South Side Soda Shop & Diner

South Side Soda Shop & Diner is located at 1122 South Main Street in Goshen, Indiana. After a discussion with my son's fiancee about days gone by, we were discussing things that still existed when I was a kid. Ya know, lunch counters, soda fountains, green rivers, drive-in theaters, root beer barrels, Dog-n-Suds, and the like. So we decided to do an Internet search for places that still had these nostalgic places. South Side Diner came up as the closest diner to us to go to.

I have known about this establishment for a long time but on Thursday, July 31, 2008, I made a deliberate effort to go there with my son and his fiancee. It was only a 20 minute drive from my house and I love doing business in Goshen anyways as they have a few great consignment and thrift shops that I love searching for treasures in. After making the rounds in the local shops, we headed south on Main street where we found this old building that has quite a history and reputation in Goshen.

The original building opened as a grocery store in the early 1900s. In the 1940s, a soda fountain was installed and thus became the South Side Soda Shop. South Side Soda Shop was restored in 1985 and re-opened in January 1986. The dining car was added to the existing building in 1994, thus becoming the South Side Soda Shop and Diner, where fifties-style dining was offered.

As we entered the soda shop, we were greeted and directed to one of the green booths by the window. Menus were at the table and even though we had a sneak peak at their menu on their website, it was still hard deciding what to eat. They offer homemade soups and have daily specials. Finally, all three of us decided and I ordered a Reuben sandwich with curly fries and Cole slaw. One thing I noticed about everything we ordered was that the sandwiches were normal sizes, like in the old days. No humongous sandwiches that are too big to eat and twice as messy. They give you a choice of shoestring fries or curly fries, which I chose the later for the fact that they are homemade. The portion was generous as shown in the second photo. My son ordered a Gyro with a vanilla phosphate and his fiancee ordered a Turkey Club Croissant, shoestring fries with a Green River soda. I tasted my son's phosphate as I had forgotten how good they were. I used to order them at Garber's Cottage Inn on Cassopolis Street inn Elkhart, which has been long gone. By the way, they give free refills on phosphates!

After our meal, the waitress brought over a huge serving tray with about 10 different desserts ranging from chocolate zucchini cake to key lime pie. We all order a homemade shake, one chocolate and two cotton candy flavored, to take along with us on our drive back home. There's always room for ice cream, right? All was good and I plan to go back and take my husband with me next time. I want to try their South Side Special on an empty stomach.

South Side Soda Shop has been featured in numerous publications, as well as the film, Lonesome Jim. The Soda Shop's most recent publicity includes being seen on Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" with host Guy Fieri. A complete clip of the television feature can be seen on their website, http://www.southsidesodashopdiner.com/, as well as found on www.youtube.com.

I recommend you give them a try and see what a slice of life was like back in the 1950's.