Stewarts Drive-Ins

Going to Stewarts for hot dogs and root beer is one of my fondest childhood memories -- that was major eating out for us kids. The waitress would come up to the car and hang the tray with our order on the window. Back then they would serve the root beer in ice cold frosty glass mugs. I had a good crabcake sandwich recently at the one on 130 in Burlington, and I especially love their rootbeer floats. There are 8 in central Jersey and they still look the same. Some of them still offer tray service!

Stewart's Drive-In, 578 Highway 33, Trenton, NJ

Stewart's Drive-In, 2653 US Highway 1, Lawrenceville, NJ

Stewart's Drive-In, 50 Scotch Rd, Trenton, NJ

Stewart's Drive-In Tray Svc, 801 Route 130 S, Burlington, NJ

Stewart's Root Beer Drive-In, 2551 Highway 27, Franklin Park, NJ

Stewart's Drive-In, 235 Main St, Lebanon, NJ

Stewart's Drive-In, State Route 34, Farmingdale, NJ

Stewart's Root Beer Drive In, 347 Jaques Ave, Rahway, NJ

[Heatherb]

I'm leaving for Denver next year well before the start of summer, so I figured I'd squeeze in a Stewart's visit this summer. The Route 33 Stewart's in Hamilton still has car service, so I ate off a try hooked onto my truck's window. Had just a hot dog and fries with a large mug of root beer. The hot dog was ... ok. Not great. I remember them being better there though. The fries were pretty good, though and the root beer was even better than I remembered! Not a bad memory to take away with me:)

[flourgirl]

Is this the beginning of a new adventure for you? I hope so - but the hounds in this corner of NJ/PA are going to miss you!!

[tom246]

+1, will certainly miss your posts Heatherb

[Heatherb]

Awwwww... Thanks, guys:) Yeah, I'm planning to move next year - it could still get derailed, but that's the plan. So I'm planning on revisiting some of my favorite places and my big nostalgia spots over the next several months. Stewart's was definitely one of them!

But I'm going to definitely miss the posters on this board!

[Passadumkeg]

Former Jersey Boy moving back to New Mexico this Thurs. Left NJ for NM 39 years ago. Enjoy your hot dogs, root beer, Taylor Pork Roll and pizza while you can. Hard to find in the Southwest. Read your post on Denver. Relax, it is a big town.
Bon Jovi and I are Alumns

[Heatherb]

yeah, seemed like there was a lot of good stuff to eat in Denver, but I know the pizza scene, the Indian food, the pork roll, the hot dog stands are going to be missing. But I think the scenery will totally make up for it:) So you're leaving Maine?

[Passadumkeg]

going back to get a second retirement. There is a TJ's in Alb & Sante Fe.
I don't think my lod German butcher exists any longer in Alb., I'm taking my meat grinder and sausage casing to make my own.
I guess I can live w/out Stewart's if I can follow The Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail:
http://www.newmexico.org/greenchilech...

[Heatherb]

Add some bacon to that and I'll convert:)

[melissa2287]

what about the one that just opened in Marlboro? It's by the A&P I think...

[Jerzeegirl]

I went past there yesterday. Still empty. Sign says "Opening Summer 2010". Summer 2010 is almost over, so I wonder if they're every going to open.

[MarlboroMan]

The one in Marlboro is now open. Opened last Monday. We stopped in on Sunday after church. Good hot dogs. Wife loved the hamburger sliders. My complaints - no free refills on soda, and no cole slaw. Good chili on the hot dog, though.

On a side note, I was speaking with the owner a bit and found out the Stewart's in Gillette, NJ recently closed.

[Jerzeegirl]

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to be down that way in a couple of weeks, so will definitely stop in to try it.

[njkori]

There is another Stewart's at 101 Bloomfield Ave in Denville (just off 46). I don't think they have car service.

[GBQyum]

Nope. No car service in Denville. : (

[The Professor]

Brings back some memories, to be sure.
But as someone already mentioned, all Stewart's are not/were not created equal...while you pretty much knew what to expect from a mug of their once excellent rootbeer, the food side of these operations was never very consistent even in the old days...it always seemed to vary from place to place (even down to simple things like their hot dogs, since different locations evidently used different sources for their food items).

I think Stewart's rootbeer is still tastes pretty good, though it seems somewhat sweeter in recent years than it once was, and it definitely lacks the some of the "creaminess" it once had. Still, I do pop in at these places form time to time and enjoy a mug.

[peril]

Browsed through this whole thread and believe that nobody mentioned the Stewarts on Main Street/Bordentown Ave. in I East Brunswick, just outside of Spotswood.

[Jerzeegirl]

Oh, wow, I pass that one all the time & completely forgot about it.

[MarlboroMan]

Old thread, I know.. but I actually saw where a NEW Stewart's location is opening.. funny.. these places seem to be disappearing.. maybe they're having a revival of sorts.

Instead of a standalone place, though, this one's in a strip mall in Marlboro, NJ (A&P Shopping Center, Rtes. 79 & 520). Sign was on the marquee.. but not open yet (as of this past Sunday, anyway).

