What an adorable spot. Very retro, gives you all the good vibes and feels. I was told by my husband that this was a must stop since he is from this area and I've never been and wanted to take me. Ice cream was delicious, ordered an orange swirl. Drive-thru service was smooth. read more

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Great little environment but the food has consistently gone downhill for years. We are done with Sara's. Too many times orders are unacceptable--onion rings cold, hard, and obviously overcooked, and the rolls burned. We have hoped for years that Sara's would serve hot dogs on softer, tastier rolls but always end up throwing out most of the roll. The owner needs a trip north to Ted's in Buffalo to learn how to serve hot dogs. So very disappointing. We'll still come for ice cream, but we're done with the food. read more

Sara's - Burgers Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

After a day spent at the beach it is a welcomed sight to be greeted by this upon coming back to reality. Upon first glance this appears to be a roadside attraction that is meant to entertain those that are staying nearby whether it be in the condo like structure or the campgrounds to the one side. If we were to review this place on that alone, five stars. I mean who doesn't like a little distraction from life? There are cut outs where you can have your picture taken, vintage items to gaze at, and the most eye catching thing is the underutilized diner car that is nothing more than storage now. The parking lot can and most likely will be a mess when you come here. This sits right at the entrance to the state park and can be a headache to enter dependent on the traffic. Then once in the lot, be very careful, yikes. There is a ton of foot traffic with the nearby lodgings as well as a constant stream for the drive thru area. You can find a parking spot once you video game your way in here, exiting is not much better than entering just so we know. Once inside it is really fast paced. Kind of know what you want when you approach the window to order or step to the side until you decide. I already knew what I wanted when I was on my way here. I ordered a combo meal and upgraded it to include a milkshake. Once you order and pay you shuffle your way over to the pick up area. This area can be viewed as either entertaining or annoying depending on how you view the interactions with the staff. I teetered more towards the annoying portion of this. The pace here was not fast at all. The people behind the counter are your basic teens/young adults holding down a summer job and attempting to not be bored. Joking around with one another as orders are being put up and attempting to push them out. When my order was finally called the food portion was correct, but not the drink. I continued to stand at the counter. While doing so I kept getting annoyed glances from staff until one of them had the decency to ask if I needed help. I informed them that I did not receive my milkshake. It was almost a stare down as the staff were adamant that I already received it. How? I was standing there the whole time...with nothing in my hands...watching y'all talk about talk about the debauchery you got into the night before. Instead of making a new one they attempted to hand off one that was already made. Assuring me it was just made and that it was one that I ordered. Whatever, I had already waited 15 minutes. Let's talk about the food. After all that wait, it was worth the wait. I had the Smith's Footlong combo with curly fries as my side, upgraded to include a vanilla milkshake. I am a hotdog fanatic and will try one wherever I venture. They did not miss here. Having a footlong hotdog is like having two any other place. Topping it however you want to is great. There are a lot of choices that you can add yourself from the condiment stations. Put as much or as little as you like. Curly fries are always a nice touch and not something you find many places. The milkshake, a nice treat, but not worth the wait. Basically this was a novelty place to stop that filled both my stomach and need for roadside kitch. read more

Sara's - Smith's foot long combo meal upgraded with a vanilla shake. - Burgers Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

Great old school hamburger do drop in. It has that vintage vibe. Stop in for a burger fries and a milk shake. The burger was absolutely excellent too by the way ! Right at entrance to presque isle state park. Glad we stopped in. read more

Sara's - Burger & Fries - Burgers Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

We loved it there. It was like stepping into the 50's. The food was good and high quality. You had to order I. One place pickup shakes at another station and finally your food. read more

I had write the review before I even left the restaurant. Read company story and seemed service was top priority. Staff were very rude and nasty. They messed some minor stuff up and got attitude when I brought to their attention. Ownership should train their staff how to treat customers. Definitely not southern diner, food was mid nothing to get to excited about. read more

