Lou's Drive-In

Lori Arnold

2023-09

…More

Joshua Daily

2023-05

Review Date: June 8th, 2013A seasonal place that sells Christmas trees during the cold weather days.That’s right, Lou’s is a place you can get food during the warm days and Christmas trees during the cold days. At least, I’ve always seen them selling Christmas trees in the fall and early winter.But, this was a bright and sunny summer day and my father and I were wanting to try Lou’s for lunch. If you don’t know Lou’s, its kind of one of those old places that you order at this small building and then you eat outside, in your car, or get the food to go. Think an ice cream shack, but a focus on food instead of soft serve delights. I could picture this place in the past being one of those places that you ordered from your car and a lady wearing skates would be the one to bring your food out to you. Not so much anymore.We pulled up and had to look around for a parking spot. The parking situation here isn’t ideal but with the space they have and the layout of Lou’s, it’s the best they can do with what they got. We hopped in line and waited our turn. The menu here is not any different than most places. Again, think ice cream shack but with the main draw being the food instead. I knew I would have to try their root beer. Something in my memory told me that this place was well known for that and I knew I would have to try it. I also like root beer, so that’s another reason I wanted to try it.I think we both got your standard burger with some french fries. With the heat, we didn’t want to spend too much time trying to figure out what we wanted. Burgers, fries, and a soda. A classic lunch. Despite the crowd at Lou’s, we were able to sit down at one of the few tables that had an umbrella. For two Irish guys, this was a blessing. While we waited, we took the lovely photo used above. It was a bit of a wait as they were busy and places like this usually cook their food to order. That was fine by me as it gave my dad and I time to chat and people watch.At long last, they called out our name and we quickly grabbed our food so we wouldn’t lose our table. The first thing I tried was the root beer. It was a great root beer. But truth be told, all root beer is great to me and tastes the same for the most part. So, the root beer at Lou’s was great but didn’t taste much different than others, in my opinion.After using the root beer to cool down a bit, I started working on my food so that wouldn’t cool down too much itself. First up, burger! You don’t come to these places expecting to be blown away by gourmet food. You come here for the experience of eating at a unique place, the low price, and the staple foods they offer. That is to say my burger was just that. It did everything a burger should do without showing off. It tasted good but didn’t feel the need to blow my socks off and sometimes that is all you need. The same can be said about the french fries. Not every meal has to be the best ever. Sometimes getting exactly what you ordered and expected is all you need.Lou’s is a fun place to stop at in Peoria for a meal that will be exactly what you expect and nothing more. Should there be snow outside, you can stop and get a Christmas tree instead.

Gary

2022-05

Great nostalgic experience of the old time drive-in restaurants of the past. Great selection of food and don't miss out on the root beer in the cold big mugs, a true treat! The staff is always nice and the location is right off Knoxville with easy in and out access and plenty of parking. A great time for the whole family!

John H

2022-05

Was driving by and saw Lou’s Drive - In and had to stop and have lunch. This place is right out of the James Dean / Happy Days era. The people behind the counter were kind and helpful and the food came fast. That’s good news and good enough for you to give it a try. However if your looking for a Chicago Style hot dog basket you’re going to be sadly disappointed. From the hotdog to the fixings you’re not gonna find a Chicago hot dog here. The Fries were kind of a bummer too. No flavor & luke Warm. But I don’t want to end on a negative note… next time I’m in Peoria and I’m in this area of town I’m stopping back in because the place is pretty cool and it was really busy so I’m sure I’ll find something I’ll enjoy next time.

Scott Laidler

2024-05

Glad we started coming back here again. My daughter absolutely loves it and this is one of her most enjoyable treats. The food is always great, the service is fantastic. If you only come here for one thing definitely make sure it's a root beer float, it's the best thing on the menu. The cheeseburgers, the fries, the tenderloins, you name it everything is great. Wish it was open longer then just a summer season

Maggie

2023-05

Root beer was syrupy with very little fizz. Corn dog and fries (mom says they taste like steak and shake fries used to) were good! Hot tamales were good but a little on the small side. The servers were nice and it was very pleasant sitting at the counter.

Kim Wellman

2021-05

Great place for old fashioned diner food, they even have carhops. Prices are good. They are famous for their root beer. I started going there over 50 years ago and now my son loves it as well. Very friendly staff also.

Mark Wilkinson

2021-05

Have loved Lou’s since high school. Appreciate the current owners keeping up the tradition. Enjoyed the hot dog special tonight which came with delicious root beer and a double rainbow!

Adam Wallenfang

2024-04

Lou's, like Emos, or The Ice Cream shack is a Peoria summer-time "institution" and likely the reason Sonic will never take off here.Vegetarian options: Few and far between.Dietary restrictions: Buyer beware.Parking: Parking lot isn't huge, but generally never too crowded you can't find a spot.Kid-friendliness: Almost made for kids.Wheelchair accessibility: It's all on ground level with low tables.

