I pride myself on giving completely unbiased reviews. Â This isn't going to be one of them. Â I went to school at DePauw and therefore signed a contract that I'd always love Marvin's in exchange for a tuition discount. Â Just kidding, there are no tuition discounts.
Some people like the wet burrito, some rave about the pizza, but most just go for the GCB. Â For the uninitiated, that's a Garlic Cheeseburger, and it's amazing. Â My suggestion would be to pair your GCB with an order of Cheese Fries (ask for cheese on the side to maintain fry crunchiness), and a very cheap light beer.
You shouldn't come for the decor, although the "Marvin's Delivers to..." pictures are awesome, definitely don't come for the service, and if you're a Wally, do everyone a favor and don't come at all.
A Greencastle/Depauw institution. Â Garlic Cheeseburger (aka GCB). Â 'Nuff said. Â It's total greasy-spoon fare, but it's become something magical here. Â Take 2 hamburger patties, fry them with cheese on top, and lay them side-by-side on a hoagie roll. Â Then cover it in garlic salt. Â Heaven.
And it's cheap.
The decor isn't anything to write home about, but be sure to walk around and check out all the pictures of students/ex-students from around the world with their "Marvin's Delivers To (insert location here)" signs.
Arrived on a Sunday night and took the family straight to Marvin's. "Greeted" by a couple of grease spot covered t-shirt wearing teenagers lacking in basic social skills. Surly was how my wife and sister-in-law described them. Ordered a GCB, a pizza, a burrito with sour cream and four drinks. Thirty minutes later the GCB and pizza arrived at our table. We asked about the burrito and received a snippy "you didn't order one. You want one?" We replied in the affirmative. 10 minutes passed. No burrito. I asked about it and was told "we didn't think you wanted one. So, do ya?" Told them we did. Another 10 minutes passed. My wife walks up to the counter. Seems her burrito had been sitting there for a good part of that time. She returns to the table with it...luke warm after sitting waiting to be delivered to our table and seemingly over-spiced to compensate for a lack of freshness in its ingredients. As for the other items? The GCB must have been prepped as they prepped the pizza and sat waiting while the pizza baked. By the time it was served, it was cold and mostly tasteless, with the exception of the overabundance of garlic powder on the bread. The patty? Similar to the old pre-formed, filler laden and frozen hockey puck type hamburger patties served in high school cafeterias everywhere. At least the pizza was hot, though low on toppings but overabundant in cheese and sauce. The place appeared run down. Many tables hadn't been bussed from earlier patrons. Frankly, my first thought when we walked in was that we should walk out and dine elsewhere. But Marvin's was a tradition when my wife attended DePauw and she wanted our niece, visiting with us for her university tour the next day, to enjoy some of that tradition. Sadly, the Marvin's experience failed on all counts.
Review Source:I've frequently written reviews about how nostalgia has failed me. Restaurants I loved as a kid frequently pack the punch they used to. Cereals that were phenomenal when I was 12 taste like absolute ass now. TV shows I couldn't live without are now embarrassing to even consider.
I took a detour to Greencastle, my old college town, in desperate hopes that at least one bit of nostalgia wouldn't turn out to be unfounded. GCBs were my life when I was at DePauw (which is ironic considering they've likely taken at least a year off of the end of said life) but I'm a prepare for the worst, hope for the best kind of guy. I was steeled to find out that they actually sucked after all.
Wrong.
They were still brilliant. Eight years after my last indulgent bit of a greasy, salted, garlic covered sort of cheeseburger, I was beyond pleased to know they were still as transcendent as they've always been. And when I say transcendent I mean, here you have these seemingly low quality ingredients put together into something that tastes a thousand times better than it has any right to. The whole is far more than the sum of its parts. It's a Gestalt psychologist's dream. Add in some cheese fries, and yeah, it's still the highest quality low quality food in the universe.
I swore to myself, a long time ago, that I'd never set foot in Greencastle again, but the lure of Marvin's was just too great. I'm glad it was worth the anguish of briefly reliving my college years.
R.I.P. Marvin.
Marvin's isn't fancy and their burgers aren't Kobe beef... but man, I do love the taste of a GCB. My husband and I live 30 min away, but because they are open late at night, we are able to drive over late on the weekends and chow down!
If you're expecting something gourmet, then it's best for you to go elsewhere. It's a classic college eatery, complete with photos all over the wall and a somewhat lackluster interior. But they're open late, and they serve the perfect food for late night eating, especially post drinking. Their prices are reasonable and while their staff isn't the friendliest bunch, they certainly aren't rude and they do smile from time to time. ;)
I've eaten there many many times and I will continue to do so.
Marvin's is disgusting! Almost everything is at best mediocre, but mostly gross. Their famed 'Garlic Hamburger' is a small, extremely dry piece of minced meat on an equally dry piece of garlic bread. Fries and chicken tender seem to come directly from Wal-Mart. On top of that, the 'service' is often lacking. I don't say this often, or hardly ever at all, but I rather go to McDonalds.
