By Veni Fields
When a man from Pennsylvania meets a woman from Michigan in Texas, and they settle in Indiana and open a restaurant, the menu is bound to be eclectic.
Nick and Charity Boyd’s South Side Soda Shop in Goshen has a history as colorful as its offerings. It’s tucked in a cozy neighborhood setting that reflects its moniker as “a family-run retro diner with a modern twist.”
A menu full of surprises
Opened in 1910 as a grocery store that included a post office and later a bus stop, the building became a soda shop in 1940, which closed in the early 1980s. The Boyds bought and renovated it, opening as the South Side Soda Shop in 1986, and added the diner-style “sidecar” around 1994.
“It’s special,” said Nick Boyd. “Sometimes people are surprised when they come in.” Some surprised customers include one from Philadelphia who noted the authentic Amoroso rolls for the Philly cheesesteaks, children who love the snapping turtle soup, and those who appreciate the fresh oysters. “People love to watch us shuck the oysters,” said Boyd.
“They also love having sodas mixed on the spot with syrup and carbonated water,” said Charity. Listed on the menu as “Phosphates” in a nod to vintage soda shop terminology, South Side Soda Shop lists nine flavors, including vanilla, cherry, chocolate, and a customer favorite, Green River, with an emerald-hued fizz.
The restaurant’s soups, salads, sandwiches, and grilled fare are equaled on the sweeter side of the menu with floats, malts, shakes, and sundaes, and a long list of pies and cakes made in-house by the Boyds’ daughter, Nicole. Their lemon meringue, with a mountain of crispy whisps on top, won the Indiana
Pie Quest.
Moments in the spotlight
The place left such an impression on a former employee, who became a filmmaker in New York City, that it was written into the 2006 film, “Lonesome Jim,” with Casey Affleck and Liv Tyler, directed by Steve Buscemi.
The restaurant also caught the attention of Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” with Guy Fieri, twice: once in the show’s inaugural season in 2007 and again this year, with an episode to air in 2026.
While the fame has been life-changing, said Boyd, and has brought in people from all over the country, the creativity and passion of perhaps a few unexpected and well-made dishes is what the Boyds believe has put them on the map and kept them here to stay.
“We have customers who came here when we first opened,” said Boyd. “Now they bring in their children and grandchildren. That’s the best.”
South Side Soda Shop
1122 South Main St., Goshen, IN 46526
574-534-3790
