On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Real People. Real Reviews.®
Mon-Sun 9 am - 12 am
Loading...
Ok I will admit that maybe quality ingredients isn't the appeal here. But I love their burgers. I love them!! Something about them is just SO good. The buns are soft at the processed cheese is perfectly melted, lots of ketchup.
I also am also fond of their shakes. These babies are HUGE! Your typical milkshake nothing out of the ordinary. But I think what makes this place a hit is it's just *FUN*. It's fun to go, it's fun to sit and eat greasy ole burgers and shakes in your car, it's just a little different, and pretty cool.
I'm a huge fan and will be back time and time again!
On every visit to Calgary I make at least one visit to Peter's. I can remember eating their burgers and drinking their milkshakes all the way back to Grade 1.
They've barely changed. They moved into a slightly larger location sometime in the late 80s. But that's it. They could have branched out into multiple locations, but they didn't. They've kept themselves in the same location, serving the same burgers, fries and milkshakes for well over 40 years.
Nothing at all has changed about these guys. Same great burgers (they were rated #1 Burger in Canada for quite a few years in a row back in the early 80s ... not sure who was handing out the award at the time or if the award is still given out) with the same great taste, same milkshakes made with real fruit, same giant portions of fries.
These guys have consistently sold Calgarians great burgers for a hell of a long time, without sacrificing any of the quality that made them great.
The milkshakes are still the best in the city. Tons of flavors and very large portion size.
The food isn't as good as Boogie's, but it's a place everyone knows about. When someone unfamiliar to Calgary comes to visit us, we'll probably take them to Peter's.
Careful -- it's cash only!
Listed in: Calgary and area
Peter's is a Calgary institution and if you don't know it... well, why the hell not?
I try really REALLY hard to stop here at least once whenever I visit my hometown (sadly, didn't make it my last trip), and I often get cravings when I'm back home in Vancouver which really isn't helpful.
Surprisingly, I'm not really in it for the milkshakes. WAY too big and thick for my taste (though I won't hesitate to order a Coke float to get my ice cream fix instead and it's nice to know that if I really wanted a marshmallow/raspberry/mint milkshake I could get it. Not that I ever would). What are the cravings for then? Why, the burgers! One of the only fast food places I know of who use bbq sauce on their burgers and that makes them sooo good. Plus, I find it really weird and awesome that a "single" burger actually consists of 1.5 patties. Hmmm.
But my main vice? Dude, the onion rings. There's only one size and it's huge, so plan on sharing with a friend or 2, but holy crap they're good. And this is coming from someone who DOESN'T. EVER. eat onions. The only way, in fact, is in ring form, specifically from Peter's. So that's saying something.
Plan on being in a very long line (both for the drive-through and standing at the order window) especially in the summer on a nice day or night, but they've got their system down pat so it really doesn't ever take too long to get through it. And last I knew, they only take cash or debit, so plan on that.
Sundaes were very good. Ice cream was incredibly soft, though I wonder how much whip cream and fattening calories were in though....
Syrup was very good, loved the berries.
Overall very nice pick-me-up.
I like Peter's because I like the business model - cash only,, one location, staff in scrubs. This is a local business that is driven but not driven to crazy ambition - they want to make decent burgers that people like and serve over 4,500 combinations of milk shakes.
I know what I'm getting when I go there - I don't go there too often though. Maybe three or four times a year? I feel like the food is well cooked and the ingredients are fresh. But then again - I like McDonald's too so how much can you honestly take my word for it?
It's a Calgary classic - I dig.
Milkshakes, milkshakes, milkshakes.
This is really the only thing on the menu I will order. Not to say the rest is terrible, I am just not a fan of fast food.
Note: When you order fries and ask for a large, it is actually huge and will feed a family of at least six people.
Peter's is undoubtedly a love-it or hate-it type of place. Part of what makes it great is the nostalgia for people who grew up with it such as me. The burger's are sloppy and juicy but there is nothing quite like them. I sometimes have dreams about them, they are that wonderful - but not everyone feels the same as I do. My wife, for example isn't a huge fan.
