One does not approach a drive-in with optimism. One approaches with caution... and a lowered bar. R & B Drive In, rather inconveniently, refuses to cooperate with that expectation. We ordered the bacon cheeseburger and the Porkie, fully prepared to deliver a measured, perhaps mildly approving critique. Instead, we were met with burgers that were... excellent. The bacon cheeseburger was rich and properly constructed, while the Porkie bordered on indulgent in a way that felt almost excessive, and yet, impossible to fault. Against our better judgment, these may be the best burgers we've had in Helena. The fries and onion rings arrived as they so rarely do elsewhere: hot, crisp, and audibly crunchy. No soggy apologies. No half-hearted effort. Just competence, executed with precision. And then, the huckleberry milkshake. A problem, frankly. Smooth, flavorful, perfectly balanced--it undermines any attempt at restraint and lingers in one's memory longer than is strictly reasonable. We are not in the habit of offering praise so freely. It sets a dangerous precedent. And yet, here we are. We will return. Not because we are easily impressed--but because, on occasion, it is worth revisiting something that insists on being this good. read more

Love the fish and chips!!! The RB is our go to place when we don't feel like cooking! Never disappoints!

The food was really good. Personally I loved the deep fried pickles as they were perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked and the ranch was spot on! The service was very friendly and fast. The feel is fun and definitely makes you feel like your back in time! A fan favorite for me! read more

I love RB Fish and Chips. I have been eating there since High School and I graduated in 1965!

Been wanting to stop here since coming to Helena, classic Car-hop drive-in. Service was quick and pleasant. Just ordered a cheeseburger and fries, and the fries were excellent and seasoned very well (better than McD's) but the burger was a great drive-in burger you'd expect. It was $9.60 for both and the portions were a little above average so I'll definitely be back to try more menu items! read more

Get lunch here probably 3 days a week, always good, always correct. The burgers are pretty darn good.

Wow, a real old timey drive in! We pulled in for the novelty but we're very pleased with our burger and the customer service. We ordered a double cheeseburger combo which came with standard issue fries and a drink and we got a chocolate malt. DD thought the fries were over salted but I thought they were good. The burger has the "famous R&B house red relish" which gave the burger a unique and delish flavor. The burgers themselves were juicy with a nice grilled taste. There is a cute little dining room if you would rather dine in but we were all about doing the drive in experience. A sign proclaimed this establishment was under new ownership so perhaps the current one star reviews are outdated. Our servers were as sweet as could be. Our order was $17.65 which is roughly what I paid for DQ the day before and this food was much better. Check our R&B drive in if you are in the area! read more

It's been 21 years since I last lived in Helena, MT and this place was one of my favorite places to grab a quick burger. Happy to say it's still amazing, the R-B Sauce is still delicious, the fries are still hot and crispy! One of the best burgers around and still around for a reason. Service was what one would expect from a drive in, certainly wasn't lacking. And the ambience still has the same classic feel it did when I was a kid at Carroll College. read more

We were looking for burgers, shakes, fires and onion rings as we blew through Helena and R B delivered!!! We got very fresh meals with fast friendly service. What more could you ask for? read more

New owners seemed to have turned this around. The service time could get better but overall I had a couple great experiences here. The food was good. Had a couple different burgers. It's a drive in, but they were good. The fries are awesome, to go with R&B fry sauce. It's a touch spendy for what you get but to me, it was a pretty decent value. Definitely will come back and recommend others do the same read more

So disappointing. Ordered two cheese burgers, one with fries, the other with tots. The burgers were all relish and we couldn't taste anything else. We couldn't even eat them. Even the fries and tots were a very small portion. Definitely not worth the $17 paid and definitely won't go back. read more

Quaint place and a throwback to good old times. Service was GREAT! Food is a little pricey for what you get but I really appreciate the military discount they advertise on their menus. Got an order of fried mushrooms and it was almost $1 per mushroom. Fries were very, very salty. Burgers and sandwiches were good. Since Yelp doesn't have 3.5 stars I gave them 4 stars. Recently on a job board R-B announced they were under new management so some things might get better....or worse. Overall, absolutely worth a visit at least once! read more

Food is overpriced for meager portions and not good quality... service was ok, nothing great, but the server did lean over my mom's shoulder while she was writing out a tip and made an under-the-breath comment which was awkward... seems pretty run down overall and not a great ambiance. The inside dining area had a weird smell to it. read more

3 1/2 out of 5. An older facility with a covered outside patio, car hops, and a nostalgic feel that reminded my wife of her youthful classic drive-thru eating experiences. Me...I'm way too young to recall facilities from this era, or... as she so often reminds me, CRS has set in. We dined inside and had a decent meal. The fries were hand-cut, the 1/2 pound burger was tasty with fresh add-ons, and the shakes were outstanding; well worth a repeat visit. Recently under new ownership. Visited with one of the new owners (the husband). They have upgraded ingredient quality... everything from the ketchup to the meats. We wish them good luck and the support of the local community. read more