[Tapas52]

After my last attempt at Stewart's on Rt 37 Toms River a few months ago.... I vowed it would be my last time ..it was horrible, burgers and fries..were tasteless, their famous root-beer watery....way overpriced for what they give you. I'd try a A&W before Stewart's...and even that is just a small notch above....IMO Checkers is mile above them and serve a much better product..........they have certainly regressed sad.

[Jerzeegirl]

Thanks for the tip. I have a hair appointment in Manalapan next weekend & I know exactly where you mean. I take 79 to/from the hairdresser, so I'll have to stop there on my way home & pick up a chili cheese dog if they're open. There used to be one on 35 in Sayreville a couple of minutes from my house & I used to go there all the time, but that was knocked down & is just an empty lot. The one on 79 in Matawan near Charlie Brown's & the one in the Old Bridge Walmart can't seem to get the hang of cooking the hot dogs correctly; I think they nuke them, so I don't stop in either one of them any more. I hope the one on 79/520 will be an improvement.

-----
Charlie Browns
443 S Main St, Forked River, NJ 08731

[MichelleM131]

I don't think it's open yet.

[Jerzeegirl]

I just went past there today, still not open & the signs says "Opening Summer 2010". It's Augus already. Summer will be over next montn. What's the hold up?

[Heatherb]

Is the one in Hamilton now open year-round? I'm still seeing people eating there in December...

[rochfood]

The one on Scotch Rd in Ewing has been closed.

[jnk]

Stewarts
645 Valley Rd
Gillette, NJ 07933-2011

[bgut1]

We've got one here in Toms River on Route 37 and Fischer Blvd. It's only open in season. Here is the phone number - [phone].

[Jerzeegirl]

There's one inside the Walmart on Rt. 9 in Old Bridge & one that's part of a diner off 287 in Edison.

[cantkick]

There used to be one on rt.35 in Holmdel, across from Dearborne Farms. It closed at least 15 years ago. I was probably their last customer, as I grabbed a root beer right at closing, and when I drove by the next day it had a big CLOSED sign.

[jerseyeats]

There used to be one on 71 in Brielle when I was a kid...long gone. Only open in summer. There's one in Pier Village in LB but it just looks like a tourist trap. No tray service!

-----
Pier Village
30 Laird St, Long Branch, NJ

[tom porc]

But they serve liquor!

[HillJ]

Just a friendly reminder that Stewart's root beer freezes really well for enjoyment all year round! Our fav location closes up right about now and we usually stock the freezer till next season rolls around.

[jrd303]

Is the root beer still the same as it was long ago? I'd imagine they switched over to high fructose corn sugar.

Give Virgil's a try . They brew it with cane sugar and many supermarkets carry it. It costs about $5.00 for a 4 pack of 12 oz bottles. They also make a cream soda and a cherry cream. I love the stuff.

[Quine]

I know when we ran our Stewart's, We pretty much made the rootbeer right there. We bought the "root" part of the stuff from Stewarts's it was all the extracts and flavorings. No sugar or corn syrup there.It was very dark rich and bitter stuff. Then we made a 100 gallon vat of the simple syrup, which was the flavoring, pure sugar and water. That was diluted down to drinking and run through the carbonator, into the tap we drew from.

I don't suspect they do it that way anymore. ;)

[heartfood]

I remember making the rootbeer. we had a big stainless steel tub that we mixed the ingredients. Then we put it in cannisters and hooked it up to the soda system. AAh happy times.

[HillJ]

I appreciate the recommendation but my family loves Stewart's rootbeer. The kids make frozen root beer pops all year with it. It's pure fun, simple as that.

[Passadumkeg]

Root beer floats!!!!!!

[Babs16]

Ocean City NJ on the Boardwalk

[johnandlisa]

There's also a Stewart's on Route 9 in Tuckerton. Not only does this location have carhop service, it has a small marina. I don't know about boathop service, though. ;)

[Heatherb]

Oh yeah, I been there. Forgot about how cool that particular one is. I think that's kind of why I love the Stewart's franchise - they're all a little different and they can crop up pretty much anywhere. Sometimes you're cruising in the middle of nowhere and feeling vaguely hungry and there's the orange building all of a sudden. Sure, the food quality varies, but how bad can chicken fingers, fries and a cold root beer in an iced mug be?

[shorebilly]

All Stewart's are not created equal. I loved the one on rt 9 n in Howell, yet don't care for the one near my house in Point Pleasant Beach.

[Heatherb]

There's one on 202 near Flemington. And the one on Scotch Road is long-gone, I'm pretty sure.

[flourgirl]

I live near the Stewarts on Rt. 202 and I'm not a fan. I too have good memories of going to Stewart's with my family when I was akid (not very often, my parents were generally against fast food in all it's forms but they made the occasional exception for Stewart's.) But the few times I've gone to this Stewart's ;ocation, I thought the food was only OK at best. If I'm going to eat stuff like hotdogs, fast food burgers, fries and onion rings it had better be delicious and this Stewarts IMHO doesn't make it.

