Reviews are all over the place - It’s a 3 star but exceeded our expectations.Service was 5 star.Super friendly.Burger wasn’t bad.Grilled Cheese sandwich not bad.Club sandwich not bad.Food was a 2 to 3 star.Someone needs to give this place a good scrub and clean the floors walls - some fresh paint etc.Exterior needs paint.Definitely past it’s prime. It’s ok to be old and classic but need to keep clean and fresh.Fun visit but can’t imagine a need to return.
The Beacon is a staple and one does not go for the customer service or fast service but for the food and experience. The burgers, onion rings, and fries are prepared in large quantities so I order items that need to be freshly made. This is a Triple D location (visited by Guy from Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives) but that doesnt mean the employees are going to act right for company, lol.
While this seems like a local institution, the food wasn’t that good. I tried the pimento burger and got it a’plenty with onion rings and French fries. Had a couple tater tots thrown in there for good measure. The burger seemed processed like a cafeteria and the onion rings were cold. I’m glad I can say I’ve had the experience, but while it was a lot of food, I can’t say it was good.
This place is a landmark for the Spartanburg area and has lots of history. The food here is pretty good but not the best. Today I got a club sandwich and yes it was good but Ive had better. Heck a club sandwich with one slice of bacon. Im not sure what all goes into making a club sandwich here but there were probably 10 people that had ordered after me and they got there food before me. I will say the sweet tea is very good.
I know its a classic for many, but I found the food to be bland. I dont mind a greasy spoon place (I LOVE the Varsity in Atlanta), but this was tasteless. The food actually made me a little sad because with the history and the people behind the counter, it should be better. Perhaps I ordered the wrong thing, but I dont think well be going again.
Great food... Two people can split a plenty plate. I rate this $$$ on the price scale. I am always pleased with the food and service. When a question arises they are always ready with the answer and a smile. I have a question regarding my charges for the dinner and will change to 5 stars once resolved. Good food and great atmosphere
1st visit. I loved it. Big portions, great food, and awesome people. I would recommend looking at their large menu ahead of time. They may appear busy, but the line moves very fast.All the employees seem to work together like a well oiled machine.The walls are full of interesting history and showing of all the community support.We went on a Saturday around 5:30pm and had just missed a wonderful band.I got the chili cheese burger plenty. Yummy. Dont forget to stop in to HollyWild to help support the animals.Pay it Forward
The experience is awesome. The main dishes were not. My wifes Fried chicken breast was overly tough and unchewable. Chili burger I had had some questionable chili in it. Wasnt good at all.French Fries, green beans and hush puppies were fantastic.
A legendary staple of Spartanburg, SC. Been featured on a number of TV shows ...including Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Not the same without the Caller ... RIP JC Stroble!
Overall, the cole slaw in the hamburger was different from what my fiance is used to. It works well with the hamburger.The salmon sandwich was salty by it self. It was good. There was a lot of food and your moneys worthy. Employee all wore masks and are friendly. The food came out fast. Variety of food on the menu.
Great food fast and friendly service have been coming here for years ever since I was a kid.
Not a place to go on when dieting, but they have great proportions for a good price! I love how they got diet sweet tea sweetened with splenda! They also make sure you have everything you want. There is also plenty of room to sit. They give loads of wafers with your salad and make sure you eat a lot. Ive only had a packaged salad but the food looks decent, they ave a huge menu with a variety of options. The pecan pie and ice cream looked excellent too even though I couldnt try them.
We went to the restaurant because it was highly recommended. On arrival we found the restaurant as your typical hamburger joint. We ordered with Jerry, with him calling out the food. I ordered a double bologna sandwich with just mayonnaise. I had to explain this 3 times as I made it down the counter. Then had to wait 6 minutes after the other 4 members food was up before I got my sandwich. I had to remind about all the side I needed just for my order specifically....not the rest of my parties order. The sandwich was damn good and I was pleased with the portions....just not so happy with the lack of remembering things since they dont write stuff down.
This place is really a hit or miss. I usually dont order a lot of food from here for that reason. They do have pretty good salads, chicken tenders (if fresh), burgers are good. Tea/lemonade is sometimes sour (spoiled). Not sure it its the tea or the lemonade because I get them mixed. They have some darn good pecan pie...That is the main reason I go, for the pie.
Great experience & fried food to check out if passing through the upstate . Get a-plenty !
