The Root Beer Shack

Reviews

• Jane C.

  star star star star star 8 June 2026

  Great food and very friendly people! Definitely worth pulling off the highway for a quick bite and root beer float!
  
  They have a patio area with very comfy chairs and was very dog friendly!

• Erinn P.

  star star star star star 7 June 2026

  A frosty mug of root beer topped with root beer icy slush, hot dogs with grilled crispy buns, and fried sides - it doesn't get much better than that!
  
  First: This place convinced me that peanut butter belongs on hot dogs. Trust me, it's true! Intrigued? Read on!
  
  I stopped at The Root Beer Shack during a drive from Cleveland to Richmond VA on a sunny Saturday. It was the perfect spot for a road trip lunch. The building is indeed shack-like. There's a small parking lot, a small porch with a few tables, more tables and counters and stools along the windows inside, and an ordering counter. There's also a drive-thru here to get food and drinks to go. The staff were friendly and service was quick. (Given the hot dogs, burgers, fried sides, fast service would be expected.) The ladies working that day seemed to be having fun, and took care in the food preparation. More on that below. Overall, pretty much the atmosphere you'd expect in a place called The Root Beer Shack. Definitely a place for the locals, in a good way.
  
  On to the food: I got the HUGE mug of root beer slushie, a refreshing beverage for a warm summer day. (That's a root beer topped with a root beer flavored icy slushie topping instead of having ice in the mug. Had to have a root beer at the Root Beer Shack!) I also got two dogs and a side of fried green beans. The green beans were as expected - fried, similar to TGIFridays, and served with ranch for dipping. This place has a TON of topping combo options for their dogs and burgers, so it took me a while to decide. I settled on the Slaw Dog and the Cheryl Dog. The sides of the buns on both were grilled on a flat top, making the outsides crispy - a nice and unexpected feature. The slaw dog was semi-classic - a sweet, creamy chopped slaw and ketchup. The Cheryl dog was taking a chance: "spicy sauce" and peanut butter. The "spicy sauce" turned out to be a thin chili-like meat sauce (like a Michigan sauce for us upstate NYers, but less meat and more chunky). The peanut butter was smeared under the hot dog. The combo of the spicy sauce and peanut butter was almost satay-like, and just darn delicious. I'm sold - PB is a valid hot dog topping option.
  
  Overall, this place lived up to previous Yelp ratings. While Parkersburg itself may not be a destination in my future, it will be worth a detour on a road trip to grab lunch at this little "shack".

• Jeremy T.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 5 June 2026

  This was the biggest bust on my recent trip to Charleston and Parkersburg, WV.  I had planned going to this restaurant with the words Root Beer in it for weeks now, thinking the root beer would be awesome.  They have limited hours, so I came on my 2nd day in town, after lunchtime.  Turns out the root beer is not homemade, it's just Mug Root beer, imo, one of the worst rb in the world.  They are actually famous for the root beer slush, which uses a machine to slush ice and then they add it to the top of the root beer.  It basically adds 79 cents to their normal fountain drinks.  I've had Mug at least 100 times previously, so this was no treat for me at least.  If you want homemade rb, just go to North End Tavern.

• Raymond S.

  star star star star star 18 May 2026

  So while I was in town, I decided to check out the other hot dog joint in town. More of a "dine in" type place, you place your order at the counter, and they bring it out to you.
  The dogs here are served on a toasted (grilled) New England style coney bun, which add a nice twist. After the "bland" sauce at the other place, I opted for the spicy sauce here, and I'm glad I did. THIS is a great hot dog sauce. Rich, flavorful, and the spicy has a nice but not overwhelming bite to it. Served with mustard and onion, a really good hot dog!!
  Although a bit pricier (almost double) the other place, this is a much better hot dog, and worth the extra $. Next visit I'll try other items on the menu.

• Sherri K.

  star star star star star_border 18 May 2026

  My husband, daughter, daughters fiancé and myself stopped there for the first time about a week ago. The food was good but could've been a little tastier. Still not bad. The service was excellent. The only improvements I'd like to see is more parking & more menu options that aren't hot dogs. We will definitely be back.