Ivanhoe's Drive-In is an Ice Cream Lover's Paradise

Rating: Food 7 out of 10; Ice Cream experience 10 out of 10

Location: 979 South Main St., Upland, IN 46989-9131 765.998.7261

Hours: Mondays - Thursdays 10am - 10pm, Fridays - Saturdays 10am - 11pm, Sundays 2pm - 10pm

Webpage: http://www.ivanhoes.info/

Situated a short 15 minute drive north of Muncie, Indiana in the small town of Upland is Ivanhoe's Drive-In, a drive-thru dive turned not-so-drive-in diner and ice cream parlor heaven. This local eatery has been a cornerstone of the Upland, IN and Muncie area eating heritage for decades. And its allure to locals is obvious. As everyone in the area knows, you don't go to Ivanhoe's necessarily for the food. You go for the ambience, the spectacle, the ice cream sundaes and shakes.

The food at Ivanhoe's is decent. If you wish to eat there you won't be let down or thrilled to return. Their burgers, tenderloins, tater tots and other fast food items are all more than adequate and significantly higher in quality than McDonald's or Burger King. But it isn't the fast food that keeps thousands coming back and back and back. It is the choice of 100 shakes and 100 sundaes.

Yes, Ivanhoe's offers their customers a selection of 100 sundaes and 100 shakes. One can choose from the standard banana split or turtle sundae to the more unique #61: Muddy Cubs which is a combination of crushed Oreos and gummy bears or #89: Sunshine that combines pineapples with sliced bananas over orange sherbet. Be forewarned though, some of the toppings Ivanhoe's uses are sweeter than you might expect. Not only do some of the sundaes challenge your palate but Ivanhoe's challenges you to finish all 100 of either the shakes or the sundaes by offering a card marked with the numbers of all of the sundaes and shakes (1-100). When you visit for your first time, make sure to pick up a stamp card and get a number stamped each time you return.

Every time we have visited at the dinner hour, we've had to wait for ice cream for at least thirty minutes. The line for ice cream, in fact, sometimes snakes through the restaurant to the outside. During a trip to Ivanhoe's on Mother's Day, I waited over an hour to get to the front of the line and another twenty minutes to get our order. And the wait, regardless of its length, has always been well worth it.

For first time visitors, my tip for capturing the full impact of Ivanhoe's is to wait in line for your shake and/or sundae (or other ice cream delight-they have both soft serve and hard serve ice cream). By waiting, not only do you get the best feel for what Ivanhoe's means to those in the area, but you'll have plenty of time to decide which shake or sundae you want. For those of you who do not fancy waits that can sometimes extend past an hour, you have the option of placing your dessert order at the front counter while ordering your food. Note that you have to order food with the dessert order. If you want only dessert you are required to wait in another line.

The service is always excellent; considering the incredibly long lines, the service is actually beyond reproach sometimes. Ivanhoe's tends to hire younger workers and the quality service one gets from them is a testament to the type of people the owners are, they want the best.

With 100 sundaes and another 100 shake to choose from it is no wonder the lines are so long the entire year (yes, the lines for ice cream get long even in the winter). You'll truly need to heart and spirit of a gallant knight like Ivanhoe or Galahad to conquer this beast.