There was a good amount of food, it was well prepared and I enjoyed my meal and do plan to return.
I grew up in the area, and going to The Beacon was a big part of my childhood, so going back after all these years, was amazing. Thank you guys for all of the wonderful times, great food. Much love and respect to you all, see you soon
Ive been eating at The Beacon for nearly 50 years but each year less frequently. But I really want to eat there more. Id love to see the place remodeled or at least cleaned and painted. Not that the building is unsanitary but to some newcomers and visitors it could appear dirty and tired.The food and service are still great. No problem with that.I want The Beacon to be around for the next generation.
The Beacon is known for being the epitome of greasy fast food. I went with just fries, but the a-plenty is a hand full of hot fries and hot onion rings just out of the dryer. The pork BBQ and burgers are awesome but today I did a flounder sandwich, 2 large pieces of fish, tartar sauce, on a bun. Dinner that night and lunch the next day.Its not elegant but it is what you go there for.
They say first time impressions can help a person decide whether they revisit a place or not. Well I was very impressed with The Beacon! Their food was excellent! Service was top notch! Everyone was very nice, and thats rare that you find that in a restaurant! Food was very fresh and I Highly recommend their sweet tea!! Due to high volumes of people, the restrooms were a little dirty and a bit smelly but the service and food made up for that! I definitely will be back to The Beacon!!
If we ever come back to or through Spartanburg we will DEFINITELY be stopping at the Beacon again!! The atmosphere, service, and food were all Superb!!! My fried chicken was quite possibly the best I’ve ever tasted. My husbands chilli cheese all -A- Plenty was great as well as those fries and onion rings!!
Weird, intimidating, odd, a bit uncomfortable. Not my type of place. Food was just ok. People were very nice.
Hubby ran in and I am not going to lie, some of the reviews made me hesitant but being an adventurous person was willing to give it a try. We like food and call ourselves recovering food addicts, we like local places that are one of a kind, and love to support businesses who are friendly.The burger was a great drive in burger, my favorite thus far and I have tried lots! Hubby loved the onion rings and the burger. He went on and on about how nice everyone person was, they even went as far as to give him a free drink. We will definitely be back on our travels from TN to Isle of Palms and Tybee.
We stopped by on the way to TN after reading the Beacon was featured on Drive-ins, Diners and Dives. I’d classify this place a dive. We were sorry we chose this place. We both ordered a burger and a fries/onion ring combo. Both the orders of fries/rings went directly into the trash. They were soaked in grease with not a crispy morsel anywhere. The burgers were marginal at best. It was an experience we won’t repeat.
I had the chicken breasts which was very good. I cant say as much for the mashed potatoes and the onion rings. Mashed potatoes were instant and onion rings were greasy. You definitely get a lot of food though.
Everything was good except my onion rings you could tell they had been sitting a while. Seen other plates with fresh ones that looked totally different
Food is just not that good. You get a healing potion of everything except taste. All grease. But you pay for the experience I guess
The food was good. The service was friendly. This place is historic, but it has obviously seen better days. It is in need of a thorough cleaning and sprucing up.
My friend Mike Mabrey had spoke of this place to me for all years I knew him in Myrtle Beach. Well, I finally made it to Spartanburg on Tuesday and was not disappointed with the food. I had the whole catfish small plate. It was great and more food than I could eat. YummySo sad my friend Mike passed away in March and could not be with me for my first visit.We will be returning to Spartanburg in a few weeks and plan to have lunch here again.
PEACE OUT just like the dude cashier told me and threw the change at me cause he couldnt even read the order on a box . Then he asks me what I had ? Tried charging 60 dollars for two burgers . Then he realized he wasnt reading the box right and gave us an explanation . Just charge us and keep it moving. Caught a major attitude gave us no plastic ware and napkins . Im not about to beg you for anything . Had to repeat my order three times for you to catch an attitude ? Im not doing your job for you . Whoever the old white man is at the register your attitude wont get you far .very miserable and flat out weird vibe if this is your first time .
I have eaten at the Beacon all my life. Now live in Fl and been away for 8 months. Went to Beacon yesterday for lunch. It is now the worst food in Spartanburg. Do not go there. The food is terrible and the portions are tiny. Ordered a BLT and the bread was not toasted, found hair in the onion rings and the sliced pork was sliced fat. The sliced pork used to be a beautiful white meaty sandwich but now it is a dark, fat and gristle pile. Tasted terrible. If you are or used to be a Beacon fan, I’m sorry for the decline of a favorite place to eat. So disappointing!!
