Located at 1808 Old Shell Road, the Dew Drop Inn has survived hurricanes, recessions, inflation, and a pandemic. There’s a reason it is Mobile’s oldest dining establishment: it’s just that good.

Established in 1924, the original owner (George Widney) opened it as a sandwich shop, then located at 156 S. Ann Street. Widney introduced the people of Mobile to something many had never had before: the hot dog. It was such a smash hit that Widney was proclaimed “Hot Dog King” by the Mobile Press Register. Arthur Reid purchased the restaurant from Widney and relocated it in 1937 to where it is today. After Reid passed away in 1966, Jimmy Edgar bought and remodeled the Dew Drop Inn, and the restaurant looks much the same today as it did back then.

Shortly after remodeling the Dew Drop Inn, Edgar sold it to George Hamlin. His sole advice to Hamlin was “Don’t change nothin’ [sic]. Don’t change the food, don’t change the help, don’t change nothin’. Hamlin didn’t.  

One of the Dew Drop Inn’s most ardent fans was the late Jimmy Buffett, who grew up in Mobile. He proclaimed their cheeseburger the best he’d ever had anywhere. Some long-time diners swear that this is the place Buffet wrote about when he penned his famous song, “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”

Besides serving the best hot dog you have ever had (with just about anything on it), you can get their famous cheeseburger. If you ask for it “all the way,” you’ll get it with the usual lettuce, tomato, and onions, but with a tad of chili, too.

Their sides include such customary ones as cole slaw, French fries, and onion rings, but they also offer fried okra, turnip greens, broccoli salad, and more. 

Their seafood offerings are impressive as well. They have shrimp, oysters, catfish, and swai, all fried, but they have a crabmeat omelet and a seafood platter with an amazing array of fried fish and oysters. Children’s plates are on the menu, with choices of shrimp, oysters, chicken tenders, grilled cheese, corn dogs, hot dogs, hamburgers, and cheeseburgers. 

On their dinner menu, diners can choose from vegetable plates, roast beef, chicken salad, chicken tenders, a fried pork cutlet, a fried pork chop, a hamburger steak, and more, all served with two sides.

They offer a nice choice of salads and a stuffed tomato, the latter of which was one of my favorites. On their sandwich and po’boy menu, diners may choose from more than a dozen different offerings, including a crabmeat omelet and a roast turkey. All items on the sandwich menu can also be served as a po’boy. 

One thing I’ve been told that first-timers overlook is the gumbo. Owner Powell Hamlin (George’s son) took his mama’s recipe and didn’t change a thing. His gumbo has a depth to it that will hypnotize your palate. He serves it with rice on the side, which is what many diners prefer. 

This particular day, we were taken care of by Alisa, whose sweet smile was only outdone by her perfectly-timed attention to us and a thorough knowledge of the menu. 

This place feels like home, and when you first step in here, you know you’re in a special place. 

You also know something else.

You WILL be back.

Editor’s note: The Dew Drop Inn is open Monday through Saturday, 10-3.