The one thing that no one will disagree on though is that they have incredible shakes. They have unlimited flavor choices and you can mix and match them however you want (although in the last couple of years they have started limiting people to 3 flavors per shake).
Even if you are lactose intolerant, the trip is worth getting the runs for.
Oh, and don't forget to bring cash - they don't take debit or credit.
An 'institution' that is way past it's prime. If this establisment was a horse, it would have been shot by now.
When Peter owned this, it was much better. Since the buyout some years ago, corners have been cut.
Soggy, flavourless fries, subpar onion rings (A&W does better), greasy, slimy burgers. This is conveyor belt food at it's worst. Perhaps they need to churn out such dreck as unbelieveably, people still flock to this place like lemmings, blind to the fact that it's now faded glory days are long gone, replaced with food and management more interested in sheer bulk of throughput and cash only payment.
Cash only is inexcusable in this day and age. It would actually be faster if it was debit only. No running back and forth for change. But of course, that would involve hard record keeping of transactions right? (Think about it, a real Italian family restaurant would be proud.)
Only one thing saves this place from total whitewash. Milkshakes. They are, indeed very good.
Don't go for the burgers, go for the milkshakes. You want a better burger? Boogies Burgers further down Edmonton Trail.
Oh, parents, please don't feed this pap to your kids. The amount of saturated fat, salt and preservitives in this 'food' is tantamount to child abuse...
Maybe I don't get it.
You get a huge portion of fries, but they're bad. There's no interact payment, so you have to have cash on hand, and if you're a vegetarian, you're basically screwed. I really don't understand the appeal of this place.
I've been here many times over the years and this place is about one thing, milkshakes. They have just about every flavor you could think of, and some I hadn't. They are thick and in most cases they use real fruit/flavors too. Their food on the other hand comes in big portions and is generally pretty greasy but in several experiences, I was less than thrilled. It is your usual burger, fries, onion rings fast food fare but whatever you get you need cash. Overall, great milkshakes, not so stellar everything else, but if they do one thing this well it just about makes up for the rest.
Peter's Drive-In is a Calgary classic that delivers big taste and even bigger portions. The single burger is actually a patty and a half, and it's coated in what I've heard referred to as a "secret sauce", which tastes remarkably just like ketchup. I don't know exactly for whom the flavor of ketchup is a secret, but I digress.
I once made the mistake of ordering the large fries, which turned out to be a mountain of mediocre fries held in their small box by a tinfoil tent. They were like Jiffy Pop fries, which I barely made a dent in, and afterwards regretted ordering. However, what the fries lack in quality, the onion rings and milkshakes more than make up for. The onion rings are crispy and delicious, and the shakes are thick and creamy and come in about thirty different flavors.
I've certainly had a better burger, but you simply cannot have a better true Calgary experience than visiting Peter's Drive-In - it's part of the initiation of living in this city!
Get the shakes......oh man.....get the shakes!
This place is pretty old school, I saw the exterior, and I wasn't really expecting anything spectacular, or gourmet. I definitely judged this one by the cover. I wasn't disappointed though, the burgers were what I expect, smashed, sauced, and you have to eat it by peeling the bag it came it. Awesome. I didn't get the fries because, well soggy fries are just not appealing to me, so I got the onion rings; holy crap the onion rings were HUGE. Took four of us to kill that order. AWESOME. And the milkshakes.... your choice of flavors, I hope those out there know how to pair flavors, or else, it's your fault if it comes out gross. Shakes are are thick, heavy, and not too sweet. AWESOME. For the folks out there expecting gourmet burgers, and incredible sides...well, it's a Drive-In. Definitely venturing back to Peters' next time I'm in Calgary.
If it weren't for the passable milkshakes, this place would have gotten only one star. Bland squishy burgers and soggy fries, sadly MacDonalds does a better job and that's really not saying very much.
Yes it's an institution but seriously you should have the food to back it up.
Alright, if you lived in Calgary for a while you've undoubtedly heard of Peter's Drive In and, more likely than not, you've tried it. If you haven't, get your butt down there to experience one of Calgary's best drive-thru's! Seriously.
