Lindy’s is a table service restaurant in Silverwood Theme Park. It is located on Main Street at the front of the park, just before you cross the train tracks. This restaurant serves typical American fare such as burgers, salads, soups, ribs, and pasta. In this review, we discuss general information about Lindy’s, and give our thoughts on food quality, theming, and service.

We’ll start by clarifying our opening statement. Lindy’s is not only a table service restaurant, but it is the only true full table service restaurant in the entire park. Indeed, almost every other eatery in the park is essentially counter service, in one form or another. We’ll concede that the average guest to Silverwood is probably not looking for a sit-down dining experience when they visit the park. Most are rushing through their day, opting for quicker food service, or possibly skipping the food in the park all together. So it is no surprise to us that we barely ever have trouble getting a table for our massive group of 9, even on the busiest of days that we’ve visited.

We’ll admit that once, a long time ago, were in that same category – skipping over Lindy’s and opting for somewhere else. About ten years ago, we finally decided to give it a shot. And so should you.

Lindy’s is named after the famous aviator Charles Lindburgh, and there are some nice touches of aviation sprinkled throughout the restaurant. Through the main entrance, there’s a small cocktail bar off to the right, and a waiting area to the left. Take a moment to crash on one of the huge overstuffed couches by the fireplace. Above your head you’ll see a vintage model airplane hanging from the ceiling; a callback to Silverwood’s earlier days as an aviation museum. A quick glance at the menu continues this theme, as several items have aviation-related names.

The décor inside the dining area is nice as well, although we usually find it feeling a bit cramped. It would be fun to see the park renovate this area to give it a more spacious feel, and have more of the aerospace theming that you find in the waiting area. We don’t really mind though, because usually, we opt for outside seating anyways. Unless you’re at the park on a 100-plus degree day and are starving for some air conditioning, we’d suggest doing the same. Sitting outside provides nice views of the sunset across the airstrip, and you’ll undoubtedly get to see the train come by at least once. If you’ve got kids, this is a huge bonus, as the train literally comes within inches of your table.

The menu has plenty of options to choose from, ranging from light salads to very filling baby back ribs. The kid’s menu is decent as well, offering just what you’d expect – mac n cheese, butter pasta, hot dogs, and more. Let’s get to some food photos!

We always start out with an appetizer of garlic parmesan fries. In recent years, they have changed the type of fries they serve, and we’d be lying if we told you we didn’t miss the older recipe. Even so, these are some of the best garlic fries you can find, and we never leave so much as a crumb behind. (But please, Silverwood, if you’re reading this – bring back the old garlic fries!!!)

For main dishes, we have a couple favorites. The gingham salad is easily our top choice. We usually order this with the “Tandem Jump” option, which includes a salad as well. The combination of mixed greens, gorgonzola cheese, an abundance of fresh fruit and berries, almonds, and a sweet poppyseed dressing are nothing short of perfection. You CANNOT go wrong with this salad.

We also tried the oriental chicken salad this past trip, and although the salad itself was good, the chicken left much to be desired. Just stick with the gingham. ;)There are three soups to choose from – tomato gorgonzola, salmon chowder (pictured above), or chili. In the past, they used to also offer a soup of the day, but it doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.

If you’re feeling a bit hungrier, the burgers are worth a try. Gary Norton, owner of the park, discusses the burgers in his book “American Theme Park”. He talks about not wanting to serve up just any burger; he wanted it to be something truly memorable. These burgers are massive, hand-made, and perfectly cooked.

We tried the Train Burger (mushroom, onion, and gorgonzola).

And the Wrangler Burger (bbq bacon). Both were excellent, as always.

One of our kids tried the Fish and Chips dish, and found it to be decent as well.

We finally got to try out some of the desserts as well. First up was the chocolate mousse. If you like chocolate, you’ll enjoy it for sure, but it’s nothing “out-of-this-world”. Just a simple chocolate pudding dish.

We also tried the English summer pudding. The dish overall had a very ‘refreshing’ taste and look to it. A very nice balance of the berry-sauce coated bread, vanilla pudding, and fresh fruit. Between the two we tried, we’d recommend this one over the chocolate, as it’s slightly more unique than what you can get elsewhere.What about the service? In general, we find most of the servers to be friendly, helpful, and not over-bearing. The food comes out relatively quickly as well. On occasion, we’ve been slowed down during the payment process. But by and large, the service is perfectly fine.

Bottom line, folks: if you haven’t taken the time to stop at Lindy’s, you should seriously give it a chance. Yes, it will take longer than Kool Cactus. Yes, it will cost a bit more than the Granite Grill. No, you won’t get to stuff your face like you can at Chuckwagon John’s. But here’s what you do get: A chance to get off your feet for a few minutes, a surprisingly decent meal, a nice sunset, and a front row seat next to the train. Considering all that, we think it’s well worth the time and money.