This place is in Erie staple. It takes a lot for me to give five stars and I'm going to break down what pushes this place up to five stars. Let's start with the food. Although I haven't had a ton of things here (despite living in Erie) I have enjoyed some of the fried food which was good. The reason I come is for the delicious ice cream. The Mexican Sundae is wonderful. It's of a decent size and they will put whipped cream and peanuts on top at your request. It's a very good. There's plenty of seating but the parking is a bit tight. I do recommend parking a bit farther away; epecially if you have a larger car. I take my work van down there and I typically park away from Sara's and closer to the pizza shop next door. The place is often super busy and somewhat hard to maneuver around when inside getting your order. Fellow patrons tend to stand in your way like brainless zombies. And what makes this a 5-star review and not a 4-star review is the fact this location is situated where the tourists are. It's a perfect location. Sarah's could gouge people on prices the prices and they don't. I bet they could charge $7.50 for a Mexican Sundae and plenty of people would pay it. Especially out of towners; but since Sara's is fair a whole lot of Erieites frequent the place. They do extreme volume because the prices are fair. They understand business which is why they have been in business for so long. I will continue to support this place and recommend it. read more

Sara's - Mexican Sundae - Burgers Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

As a Sara myself, the name definitely intrigued me, what surprised me though was the pricing, being prime time real estate right at Presque Isle I figured it would be one of those places were you are paying a lot for either not quality food or not a big quantity of it, but boy was I pleasantly surprised with Sara's! We only came for ice cream which was good, but the rest of the menu and food we saw looked really good as well. Many of my party were drooling over the look and smell of the onion rings. There ice cream is limited to soft serve, but they have a good variety of choices. I opted for the peanut butter, as did most of my party, which had a strong peanut butter taste, and was very creamy. My husband got a banana milkshake and was very happy with it. At just over 3 dollars a cone for the ice cream I felt it was really reasonable, especially with how prices for everything are going up, and as mentioned I've definitely seen in the past how location can make a huge different in ice cream prices. If you are stopping by Presque Isle, save room either on the way in or the way out for some Sara's! read more

Fantastic hot dogs that snap when you bite into them! With a toasted roll, lots of condiments and several choices of sides. I loved it! Picnic tables, some under an awning in case of rain. Lots of nostalgia. read more

What a fun experience! Sara's is a classic style dinner where you order from the counter and find your seat. They have lots of outdoor seating, picnic table style. They have burgers, hotdogs, chicken sandwiches, and salads. Also don't forget to order a classic milkshake. read more

Sara's - Lunch - hotdog and salad - Burgers Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

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Retro American food with fun neon lights and decor in Erie! Sara's is serving up classic American food like burgers, hot dogs, fries and shakes at affordable prices. The service is fast and lots of people flock to this Erie staple. The food is honestly very average and doesn't stand out too much. But the theme and interior is a sight to see! Definitely a family friendly restaurant and worth checking out. tldr; food 3/5 service 4/5 interior 4.5/5 read more

Sara's - Interior - Burgers Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

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We have always been fans of Sara's. Not sure why Yelp is saying it is closed, as we ate there on Thursday. It is depressing that this has gone from my wife's all-time favorite restaurant to... not. They used to have great home-made onion rings, a couple years ago they changed them, and now are the same as any DQ. Then they trimmed their menu, which I understand is economics. This year they replaced their soda machines with old-school 8 variety machines and both were incredibly watered down. Have you ever had a watered down root beer float? Prices are also higher, which I get. But raise prices to keep quality. Don't raise prices on food you can now get at most DQ's. Here's hoping they get things fixed as they get organized for the new season. read more

No sprinkles after 9. They changed the onion rings. The ice cream cone was a lot smaller compared to last year. They disappointed me this time read more

This place is so cool! The food was the best burger, best hot dog, and best French fries I think I've ever had. Not kidding either. I'm bringing my family here on our cross country trips. read more

Stopped here on the way home from enjoying the Lake. We loved the scenery of the restaurant. We opted for your basic cheeseburger and we were not disappointed. Great portions for the price. We went through through the drive thru and from the first person to the last, everyone was super friendly. We will definitely stop in again when we are in the area. read more

