A&W — Restaurant in Indianola

This place is such a classic. There is so much to love here. First off, root beer, of course! It's made fresh and certainly tastes like it. You can always get yourself a cup, but I'd highly recommend the freeze. It's basically a milkshake or a blended float. Ice cream and root beer are blended together until smooth. It is amazing! The flavor jumps out at you, and before you know it, your cup is empty.

The burgers here are good, but I'll admit that I haven't had one since I was a kid. There's just to many other things that keep distracting me. One example is the the chicken strips. They are hand breaded and fried. The chicken is juicy and tasty, and the breading is delicious and full of flavor. The cheese curds are awesome too. I have a soft for curds, and these are some of the best around. Definitely up there with Culver's. The onion rings are great too! Try them with there Papa sauce. It's a good combination.

This location has the old fashioned car hop lay out outside similar to Sonic, but with an indoor dining area. The service here has always been good and timely. It's definitely worth the visit if you're in the area. Heck, it's worth a visit even if you aren't in the area. Fair warning though, you may have issues narrowing down just when you want to order with so many quality items...

Still one of the worst fast food locations I have ever visited. Expect to always be waiting 10-15 for your food (no matter what you order). Enjoy A&W brand overall and have visited this location numerous times over the last 20 yrs, used to be annually as my Accountant was in Indianola. Same issue every time, extremely slow service and not always friendly. It's been a couple of years and thought I would try them again last Sat. Drove up outside and pressed the service button on the sign (they have outdoor ordering similar to Sonic but their hardware is very old), no answer. Thought maybe the sign was OOO, parked at another sign on opposite side and same issue. Went inside and waited over 10 for my food once I ordered. During this time I let the cashier know that the service signs outside were not working and she nonchalantly said a customer complained earlier and she had heard that one of the whole rows was not working but the employees had not had time to look at the issue. Ridiculous. (I also remember years ago, when I walked inside to order 30 min. within closing time and they were picking up the seating area and mopping the floors which should only be done at close.) Never had a problem with the food here, always...

This place is AWESOME! They have preserved the original magic. You can either order from your car and have it brought out, or sit at a booth and call I'm your order. Never been so happy in my life to see something good left in its wonderful glory.

The food is delish, too! I had a Papa combo with cheese curds. Hot and fresh and delivered to my table in 7 minutes. Of course had a rootbeer with my dinner. Toppings piled high on the burger. Cheese curds perfect- piping hot and melty but not leaking out the delicious cheese.

A group of truly pleasant people working. I could hear their laughter and that in itself was a treat. Inside immaculate- original decor and fixtures to die for.

Indianola is only 10 miles away from Des Moines so easy access. My dinner was only $11. I think kids and adults both would enjoy this throwback restaurant.

Happy as a clam to have...