Stewart’s Root Beer Drive In

I used to drive past this place all the time thinking I don’t even drink root beer. There’s plenty of non soda related options. Stewart’s is quickly becoming my local source of simple burgers and various fried foods. A guilty pleasure. You can call ahead which is often faster than a drive thru ironically. If planning to dine in, remember there’s only a single row of bar stools and no room to stand around. It’s basically the size of a small ice cream parlor.
I’ve tried the California burger, Swiss mushroom burger, jalapeño poppers, and sweet potatoes fries. Enjoyed everything. Comes with a pick for the fries, salt packs, ketchup, and a tray of pickles for burgers. The toppings are fresh and plenty. No complaints with service. Runs like a classic diner. Might wonder how a niche carhop restaurant survived this long. They’d do just as well without the Stewart’s name. In fact I like not having logos plastered all over every piece of packaging. Straightforward stuff. I will eventually try everything on their menu besides the drinks. Can’t do sugar unfortunately.

Back here again… just tried the strawberry shake and Im a fan… another great menu choice…

A whole new place from what I remember. When I was a kid my grandparents would take us here. I remember them only accepting cash, most of the waitresses were high school students just trying to get by, and the kitchen was kind of slow.
It appears things have changed.
I walked in and the staff was super friendly. They took my order and got it in immediately. The food came out extremely hot and ready to go. They also take credit cards now which is a plus. Overall I am really impressed. Keep up the great work and the friendly customer service. It definitely makes me want to come back.

Stewart’s never disappoints with simple choices of burgers, hot dogs and cheese steaks. Now? Is how do you like it. Me personally I love the jumbo hot dog with chili, cheese, kraut and alittle fresh chopped onions. The Krinkle fries and curly fries are good along with fried corn bites. I never come here without having a root beer along with my meal.

This place was great. Came here all the time as a kid. Vinny was our waiter he is the
. best in the place

I stop here all the time when i am in the area for business. For some reason, i never thought to Unilocal about it until i saw the Unilocal advertisement near the counter, The food is good, the service is reliable (i’ve only eaten at the counter) tons of variety and decent pricing, Come to think of it, i can’t understand all the Unilocalers complaining about the price here, My opinion is that you get a decent meal, made to order for about the same price as those fast food joints– i don’t know what people are talking about — a hotdog is $ 2.25 and a burger $ 3.80 — this isn’t the dollar menu people!!! From what i can see, the place is clean, as well. Anyway, good reliable lunch spot– healthy eaters, KEEP MOVING!

I miss the glass mugs of root beer, plastic cups just aren’t the same. Service is very good, food quality just acceptable, but a little overpriced. BUT you just can’t beat car service on a nice day.

Mannnn where do i start… beautiful chics working here, but aside from that… plenty or parking and counter seeting with open view to the lot… i went with the root beer float, fries, and plain hamburger. it was delicious and all that was about 8 $ and change… best bang for your buck!

Stewart’s Root Beer has been a fun place to go as long as I can remember. My Dad used to bring me there when I was a very little boy and I’ve been coming back from time to time all of my life. If you have kids it’s really fun for them to be served in the car. If you have a brand new car it’s also fun for kids to go inside and sit on the big stools. I’ve always liked Stewart’s for their root beer of course which is what they are deservedly known for. They also have really good hot dogs that are perfect just as they are and IMHO require no toppings whatsoever.
More recently, I’ve been partial to the burgers which taste so much better than typical fast food burgers. I think it’s because they are made fresh to order from what seem to be good quality ingredients. If you like burgers you might want to try their California Cheeseburger which is my personal favorite. Side options are many and all are delicious. Even tho they have a wide variety of side items, I am pretty stuck on the onion rings or the seasoned fries. Again, they are made when ordered and taste so much better than similar items at fast food restaurants which have usually been sitting underneath a heat lamp for who knows how long. You won’t find that kind of old, tasteless food at Stewart’s.
In the interest of fair balance I will say that the last two times I was there they were extremely busy and we waited a while for the waitress to come and take our money. Last time I just went ahead and brought our tray and our check inside and paid that way. It wasn’t a big deal and I could see how busy they were and just wanted to be on my way. It’s not a huge complaint since the staff is normally efficient and friendly.
Next time you’re out looking for a place to eat, you might want to give Stewart’s Root Beer in Rahway a try. You can eat in your car, inside the restaurant, out back at the picnic tables or call ahead for pick-​up. Stewart’s has been a local favorite of all ages for many, many years because they continue to do everything right.

