Mugs-Up Root Beer Drive-In

The root beer is top notch! Too bad I can’t say the same for the food. The «loose meat» sandwiches they have are not good. And the tater tots were not completely cooked. I’ll def be coming back for the root beer though!

This is an old school, authentic drive-​in and was a lot of fun. Stopped by while touring all the Truman sites. The parking area is not huge, however, I was able to find a spot on a Saturday afternoon for lunch. Ordered a whiz burger, fried mushrooms, cheese tots, and of course, root beer. It was all pretty old school but still good comfort food! The mushrooms were huge! Juicy on the inside but super crunchy on the outside. The tots were covered in a cheese sauce. The burger was tasty but for sure has a different texture because it is a loose meat sandwich. The root beer was awesome and I wished I had gotten a bigger size. This was a really fun place and I would definitely return!

Our first visit. Loved the loose meat burgers. Everyone loved the food they got. Prices are reasonable and the service was outstanding. Will definitely return.

Have been wanting to try this place out for awhile, and today we got our chance. The server was very friendly and helpful, she knew everything about the menu. I tried the whiz burger with fried mushrooms and a black cow. My boyfriend ordered the super whiz burger with onion rings. Our roommate tried the deep fried burrito with whiz tater tots. We also ordered a gallon of root beer. Everything was good !!! I could have lived with the burger having no cheese, the cheese can be a little over powering. The deep fried burrito was great. The mushrooms were crispy and delicious.

This place is great! We were visiting from out of state. The root beer is wonderful. I’ve never ordered a «loose meat sandwich» before, but my husband and I enjoyed the zip burger. The kids all loved their black cows (root beer floats). It was a very cool experience for our family.

Category: Old School Drive-​In Dive Restaurant
Let this review be reflective of the experience based on the expectations in this category! Mugs up gets two thumbs up! (Technically eight thumbs up as every family member was enthused with the experience and that almost never happens!)
Food: We sampled whiz burgers, chili whiz burgers, hot dogs, chili cheese fries, chile frito pie, orangaroo, black cow, and Mugs Up Rootbeer.
The burgers are great! Loose meat burgers packed and layered with cheese. Food straight out of a Mad Men episode! Felt like we went back in time to the 50’s and 60’s. From the carhop telling us «Honk when you’re ready to order» to the inexpensive prices… this was a real treat.
The chili seemed to be all meat chili with a sweet savory flavor. Our 11 year old really loved it alongside the melted cheese on his fries. If you’re looking for soupy chili with beans, this isn’t your place.
The Orangaroo is a orange soda float and the Black Cow is a rootbeer float. Both were awesome but how can you go wrong with a classic float.
Good vibe, old school, fun for something different. This is no place for healthy eating! Come hungry and buy a mug or t-​shirt to show your drive-​in survivor skills!

I love Mugs Up and have been eating here my whole life. It’s definitely a love it or hate it kind of place though, especially if you come expecting a burger patty. That has ruined Mugs Up for many of my friends.
Nonetheless, my family can’t get enough of the perfect combo of the uniquely soft loose meat, mustard, pickles, onion, and a slice of velveeta, all piled into a soft, warm bun.
On our last visit, my sister and I realized that we had never tried anything but their root beer, burgers, and sides and decided to order something new to split and try. We got our usual: a whiz burger for me and a zip burger for her. Then we chose to split a chili whiz dog, which we had never tried. I was not a fan of their chili, I found it too sweet, but my sister loved it. We washed it down with their amazing root beer and were only set back a little over ten bucks.
Mugs Up is definitely worth a try if you’re looking for something completely unique.

Zip burgers hold the onion and a frosty mug of root beer. Kinda like a Made-​Rite sandwich but better and more flavor. The fries are ok, not great. Great little place to get a sack of burgers and a cold root beer.

I have drove past here my entire life and always said next time I will stop there and never did… well today I did.
Now mind you I had no preconceived notions I truly hadn’t the first idea what to expect, I had not looked on Unilocal or anywhere else for reviews and have never that I can recall spoke to anyone about it.
I pull up and within a matter of 15 seconds a very nice teenage young lady comes out to my vehicle to take our order and of course being a first timer I had questions as to what a whizz burger and a couple others were and a black cow…(note to self, get the really big one next time) but I digress… we ordered and within 5 minutes we had our order… I had the whizz and my daughter had the chili burger… it was great, now it isn’t the best in Independence when it comes to burgers but it is a solid second.
One of the things that absolutely impressed me and it had nothing to do with the food is the ability of that young lady to count change back to me.(I have yet to see them do it at the corporate drive up joint… you know who I mean!)
oh I am forgetting one thing the old fashioned on the wall menus, to me that is really neat and nostalgic and they are easy to read.
You know they say first impressions are everything and this place made a great first impression. .
I will be back… my name is Bill Lockhart and I approved this message.

Just moved to the area, this place is pretty good for an inexpensive meal. Will be back

Visiting family and they don’t go here often but I think they will start. I wish I lived closer. I would be there daily. The loosmeat whiz burger was awesome. The chilli was good with sweet and spice. Root Beer was outstanding and homemade. Service was quick and with a smile.

