but I could barely finish it. ($ 8.00 plus fries and drink)
I tried the onion rings– they were ok — more «meh » But the curly fries were good.
The condiment station is absolutely amazing. HEINZ products!!! YES ! I just love that.
Mayo, Ketchup, Mustard, Ranch, Hot Sauce. . and a variety of seasonings yet! I think I must of spent 10 minutes there — deciding my toppings. There was a large variety of pop (coke products) but there wasn’t any fresh brewed ice tea. The only beverage offered that wasn’t carbonated was lemonade which is filled with sugar.
My best friend and I took our lunch over to the beach and it was fun. To-​go orders are packed in a square cardboard box which is great!
A visit to Sara’s is quite «fun».

Nostalgia. This is the primary reason to visit. The food, service and price is no better or worse than you will find at most competent, non-​chain restaurants. But if you’re looking for a fun atmosphere, especially with the kids after a day at Waldameer or on the beach at Presque Isle, it’s worth the stop. Just keep in mind what at least one other reviewer forgot: this is not a place for health food nuts. Be prepared to digest accordingly.

This place was so good it reminded of Portillos in Chicago that I experienced recently. We tried the onion rings, curly fries, Italian beef and chicken strips. The Italian beef was more like a Philly cheese steak but that’s okay it was still tasty (or I should say cheesesteak because I was in PA). The service was quick and friendly would definitely come back for my next trip to Presque Isle.

We had the Italian Hoagie and one of the burgers plus onion rings and a hot fudge shake. Everything was SUPER tasty but the onion rings weren’t hot when they came out.
The setting of the restaurant is very family friendly and the décor is old diner style.
State park is 50 yards away so you can grab some food and head right over to a pretty beach on Lake Erie.
Had to give it four stars because of the onion rings and also the restrooms could use some tlc. Other than that, we plan on coming back when we are in the area.

You can’t come to Erie in the summer and not stop at Sara’s for a milkshake and a Smith’s hot dog. It’s a great place to grab a bite on your way in or out of the Presque Isle state park. The cheerful atmosphere is full of nostalgia and red and white picnics tables and umbrellas line the perimeter of the restaurant. So grab a dog and take in the gorgeous weather that Erie has to offer before it starts snowing again.

Directly outside the entrance to Presque Isle State park is a very touristy/​beachy little Restaurant called Sara’s. At first glance you can tell this appears to be a fun place to stop, but the food was surprisingly really good. On our visit we had the Half Chicago style Italian Beef sandwich with a side of fries and a drink. Both meals were really good, and a great price to boot. Overall this is a really good place to stop while exploring the beautiful State Park.

Fellow Unilocalers,
I’m not a fan of Erie pa but this place you can easily miss when your not there. It’s like a staple to the city. It brings you back in time long long ago. It feels old school when your here for sure. All American.
They have coke! Fountain service free refills. :)
Food is decent. Burgers, fries, hot dogs, onion rings etc.
Ice cream soft serve, is excellent. And so are the milk shakes. They are famous for a vanilla mixed with orange sherbet swirl cone.
Great spot for pics and is located just at the beginning of the presque isle beach area.
This is a place the whole family will enjoy!
Sara’s is seasonal and not open all year

An okay place near Presgue Isle that is probably best for its convenient location at the entrance of the park. The whole arrangement is somewhat of a classic diner atmosphere, and it got pretty active around the evening, probably when people were all preparing to go home. While it was crowded, seats became available all the time, and lines moved quickly (orders didn’t take too long either).
I personally found their food pretty average, no better or worse than other burgers or hot dogs I’ve had. You get to put as many toppings as you wish for both. The onion rings were a bit too greasy and fried for me. The orange twist is apparently one of their specialties – it was pretty tasty and sweet, although I think their regular size is a bit too big to be sensible.

Pas trop mal pour le prix plutôt resonnable, le burger pas extraordinaire sachant qu’il faut se finir de le faire: rajouter la salade, les tomates, les oignons, la sauce, etc… Point positif a cela, un large choix de sauces pour une meilleure customisation ! Également un tres large choix de boisson. Leurs frites et leurs oignon rings ont une forme inhabituelles et sont plutôt bonnes. En general plus original que le Mc Do !