The Root Beer Stand

The Root Beer Stand brews its own, and it is fine – served in thick glass mugs, not too sweet, with a spearmint twist to the spice of the cream-smooth dark soda. You can get your root beer in sizes from small to large, by the pitcher, quart or gallon. And you can also get it drawn (from the tap, of course) into a large disposable cup that is used for floats. Two dips of ice cream is considered a normal float, or you can pay more for a third dip. Large, quart-size floats automatically come with three dips.

To eat with your root beer, we recommend a hot dog. Six-inch dogs and foot longs are generally presented under a heap of chili and a pile of bright orange grated cheese, plus raw onions. “The Timmy Dog” is a foot-long extravaganza piled with chili, cheese, chopped raw onions, cole slaw, sauerkraut, mustard, ketchup, relish, and hot sauce. Daunting in a different way is “Dogzilla,” the sign for which above the counter asks Can You Tame the Beast and notes that one Dogzilla is the equivalent of four regular hot dogs. This being Cincinnati, where regular hot dogs are virtual fingerlings, a quadruple-size one isn’t quite as awesome as you might expect. But by any measure, it is one grand tube steak.

Also listed on the menu are hamburgers, double burgers, triple burgers, and King Burgers (double quarter pounders), “pizza steak” (spicy meat with mozzarella inside), and wonderful chili-cheese sandwiches that are just like hot dogs with the works … only missing the sausage inside.