This was certainly a new experience. Have heard mixed reviews but figured we would give it a shot. First the staff was very friendly and explained how the line worked. You tell the person what you want, grab a tray and go down the line, the staff make your plate set on tray, get your drink, pay find a seat. Simular to school lunch room. Bring your appetite. The amount of food on your plate was over the top. The kids grill cheese was a hit, the 2nd kids meal was chicken tenders. They were okay at best, lacking seasoning, not crispy enough. The pork sandwich was in my husband opinion salty but okay. I got the chili cheese burger and it had zero seasoning. The chili was honestly gross, dried out. The fries were good but the onions were so greasy. Now the sweet tea expect to taste all the lemon! Giving 5 stars to the staff, but 3 stars to food.
Good used to be great but it was horrible this time. They changed the hamburgers to those cheap nasty jail parties they serve to the lowest of the food class. Disgusting.
Man, this is some seriously good eatin!!It is definitely worth the wait.And yes, you will wait!
When you order a plenty...be ready to eat. They give you hand fulls of fries and onion rings, very large hands. The fish is delicious!!
The food was good but a chili cheeseburger and sliced barbecue sandwich and 2 teas was expensive. No fries or onion rings. Just 2 sandwiches and tea was $17.98. I could have went and got a steak. My last trip!
Food was great. Prices were right! It is a unique experience for sure. Definitely recommend stopping by.
Great portions for price. Extremely busy. Took 30 min to get my grilled chicken sandwich A-Plenty. They messed up my sandwich 3 times. I was late getting back to work due to the mistakes. I wont be back.
Food was decent, but patrons crowd the line. Onion rings were pretty greasy because they were extra thin. Everyone was polite enough and it was an experience! I tried to order the lunch special only to find out that they were only for Monday through Friday orders. Plates were piled high though so if you are hungry... you may still have trouble finishing it!
The food and vibes certainly are not the same as I remember growing up. Employees are not as pleasant either(per my last visit- cashier). John White was definitely the difference between then and now. (And JC)The place needs a serious deep cleaning.Overall - you gotta go get you a chili cheese aplenty every now and then!
I have been going to the Beacon for over 50 years. My family is from Spartanburg and the Beacon is an institution!!! The service is always good and the food is better!!! I never miss an opportunity to eat at the Beacon when Im in Spartanburg!!! Love this place ❤
I love the service and the retro vibes.The food is bland and everything taste like grease.The onion rings can use some flavor and the burgers taste cheap.They might need to add some seasoning to batters.
This place has THE BEST burgers, I havent ate a single burger better than the beacons, and their tea, is phenomenal, perfect. They have a very good selection of ice cream and every flavor is amazing.
My parents ate here over 30 years ago. I just happened to move to south Carolina out of opportunity. I decided to drive over an hour to see if it was still in business, and it sure was! This place is a blast from the past! They got a lot of choices, but I went with the perch. The portion was insanely huge enough to feed three people! Tasty fish! I will make the drive again, this place was delicious. Oh, and weirdly enough their tartar sauce was the best Ive ever had!
Havent been to the place in 25 yrs and when I go back for the first time it was just as good as before .
OMG I found a favorite SC restaurant and may I say the food was beyond wonderful. There is ample parking, the building very clean, staff was super nice, prices cant be beat, the portion size is on the large size. If you are in the area it is well worth a stop. Mu husband and I had to try each others food because it was so good.
Perfect place for greasy, delicious comfort food! Saw the place on google maps and thought it looked more unique than a chain fast food joint. Location is sketchy but that doesnt matter really. 10/10!
Looks like a dirty cafeteria. Thought we would try it on our to TN. Since it had been on DDD. Definitely not worth the hype. And their famous tea is disgusting. All you can taste is lemon. Not impressed
The food was really good. The food portions are very big even brought home enough for lunch the next day. Prices are great! We will definitely eat there again. Oh and the Sweet tea is delicious and thats from a Texan that grew up drinking sweet tea. We recommend you try them.
Sadly, not nearly as good as it was 20 years ago when we last visited. The staff was very friendly, but the food just didnt measure up. We all got burgers of different sorts, with fries and onion rings. None of the food was hot enough to truly enjoy, and the grease made all of us feel a little nauseated - not a great start to the rest of our road trip.
