Schaller’s Drive-In

Maybe it was because we came late at night right before a snowstorm, but the place was pretty empty. If you have any nostalgia for the 1960s, this is probably the place to visit – it’s aiming to be a fast-​food place from the period.
Keep in mind that this REALLY just is a fast-​food place, and my rating is based on comparisons with other fast food places, like McDonalds or Burger King. If you have to choose between Schaller’s and any of those, choose Schaller’s. 1) they have that kinda of home-​made (for a fast food joint), old school-​style American feeling to their food, 2) it’s a pretty novel experience, and 3) you’re supporting a local business.
But if you want higher quality than fast food, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

Ordered burger and fries with side of hot saucce, it was all very bland. On counter person was great, the other… was lacking. He actually told a w9man she would have to wait for here hot sauce. He said, I have to swipe out, so and so will have to get youthe rest of what you need.

THE classic burger joint. Don’t expect it to be anything fancy but expect it to be delicious.

I actually thought this was going to be great… it’s been a long time and this place is not the same… food was not great… onion rings over cooked… Mac salad very bad… bland …poor service … Bummer.

Schallers is a Rochester classic and a family favorite – I grew up going to this place and always take visitors here for burgers and fries. Love it.
I always order the same thing – a cheeseburger on a hard roll with lettuce, and hot sauce on the side (so the roll doesn’t get mushy). For non-​locals, the hot sauce here is meat-​based and not very spicy, which is what I like about it. I usually try to snag some for home later ;-) The regular fries here aren’t the best, but the sweet potato fries are awesome and come with cinnamon sugar for dipping.
On a busy night be prepared to wait for a table or have a friend save one while you order. It can get pretty crowded in here but the food lines always go really fast – just go up to the counter and they come to you. Reasonable prices – burger, fries, and drink for under $ 10.
I always pair Schallers with Abbotts down on the lake. I make a night of it and walk along the Charlotte pier. It’s a much loved summer tradition.

I’m a homer on this place, so place feel free to take that into consideration.
I love this Burger Joint. This is what all the new super-​fancy burger joints strive for, even without the Kobe Beef. Their Burgers are awesome.
Just order a Cheeseburg (no –er) with Everything (onions, mustard, and Rochester’s unique meat-​based hot sauce) on a Hard Roll. Head to the end of the counter on grab a bunch o’ pickles out of the bucket, and get an order of Onion Rings. They also have Pork (White) and Texas (Red) Hots (Hotdogs) from the promised land of Zweigles.
Some of the best advice I can give you is to avoid the Fries. For some reason, they have never been that great. I must say they are consistent — the Burgers are awesome and the Fries are not, and this hasn’t changed in what is inching towards half a century of my experience.

The first place I ate at upon arriving in Rochester Ny. My husband thought it would make me stop missing In-​N-​Out.
Do not ask for lettuce or tomatoes on your burger, lol. I made that mistake and they looked at me like I had three heads. Rest assured, I only have one.
Great burger, beautiful drive, and now my go to when I’m missing my double double animal style.

Schaller’s is a great place to have an unpretentious meal, with the fare being hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, and the like. They even sell ice cream, although you might want to wait until you get to Abbott’s a few minutes down the road. In fact, you’ll need to head east a few miles if you want to get to the water. Schaller’s is near Lake Ontario but in a residential neighborhood, so the only beach access is through someone’s yard — not recommended. So plan to head east to Ontario Beach state park when you want to see the water. And that is where you will find Abbott’s.
Now, about the food here and how to get it. When you enter the restaurant, you might be a bit confused by what seems to be a lunch counter but without stools. You need to go to the counter, to the right of the register, and there you can see the menu posted on the wall. Someone will take your order, ring you up, and bring you your meal within minutes, leaving you to take it to a table or booth inside or a table outside to eat.
They offer hamburgers (called «ground round») and cheeseburgers on regular buns, but you can upgrade to a hard roll for 45 cents. It is worth the extra cost to have a higher caliber bun. The burgers are not super thick, in fact thinner than those of Five Guys. However, they are not so thin that you need a double burger. They are large in diameter, making a single burger quite filling. And the burger itself is flavorful and moist.
The fries are typical frozen fries but are pretty decent.
Of course they offer hot dogs and other food, which I need to try.
One option you might consider is the steak sandwich. Full disclosure: I have not had one yet but plan to on the next visit. It is not chopped steak but is a thin steak, like the ones from LDR Char-​pit down the road. Is it good? Only time will tell.

Chocolate milkshake is perfect. Just like they used to be. Loved the French fries and cheeseburger. Happy tummy… Wish I lived near here.