The nostalgia is the best!! Lots of seating, the friendliest most efficient staff. You place your order at one window and pick up at the next two- fast service. Nice thick milkshakes. My hotdog was deep fried and completely dried out, i got the fried zucchini and either grease was old or just over fried because it's very dark and breading was falling off BUT with all that being said i would definitely recommend still if you're in the area!! Next time I'll just ask for lightly fried... lots and lots of props and photo opss read more

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So after a day of enjoying all that is Waldameer and then needing something that isn't at the park we stumbled across Sara's on our way down to the state park and what more can I say than this was awesome! Sara's is definitely one of those tourist trap kinda places as well as one of the only places around the state park area to grab something decent to eat for once we were inside it was just as crazy on the inside as it was on the outside decor other patrons and that yummy menu with a bunch of different goodies that will just make you wanna order one of each! So of the many options here I went with the cheese steak sandwich it was yummy for what it was the cheese and the bun being the best part as it just had a ton of flavor all around along with the yummy steak and banana peppers that could be found on the inside of the sandwich to just hit the spot! My fried zucchini was also pretty good as it had a crunch to it and just about as much flavor as you can get from some of these the unique part to me was that it came with marinara sauce to dip them in as that's something I haven't seen before. The real kicker for me here was the soft serve as it was vanilla with a layer of orange going through it to and just more flavor to an already yummy ice cream concoction to make it just soo good! Overall decent food at a decent price with some yummy orange soft serve you know that I'll try to come back here again at some point just for the ice cream alone! read more

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We stopped here for a quick lunch after visiting Presque Isle Beaches. A fun and interactive place! My husband and I both order burgers. Both were fulfilling and delicious. My husband recommends the milkshakes! There is also a drive thru The service was quick and efficient. read more

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Burgers are below average. Very greasy. Quite disappointing. Fries are even greaser Be close to a restroom read more

This place was such a disappointment. It looks like it's gonna be a good spot where they make fresh hamburgers, but they're not taste like a burger that's been sitting under the heat lamp ready to do to push out the volume. Terrible terrible just a cheeseburger which rings were good most was good burger terrible Convenient, but if you can't read more

Sara's - Entrance - Burgers Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

Cute place to stop for fast food when leaving Presque Isle. It was slightly overpriced but I get the convenience. Kids loved the curly fries and ice cream. read more

This is the iconic Hotdog and ice cream restaurant right outside of the peninsula. I would say I always enjoy coming here for Labor Day, but somehow everyone else does too. ChiliDog The Chili Dog is decent, but since the pandemic require you request for pickles and unions. it's really hard to mess up a chili dog and I enjoyed it. Lacked cheese, and not the Red Caboose but I enjoyed it! 6.5/10 Cheeseburger The Cheeseburgers over the years have dropped in quality and they say the burgers are fresh, but I believe they are using frozen hamburger. Still need pickles and onions. 6/10 Fries I love curly fries and they won't disappoint. 6/10 read more

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My experience here was a bit strange. Sara's a nice lady and all, but her cheeseburgers were average at best and reminded me of the frozen kind that can be purchased at Sam's Club. Given the lack of flavor from zucchinis, the homemade zucchini fries were pretty solid, reminding me that even the plain janes can make a presence in a catwalk. However, something must have upset Sara, because one of her shades in the outside dining area came unhooked and nearly smacked my good friend in the face. The employee there didn't even bother to check on her or even apologize, which made me bitter like their Powerade. While my small party of friends enjoyed each other's company, we are not sure why Sara decided to turn on us. read more

Sara's - I found a dime on the floor. - Burgers Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

Visited here for the first time! Wowwww is all I can say!! From the bright colors of the building to the decorations we were so excited to see what Sara's had to offer and boy, we were not disappointed at all. The menu gives the perfect variety with solid prices to help you really get the best meal for a great price. I'm not even a fan of burgers and I got one here and ate the entire thing. I would definitely recommend especially to families! Food also comes out quickly, and the cashier was super friendly and helpful. read more

Sara's - Pick up area - Burgers Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

