The Star Drive-In, East Taunton, Mass.: a Bright Light in the Southeastern Massachusetts Dining Scene
by
Eric Hurwitz. Page updated on 5/12/2026. All photos by Eric.
The Star Drive-In in East Taunton, Mass. earns five-star
status as a wonderful comfort foods destination.
With a classic 1950s drive-in look, the Star-Drive-In also has great appeal by completely avoiding the fast food trap and instead, focusing on dishes that taste homemade. For starters, The Star Drive-In serves up burgers that yield a fresh, not frozen, flavor. Seafood comes in daily from a local
vendor. Ice cream from Maine-based Gifford's Ice Cream and Bliss Dairy in Attleboro, Mass. offers the customer 60+ premium hard and soft serve flavors. Lobster rolls, stuffed quohogs, fish and chips, New England clam chowder and clam cakes compete with, and often surpass the quality of those seafood places you love by the coast. The prices are often cheaper, too.
Lobster roll, stuffed quohog and clam cakes.
The kids working here
are genuinely pleasant and work with efficiency, while owner Erika
Madden serves as a great role model spending countless hours in the
kitchen and overall restaurant operation with a high work ethic beyond
reproach. As a military veteran who also spent many years in the corporate world, Erika has brought
precision, passion and vision to the drive-in while
maintaining the wonderful, old-fashioned feel. Admittedly, The Star
Drive-In needed a facelift, many years ago, in all aspects and Madden came in as the
restaurant surgeon to complete a successful operation.
In addition to the yummy foods and treats, reasonable prices and family-friendly atmsophere, The Star Drive-In pleases year-round with movies on the expansive lawn, car shows, Jeep nights, Vintage bike shows, a Toys for Tots campaign and holiday activities.
Also, here's a bit of great news about The Star Drive-In: It's nice to hear that they will not close (fingers crossed!), as Erika has stated online that she is in the process of purchasing the property from the landlord. Rumors about lease expiration, eviction and site demolition appear to be in the rear view mirror.
Thank goodness! They don’t make them like this anymore — a pure slice of nostalgia in its neon glory that also happens to serve up some pretty amazing homemade comfort foods. As previously mentioned, this is, by no stretch, a fast food restaurant.
It's so nice to relive the "good, old days" at a place like The
Star-Drive-In, but even nicer to see such pride of ownership and a
commitment to fresh food. Sure, The Star Drive-In comes across as a
relic of the past, but it is also a restaurant of the future -- that
is, as a local landmark that might very well have its best days now and
in the future.
Fro many reasons, I'd eat here every day if I could!
The Star Drive-In is located at 205 Myricks St. East Taunton, MA. Tel.
508-822-7827
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Be sure to check out the Star Drive-In Facebook fan page for updates and some yummy food photos!
Editor's
note:
VisitingNewEngland business partnerships started on Jan. 30, 2017, and
differ than feature articles previously posted on VisitingNewEngland.
Businesses pay a small, one-time fee to have pages like this appear,
and first must be accepted by VisitingNewEngland.com editor and
publisher, Eric Hurwitz, as a business he approves as part of "real New
England travel" to keep the integrity of the site. Businesses that sign
up for business partnerships receive priority by receiving more social
media exposure and link placement on VisitingNewEngland.com. Contact me
if interested in forming a business partnership.
Related article:
How to find the
best diners in New England
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