You either love this place or you hate it. I grew up as a child eating their whiz and zip burgers and love them. There seasoning the sale for u to make your own burgers at home is close but does not taste the same as what u order from them directly.

My father, my grandfather, and my great grandmother took me I this place because they’ve been going there since it opened. There is no other burger in the world quite like it. The zip and the wiz burgers are good but the chili wiz burger is heavenly. Always nice, fast, and soooooo yummy

Best place for burgers, especially if you’re hung over. ;-) Seriously though these burgers are great and the deep fried burrito is awesome.

Stopped in for a desert with the kiddos. Root Beer floats, root beer, etc.
Damned good. Adorale waitstaff, fast service, and floats that had my hyper-​critical kiddos raving and begging for more.
Definitely a stop-​again.

Pienso Mugs Up tiene los mejor refrescos. Su root beer es hecho en casa y es muy delicioso. El root beer no tiene hielo, pero es mucho frió. También, se vende un refresco naranja. Niños les gusta mucho el refresco naranja. Mi comida favorita aquí se llama Whiz Burger, pero no es una hamburguesa. Es un emparedado con carne y la mostaza y la cebolla y el Cheez Whiz. La comida no es costosa. Un Whiz Burger es más o menos $ 2.50. No tiene mesas y sillas. Las personas comen en sus carros. Cuando voy a Mugs Up pido un Whiz Burger y un root beer grande.

I did not actually go to the store, but rather ate something that someone picked up from the store. As a result, I cannot comment about the location or the service or even the price. What I can comment about is the food, and unfortunately it’s not that great. The so called «Zip Burger» almost reminds me of sloppy joes without the sauce. And that’s not a compliment. The meat had little flavor, in my opinion. The root beer isn’t any better than other root beer I’ve had.
I will say that my wife and I both felt sick not long after eating. I had my burger about 20 minutes before she did, and I got sick about 20 minutes before she did. So, that wasn’t too fun.

If you want more of an old-​fashioned root beer with a taste you just can’t get from a can or bottle, then you need to come to Mugs Up Drive In! This truly is one of those old car-​hop style restaurants, right down to the trays that you have attached to your window.
I completely agree with the sentiment that this is not a hamburger place. Don’t expect anything fancy with the food either. It’s really, really simple. I love the Chili Whiz Dog with Mustard and a side of Onion Rings.
My trip on this day was to get a gallon of root beer to take home and drink after a hard day of working on my house. A word of caution though. You will want to drink your root beer right away, and at the latest, drink it up within two days. This stuff will go flat quickly.
Mugs Up Drive In is truly on of those hidden gems found within the Kansas City area that’s lasted for over 50 years, and I raise my mug to many more!

Okay, I admit it: I’m a sucker for nostalgia and that’s the reason I tried Mugs-​Up Root Beer Drive-​In the first time. Had a whiz burger and a lovely frosty mug of root beer, that it is claimed is made in the basement (?). Don’t know if that is accurate, but I do know it really hit the spot and was just like the root beer I’ve had only infrequently since my childhood.
The loose meat burger was a sort of interesting change from a plain olé hamburger but not really as good as the soup-​er burgers I can make at home. But the prices on the whole menu are really reasonable and it goes well with the root beer. (did I mention that the root beer is really yummy?)
However, if I only ever go back to Mugs-​Up for a root beer fix, you can still expect to see me there in the parking lot from time to time in the future. They have curb service complete with trays you hang off your window. It was a fun experience and I will be back now that the weather is warming up again. Yeah, the root beer was THAT good!

I have been going to this place for 40 years and it has not changed… ever. The Whiz Burgers are the best and most unique burger you’ve ever had. I normally get a Chili Whiz Burger, a Whiz Burger, and fries and by the time I get home the bag is nearly see-​through from the grease… that’s a good thing, IMHO. Of course, you can’t eat this all the time, it’s not a health food store. I got a bad Chili Whiz last time, in that it was very dry, no grease. I’ll chalk it up to a bad day. One in 40 years is not bad!
One of the Icons of the Kansas City area!

We drove by this place and the old school charm cuteness of this place had us banging a U-​ey to stop here for a meal.
You drive up to this place and park while waitresses come to take your order. I guess it’s like Sonic. Let me just add I’m a sucker for drive ups. That’s what growing up in a non-​car-​centric place like NYC will do to you. You can only see so many movies with this option before you get a car and are suckered in at during your third decade on earth. And let’s just say suckered I was.
We ordered the root beer and root beer float, along with two burgers. Yuck. The second I bit into my burger, I regret having ordered it. It seemed so popular, with everyone getting it but that just goes to show how much of America really has no taste (or taste buds). It was a bunch of crumbled bits of beef, similar to the style of sloppy joe meet but without even an ounce of flavor. The crumbling meat texture was pretty disgusting too, in my opinion. The root beer was pretty good, though. Not the best I’ve had but nevertheless good.
Two stars for the utter cuteness of this place for keeping its 1950s drive up era style. (Actually all of Independence looks like it’s stuck in the 1950s, doesn’t it?) And the root beer was pretty good. My root beer float tasted almost like cream soda, which is a definite plus for me.