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Ugh. Their orange and vanilla twist is just the best ever! It is a classic and the thing I crave as soon as I get off the exit in Erie. Weirdly enough, growing up in Erie, I rarely stopped at Sara's for this delicious treat. I was more of a brownie sundae gal from our local ice cream shop by my old house. But now I just can't get enough and really get sad about all the lost years I could have been enjoying it. I am so dramatic about it, I realize, but guys... You just have to go. This was actually the first time I've ever sat down and eaten here (that I remember). We had just come from a long beach day and thought this was the best option with outdoor seating during COVID. I was honestlys surprised to see everyone wearing masks except for when they were sitting down eating. You order from a side window and the servers bring your out your food. Since I'm gluten free it's super hard to eat at these types of places. I was happy to see kielbasa on the menu, so I ordered that with sauerkraut on top. I also ordered the curly fries, which admittedly I did not check to see if they shared the same fryer as the fried chicken. The kielbasa was fine, totally run of the mill and the curly fries were really good! But the ice cream.... So good! They're not serving it in cones right now (which I don't get anyway), but flip them upside down in a cup if you want one. Definitely a must for your presque isle visit! read more

Sara's has always been a summer must go for our family and all our visitors! They managed to accommodate their customers thru Covid with all their fantastic food and ice cream! However, upon our first visit of the year this week, we couldn't be more disappointed! It seems all the nostalgia and food quality has been sacrificed for coolers and food storage. The quaint little beach place can no longer be called that, not even close. The onions rings have been going slowly downhill but they have hit rock bottom. Maybe more onion and less breading would help! And the size of my favorite peanut butter yogurt cone was heartbreaking! I hope the owners will see the error of their ways and bring back that retro feeling and get their menu back to the old time goodness! We will miss our summertime eatery read more

Everyone recommends Sara's if you go to Lake Erie. It is located right before or right after the entrance/exit. They have a number of outdoor seating tables and a very well staffed drive thru line. We did the drive they and they brought the order out to our car in carry containers. The staff was very friendly. We got hot dogs that came with a side of curly fries and a large drink of choice. We also got chicken tenders with zucchini fries. And we topped it off with a vanilla milkshake, which was the perfect amount of thick and whipped topping to cool off after a hot beach day. read more

Sara's - Chicken tenders, zucchini fries, and curly fries - Burgers Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

We waited on a short line to give our orders. No alcoholic beverages. The staff were so nice and fast and attentive. Our orders were ready and delivered in a fast and accurate manner. We ordered fish basket with fries, onion rings, and zucchini. They were tasty and the portion size was big. We enjoyed our meals. read more

Sara's - Fish basket - Burgers Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

I've been a regular for years. The atmosphere is everything. Wait times are always minimal. Order accuracy is on point. The BEST ice cream in town, no contest. If you prefer ice cream I recommend orange vanilla twist. If you like sundaes, go turtle. Generous toppings that get you through to the last bite. The whole crew is polite. It's clean and relaxing. They've expanded the menu so there's something for everyone. If you're visiting Erie, this is a MUST. Do yourself a favor and eat at Sara's!!! read more

Sara's - Turtle sundae - Burgers Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

To say that Sara's is an institution and staple of a visit to Presque Isle is putting it mildly. I mean, it's impossible to even get into the Presque Isle State Park without passing right by Sara's, and that is probably why every one told me, and every review, article or comment on the internet said in preparation of my family trip to Lake Erie said that we had to go to Sara's! I can just imagine back in the day when this modest shack sold hotdogs and hamburgers to vacationers both on their way into or out of Presque Isle, both before or after enjoying the beaches, fishing, hiking, or other things that the State Park has to offer. Today it is bigger, brighter and slightly chaotic, especially to someone who has never been there before. But within the hour of my family and I arriving in the Erie area, after we checked into our hotel, we were on our way to Sara's for dinner. Like I said, the place is kind of a madhouse and it was intimidating, but once you figure out what and where to order, relax, sit down at one of the many picnic tables they have in the surrounding area, and enjoy a simple yet extremely tasty hotdog. That is what I did, and also a hamburger with fries. Like I said, simple food but it is really good. My wife and daughter thought the same. Our only mistake was not getting a milkshake, which I hear are also incredible. Next time! read more

it was a slow rainy day. almost no one there. just wanted to get a small twist cone for my daughter. girl at the drive through wouldn't stand up to take my order so I had to avoid hitting her and made me have to clip into one of the signs in the lane. she then took the order wrong and proceeded to jump in front of of my car after giving me my change almost getting hit again. got to the pick up window and waited several minutes for small twist cone. she brought wrong kind and took my receipt. eventually brought back the correct thing but wouldn't give me a corrected receipt. possibly the worst service I've ever received at an ice cream shop. and this was a slow day. read more

