I don’t know much about Russellville or Whatta Burger. I know it used to be called Feltner’s Whatta Burger and that it’s been in their current location since 1967; a lot of that probably has to do with the fact that they’re right across the street from Arkansas Technical University. The place really does feel like a diner from a by-gone era, the kind of place where the high-school and college kids congregate on a Friday night. Think Pop’s from the Archie comics. Seriously.
So, there are a few things they’re famous for. The first is their cherry limeade, or rather it’s the first I chose to sample. I’d never had a cherry limeade before; the drink itself seems to hark back to a more innocent time. One thing there are plenty of down in my neck of the woods are Sonic Drive-Ins. They also offer a cherry limeade and I happened to be traveling with a friend that drinks the Sonic variety quite often. So I had her give it a try. I liked it; tangy and sweet in exactly the right measure, cherry flavor nicely set off by the sour twang of the lime. But what do I know? Maybe all cherry limeades are created equal. Not so, said my friend. I don’t know a limeade from a hole in the ground, but this is better than the fast-food variety apparently. It was good. Maybe not legendary. Above average. Whatever. 2 ½ stars.
tl;dr – sweet, tangy drink is part of restaurant’s retro style, but isn’t exactly spectacular. 2 ½ stars.