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Fabulous authentic drive in! Somebody give these relatively new owners a prize for preserving the classic drive in experience!!!! Lucky Helena, to have this going... my guess is watch for ongoing improvement and renovation..soon to be if not already a local institution!! How we managed to find it on a road trip through Montana, I don't know, but thanks Yelp!! Food is great, tasty, fresh, classic drive in burgers etc with custom topping options. Fries fresh made and plentiful... and the huckleberry shake was best ever!!! Why go to a chain drive in when you can get the real thing!! read more

Terrible customer service. Would give no stars if I could. Went there with my grandpa and my mom today and my grandpa JOKINGLY said "strike 1" and a lady came out immediately screaming at us about how "we don't talk to her staff like that". I told her that it was just a joke and that my grandpa wasn't being serious and she continued to get angry at us. I told her I didn't like her attitude and she was like "well then we don't have to serve you" and walked back inside and slammed her door. My grandpa, my mom and I continued to talk amongst ourselves about what just happened and how it wasn't very nice. She comes back outside and tells us that we shouldn't expect to get served if we're gonna have bad attitudes and I said "and you shouldn't expect customers if you're gonna have terrible customer service". Yet again she walks back inside and slams her door on us. After that she kept glaring at us. If you want great customer service, don't come here. read more

Extremely over priced... a cheese burgers were burnt and had 1 tiny half a piece of lettuce on it.

First off - best fries in town, no question. Long thin shoestring fries in huge portions. Lots of different burgers, sandwiches and shakes - my favorite being the Porky's sandwich and chocolate shake. Second - it's a drive in burger place! Not too many left and the people who run it have always been super friendly. Might not be quite as fast as typical fast food, but the ingredients, service and portions are all far superior. read more

Couldn't wait for this place to get open I went today and was shocked at the pricing $25 for two very small meals the hamburger was plain with two pickles on it and some cheese it wasn't good at all very disappointing! I hope the new owners get it together get the menus changed and right get your cups right sized if you're going to pay $25 you can go down the street to the other burger place Highway 55 now that's a place that has some awesome burgers read more

In today's age of every fast-food hamburger in town being dry and flavorless, it was a real treat to actually be able to taste the meat and everything on it. R-B Drive In has by far the best burger in the Helena region. Plus, the time that it took me to get my burger was quicker than anywhere in town. The friendly service was a nice change for Helena. It is really hard to find that anywhere in Helena in the restaurant business or any other business. Everyone in Helena in the food business should go there and eat. Oh yah, take good notes if you want to learn. read more

Amazing burgers with excellent service. Will be back. So happy to have found this place.

I had a problem with my order and tried to resolve it with their carhop. When that did not work another woman came on the speaker and was consistently rude and would not help and literally just said 'to bad' and shut off her speaker. I had to go in to try to resolve my issue I ended up getting my money back something so simple to resolve was blown up by bad customer service. Extremely expensive. If I could give them zero stars I would. read more

Waited 30 minutes to even place our order and then got our food the tray had a dead fly on it and the burger tasted like it was just grease nothing else and our server didn't even wear a face mask which is the regulations the best thing we got today out of our whole meal is the drinks read more

R-B Drive In - A tray with a dead fly on it which was sticky and not washed at all - Restaurants Near Me - Helena, Montana

My partner, her mom, and I stopped here with our two pups for some afternoon lunch. Classic drive in vibe and menu options. My partner is a pescatarian (fish and vegetarian) so we chose this spot for the fish options. Super fast service and the food was served hot. We ordered the cod sandwich, a double cheeseburger, chicken strips, and a doggy burger (which is just a burger patty cut up!) and we were all happy with our meals! Another reviewer said the fry/tot portions are kind of small and we would have to agree, but I don't believe it warrants losing a star. The manager also came out as we were ordering with some whipped cream and dog treats for the pups and that was such a nice gesture! Reasonably priced. About 50 bucks after tip for 3 people isn't bad these days. Highly recommend nostalgic place, especially when the sun is shining! Blackberry milkshake was awesome! read more

Arrived about 12:25 the parking lot was busy. Push the order button twice during approximately a 15 minute wait and finally gave up as no one answered to take the order. I like to support local people and not chain stores but I can't wait forever. read more

You get exactly what you're expecting. I had a great cheeseburger and some awesome tots. Pulled up, ordered my food to go without leaving my car, and had it in-hand within 5 minutes. Love finding places like this in my travels and this one didn't disappoint. Ignore the old reviews that are bringing the overall stars down. Clearly, things have changed from back then. read more

