The food was much better than I was expecting it to be. I had a cheeseburger with bacon and mushroom and it was really solid - came on a nice soft roll. Great curly fries too. My son ate his entire burger, which he never does. The restaurant is very small and unassuming - you really need to eat outside at the picnic tables. The folks working there were nice. Only thing was that it was priced a little higher than I expected. We'll be back next time we're in the area! read more

Great burgers and thick milkshakes. Don't pass this by on your way around the Stevenson Dam. read more

Lake Zoar Drive-In - Main menu - Burgers Near Me - Stevenson, Connecticut

Food was church cookout quality. Hamburgers and hot dogs small and expensive. Upcharged for credit card. According to their website this meal should have cost around $25. It was $50. Will never go back. read more

Talk about a great little joint, barely enough room inside to order but this spot hits the mark if you're looking for a roadside burger joint! The burger was very tasty and the service courteous and efficient. I'm glad I stopped! read more

This was a go to for really good burgers and hot dogs etc.. but the last time we went a month ago, the bill was shockingly expensive. I realize everything is expensive lately but, I'd rather spend $70 on groceries and make this myself. Sorry! read more

I don't know what's going on. 5th time in a row they've gotten the order wrong. Last 2 times it's been no tomato and no relish on the Chicago dog. I'm trying really hard to give this place a chance cuz it's local but they killing me w crappy orders. And when giving the person the order they act like I'm bothering them, don't pay attention to what im saying and are trying to hold a full conversation w sone other employee bakc there. Can't you take a break from your personal chatter? Get the order right for the customer and then go back to your chat session ?? read more

Excellent, gotta do the Zoar Burger!' Fries are pretty good and breakfast isn't bad. Say hi to Mike the owner.

Roadside stand next to a picturesque lake that has a large menu of burgers, dogs, fries, and shakes. There are a few stools inside and one picnic table outside Although the stand is next to the lake you can't actually see the lake because there is a ton of fencing all around it for a marina I got a burger, fries, and a milkshake. All of them were fine, but nothing I would write home about. The burger tasted a little rubbery 7 read more

It's a great local place to grab fresh made items and always a great choice for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner! Plenty of parking. Support Small Business. read more

See all

Always great for a quick breakfast or lunch sandwich. Friendly staff and service........ read more

The food was pretty good. We didn't have the crazy wait others had but we did have to wait 15 min which is reasonable. We did go on a cool June weekend though. We got a zoar burger, sweet potato fries (must get if you like sweet potato fries) and a foot long hot dog. I would skip the dog next time but the burger was loaded and messy and super yummy! The sweet potato fries were more like wedges but so crispy and so so good. I could have inhaled another order of it by myself. Total for the three items was around 20 dollars. Not cheap but definitely not expensive. Would return. read more

Great food god prices nice staff love the burgers and dogs. Going there now to sit by the lake and enjoy lunch.

Decent burger if yer in town! Friendly crew. The place is small. read more

Lake Zoar Drive-In - Lake Zoar Drive in 2021 - Burgers Near Me - Stevenson, Connecticut

So SLOOOOOOWWWWWW.... the time stamp on my receipt was 12:34- the food came out at 1:07- and the order was incorrect. Actually, based upon their system- the order was correct, but be aware if you order two hotdogs, but only want toppings on one of them- they don't differentiate that on the receipt- so it took about 50 minutes for two (well- 3) dogs, a small fry and regular onion straw. The hot dogs and onion straws DID have a good taste- but $5 for a sad shriveled footlong dog is NOT worth the wait. The location is the draw here. If you are expecting a great meal for the wait and value- this is not it, unfortunately. read more

We've been here THREE times in the last two weeks! It's not much to look at on the outside & if you were to drive by...your first thought may not be to stop. They could do with a bit of clean up or some fresh siding, although I'm sure some would argue it's part of the charm. For me, their burgers are pretty close to perfect. And that's saying A LOT for someone who is very picky about burger. All 3 visits I had the Jr. Zoar burger sans cheese. I asked for it to be well done- and they nailed it. The patty on the Jr. is fairly thin, again, that's how I like them! It's also great to have a burger place properly crisp the bacon! My only complaint is that the buns always seem to be a bit soggy, so the more "freshly made" you eat them- the better. My husband did a double Zoar burger & also tried the foot long hot dog. He really enjoyed both. We tried crinkle cut, steak & curly fries- all really good, although steak was our favorite. Both the onion rings & shoe-string onions were delicious as well, good flavor Prices are reasonable- each visit we paid less than $25. This is our new burger spot! read more

Lake Zoar Drive-In - Jr. Zoar Burger w/o cheese - Burgers Near Me - Stevenson, Connecticut

Believe the bad reviews for the insane waits. It is not because of short staffing or long lines. It is the result of gross incompetence. The staff on the grill can't keep orders straight. The staff on the front can't keep orders straight. The wrong food goes out to the wrong customers. The quality and value of the food might seem immaterial when you are stuck waiting for more than an hour for a hot dog or a burger because the staff inside keeping stepping on their own feet. Except the food is quite good. And the owner seems like a good person. Give it a go, but know what you may be in for. Food: 5 stars Experience: 1 star Overall: 3 stars with the promise to be so much more read more