Review Source:Overrated and overpriced!
Marvin's is overrated and overpriced in my opinion. Â We paid $19.80 for two average garlic burgers, but good large-cut fries and a drink. Â Toppings are extra and they don't prompt you to ask for them. Â I tried to get a to go cup and was told it would be an additional .27 cents. Â Really after $19.80 no free cup to go when the syrup costs you practically nothing??
The next day we ate at the Beef House and had a really good hamburger cooked to order on charcoal with very nice service. Â Maybe Marvin's makes the cut in a small town, but just don't have too high of expectations...
I would agree 100% with others who said that the service is lacking and almost rude...All part of an average experience I guess.
Marvin's is a place to go for good food, great conversation, and a pleasant  atmopshere. Don't go for the service. They are rude most times (I have been over 30 times) and they never get my order right. EVER. Once they correct it (and are rude about doing it), it is amazing. Their Ole is the best! Their pizza is pretty tasty too. Their beer selection is the WORST I have ever seen, truly pathetic. Their french fries are always warm and their GCB is somewhat flavorful. The place is always pretty clean and I have had good service there, when I order delivery.
Review Source:Marvin's famous GCB isn't really a GCB at all, but a CB on GB. There's nothing particularly garlicky (or good) about the burger itself, which has the look of plastic, the feel of cardboard, and the taste of sawdust. But the bread is tasty, interesting, and spiced appropriately for the occasion.
I do, however, wish that the patty and the cheese had a little bit less of that 'we-were-fresh-grilled...yesterday' look and taste to them. Instead, the cheese, which had clearly been melted at one stage in its uninteresting life, was fully re-hardened onto a patty that was plastic, dry, gritty and gray.
Look, I'll be back here again. I just didn't love it the way I wanted to and thought I would. So far, Marvin's delivers great and friendly service and a fine place to enjoy the tradition and atmosphere of a distinguished college. But the GCB wasn't nearly worth the hype.
Oh yes, and the beer selection does to beer what Dan Quayle (DePauw '69) did to spelling.
I miss Marv's. I went to DePauw, and spent two more years visiting my now-husband on campus, and there were a lot of GCBs and ranch fries. And wet burritos and pizza and GCCB's...
Marvin's is a legend for a reason. It's a basic, funky, college-student-hangout greasy pit. But the GCB inspires a rather crazy level of fanaticism -- even my grandma, who eats like a bird, finished her entire half a GCB. (A whole one is two 1/4-lb patties.)
The rest of the food is also good, and the restaurant is an experience (although not as unique as the old one).
If you're ever unlucky enough to be in Greencastle, you must go get some Marv's. They deliver. Everywhere.
Edit: My mom made her man-friend stop in Greencastle overnight on a drive back from STL. Just so they could eat at Marv's. The Thursday night special -- GCB, cheese fries and a coke -- is a classic, and that's what they had. Mmmmmmarv's.
I am craving a GCB at 10:30 a.m., all the way out here in San Francisco. There is nowhere to eat in Greencastle, but when I am in town, Marvin's is a must. I must say I miss the old location - so much character...and is what made Marvin's Marvin's.
I don't even eat burgers very often, but sometimes a girl has just gotta have her red meat and grease.
... or, "Mavin's" as it was known for years, because whoever painted the sign forgot the "r", and apparently no one noticed til they put the sign up, and figured, oh the hell with it... It's a local legend, especially with the DPU kids. The walls are literally covered from floor to ceiling (and maybe the ceiling itself) with pictures of DPU students on their off-campus study adventures.
Review Source:Marv's makes food that sits in your belly like a rock, but you can't help but sort of love it because, well--that's all we really had while at good ol' DePauw in the middle of that Indiana cornfield called Greencastle. Â It's been renovated and cleaned-up since I graduated, so I can't speak of how anything currently tastes... I imagine the loss of 50-year-old grease alters the flavor of the beloved GCB (Garlic Cheeseburger)... Â But back in the day, the GCBs were a nice distraction from finals cramming (the school would kindly pick up the tab for all of us dorm-kids studying the night away), the ranch fries were good and even the poppers would do in a pinch. Â
Perhaps the best thing about Marv's is its history and your part in it--the walls of the restaurant are decked out in snapshots of decades of students in various states of inebriation, collected from the "Kiwi" man or woman responsible for capturing the memories of formals and events  ('cause Lord knows half the attendants probably don't remember jack about 'em). Â
Wait, no. Â THE best thing about Marv's is that they'll accept checks for $2, even when you're getting delivery at 2am. Â Now THAT'S service, my friends.
Rule #1 for visiting Greencastle: You _have_ to go to Marv's and order a GCB! serving the college community since... well, a long while ago... marv's is the "hang-out" for depauw students. open till late (2am sometimes), marv's delivers the Garlic Chicken Burgers and the Grilled Chicken Deluxes that make your four years at DePauw worth it's weight in greasy food :)
My regular order consists of Grilled Chicken Deluxe, and Ranch fries. And remember, Marvin's delivers!
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