It may be Brew City, but custard is no small matter in Milwaukee, where everyone has his or her own favorite custard stand. This, of course, may go a long way toward explaining our waistlines. But hey, what's the point of livin' if you can't enjoy custard every now and again.
Although it looks a lot like ice cream to an outsider, custard is made from cream and egg yolks and has considerably less air (overrun) added than ice cream, which makes it more dense. And because it gets to your mouth before being refrozen, unlike ice cream, custard is creamier and softer.
We're not going to tell you which custard stand is the best because it is clearly a matter of taste. But here is a list of some of the city's best-loved custard shops, in case you've missed a few on your quest for the cold, creamy comfort in a cone.
Adrian's Frozen Custard
572 Bridge St., Burlington(262) 763-8562
facebook.com/Adrians-Frozen-Custard
This custard stop, located in historic downtown Burlington serves fresh custard in a variety of flavors daily.
AJ Bombers
1247 N. Water St., (414) 221-9999
hospitalitydemocracy.com/aj-bombers
Best known for flipping some of the best burgers in town, AJ Bombers also dishes up frozen custard.
B-52
N79 W14701 Appleton Ave., Menomonee Falls, (262) 251-6244
facebook.com/B52-Restaurant-121613671198091
This Greek family restaurant also offers frozen custard in Menomonee Falls.
Big Deal Burger
1440 S. 84th St., West Allis, (414) 774-4000
facebook.com/BigDealBurgers
Living up to its name, the burgers and the custard servings at this West Allis place just across from State Fair Park are ginormous.
Bubba's Frozen Custard, Jumbo Burgers & Red Hots
1276 Capitol Dr., Pewaukee, (262) 695-8189
bubbasfrozencustard.com
Order your favorite smooth and creamy custard then enjoy it outside during the summer.
Champion Chicken
8718 W. Lisbon Ave., (414) 462-6200
facebook.com/championchickenrestaurant
Sure, there's a giant bird on the catering truck and the name says chicken, but Champion Chicken serves frozen custard, too.
Creamy Pig
W62 N601 Washington Ave, Cedarburg
creamypig.com
Housemade frozen custard, ice cream and sausages, sold from a deli case or cooked for a great quick lunch on the go.
Dairyland Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard & Hamburgers
3rd Street Market Hall, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave.
ilovedairyland.com
The Dairylanders make incredible burgers – some of the best in town – but modern custard master Kurt Fogle's frozen treats are the best. He makes his own mixes and the flavors are not what you'll find anyplace else. On my birthday, he made a chocolate hazelnut flavor of the day and it just made me love Dairyland even more.
Ferch's Beachside
100 Hawthorne Ave., in Grant Park, South Milwaukee
ferchsmaltshoppeandgrille.com
Ferch's offers sandwiches, burgers and a daily fish fry in addition to its well-known custard, which is seems especially tasty at the beach.
Fred's Frozen Custard & Grill
4726 W. Vliet St.(414) 771-6270
facebook.com/FredsFrozenCustard
For more than 40 years, folks have been frequenting this small neighborhood grill for great made-to-order carryout and delicious frozen custard. The shop – remodeled in spring 2020 under new ownership – also features jumbo burgers on brioche buns, Chicago-style hotdogs and Italian beef sandwiches. The custard has also gotten a big upgrade, from a mere 3.5 percent milkfat to a much more appropriate 10 percent.
Georgie Porgie's Treefort Restaurants
9555 S. Howell Ave., Oak Creek, (414) 571-9889
5502 Washington Ave., Mount Pleasant, (262) 635-5030
georgieporgies.com
A place that offers tasty food, from classic burgers to super sundaes and kabobs, Georgie Porgie's has some of the best custard around. The Mount Pleasant location looks like a giant treehouse inside.
Gilles Frozen Custard
7515 W. Bluemound Rd., (414) 453-4875
gillesfrozencustard.com
Sovery little about Gilles has changed since Paul Gilles opened the custard stand in 1938, including just two ownership changes. It's old school to the bone, and still a regular stop for retired Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. Custard is king, of course, but we also love "Those Things," which are exclusive Gilles treats made with vanilla custard on top of a homemade peanut butter cookie and then dipped in chocolate, and served on a stick.
Golden Gyros Frozen Custard
7233 W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis, (414) 541-7580
facebook.com/Golden-Gyros-170741611337
Try the flavor of the day, which is sure to be a mouth-watering creation like Caramel Chocolate Truffle or Cherry Amaretto.
Gus's Drive-In
3131 Main St., East Troy, (262) 642-2929
gussdrivein.com
Have the carhops bring you burgers, sodas, malts and of course, custard!
Gyros Stand
1110 E. Oklahoma Ave., (414) 747-1103
facebook.com/pages/Gyros-Stand/120834227929741
In a former Boy Blue, Tim Nassiopoulos runs the little Gyros Stand Greek restaurant, which also serves custard, as well as slushies and other treats.
Hefner's Custard & Jumbo Hamburgers
N71 W5184 Columbia Road, Cedarburg, (262) 376-1020
facebook.com/Hefners-Custard-109514165746607
Daily flavor specialties and a good place to feed your custard yen when hanging on the North Shore. Home to Huge Hefner burger.
