This week's eatery: Wide Waters Drive-In
Website: https://www.facebook.com/WideWaters-Drive-In-165930573534611/
Address: 767 Market Street, Lockport, NY
Phone: 716-940-6609
Each time Wide Waters changes ownership, the people in Lockport hold their breath. Will we still get our Coney Islands? What about the fresh curly fries? Awesome milk shakes? Luckily, the past and current owners of Wide Waters understand what makes it a successful burger joint, and everything you loved about the place when you were a kid is still there. The new owners have really cleaned up the interior and added a party room, so now there are even more reasons to check out Wide Waters.
Where do you start with a place like Wide Waters? The curly fries are cut fresh for every order and are amazing. I had a friend from Tonawanda come to Wide Waters and ask what a Coney Island hot dog was. He ordered it and wound up coming back the next week for more. The menu at Wide Waters is one of the most iconic things about Lockport, and it really has not changed much over the years. The milk shakes are fresh, and they are expanding into more ice cream as well.
As a Lockportian, Wide Waters can do no wrong. As a reviewer, I have to be honest. I do not like what the new ownership has done with the Wide Waters hamburgers. They are smaller than they used to be, but the price is around the same. They are still some of the best burgers in the area, but I was disappointed when I ordered my first burger after Wide Waters reopened. The burgers I became used to were the ones I got as a kid, and the ones that were served just a few years ago. I really hope the new owners understand that I am not really complaining, I am just comparing. The new burgers still taste amazing, they just are not Wide Waters burgers.
The service is fast and extremely cordial. That place can get busy, and all I have ever gotten from the staff are smiles and courteous service. I cannot get over how much cleaner, brighter, and more inviting the new dining room is. It even has a jukebox that works and clean bathrooms. It is obvious that a lot of time and money went into reviving Wide Waters, and the community definitely appreciates it.
I am not sure if Wide Waters is still a seasonal restaurant. If it is, I would recommend you start going now and go every week. This is a Lockport institution that, thankfully, was pulled from the depths of the flood and brought back to life. It is a better place now, and even the playground got an overhaul. This is the ideal place to take the family, and we do that as often as we can.
Rating: 4 out of 5
George N Root III loves to eat, and the restaurants of Lockport are more than accommodating. Follow him on Twitter @georgenroot3, or send him a message at georgenroot3@gmail.com.