Last time veg meat was available was 2023. Disappointed!
Patty Skowronski
This is the best root beer I've ever had and in the most fun spot. The hot dogs were also delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Connie T.
A little pricey but worth the stop. History was interesting .
Holly Willmann
The food was ok; however, they opened at 11am but not all food items were ready, so we couldn't get chili dogs nor mac-n-cheese. Food should be ready to order even you open!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Glen Chamberlin
Tourist trap. The root beer floats we both ordered were sloppily made. Root beer running down the outside of the disposable glasses, while the whole time fighting with the sweat bees, wasps ever-present and buzzing around everywhere there. We both grabbed our floats and ran to our car to get away from all of the intruding bees đ that no one was trying to contain or control. There was No dine-in option. Only an ordering window and a receiving window. And of course hundreds of bees all after whatever you just paid for .... the root beer didn't even taste quite right.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
tony Rivera
Food and rootbeers were awesome! Great place to stop for lunch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
ChicagoCow
Stopped here on 9/13/25 to grab a lunch on our way to Northern Michigan. Was told that they do not have vegetarian dogs anymore.
Alex Y
The hot dogs were out of this world, as was the root beer and ice cream! Didnât expect the meat to be that delicious, made us want to go back for a second dog. Only regret was not trying the brats as well. Great stop on the way to the beach, decent amount of parking in the shade and a single stall bathroom.
The Root Beer Barrel is exactly what it sounds like: a big barrel that serves root beer and hot dogs. The novelty of the building is fun, yes, it really is shaped like a barrel, and yes, they serve food out of it but unfortunately, the charm of the aesthetic didnât outweigh the actual experience.
On my most recent visit (a Sunday afternoon), two of the five hot dog options were already crossed off, and when I asked about a third, I was told they were out of mac & cheese. That left just two choices. My son and I settled on plain hot dogs, some chips, and potato salad that couldâve used a little seasoning. I ordered root beer (they were also out of diet) and found it to be overwhelmingly sweetâmore syrupy than hearty. I ended up giving most of it to the bees, who were already waiting for me at the table. And when I say bees, I donât mean the occasional one or two that are expected at an outdoor picnic spot. I mean swarms. At one point, I counted half a dozen bees sitting on my drink at once. They clustered around the trash can, hovered over the condiment stand, and made dressing a hot dog an exercise in evasive maneuvers. I even mentioned it to the staff, and was met with a quick âthatâs natural,â which, sure, but it doesnât make the experience any less overwhelming. For someone allergic, it was enough to make me pack up fast. The smaller details didnât help eitherâlike the condiment table stocked with six bottles, three ketchup and three mustard, but half of them completely empty. A Speedway hot dog I had earlier in the day honestly tasted about the same as the one I paid for here.
In short: itâs a one and done kind of stop. Fun to see once, but between the limited menu, overly sweet root beer, bees by the colony, and snappy service, itâs not somewhere Iâd plan to return. If youâre curious about the novelty, snap a photo and move on.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Celia Taylor
Had a lovely Root Beer and a couple Chicago dogs. Make sure you grab some napkins, so many toppings we made a mess eating them.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ronald Pease
We came here to grab a couple dogs and have some Root Beer. Here is how it went... ordered what we wanted. While we waited, we noticed the activity around and noticed bees EVERYWHERE! Our food came out along with our drinks. We found a table that seemed bee free, but that only lasted for 30 seconds or so. The bees were mostly honey bees, but still... we were able to eat the dogs, which were pretty good, but our root beer quickly were covered by the bees and we were unable to drink any of it. No idea if it is good or not. Maybe wait until fall when the bees are not out and about? Not sure, but we will probably never go back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
T Keene
Hot Dogs !!!! ROOTBEER picnic tables great atmosphere....
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Tabitha Jennings
An iconic as top to any trip in the Saugatuck Douglas area. Food was delicious and cheap and drinks were amazing.
Last time veg meat was available was 2023. Disappointed!
This is the best root beer I've ever had and in the most fun spot. The hot dogs were also delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A little pricey but worth the stop. History was interesting .
The food was ok; however, they opened at 11am but not all food items were ready, so we couldn't get chili dogs nor mac-n-cheese. Food should be ready to order even you open!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Tourist trap. The root beer floats we both ordered were sloppily made. Root beer running down the outside of the disposable glasses, while the whole time fighting with the sweat bees, wasps ever-present and buzzing around everywhere there. We both grabbed our floats and ran to our car to get away from all of the intruding bees đ that no one was trying to contain or control. There was No dine-in option. Only an ordering window and a receiving window. And of course hundreds of bees all after whatever you just paid for .... the root beer didn't even taste quite right.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Food and rootbeers were awesome! Great place to stop for lunch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stopped here on 9/13/25 to grab a lunch on our way to Northern Michigan. Was told that they do not have vegetarian dogs anymore.
The hot dogs were out of this world, as was the root beer and ice cream! Didnât expect the meat to be that delicious, made us want to go back for a second dog. Only regret was not trying the brats as well. Great stop on the way to the beach, decent amount of parking in the shade and a single stall bathroom.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Float, Chicago
Extremely busy, very long line to order.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Delicious floats need a vegetarian hotdog please.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
The Root Beer Barrel is exactly what it sounds like: a big barrel that serves root beer and hot dogs. The novelty of the building is fun, yes, it really is shaped like a barrel, and yes, they serve food out of it but unfortunately, the charm of the aesthetic didnât outweigh the actual experience.
On my most recent visit (a Sunday afternoon), two of the five hot dog options were already crossed off, and when I asked about a third, I was told they were out of mac & cheese. That left just two choices. My son and I settled on plain hot dogs, some chips, and potato salad that couldâve used a little seasoning. I ordered root beer (they were also out of diet) and found it to be overwhelmingly sweetâmore syrupy than hearty. I ended up giving most of it to the bees, who were already waiting for me at the table. And when I say bees, I donât mean the occasional one or two that are expected at an outdoor picnic spot. I mean swarms. At one point, I counted half a dozen bees sitting on my drink at once. They clustered around the trash can, hovered over the condiment stand, and made dressing a hot dog an exercise in evasive maneuvers. I even mentioned it to the staff, and was met with a quick âthatâs natural,â which, sure, but it doesnât make the experience any less overwhelming. For someone allergic, it was enough to make me pack up fast. The smaller details didnât help eitherâlike the condiment table stocked with six bottles, three ketchup and three mustard, but half of them completely empty. A Speedway hot dog I had earlier in the day honestly tasted about the same as the one I paid for here.
In short: itâs a one and done kind of stop. Fun to see once, but between the limited menu, overly sweet root beer, bees by the colony, and snappy service, itâs not somewhere Iâd plan to return. If youâre curious about the novelty, snap a photo and move on.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Had a lovely Root Beer and a couple Chicago dogs. Make sure you grab some napkins, so many toppings we made a mess eating them.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We came here to grab a couple dogs and have some Root Beer. Here is how it went... ordered what we wanted. While we waited, we noticed the activity around and noticed bees EVERYWHERE! Our food came out along with our drinks. We found a table that seemed bee free, but that only lasted for 30 seconds or so. The bees were mostly honey bees, but still... we were able to eat the dogs, which were pretty good, but our root beer quickly were covered by the bees and we were unable to drink any of it. No idea if it is good or not. Maybe wait until fall when the bees are not out and about? Not sure, but we will probably never go back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Hot Dogs !!!! ROOTBEER picnic tables great atmosphere....
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
An iconic as top to any trip in the Saugatuck Douglas area. Food was delicious and cheap and drinks were amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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