If they were called Shellers then all they’d really do would be (a) take the shells off crawfish and crabs for you, (b) sell you petroleum with yellow and red colours adorning their filling station, and © overcharge you by making you Shell Out a lot of money on your purchases. Thankfully they’re Schallers, instead. Schall I continue?
What to order: Amazing Burger — extra meat sauce.
What else: white hots, ground round.
If they were called Shy-​lers, then nobody would ever come over to serve you. They’d just be too shy.
Of all the «Rochester institutions» (Steve T’s, Nick Tahou’s, Bill Gray’s, Don’s Original), this one is probably my favourite. Unless you count Abbott’s Frozen Custard, because then Abbott’s wins. But Schaller’s is a very close second. Their burger is just something else. I’m not the only one that thinks so. My travel companion is addicted to them too, and she doesn’t even like burgers.
If they were called Shoo-​lers, they’d shoo you out of the restaurant as soon as you walked in.
I get the Cheeseburger with extra meat sauce. I usually don’t even like Cheese on my burgers, but when it comes to Schaller’s, I’m all about it. We’re talking about delicious light melted cheese on a tasty spiced patty with greasy juicy hot delicious meat sauce and bits of onion smothering the whole thing. In addition, it’s on a bun that simply has to be described as one of the best-​tasting burger buns on earth.
If they were called Shirley Temple’s, then everyone inside would be drunk.
Altogether, it’s the perfect fast food burger. The ultimate. The best one in WNY — and one of the best in the country. Right up there with Powers of Fort Wayne and Town Topic of Kansas City and the Galley Boy of NE Ohio’s Swenson’s and the burgers at Cook Out of North Carolina.
If they were called Shula’s, then they’d coach the undefeated Dolphins instead of serving burgers.
This location is the original, way up by Lake Ontario. It’s a little out of the way, but the surroundings are so beautiful that I recommend this location every time. If it’s too far for you, then there is one in Irondeqoit and there’s one way down in Henrietta. I’ve been to both and they were both excellent. I mean, off-​the-​charts excellent in all three cases. How often does that happen?
If they were called Shhhh-​lers, you wouldn’t be allowed to talk when inside.
By the way, they have good White Hots too. A White Hot is basically a Zweigle’s «Brat» type sausage, cut in half, on a bun, with onions, and completely smothered, covered, dripping in meat sauce. They’re really very good, and about one-​eighth the size of a Garbage Plate, so perfectly sized for a snack. You probably already know what a GP is. If not, then see my Nick’s review. They’re enormous and so bad for you.
If this were called Jersey Shore-​lers, then Snooki and J-​Woww might eat here, figures bedamned. And then I’d probably hang out here more often — and so would my girlfriend.
If you’re a Rochesterite who hasn’t tried this burger lately — or ever… or if you’re an out-​of-​towner in Rochester for a day or a few days… come here and be amazed. Please don’t forget to ask for the extra meat sauce.
Speaking of meat, check this out. (Pulls down pants).

By far the best burger I have ever had. Always a stop when I come home for the holidays.

I used to come here quite a bit with my father when I was younger. Definitely one of the last surviving burger joints of its time, and is a little piece of Rochester history in my mind. Sure, the teens behind the counter aren’t the happiest or friendliest, but most of us have been there at some point in our lives. All around, a fantastic place!

I’ve seen a couple reviews from people who weren’t too pleased about their burgers and I’m thinking its maybe because they didn’t know how to order or didn’t know their options. Being that I used to work here, let me explain so it makes much more sense and makes things a little easier for you. I know it can be pretty hectic in there at times.
Side note: If you’re a vegetarian, the only veggie thing they have is a grilled cheese, French fries, onion rings and sweet potato fries. They do not have veggie burgers which we used to get asked all the time.
–The mayonnaise comes on the side in a packet. You have to ask for it. It does not get put directly on your burger.
–They do not have tomatoes.
–The pickles are self serve. There are 2 buckets. The thicker looking pickles are garlic dill and the thinner are regular dill.
–They do not have sweet pickles, the relish is sweet. You can ask for it on the side if you don’t want it directly on your food.
–They do have lettuce, you have to ask for it.
–If you ask, you can get grilled onions on your food instead of raw.
–You can ask for grilled peppers. They are sweet peppers, not hot.
–They do have hot sauce, it’s meat hot. Which means they have chunks of beef in greasy hot sauce. But when I used to eat meat, it was amazing. I suggest trying it. You can ask for it on the side.
–You can ask for any of their toppings on the side (relish, mustard, onions and meat hot sauce).
–They do have Franks Red Hot or something like it, you have to ask for it on the side.
–The burgers are hand pressed, which means they are not big thick burgers, they are thin but in my opinion taste better.
–They have hard rolls (The big puffy ones) and regular burger buns. You need to specify if you want it on a bun. They come on hard rolls automatically.
–The cheese is white American.
–The coleslaw has pineapple in it (try it-it’s so good, only on Fridays though).
— A ground is a hamburger.
–A pork hot is a white hot.
–A Texas is a red hot.
–An «order» is French fries.
–A «ring» is onion rings.
–Yes they are remembering your whole order in their head. No, they cannot write it down.
–The hotdogs are Zweigles.
— The chicken sandwich is a chicken breast.
— The fish is haddock. It is not beer battered.
–The fish fry is only on Fridays. They do have a fish sandwich all week long.
–They have a half fish fry and a full. The half is a half piece of fish, smaller portion French fries and a regular cup of coleslaw and a dinner roll.
The whole fish fry is a whole piece of fish (huge in my opinion) a full order of fries, a cup of coleslaw and a dinner role.
–The sausage is a patty, not a link.
— They do have kids meals. They come with fries or rings and a kiddy size drink.
— You can ask for chili and cheese on your hot dog, burger, sausage or whatever you order. (I suggest getting chili and cheese fries. I ask them to put 2 slices of American cheese over the chili and fries instead of the nacho cheese).
And there you have it. I hope this helped making the ordering process a little easier.