I think the reason Peter's is so great is because they don't sugar coat their advertising. The burgers that you buy at Peter's are sloppy and messy... and that's exactly how they're shown. Not only that, but a single burger comes with one and a half patties! Yeah... I'm not lying! It's pretty wicked.
Another great thing about Peter's is the large parking area they have next to the drive-thru. It's the perfect place to park and eat, or sit on one of the benches. If you're not lucky enough to have a car, they do have walk-up windows, but I don't think they're as fast serving them.
I caution you to be careful when driving up to Peter's. There are two different lanes that you can go down, but one requires a passenger to do the talking and paying. Don't go down this lane if you're alone in the car or you'll be struggling to get your order. I've made that mistake...
Peter's is an awesome place to go for fast, delicious food. Whether you're in a hurry, or you've got a bit of time to waste, I think Peter's is definitely one of the best drive-thru's Calgary has to offer. Good thing it wasn't shut down after that E. Coli scare...
Pete's Drive Inn is always a fun option to experience on a Sunday afternoon, you get excited about getting into the car and hauling your friends to that cute little hideaway near a park, driving through and ordering on a speaker phone.
Perhaps there is a line up of cars which makes the trip more interesting cause eventually the line up separates and you get to foresee which window you will be ordering from.
But when the meal finally comes into your hands, you realise that the burger and the fries when you finally sink your teeth into them are not really worth all that anticipation.
Merits are the cheap price on a huge package of fries and the crème de la menthe milkshake amongst dozens of flavour choices. Plus that milkshake is huge; its lasts for hours and hours on end, and even then you are sipping it. It kind of dissipates all the memories about the burger and the hoards of seagulls that you constantly have to look at.
Get the shakes, and appreciate that the staff wear scrubs as their uniform
I've always lived close to Peter's Drive-In, and it is our go-to "too lazy to cook but need food" destination. So I'm something of a Peter's expert, having had it on a regular basis for a loooong time. I'll confirm the rumours: it HAS gone downhill from it's golden days, long, long (5 yearsish) ago. The burgers in particular have shrunken in size and taste, but even mediocre Peter's still outclasses the majority of most drive through fare.
Don't go in expecting life changing food because it just ain't what it used to be, because we Calgarians have problems letting go of our beloved institutions and still talk it up like no one's business. Fortunately the Milk Shakes are more than up to snuff: those bad boys are always delicious and creamy. I love the Pina Colada, and the Peanut Butter, and Chocolate-raspberry. Half of the fun is having them make up weird combinations, but if you're short on time or experimentation the stalwarts are always Strawberry, Chocolate and Creamsicle (or Orange?).
The onion rings are also amazing. Crispy and delicious, and the onion is just thick enough to taste in that light batter. Best onion rings (still) in the city handsdown.
In the summer, expect near gridlock if you go during rush hour. It's always busy, but that's half the fun.
I had to eat here because I heard so many good things about it and it was "legendary". The food was good, but nothing special. It is quite an experience though and I don't think there is any place like it.
First of all you have to be careful when you order. The fries only come in two sizes, Small and Large. They are more like Large and GIGANTIC since their large fills up a full box and the small is big enough to share. The onion rings were good but a bit salty.
You can choose if you want a single or double patty. I ordered a single but got a double. I guess that was okay since the patties are really thin. However, where are my veggies? It was just meat and cheese. Which would have been fine if I ordered it that way, but I like to have some lettuce and tomato in there so I don't feel so guilty that I am about to clog my arteries with a greasy burger.
I much prefer In-N-Out Burger because you can order the burger the way you want it with grilled onions, animal style, etc and the quality is so much better.
I do have to say that their shake selection is pretty cool. There are a ton of flavors to choose from. I didn't know it but you can actually mix up to 3 flavors. I got the blueberry and strawberry combo which was pretty good. I tried the root beer shake which was also pretty good and tasted like a root beer float.
The shake was really heavy though and I was not able to finish it. Actually I felt very heavy after the whole entire meal and had a hard time getting up. Not sure if it's because I've been over eating all week or they were purposely making me over eat by giving me two patties instead of one and making me think I was having a small fries when it was actually a typical large.