Never have had a problem here. Affordable and in a great place in town to access, it's a great hit to the kids that go to the school because they can walk over and get a bite after school. I like to come here and get some good food occasionally. They have great milkshakes and always make sure to keep the Drive In style going. read more

I lived in Helena for 14 years and have been back three times since I left in 2008. I have eaten at the R-B well over 200 times since I first moved to Helena in 1994. The food was as good in September of 2012 as it was when I first ate there so many years ago. Try the fish and especially the Capital Burger and fries. Delicious!!! read more

I love the idea of R and B drive in. Something locally owned and operated smaller food joint that should have amazing food. Let's start with the positive things. Called in a order, lady who took our order was super nice. Order was prepared timely and most of all correct. Negatives The price of the food. You need a small fortune to eat here and at that the food was not the best. We ordered a full size fish and chips and a small fish and chips. Mine being the hog I am was the full size it was great until I hit the second fillet and after the first bite noticed a few dar hairs on the fillet. Could not finish the rest of the meal. Also on the smaller and the kids meals the fries were cold and seemed like they hadn't been cooked. The kids burgers were ordered with no pickles/ no onions and to add lettuce and in the lettuce we found a couple of onions. Not a big deal but it kind of ruined a treat night for the kiddos. Sometimes people have off nights hopefully that was it. But it sucks it was on our dime. I feel bad because I had high hopes for this place but I can not recommend it for anyone in the future. read more

Just had the worst/weirdest experience here. I ordered a shake and a corndog. I then get asked I'd like a kids version. I said NO. They still brought out the kids version, and then I got berated for ordering off the kids menu, which I didn't even fucking do, your employees made a mistake. This also ended up costing me 2$ more than it would have if I had gotten the correct order in the first place. I'd already paid, so whatever. Not going back. read more

This little local burger joint is under new ownership and the food is vastly improved. The sodas are finally sized as you would expect instead of the miniature soda they used to serve. The menu has some new items including a Walleye fish and chip and some new burgers including a half pound "capitol burger"a Taj burger and a Mikes special. My husband says the capital burger is quite good. We have had excellent customer service with very friendly staff. The new owner is frequently on site which always helps the quality. I can't speak to the interior as we usually eat in our car. Hey they even have a pet friendly menu with a "doggie dog" and a "dog burger". read more

I'm new to Helena and was looking for a good burger. These are pretty good and my teenage son loves the bacon burger. The capital special is a great deal but alot of meat so get it when you are truly hungry. They aren't speedy quick and they aren't super slow. The meat is cooked when you order so pass up those awful fast food restaurants. Everyone is supernice and friendly but be prepared to sit in your vehicle or in the small covered patio. read more

Great food, delicious burgers and fries, inexpensive and some great choices. Loved the cherry phosphate and hand cut fries (with the skin on mmmmmmm). My son loved his kids meal, said the chicken strip is better than Vans (high praise there), and was thrilled by the glow stick and candy :) beautiful, clean drive through and the speakers are nice and clear. So happy to be supporting a helena Mom and Pop instead of a big out of state corporation. I hope Helena helps get this place busy 24x7! read more

Have great memories of great burgers and tater tot's from when we were in Montana three years ago. Excited to go back today. Our order taken and food received in about eight minutes. Hamburgers were delicious as well as the tater tots. Would definitely recommend to anyone. read more

We ordered a totally plain double hamburger which came with the works and ordered another minus mustard, which came with mustard. another time, we got halibut and chips that came without tartar sauce. The shakes are overly sweet, and I got gypped out of my geezer discount. Just sayin'. read more

Food was still good HOWEVER service could be friendlier and the bathroom was filthy. Hoping to see some changes next time we go in, otherwise we will stop visiting. read more

A long 20 min for 2 small chocolate shakes... totally not worth the price or wait as as they don't even taste like chocolate. Not a happy treat at all. read more

Hadn't been here for awhile and stopped this week to grab a burger and fries. The burger was terrible, bun was old and dry. Fries didn't even taste good like it was old grease. Food was overpriced. Also didn't make me feel good that the carhop had no mask on. Money the cook didn't either. Sad this place use to be the best before this owner. Gross won't ever be back. read more

One of the worst locations in Helena, as told by another, it's a drive in. The food is very bad, and for the price, it is not worth the money. One thing Helena is in short supply is a local burger joint with great food, if you are looking for outstanding food, or even something to keep you from starving, I'd say go spend that hard earned money some place else. read more

The shakes are like no other in town. Especially the peanut butter shake. The food is what you would expect from a drive in, service is quick, and the kids meals are awesome with the best toys I must say. read more