This is a local burger and shakes dive of Rochester, first of its kind and built in 1958.
My husband grew up going to Schaller’s whenever they went to Lake Ontario Beach. He hadn’t been here for over 7 years and decided to bring me here for a late lunch.
I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and he got the cheeseburger and 2 sides of fries. The employees are mainly teens that looked very unhappy to be working there. Not a single smile was served!
My chicken sandwich was bland but I give them credit for having it be thin chicken breast and not over seasoned as most places. My husband was let down with his burger, he said it wasn’t like what he remembers from his childhood, but it was edible. The fries were probably the most delicious out of our both meals as we ate it all.
My biggest complaint is that there were tons of gnats or tiny black flies hovering over our food nonstop and irritated us while we tried to eat. When we got up to throw away our trash, we noticed that the trashbins were with no doors so it was open and full of these flies.
I very likely will not recommend this place to anyone because it is kind of embarrassing and lacked the cheerful personality that gets customers to feel excited about their food.

Been eating here since I was a kid. I love their ground rounds. Get it on a hard roll! There onion rings are amazing and I love their hot sauce. Even dairy town rocks. This place is legendary!

Absolutely love this place! I’ve been going here since I was a young child and not much has changed. The food is awesome, service is super quick (even when it’s slammed with customers) and the prices are cheap. Try their ice cream, but beware even the small is big.

I have always enjoyed Schaller’s, and since we’ve always lived in the vicinity of this spot, it was our location of choice. People have loved this food since before I was born, and I remember coming here as a toddler to enjoy the variety of foods they offer (though I’m pretty sure I stuck to the hot dogs and french fries until I was an older kid).
This place is nostalgic, fun, and delicious, so I can’t give this anything less than a five-​star. It is one of my favorite places to eat, though it’s not a place I frequent. It seems that others agree, since everyone in the area I know has spoken highly of this place. (I also hear people say that this is the best Schaller’s location, and I agree.) Also this place is earning national awards for being great, so it’s not just the region which appreciates it.
I will say that it is a little expensive, and the prices are slowly climbing. Though these places are now a bit pricey, I’m sure this is the only one in the area that does not offer coupons. Still, I’d say it’s still worth it to go there once in a while, although I’m sure I’d go more often if the prices went down a little.
It’s definitely a favorite of mine, and I have many fond memories of this place. :)

If you’re one of my followers, you know I’m picky about pickles, you know I hold grudges against gross soggy pickles. That being said, Schaller’s never let me down in the past, nor today. I love you guys… Delicious delicious pickles :’)
The burgers come out sloppy, messy, greasy, and delicious, just as they were intended. They know what they are and they don’t try to hide it. They’re a burger joint, not some upscale restaurant, you’re gonna get a big, sloppy plate of amazingness.
Came here today for the first time in a year with a friend, he ordered a burger, I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, and we got some Sweet potato fries to share. The way they have their counter is weird, especially during busy hours. Imagine a bar, you stand anywhere, and one of the employees will waddle over and take your order. Then waddle your food up to the counter when it’s done. No real line or order, but it all works out in the end.
Our food was AMAZING. The sweet potato fries are great. The Pickles are great. The burger he said was great, and my chicken sandwich was perfectly done. Cooked perfectly with an amazing amount of flavor to it.
The only complaint is sometimes they get so busy that it’s actually hard to find a place to sit, it was pretty windy outside but we ended up sitting out there and holding our foods down (my bag tried running away a few times.) because the indoors was either filled or not cleaned yet.
All in all, this is MY favorite burger joint in the Rochester area. Maybe you’ll agree with me, maybe you won’t and you’re wrong. Either way, it has my recommendation to anyone looking for a good old sloppy cheeseburger.

Just ordered a «Large» Twist Ice Cream in a dish. $ 3.85, and they didn’t even fill the dish! Don’t waste your money here. I won’t be back! Wish I could attach a pic!
Tried to attach pic.

Schaller’s is always a pleasure. This restaurant has been a family favorite since I was a baby. The onion rings are crispy and some of my favorite around town. The fries are always hot and they will make your cheeseburger to order. The hotdogs are great, even the grilled cheese is better than most.
Depending on how many people you bring, it can get a little expensive — but it’s worth it. During the Summer the ice cream is soft serve and you can’t go wrong.
Also, don’t forget the pickles!!! :) (they have Sweet and Dill slices).