Overall, it's an okay place. The burgers are definitely better than any you would get at like Mc Donald's or Burger King. It's good to cure a quick craving for a burger, but it is not exactly "fast" food since the wait in the drive through is really long. None the less it is an experience of Calgary so you should at least check it out for yourself.
I'm a Peters' Girl. I'll admit it.
There's just something about pulling up to a Drive-In. I love the fact that it's always packed. I love the fact that the owner refuses to make it a franchise. I love the fact that there is only one and will only ever be one.
I may be vegetarian, but there's still tonnes of fun fare that I can enjoy at Peters'. I usually start with the onion rings and polish them off with a Strawberry Milkshake. I know, I know...dinner of champions. But hey, every one is allowed to indulge now and then, and it just so happens that every time I do, I end up at Peters'.
The only reason to ever set foot in Calgary...if only for the experience alone..for those of you out there to young to have been around for the A&W or White Spot Drive-Ins that brought you your good to your car....I used to love it when my parents took us to A&W and they brought that orange tray the hooled onto your car window and the Root beer still came in the big frosty mugs..alas...I digress...Peter's will give you an experience that is close enough!
The burgers are pretty good..standard "rink" or "beach" type burgers...the fries are awesome and the portion size is defiantly enough to share!
Now...if you aren't really feeling the Burger thing then no worries...the milkshakes will be worth the long wait in line..OMG sooo effing good...they are so think that your face practically sucks into the straw as you try to get some out...oh...soo..good! The Root beer is my personal fave but the chocolate is a nice classic!
If you have no car to Drive-In, fear not! You can also walk up and order as well. They have plenty of picnic tables to sit and enjoy your grub.
I will warn you that on a hot summer day Peter's gets super busy, so be prepared to wait!
If you live in Alberta and have taken a road trip to Calgary, chances are you've stopped at Pete's. It's legendary. It's been famous for decades. Even when I was a kid, we stopped here on a team road trip and it was the highlight of the whole trip.
Pete's is really nothing fancy. It's reputation preceeds it. It's an average greasy burger joint but the food is good and the portions are huge. I remember to this day a box of fries as big as a shoebox. Some 20 years later the thrill and mystique are gone, but it's still fun to stop for a burger and fries and milkshake. It's so much more exciting than going to McDonald's, and pretty much as cheap as the golden arches. Pete's has been deep fried into our collective conscience, and I like it that way.
So you have decided to do a cross country road trip this coming summer and you find yourself in Calgary, Alberta... and you have a hankering for a hamburger.....Peter's is the place to stop.
Hands down the best burgers I ever had while living in Calgary. First off I recommend parking your car getting out and doing a walk up order.. the experience is excellent. Picture it a 1950's burger shack complete with drive through. Order yourself a burger and one of their many milkshakes (I luv the maple one) and you won't be disappointed.... oh and don't forget about the fries ... delicious!
The neat thing about Peter's Drive-in is that it's in a class by itself, as far as fast food goes.
When you go to Peter's you know you'll get a fast food bang for your buck. If you get a cheeseburger it's actually a cheeseburger and a half, so it's substantial. Your order of fries is huge and your onion ring order is big, too. The hot dogs are fairsize, too. Does size matter? Well, not always, but it makes you feel like you're getting your monies worth.
Does it all taste good? Yes, as good as this sort of food can taste, it tastes fine.
Eating at Peter's is more of an experience - the whole drive thru and milk shake (Chocolate malt for me!) scene, I mean where can you experience this sort of thing anymore?
There is no inside to this drive thru, so eat in your vehicle, or eat at the outdoor picnic tables.
E coli.
Nuff said.
I eat at Peters' almost every time I visit Calgary, because we don't have anything quite like this in Edmonton.
I heard about the food poisoning thing, but from what I know, that only happened once, and the new owners have worked extremely hard to ensure this never happens again. It happened in 2005, and there's numerous articles on the Internet covering the story. I feel like it's safe to eat here, and I am super paranoid about that stuff.