Great burgers and fries. Consistent good quality and service. Very convenient to Route 34 side of Newtown, where there are not many restaurants. read more

Fresh burgers, fresh sides... everything is made to your liking. The staff here is awesome, he owner is right on site and is very talkative with newcomers to the area (which he knew I was one). Locals and tourists alike dined in during my visit! I even got tips on how to properly hunt for metal while my food cooked :) read more

Lake Zoar Drive-In - Burgers Near Me - Stevenson, Connecticut

I've stopped to eat at the lake zoar drive in about four times in the past two months and have been disappointed almost every time but this one was the worst. I used to go out of my way to eat here when I was younger and the food was amazing. I'm not sure what happened but it's not nearly as good it used to be. read more

Lake Zoar Drive-In - 7$ chili dog. What an overpriced disappointment - Burgers Near Me - Stevenson, Connecticut

The food is great!! This is where i go if I'm looking for a good burger and chocolate milkshake. They even have straws designed for milkshakes something many others don't think don't have. Service is was very nice. No complaints at all. A must stop for anybody driving along route 34 and looking for a quick bite to eat!! Would've posted a pic but i already ate my food. read more

Found this place on Yelp and decided to get the steak egg and cheese hash brown breakfast sandwich so I called it in to be picked up. Upon arriving, I told the cashier my name (older short white woman) and that Yelp was offering a 10% discount upon checking in. The total came to $7.11 and my discount would've been 0.71 bringing the total to $6.40. As I was explaining my discount to the older woman she was asking for assistance from the worker to her right (late 30s White woman.) So as I'm pulling up the code to show, I press the check in button that then goes to let you redeem the offer which then shows a check mark that it's been redeemed. Well... The late 30s white woman immediately was rude and insisted that I had to show her BEFORE clicking the button to redeem the offer -_- which would have made no difference as I literally clicked it in front of them and it showed the date and time under the check mark which I showed too and she took my phone to visibly see. So now the woman on the fryer was stating no it can't be redeemed. So now I'm just wanting to get out of there, so I said no problem...0.71 ain't going to kill me and paid the $7.11. Then what I thought was funny was the late 30s woman tried to break down how restaurants.com works (which I've used before too) which is irrelevant to me as I'm using a Yelp discount. So I got my food and left. The sandwich was straight, the breading is a little much for the content and it was my first time having a sandwich with a hash brown on it. So about a week later, I decided to order in again (last and final time ever going in here now) and this time it was the late 30s woman and a male cook only. She now overcharged me for the sandwich (~$9) and charged me $2.65 for a bottled Minute Maid apple juice. She did remember who I was and I did pay quickly with like a $20 bill and my change was around $7 so clearly overcharged as I would've gotten around $10 from rounding up the cost from my first visit ($7.11+$2.65) but I kept it kosher and paid it. I really don't want to pull the race card but it's in my spirit that that late 30s White woman was racist. The older white woman on my first visit was very nice. As well, I'm the only black woman in there and upon going again I'm getting overcharged when she clearly remembered me. So I will NEVER go here again and I recommend you do the same if you are a person of color. As well, that late 30s White woman lives out her old ass VW buggy right across the street at the commuter lot so if you want to put a face to someone, you know how to. ;) read more

Where do I begin? Waited 40 minutes for an order. There is a help wanted sign on the door but there is no way they can fit one more person back there. Close to $40 and my husband asked for a plastic to-go container for the dog's water and they refused. After sitting in the car waiting endlessly, I came in and observed sheer mayhem. Older gentleman working the grill seemed focused, but the kid working the fries just kept grabbing the containers from the inside without gloves, scooped out fries, and proceeded to let them sit up against the dirty window to get cold. Another kid kept pivoting in a circle with nothing to do. Girl at the front got into an altercation with another customer about the wait-time. After an additional 10 minutes, I asked if the order had been started and one of the three items had not been, which meant the other two orders were sitting on the counter getting cold. I promptly asked for my money back, and the only reason I am giving three stars instead of zero is that the young manager was prompt, courteous, and cheerful. I don't know if he secretly owns the place or he is just the best employee. I hear this place has great food.... Just do not go on a busy day and make sure your food goes from grill to bag! The pic is the delicious food from a few orders waiting for additional food to make the orders complete. This place is popular, I just don't think they were prepared for the rush. read more

Lake Zoar Drive-In - Food sitting waiting for rest of order. - Burgers Near Me - Stevenson, Connecticut

Such a classic place! Get the Dam burger, and a milkshake - you won't be disappointed!

