Lost in the 50’s Drive-in

Unfortunately, the days of the good old-fashioned drive-ins & diners are long gone in these parts. Well, maybe they’re not all gone, but they are definitely few and far between. Lost In The 50’s Drive-In is an old-school spot that has recently been given a facelift.

Located in Burnaby, just east of the Canada Way/Edmonds intersection, this little burger joint has literally been “Lost in the 50’s” for quite a while now. As it’s en route to my office, I have passed it by thousands of times over the years. For the longest time a double-decker bus was parked alongside only to fall victim to years of neglect and vandalism. As it appeared, so did the diner. Probably a big reason for it’s lack of success. Recently a young Korean fellow took over the reins from his parents and gave the place a whole new feel.

This intrepid restaurateur has taken the old-school diner, saved the basics, and given it a modern twist. Alongside the milkshakes and onion rings are organic burgers and mini bottles of Mexican sugar-cane Coke. There’s even a selection of hand-crafted root beers, to boot.

The main reason for this visit, besides the burgers and shakes, was the Korean pork. From what I’d heard, they offer some mean Korean tacos and burritos. Unfortunately, none of these were available on this day. Good reason to keep checking back.

Not so much a “drive-in” anymore, you walk up to the window, place your order, grab a seat, al fresco, on one of several picnic benches.

 

Still on the comeback trail from too much Vietnamese ice…the appetite none-too-huge…I settled for a small burger and a big shake.

My Root Beer Shake was excellent in almost every way….thick & creamy but nowhere near enough root beer. An exceptional vanilla milkshake.

This Bacon & Cheese Burger was pretty good. The organic patty is well made but lacking the fat needed for a “great burger”. You know the ones. The ones that ooze fantastic burger grease down the chin, require eight napkins and a restroom visit afterwords. This one’s got real cheddar, fried onion and a crusty yet perfectly doughy bun. Good value for the four bucks.

Luckily I’d dragged along a couple of valiant diners to try out the bigger burgers.

The Big Bopper combo looks to be a whale of a burger. Two four ounce patties, shrooms, bacon, fried onions, all the trimmings and a HUGE mound of hand-cut fries. At ten bucks, a tad on the high side without a drink.

Ten bucks for my quarter-pound burger and a big shake may seem a dollar or two high, but this is quality food. All around, the ingredients are the real deal. The burger meat is of great quality as is the bacon. The veg crisp and fresh as was the bun. If the beef was a little less lean, twould’ve been perfect.

This incarnation of Lost In The 50’s deserves another visit. Fortunately, I’m working just down the road for the next week or so. Can’t wait to try the Korean burritos!