Old school fast food dinner. Enormous portions. Jeremy is really fun to watch work with the crew. Food was ok.
Still a must eat. Never a complaint with food, and plenty of it. Great place to sit or takeout almost anything. Great food .Great people. Great prices. Will always be going back again and again.
Awesome vibe and experience with decent food. My father in law grew up in Spartanburg and has been talking about this place for years. He finally took me, and the overall experience is very cool. You place your order with a guy when you walk in who is not interested in nonsense or people who dont know how to order. Reminded me of Pats in Philly that way. He yells out your order to no one in particular and somehow it comes out just as you asked for it. Everyone working the line is arguing with each other and busting chops, yours included. Food was standard greasy burger joint fare.
My parents have both been here and recommended this place on different occasions when we would pass through town. I finally got to try and and lord have mercy was it deliciously scrumptious. The parking lot and inside seating is fairly big and there wasnt a wait when we stopped in on a Thursday afternoon. Menus are to the left of the order line. After we decided what we wanted we walked up to the gentleman at the end of the counter and he yelled the order to the servers which I have to say was pretty fun to hear and watch everyone in action. As we moved down the line with our empty trays we were tempted with homemade pies and cobbler. The woman in front of us had ordered 3 servings of their famous peach cobbler. It must be good! We didnt have enough room to try it because the food we ordered was so filling! I ordered the chicken tenders, sweet potato fries, and macaroni and cheese. The chicken was lightly breaded and didnt taste heavily fried. They werent heavily seasoned and made for a very light and juicy taste. The sweet potato fries were sprinkled with brown sugar cinnamon and what tasted of honey and butter. The macaroni and cheese was my favorite as it tasted like southern homemade mac n cheese. The kind you eat at holidays and special occassions when families gather. If I had anything negative to say the only thing I would change is the dining area as it could use some restoration. Other than that this place is top notch in my book. Well be back again!!
I have to say it was fun going into a place that was featured on diners, drive-ins and dives. This has an old-school diner feel to it but is more like it quick-serve cafeteria. The customer in line told me “you can feel the heart attack waiting to happen”, he had been coming here for 26 years. The food is extremely good if you are wanting to load up on fat and cholesterol this is the place for you, it’s the loads of grease on the perfectly thin fried & crunchy onion rings and chili burgers. I feel like the prices are a little steep but they give you a heaping pile of onion rings grabbed by a large man’s hand you feel good about it.Take some time to read the menu on the wall to be sure you know what you want they call out the order from the head of the line will you give your order to the man standing there as he shout it to the back, it is very popular during lunchtime so you will be rushed. They have outdoor seating available, they also have a creamery inside. The sweet tea is enough to send you into a diabetic coma, but very good.I wish I could give this place more stars but it is absolutely filthy. The windows have splatterings of catchup and mustard on them and fingerprints galore as well as all of the entry and exit doors. The floors are not clean either, I Hope to return and see in improvement in this, if I do I will update my review.
Best food around, famous for all kinds for food. A true landmark. You must stop anytime your near Spartanburg SC.
The burger was good, the onion rings were the best. The staff was fast, so fast that you didnt get everything you wanted because your order was shouted and the next person was questioned before you were done saying it.
The food is decent..its not what it use to be..they can cut down on the heavy grease..but still a good place to eat..
CALL IT then was the famous words of a OG that used to work there. Beacon food has always been good ever since I was in preschool and Im 31 now if you ever come to South Carolina let there be when you take the family to go out and eat. Good southern food and the best tea in the southeast
Have to go evwrytime I visit Spartanburg. Love the haah.
The food is really good! Everytime I go I get something different. They do breakfast too!
SOLID 3+They have a little something for everyone .... mostly burgers but they have the traditional sandwich too. There is no shortage of fries and onion rings — you will never leave hungry. The dine-in floor is a little weathered but you will love the counter service and the personality of the staff as the ‘yell out your order’It is truly a “drive in” type experience.
Hot, fresh and delicious. Their cherry lemonade is fantastic! Cant wait to come back.
Super people, great food. The Kitchen / Building could need a good scrub so it looks cleaner but over all i was satisfied.
You get a lot of food for your buck food is ok watched them take onion rings off a plate that had been sitting 4 a good 5 minutes and put them on another plate not cool
The Beacon is worth a visit for sure. The staff was very friendly and the atmosphere was great. The food is delicious with big portions. Will eat here again the next time Im in the area.