This place still rocks, even though the workers wear the type of outfits that make them look like they work in a hospital or are part of a cult, it makes this place totally unique. They don't use cash registers here; they use their minds, which also makes me think that they religious fanatics that don't believe in technology.
The food is kind of expensive, but you get what you pay for. An order of fries or onions rings is more than enough to feed two people. And a single cheeseburger is actually a burger and a half. The milkshakes are huge, and they taste really good too.
This place is great in the summer, because you can eat at the many picnic tables that are scattered around the parking lot. There's always lots of little birds that seem rather interested in what you're eating.
Peters' is awesome!
I will drive from Edmonton to eat at this place anytime. A nice, cold milkshake to wash down the burger and massive amount of fries they give you, nice tasty onion rings. Yes this is the basic burger joint idea, but their milkshakes will blow you away. Flavors of BANANA, BLACKBERRY, BLUEBERRY, BUBBLE GUM, BUTTERSCOTCH, CHERRY, CHOCOLATE, CHOCO-SPICE, COCONUT, CRANBERRY, CRÈME DE MENTHE, CRUSHED MAPLE WALNUT, GRAPE, LEMON, LICORICE, LIME, MANGO, MAPLE, MARSHMALLOW, ORANGE, OREO, PEACH, PINA COLADA, PINEAPPLE, RASPBERRY, ROOT BEER, RUM & BUTTER, STRAWBERRY, VANILLA, WATERMELON...or you can even mix these flavours for another flavor combo. Burgers, with cheese, double, triple burgers, hot dogs, onion rings, sundaes, and variety of soft drinks.
Great place to come in Calgary...very busy street its on, but worth the wait!
Listed in: Top Restaurants
You can't get better for a unique burger joint in Calgary and the milkshakes are awesome.
Listed in: Best Quick Food
Peter's is always packed with people on weekends and sometimes on a weeknight it's lined up like a movie theatre with nothing to explain for it at all except that they make pretty decent original hamburgers. And their wide variety of milkshakes probably helps, too.
I've eaten some good burgers in my day and these ones are right up there with the best. They actually throw a patty and half on a delicious bun for a single burger covered in their famous sauce. The women who work there look like old cafeteria ladies with hairnets and pastel uniforms, but it gives Peter's a timeless feel. It kinda reminds you of the 50s and I don't imagine they've changed much since they first opened. But they don't have to, they've perfected their system and their burgers.
Everyone in this city loves these burgers. They can't all be wrong....
This is a must visit for Calgary. As a born and raised Calgarian I have spent many nights as a teenager hanging out in their parking lot or waiting a good 20 minutes in their drive-through. The food is good, though not fantastic, but the milkshakes are awesome. So many flavours, so little time...
Listed in: My top picks in Calgary, Gourmet Meat Hunks
The best thing to get at Peters' is the milkshakes, hands-down. The burgers, fries, onion rings... I can pass on. Combining and testing the different milkshake flavours is quite fun, if you're into that kind of thing.
I think that Peters' Drive-In is 'famous' in Calgary because there isn't anything else quite like it in the area; it's an experience. It isn't the best, but hey, it's Peters'.
A landmark in Calgary but actually never as good as you remember. The burgers are large but a little dry, the fries abundant but a little soggy, the milkshakes... actually I have nothing against the milkshakes that Lactaid™ won't fix -they are quite excellent. The place is heaven for seagulls which makes eating there even on the nicest of days, well, not so nice so if you plan on going to Peters Drive-in make sure you 'drive in' because eating outside is less then atmospheric. A decent burger with a taste of nostalgia but, really, there is better.
The grub served up by this place is processed dreck. Milkshakes aside, am I missing something here? Lay off the "nostalgia pipe", kids!
One of my fondest memories of visiting Calgary as a kid was going to Peters' and getting fries and onion rings. I was a vegetarian at the time so I don't know about the burgers, but I'm willing to bet they are also excellent. They're so busy on an average summer day that everything's cooked fresh out of necessity. I don't know what kind of voodoo they do with their fryers, but no fries or rings have ever tasted as good. One day I will return to Alberta and try the burgers. It will be a good day.
Very, very much over rated.
