15 miles north-north west of Harrisburg, PA just before US Route 22 intersects US Route 15, near the confluence of the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers there is a classic old-style hamburger drive-in: The Red Rabbit. Family owned and operated since 1964, it is the perfect place to stop for a bite to eat.

I’ve driven by Red Rabbit many times over the years. Since is only open on the weekends and closed during the winter, it is often closed when I am in the area. This summer, I made it a point to stop their and try their food, as I thought it would be great for socially distant eating. I am glad I did.

The service was prompt. As soon as I pulled in, a server came right up to my car window to take my order. As this was my first time there, he gave me a menu to look over and returned in a few minutes when I was ready. Red Rabbit has several kinds of sandwiches on the menu — hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled cheese, ham or pork Bar-B-Que — and a small selection of dinners such as Fried Chicken. I decided to go with the Bunny Burger; since it bore the name of the place I figured it had to be good.

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I ordered 2 sides to go with my burger: cole slaw and french fries. The menu also mentioned a cheddar cheese dipping sauce, so I ordered that as well. The Bunny Burger is a bacon cheeseburger served with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions, all topped with their special sauce. I was very happy with the burger. All the ingredients were fresh and the burger was well done but not dry. The special sauce, somewhat akin to Thousand Island dressing, provided the right amount of moisture and seasoning. With a 1/4 lb of meat and a large bun, it was a filling sandwich. There is also a double burger on the menu, but I was satisfied with the single. The fries were crispy, very similar with what you get at a fast food restaurant. The cheese sauce was a good accompaniment. The cole slaw was creamy and not vinegary.

As any good summer stand should have, The Red Rabbit has a selection of ice cream novelties and the like. These include slush puppies, milk shakes, sundaes and soft serve ice cream. I saved room for a small soft serve vanilla/chocolate twist. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was: very creamy without being overly sweet. It would be worth it to stop by and just get that. In fact a group of people did just that.

As I mentioned earlier, the attendants were very prompt to take my order. But since I arrived at the height of the lunch rush, it took a bit longer to get my food, around 20 minutes. Given the large number of cars parked in the lot, I did not find the wait unreasonable. On the other hand, my soft serve came out immediately. Overall, I found the food first rate and was pleased with the service. I recommend Red Rabbit without hesitation.