Nice experience especially if you have kids, my daughter got a kick out of the waitress coming to our car. She will place a tray on your window, and you pay when you are done.
I would come here again, but not regularly because it was expensive and food quality is not the greatest. But you don’t come here for food quality you come here for the experience. Please see pics for our complete meal, totaled 16.48 plus left her $ 2 tip so 18.48 for an adult and a child.

A classic. Always quick, good food. However I’ve been by a few times between 9 and 10pm and they were already closing up. Management must decide to close early on slower business days– understandable, just annoying.

I had a great experience here today. The server came out to my car and everything I ordered came fairly quickly. I think the part I enjoyed the most was the quality of the burger. I ordered a mushroom Swiss burger with chili cheese fries and a root beer float. (It’s Stewart’s you have to get it at least once). I would definitely come back.
Overall the prices aren’t cheap but affordable.

I have wanted to check out Stewart’s since we moved to the area. Finally on a cold and rainy afternoon the stars aligned and I seized my chance. I took the husband inside to the very small counter area. We felt guilty making the waitress provide car service on such a cold, wet day. The husband ordered the Turkey Burger and Cajun Fries, I had a chicken sandwich. Both were good and we appreciated the free refills on root beer as those fries were spicy and salty.
Service was good but a $ 17 bill made it just a bit too pricey for a regular indulgence.

I’ve loved Stewart’s since I was a kid. It was always a stop down the shore on RT-​36 going to Seaside Heights. Stewart’s in Rahway is the goods. Fast, friendly workers and amazing food. Not just dogs and burgers. Great job guys!

Classic American fare with a must have root beer float, bacon covered cheer fries, and a classic hot dog! The orange creamSickle float sounded just as amazing. I won’t lie my Italian dog was much mightier than I could digest, but delicious. Next time I’m going sauerkraut and mustard! We will be coming back. Not too often as this is quite the indulgence!

It just fantastic food… cant get any better for a quick bite!

Nice place. People come to your car to serve you food.
Outdoor eating…
Small but food is good for the price.
Service was quite friendly.
Hot dog and fries were good.
Located at a nice.
Place for a quick bite to eat.

Before you click away from this restaurant… remember it is a drive-​in and a chain. How can that get 4 stars? For what it is, it is great. If you need the comparison, I’d give McDonald’s one star. The service is good, the atmosphere is fun/​relaxed/​nostalgic, and the food is exactly what you expect. Isn’t that all you’re looking for in a drive-​in?

The good thing about this place is that the menu is stacked like a fresh game of Jenga. HOWEVER, I can’t say that I’ve eaten there, left, and didn’t feel hungry still. I dunno, it’s weird.
But they have everything you could possibly want except a salad.
I’ve never had someone bring my order to my car, but if you’re into that, you’ll love this place like people love Sonic.
Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Steak & Chicken Sandwiches, Fries, Original Shakes and Root Beer Floats… tons of choices.

Love this place! As a local, I’ve been going here since I was little. However I’m growing more and more suspicious that Stewart’s is becoming the biggest reason why my friends like coming to see me.
Anyway, the food is nothing groundbreaking, just your classic American fare. They have tons of choices though. I go here when I don’t want to settle for crappy fast food. My go-​to is chili cheese fries and a Stewart’s root beer. I like to change it up between the burgers and hot dogs. It’s pricier than a place like McDonald’s but you’re getting better food. The service/​staff is always friendly. You can sit on the stools inside and get waited on there, the picnic tables in the back when it’s warm out, or from the comfort of your car. You can also walk in and ask one of the waitresses to order something to-​go.