Looking at the outside looks like scene out of a 1980's movie, so we were tempted to ignore in perpetuity but BOY ARE WE HAPPY WE ATE THERE. Best burgers I've had in a long LONG time. read more

We love taking a boat ride down to this place during the summer! The food is delicious and the service is wonderful! If you have a boat, you need to pick up food here!! read more

This place disappointed me because it's 8:30 pm and I've been waiting 45 minutes for a hot dog and fries. They did not give us our money back. I'm pissed UPDATE: It's been an hour. Still nothing. I'm starving. read more

Always the go-to fast food when in the area. Good choices on the menu and the Zoar burger is a local legend.

Extremely long wait, way too much ketchup and bbq that we couldn't taste anything on the sandwiches/burgers. Menus were hard to read and inside is claustrophobic. Shakes were good though. read more

This is one of those "only in CT" places. No franchise opportunities here this is as small business as it gets, physically and literally. The food is as good as you'd expect from any diner sitting on a major highway but this one sits on a lake. Whoever built the snack shack back in the day (I heard it all started back in the 1920's) was genius. But you can't just throw up a building have some food and call it good. No, for this place to work the people who visit the lake and just drive past on a reg basis need to want to eat here too and we do. The burgers are spot on, I had a chocolate milk shake for the first time here, it was so good I got a second one. I also had a "bratwurst". Well I won't accuse the lake zore drive in of being authentic German but the brat was still pretty decent, worth a try if you're not in the mood for everything else that's on the menu. And the menu is quite extensive so you should be able to find something you like. Also they do the delivery thing now which is new for 2018 according to Mike (pretty sure he's the owner) so that's cool for the people living near by. So if you've done Rich's farm ice cream over in oxford and you need another Ct only must visit, lake zore drive in is your next stop on the Ct food adventures tour read more

Great Zoar burger definitely recommend. Also what a beautiful scenery. Great customer service thank you.

Very cute hole on the side of the road burger was very good quick and friendly service not much room to eat though would recommend take out

I drove down this road thousands times but never made a stop. Today, we did and wasn't disappointed. Chili dog with sauerkraut is so good. I will definitely come back for this zoar burger and other stuffs on the menu very soon. Also couldn't get a better view than this. Mike the owner and the staffs are nice and friendly #awesome read more

Lake Zoar Drive-In - Chili dog and hot dog with works. - Burgers Near Me - Stevenson, Connecticut

See all

The coffee is about the only good thing here. Don't waste your time ordering food. It's a big mess behind the counter no communication as far as how long one will get their food. This place is a joke and you should see how they actually heat up food, they use a microwave. read more

An absolute top-to-bottom embarrassment for our corona-stricken times. I grew up in Monroe, have eaten at Lake Zoar Drive-In many times during my youth, and thought to stop by and grab some hotdogs with my family today. Paid $20 and waited 40+ minutes for four hotdogs. Dogs were cold, buns fell apart, and little responsibility was accepted. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see this place is just poorly managed. I don't know who is running this stand anymore, but he or she needs to radically rethink his or her calling in life, because what's going on here in terms of efficiency is just shameful. I get it, you have lots of big orders being called in. But you have to balance between the customers who are at your stand waiting for freaking hot dogs and the people who called in massive thirty-person orders for fried whatever-the-heck to be picked up fifteen minutes from now. I told the young cashier at the counter that if people are going to wait 40+ minutes for hotdogs, she should probably mention it before taking their money. She insisted that she informed my girlfriend of this wait time when she ordered. I know for a fact that she did not, because we were freaking hungry and would've high-tailed it out of there at such an absurd revelation. I mentioned my extended wait to some customers arriving after me, and it sounds like she started disclosing the delay because those customers booked it back to their cars and took off. Mr. Mac's is not too far away, is more reasonably priced, has higher quality ingredients, and has an appropriately short wait time for...hotdogs. Or just go home and throw some dogs on the stove. You could make fifty in the time it takes Lake Zoar to fire up four. I will not return to Lake Zoar Drive-In during this lifetime. Heck, I wouldn't return if they called me on the phone and offered me a year's supply of free hotdogs. It would take 40 years to finally get them all! If there's one positive takeaway, it's that behind this murky food stand is a beautiful lake. And that's pretty cool. read more

Been going here for the past 15 years. I think it's the grease on the stove that gives it that flavor. Great and legendary place to eat. If you drive down near the dam there is a road you can go down and eat in the parking lot at the bottom of the dam! read more

A great lakeside hot dog (and hamburger) stand! Just wish they had tables with a view of the lake instead of the parking lot.

A really great place. Anytime I am in CT near Newton this is one of the best places to go to. An established delicious place. Food is awesome. Shakes, burgers and hot dogs are the bomb. Really nice people! A must go to place! read more

Lake Zoar Drive-In - Burgers Near Me - Stevenson, Connecticut

You can order from your boat and pick up if you are out on Lake Zoar. Their food is always delicious.

Love the food here, large menu, owner is super friendly, love the lake, etc. Been coming here my whole life now I live down the road from it. Always chatting with other people here too. read more

Lake Zoar Drive-In - Menu - Burgers Near Me - Stevenson, Connecticut

Love this place. As a motorcycle rider, I find this the perfect stop to grab a quick bite. Pretty spot right off the lake.