Right at the entrance of Presque Isle, we stopped to get dinner after a day at the beach. Sara's has normal concession stand food (upgraded though). Nothing too fancy, bathrooms are just okay. However, they do have curly fries!! read more

Sara's - Fries, chicken tenders, and hot dog - Burgers Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

Not just a nod to the classic American diner, but The Iconic Diner! I didn't try the bathroom but the dining area was clean. The fries and onion rings were HOT and FRESH! Had two dogs and a beef sandwich to take home. Even if the prices weren't amazingly righteous, and they are, the quality and portion size of everything was equally amazing. Service was fast and Sara's is the standard for the diner genre. Glad we went and would not hesitate to come again Thank you! read more

Sara's - Dogs and Italian beef deluxe with sides - Burgers Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

It's the onion rings the ONION RINGS!!! Twice Sara's manager has replied to me that they have not changed. I looked at the pictures that Sara's posted and there is visual proof that they have changed. The coating was lighter and sometimes flaked off the onions leaving crisp bits and onions partially browned. The lighter coating made the difference. That's the way they were made at the Home Drive-in too before Sara's read more

I have to agree with all the reviews about the hamburgers. They're pretty awful. Odd texture, seems to have lots of filler, and I really didn't taste much beef. The curly fries were unseasoned and broken, so rather than curls, it was tiny, broken half moons. The onion rings were over cooked and greasy. I've been going here with my family for 15+ years, and it really seems to have gone downhill. On top of that, the counter staff was really disorganized and rude. They got our order wrong twice (things missing, or wrong things on the tray). Which happens. However, each time, instead of apologizing and making it right, the staff at Sara's argued with us. On top of that, the counter staff then complained about us within earshot. The staff need some training in customer service, I think. Really disappointing. read more

Owned by Sara Bareilles, Sara Brightman, Sara Nade, and Sara N. Dipity. There's something eerie about this place, and I can't figure out what it is. I'll keep you postal. What to get: Milkshakes! What not to get: Parking tickets! What do parking tickets have to do with Milkshakes?: Milk shakes... milk maids... meter maids... Oh. You're weird: OK. Pardon me for being fun and quirky. Bye Felicia. Sara's has excellent chocolate shakes, although the hot dogs are pretty average in my seemingly-but-not-actually humble opinion. Erie does not have a spectacular array of food, although there are a few hidden gems. Sara's is one of the better options, if you want standard burger-and-dog fare, but it's nothing special, until you taste their excellent milkshakes. Suddenly you'll feel quite special. And a little fatter. But then this is Yelp. And that happens. read more

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Greasy food. I suspect the high ratings are from nostalgic feelings from childhood visits rather than the actual food. Boardwalk or festival type food. Not something that I generally seek out. Seems like everything is fried and milkshakes are made with artificial flavors. read more

This is about our 4th or 5th visit to Sara's. I was hesitant bc I have recently noticed some bad reviews. Well I'm glad we stopped. Our food was good fresh and service was fast. Sara's will still be on our list of just dos when in Erie. read more

They are so stingy with the portions now. I ordered a large and a small. They were both the same size so I asked for a real large. She remade it and used her HANDS to put on sprinkles and pick it up out of the sprinkles container. There was a literal thumb print in my icecream. This place is run by children and there is clearly no supervision. read more

Omg 5 stars alone for the orange twist cone. Honestly I will drive the couple hours for that alone. I also ordered their zucchini fries on this trip and they were great also. This is always a stop of mine either before or after the beach (or both!) read more