Burgers are dry, floppy, and simply not a burger. Can't understand the long lineup when there so many more delicious burgers out there.
Over rated. Sorry.
Like most Canadians and their national self-identity, Calgarians are really good with myths, and they're even better at perpetuating them. "Calgary's Frontier Cowboy Heritage" (lolz), "Calgary is a truly global and cosmopolitan city", "The Stampede is the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", "Calgary- Heart of the New West", etc. Peters' is the "best place for food" is also one of those myths.
Yes, Peters has had a "long" (ie: few decade) history with Calgary, albiet, not at that very location. But there's nothing unique or sensational about it that should make it #1. Well, actually, considering the terrible food options here in Calgary, yeah... it's probably the best LANDMARK place for food here, because we have no good landmark places. The thing is, landmarks with such a bloated reputation like this should have something unique about them: you know, fresh cut fries using potatoes from nearby, hand-made burger patties from a cow slaughtered a 20 min drive from the place, burger buns baked on site, etc. Peters is none of that. Hell, no one that works there knows who "Peter" is! The damn place has undergone various managerial changes over the years which further epitomizes the lack of character this joint has. The food is adequate at best: they serve obviously frozen fries (i realized this before i saw them take a shrink-wrapped bag of fries out of the freezer and dump them into the fryer), the burgers are like any other burger you can get (although they give you 50% more beef than you paid for! woooowww!), and sorry kids, while the milk shakes and dairy are great (with lots of varieties) they are not so good they are "the only reason to ever set foot in Calgary".
The experience.... uh... yeah, it epitomizes Calgary. You need a car to get to it, and even then, it's automobile oriented. Even in nice weather, you can either walk up to the window (where there is no line up) and get your food in 2 minutes, or you can wait in the drive-through with the rest of Calgarians seeking an "authentic" experience, and wait 15 minutes. To the south is a parking lot so you can further enjoy your Peters experience secluded from any other humans (or wild life, if they can find a way around the 7ft high wooden security fence) and to the north is a lawn separating the place from the trans-canada highway. There are picnic benches that I am amazed people actually use, considering the idling vehicles and speaker-box chatter in a drive-thru on one end, and the noise from cars zooming by at 60-80kph on the trans-canada just a stone's throw away. It's a pitifully undesirable outside food experience considering what they could have done for the public good to the south (where the useless parking lot is), but because Calgarians are so used to mediocrity and half-assedness, they just settle for it. It truly epitomizes the sad state of our city.
If I'm driving by and have a hankerin' for a milkshake, I'll stop by. But otherwise, this place is really nothing special and not worth your time unless you're around it, and the only chance you'll be on 16th is to get in or out of Calgary. If Peter's relocates somewhere nice (ie: not across from an esso and minit lube), make the parking lot into a nice park that humans can enjoy, and put some fucking vision into what they are serving their customers, **maybe** I'll say something nice. Otherwise, this place is just an over rated CB's drive-in.
What further bugs me is the demeanor of people who work there. There is nothing special about them. While they border on rude at times, they are never friendly or act in a way that is memorable. Again, this place is a (supposed) landmark but the staff wear hospital scrubs and do nothing but serve the food. There's no pizzaz, no yelling, no ridiculousness that you'd see at Pink's or pretty much every place you can get take out in Chicago. In-n-Out (a freakin' chain, people!) employs VERY friendly people and they are never short staffed. I hypothesize this is due to the very high wages they pay their employees. Considering the business Peters' gets, alongside the cheap rent they get on 16th and 4th east, I see no reason why they can't do this either.
In'n'out is about 14x better than this place in every regard: burgers, millkshakes, and service.
If you're genuinely baffled by what I am saying, go to any Whataburger or In-n-Out, preferably In-n-Out's location 500 metres east of runway 24R & 24L at LAX;
http://www.airliners.n...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The food is exceptional so far as burgers are concerned. Order the triple cheeze. Count your money though. I almost always get short-changed, but never "over-changed".
Calgary, AB
Calgary, AB
Calgary, AB
Calgary, AB
Calgary, AB
These are the places that I would go to get a…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