[cantkick]

I once closed one up, so to speak. Several years ago I stopped at the one on rt.35 in Holmdel. (It might actually have been my first time at a Stewart's.) It was just before closing time. The next day I drove by and they were tearing it down!

BTW, I like A&Ws better, but I haven't seen one in ages.

[jrd303]

There's one on Rt.1 Edison.

[fpatrick]

Rt 30, Hammonton, NJ - Carhops, and does seasonal fruit-flavored milkshakes - they're in the middle of blueberry country (but it's all about the root beer and hot dogs for me.)

[dani0622]

There's also a "newer" one in Long Hill Township. Used to love going there for the root beer in frozen mugs.

[Tapas52]

Rt 9 Howell, NJ

RT37 Toms River, NJ

both have carhops

[jfood]

is the Stewarts in Roselle Park on the Elizabeth border near westfield avenue and the railroad tracks still open? jfood thinks it's the corner of east 1st ave and linden road.

[Passadumkeg]

Is the one on Rt. 35 N in Sayreville (or South Amboy) still open?

[jrd303]

Went by today. The sign is the only thing left. The building is torn down.

[heartfood]

Unfortunately that building has been razed. My dad had a Stewart's on Englishtown Road in Old Bridge in the 80's. I remember making plenty of root beer floats.

[turqmut]

There are two Stewart's in Huntington WV, and one in Barboursville WV One of the ones in Huntington still has tray service, frosty mugs, and root beer on tap. Fabulous, and non comparison to the bottled stuff. The chili on their chili dogs is great as well.

[bobfxd]

2 chili dogs,fries, and a large root beer, please.

There is also one in the town I grew up in, Dover, NY on Rt. 46.

Looking for Stewart,s that still have Scramburgers
The one on LBI doesn't the wife was disappointed

[Quine]

What is a Scramburger? My folks had the Stewart's Root beer in East Brunswick (RT. 18) back in the 50-60's then they built the one in Manahawkin in the mid 60's. Let;s just say I made alot of root beer and hoisted alot of mugs, wrapped tones of burgers and probably still recite what we can put on Hot dogs in my sleep. but Scramburgers?

[Passadumkeg]

The Stewat's on Washington Rd. at the Causeway/Bridge in Sayreville was my closest, but hit the one on 18 too.

[diablo]

The Stewart's on LBI closed and became the Arizona Grill or something this year. Does not appear to have done well, though. I passed by on my way to breakfast this morning and it appeared "well past end of the season" closed, if you know what I mean. Dusty, abandoned closed.

I noticed a Stewart's which opened fairly recently on NJ 71 in Neptune/Asbury Park right by the entrance to Ocean Grove. Haven't patronized it so I can't vouch for its relative quality, etc. but it's pretty obvious when you drive by that way....I think it's in a converted gas station.

Also there is one which no one has mentioned on US9 in Howell a little bit north of I-195 (on the northbound side of the highway), although it doesn't seem to be open as much (in terms of daily hours) as other Stewart's shops. That may be my mistaken perception, however. We have stopped there once or twice for a root beer and it seemed OK.

Our all-time favorite was the one in Freehold on Business NJ 33 across from Sorrento's. But it closed in fall 2001 and nowadays it's an Italian Ice shop. Which is probably fine but definitely not the same. :-(

Stewart's Diner Family Rstrnt 922 Amboy Ave Edison, 08837 732/738-0847

Umm... Amusment rides... surf... Root beer float...

Don't forget the Stewart's in Point Pleasant Beach (B'way, near the Point).

~waves

Back to Sopranos'country -- another Stewart's on Rt. 17 South in, probably, Hasbrouck Heights a little bit south of Bada Bing (The Party Box) near the Bendix Diner at the Rt. 46 intersection.

There's a Stewart's on Route 79, in Matawan.

There's also a Stewart's on River Road in Kearny. In fact, for those that like or love the show they filmed an episode of the Soprano's at the Kearny location.

Link: http://sopranosonlocation.4t.com/seas...

Here are two more Stewarts. I love the root beer floats.

Highlands -- 460 Route 36 -- northbound side
They have drive-in service, shaded with a canopy.

Hazlet -- Stewart's Root Beer of Hazlet
274 State Route 36 (SOUTHBOUND)

There's a Stewarts in Old Bridge (or maybe it's East Brunswick) that has falafels!

[Kingsdaughter]

Yummy. There is a Stewarts in Williamson, West Va, When I lived in Stepptown and my Aunt and I would stop and grab a few dos with famous Stewarts chlie, and an ice cold mug of rootbeer.Even if it was freezing weather.....

I thought I would like to master this chili and while I could not get theirs I worked on my own and i'll share it with you.

5LB Ground meat I like the chuck. Put in pot and cruble it up. Cover with water and boil until done.

drain the water . The add 2 packs of McCormick mild chili powders and mix well. Then add 2 cans of tomatoes sauce and simmer til ready to eat. You may have to add more tomatoe paste to thin consistency.

For those who love onions , you can finely chop onions and cook with hamburger meat too, or for ths who just do not like the onions themself you can spinkle some minced onions flakes to season, use salt and pepper also.

I have just made a batch for our church Praise party tonight. Let me know if you like it .