Jerry Kokesh

2020-05

Have not stopped in years; always mean to when in Peoria but got back...and just as remembered; a step back into the past. Had a great chocolate shake; hand mixed because their mixer was broken. It was super; nothing like the chain corporate "shakes." Great kids working behind the counter. A must stop; true mid-20th century Americana!

Heather Phelps

2023-06

Unfortunately we didn't have a great experience. There was zero adult supervision (as in teenagers were running the place. Zero Management in general.) So as expected there were some discrepancies. We waited over an hour for our food only to find out, only when we checked on what was taking so long did we find out that they had thrown our order slip away (we spent over $45) when they found out they only offered us a free beverage. They didn't put a rush order on our meal so we waited another half hour. Then when we did get our meal, we just weren't impressed, (fries, stale, burger dry, not much to the tenderloin.) Not for the price and not for the wait. We'd only been there once before... And this was the last time we will ever go.

Lucas

2023-05

Lou’s Drive In is my favorite food spot in Peoria. I have not had a bad experience in the 20+ times i’ve eaten here. The workers are really nice and you get your food pretty quick. The food isn’t special but I LOVE the hot dogs they use even though the quality might not be the best. The root beer on the other hand is the best I’ve ever had. I would buy gallons of that stuff if I could. Overall Lou’s is an amazing restaurant with great tasting food and excellent service. I have a lot of nostalgia with this place and I will keep coming back a couple times every summer.PS: If you leave 1 star reviews for minor inconveniences you're a bad person.

Jennifer Searl

2019-05

We stumbled upon this little gem while in Peoria for the day. It’s a cozy little throwback drive-in diner. During the day, diners can take their meal to go or be seated at an umbrella‘d table. After 5pm, leave your lights on for carside service. The food was good; the malted milkshakes were even better.

Seth Major

2018-05

Great local place! Nostalgic, awesome root beer, car service after 5pm! Great to support local business staple.(Closed for season after Labor Day weekend)

Amy Waller

2023-08

…More

Steve C

2023-05

Great little local place. Try the chili cheese dogs, or the tenderloins.

Gary Nabors

2023-09

It's September 5, 2023 and I am going through CONEY DOG WITHDRAWAL.Such a great tasting treat. Add a Lou's great MUG OF ROOTBEER and you can be a JOLLY GOOD FELLOW...OR LADY!!When you think of all the great food you can ENJOY at LOU'S, it is truly a pleasant memory of SUMMERTIME.TILL THEN...

Swan Jeano

2024-05

…More

amanda lopez

2023-05

Food was great! Burgers are awesome, loved the Chilli cheese dogs. The Chilli is some of the best in my opinion. Root beer is phenomenal, super creamy and delicious! Only complaint it was a little high priced. Paid $80 for only 4 of us to eat, but i guess you pay for quality and for that I won't complain, everything we ate was top notch!

Laura Fout

2023-07

…More

Catherine Garcia

2023-05

Excellent old school fast food stand. The service and food were excellent. Had a burger and fries and it was made to order. Friend had the hot dogs. You don't have to get chili dogs. They can do a more Chicago style if you want. The fries were hot, crisp and fresh

Tayler Burke

2023-06

…More

Kathey Weigel

2023-09

…More

Patrick Renick

2020-05

Best root beer in Peoria! I got a chili dog and root beer, kids got 2 chocolate malts and a root beer float. Total $15.

barbara wroblewski

2023-08

…More

Sandy Anton

2023-05

Have visited 2 times this year and both visits were bad. The root beer had a mildew taste. The hot dogs were flavorless (even a 5 year old wouldn’t eat it) and tasted reheated. The cheeseburger bun was dried out and the burger was WAY over done.Lou would be ashamed. We gave them 2 tries, and hate to give up a long time treat, but we won’t go back.

Ross Canyon

2019-05

Wish I knew the young lady's name because she did a wonderful job serving many customers by herself. Food was good. Root beer was good. The shakes to go were worth every cent. Thanks to their staff, management and ownership for the quality control. Pleasant experience and we'll be back.

Jacob Bankston

2020-05

We stopped here on a whim, and we were glad we did. It was a fun atmosphere to be around. The food came up fairly quickly considering how busy they were. As a family, we got the hot dogs, tenderloin sandwich, hamburgers, and root beer. It was all very good. No complaints!! I lived in the Peoria area for years, but never had been to Lou's. So, on a recent trip back there, a friend suggested going here. We had the chili dogs, which were delicious, and the root beer is heavenly. I was very glad my friend suggested eating in the car at Lou's.

Betty Mills

2023-09

…More

Ken Armstrong

2023-05

Every year we count down the days until summer starts and Lou's opens! They always have good food that is served fresh! It's great to have such a wonderful place with great service and a quality menu of classic choices here in Peoria!