Dining Dad Reviews: Vassi’s Drive-In

This week, we were off to the other side of the Valley to check out The family has been one or twice (or four times) before, but we’ve always gone in the front. This time we headed to the back and tried the full dining experience on for size.

Parking

Vassi's had ample parking on a weekday (we came for lunch), but I could imagine its parking lot filling up in the summer. Still, in the Lehigh Valley you don’t complain if off-street parking’s available. Note: The parking lot is about three times the size of the dining room. Be ready to enjoy the great outdoors if it's full.

Parent Perks

#1 The Ramp. Bless you, Vassi’s, for having a ramp. For those of us toting strollers, it makes all the difference. Plus, as soon as you walk in, there’s a stack of high chairs. Convenient!

#2 Speedy Gonzalez makes the food. OK, not really. But the food came quickly after ordering and didn’t exhibit any tell-tale signs of having been made in a rush. The fries were fresh, the burger was juicy, and we were able to eat before the miniature one had a melt-down. Bonus!

#3 A full menu of kid-friendly options. Let’s face it. You don’t go to Vassi’s looking for fine dining or health food. Everything on the menu could make a kid deliriously happy. And on a particularly cranky afternoon, that makes dad happy, too.

A parent-to-parent warning. If your tot isn’t potty-trained your options for changing the tyke are limited to the floor, your car or the booth. Trust me, none of these is a great option.

Second parent warning: Come with quarters, or leave with whiny kids. There are games and toy machines in the dining room.

So, what did we eat?

Entrees: Gyro, Double Bacon Burger

If I could write poetry, I’d write it about the gyro at Vassi’s. Up until this point, I’d only had hot dogs at Vassi’s (which are fine, but nothing special). Let me tell you about this beauty. Wrapped in a warm pita, it features perfectly seasoned meat, crisp lettuce and pretty good tomatoes, along with a yogurt sauce you'll want to drink. Or maybe that’s just me. Double Delish!

The bacon burger arrived devoid of bacon, a fact that was pointed out to me after I had already scarfed down half the burger. No worries, though, since the kitchen sent out fresh hot bacon to add to what was left of the burger, which was tasty, covered with the right amount of condiments, and gone in an instant.

Sides: French Fries, Onion Rings

Nothing particularly stand-out about the fries and rings. They were good and they were hot. But for $2.30 we only got 7 onion rings. A little light on the order of rings, if you ask me.

Dessert: Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshake

Because of my deep love of all things both chocolate-y and peanut-buttery, this seemed like the logical choice. I braced myself for the inevitable “try and suck a shake through a straw” battle. I almost choked. The milkshakes at Vassi’s are milk-based, which means they come through the straw like, well, milk. So there's no need for additional torque on this one. I saw later that you can order the shake “extra thick.” I’ll have to try that next time.

Total bill: 17.54 + tip = 1 gyro “special” (sandwich, drink, fries), double bacon burger, onion rings and milkshake.

THE ROUND-UP: 

Parking/Perks: 3.5 out of 4 stars. ½ point off for changing trauma.

Grown-up food review: 4 out of 4 stars. Go in with the right expectations, and you’ll love the options.

Kid’s food options: 4 out of 4 stars. Everything is a kid option. Sold.

Total: 3.8 out of 4 stars

DAD DEFINITELY DIGS IT!!!!