twin city sidewalks: Saint Paul's Last Real Drive-in Peels Out

The Star Tribune reported some sad news this week, that the city's last real proper order-at-a stand and eat-in-your-car drive-in on the East Side.

"It's exciting but it's sad," [said] third-generation owner Angela Fida. "It's exciting because I'm going to start a new chapter in my life, and it's sad because I've been here for so long."

I've been going to the Dari-ette off and on over the last few years for their coney dogs, and I usually got the sense that the place was on its last legs. The vibe was subdued, no flocks of kids with ice cream cones, mostly people driving in and out

You'd think that an eat-in-your-car outdoor-seating joint could thrive during COVID, but maybe the Dari-ette was different. Well, it was certainly different! As far as I know, there is only one other proper old-school drive-in in the Twin Cities: the Minnetonka Drive-in off Highway 7 (and the great bike trail).

The closing of the Dari-ette is certainly a loss for Saint Paul history, and another vanishing landmark of the old days on the East Side. It's not that people stopped going to drive-thrus or even food trucks, but it stopped being a social thing in this particular way. We're too bubbled up now to appreciate the spectacle of high school kids bringing out your tray and gawking, or else most people just don't appreciate red sauce Italian fare like they used to.

The coney dog was fine, by the way. The review is appended below. Mostly, it was the atmosphere that was the treat at Dari-ette, even if it was just a parking lot with some vintage kiosks illuminated by a cool neon sign. I'll miss knowing it was there.

[Coney guide continues:]

The unique Dari-ette lies deep in the East Side, and is the last pure “drive- in” in Saint Paul. In fact, it’s almost the last in the Twin Cities, with usually-functioning car-window menu/speakers/tray-holders. What an amazing slice of mid-century car culture!

The operation was founded in 1951 by Italian entrepreneurs who have passed down through the generations, nobody changing a thing. It’s open from spring to fall and thrives on the labor of teenagers, and if you find yourself up on the East Side, is surely worth a visit.

The menu is old-school Italian fare with ice cream, classic sandwich and burger staples. And lo and behold - the Dari-ette’s extensive menu even includes a coney dog: it’s below-average, with a solid wiener and sauce but not much else to speak of. Anyway, that’s not the point. You’re eating a coney at a drive-in!

So long, Dari-ette! May you drive off into the sunset.