Jumbo's Frozen Custard
1014 S. Main St., West Bend(262) 334-5400
facebook.com/JumbosFrozenCustard
This spot along the main drag in West Bend offers up soft, creamy custard and serves a fish fry daily. And, as would be expected, the burgers are jumbo.
The Kiltie
N48 W36154 Wisconsin Ave., Oconomowoc, (262) 567-2648
facebook.com/kiltiedrivein
The Scottish-themed drive-in has been a local landmark since it opened back in 1947. The place is now legendary, and still open only seasonally. Head over, grab a Kiltie Burger, a sundae and find out why some folks think "if it's not Kiltie, it's crap."
Kitt's Frozen Custard Drive-In
7000 W. Capitol Dr., (414) 461-1400
One of the city's oldest stands, Kitt's was opened in 1952 by father and son Harry and John Kittredge with the help of Leon Schneider. Butch Rydz, who owned the stand since 2000, looking to retire and sell the place, sold to a new operator in 2019.
Kopp's
5373 N. Port Washington Road, Glendale, (414) 961-3288 Flavor hotline: (414) 961-2006
7631 W. Layton Ave., Greenfield, (414) 282-4312 Flavor hotline: (414) 282-4080
18880 W. Bluemound Road, Brookfield, (262) 789-9490 Flavor hotline: (262) 789-1393
kopps.com
Kopp's has three locations that are always teeming with custard-craving crowds, and their butter burgers are legendary. The folks to beat in the custard game.
Kraverz Frozen Custard
15325 Main St, Menomonee Falls(262) 255-5728
kraverzcustard.com
Custard, hot dogs and specialty sandwiches are the name of the game at this Menomonee Falls joint. Unlike most stands, Kraverz features a drive-through for busy customers.
LeDuc's Frozen Custard
240 W. Summit Ave., Wales(262) 968-2894
leducscustard.com
LeDuc’s Frozen Custard opened for business in 1980 and quickly became Waukesha’s favorite place to stop for frozen custard, charbroiled burgers and specialty sandwiches.
Leon's Frozen Custard
3131 S. 27th St., (414) 383-1784
leonsfrozencustard.us
Still a family-owned business, three generations of the Schneider family have served custard and drive-in food to hungry Milwaukeeans. Leon's recently added its first new flavor in more than 30 years.
MooSa's
2272 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr. (414) 727-4886
moosaburger.com
This beachside custard stand was formerly Bartolotta Restaurant Group's Northpoint Custard and Burgers, but is now operated by the family that runs Casablanca on Brady. Stop by to check out the cow-themed picnic tables and benches and stick around for burgers and wings – and more – plus, of course, frozen custard.
Murf's
12505 W. Burleigh Rd., Brookfield, (262) 814-6873
murfsfrozencustard.com
Murf's serves up big burgers on the eastern edge of Brookfield, just a block from Briggs & Stratton. With a little outdoor patio, is the perfect location for a quick cone, big sundae or juicy burger.
Oscar's
2362 S. 108th St., West Allis, (414) 327-5220
21165 Highway 18, Waukesha, (262) 798-9707
7041 S. 27th St., Franklin, (414) 304-8700
Flavor hotline: (414) 327-5768
oscarscustard.com
This West Allis place may look like a barn, but don't judge a custard stand by its cover. Oscar's three locations offer custard in a vintage setting in West Allis, a glitzy post-modern version in Waukesha and a new place this year in Franklin.
Out & Out
W61 N305 Washington Ave., Cedarburg, (262) 377-5515
outandoutcustard.com
Originally opened in a former Dairy Queen, the owners built a brand spanking new stand in 2013 with indoor seating. The custard's great and the food is good – and a little different than what you'll find at most custard stands, with wraps and other options, in addition to the more typical burger fare.
Pop's Frozen Custard
N87 W16459 Appleton Ave., Menomonee Falls, (262) 251-3320
popscustard.com
Nothing says summer like a Red Raspberry Custard from Pops. Other daily flavors include classic chocolate and vanilla or oreo cream.
Robert's Frozen Custard
N112 W16040 Mequon Rd., Germantown, (262) 250-1683
robertsfrozencustard.com
Expect to find familiar favorites like Rocky Road and Cookies & Cream alongside tempting treats like Chocolate Cream Puff Delight and Raspberry Custard Torte.
Shake Shack
220 E. Buffalo St., (414) 509-1080
shakeshack.com
Big-time restaurateur Danny Meyer, whose roots are in St. Louis – Ted Drewes' territory – finally brought his New York-based Shake Shack custard and burger chain to the custard capital of the world in 2017. It appears to be doing a bang-up business, so I'm going to go ahead and tell Milwaukee's custard kings, "I told you Downtown needed a custard stand." Shake Shack bucks Cream City custard tradition by hiding its machines in back (even custard creators the Kohr Brothers urged purveyors to put the gleaming stainless steel machines center-stage where customers could see them), and adds Ted Drewes' focus on concretes (though you can get cones and sundaes) to the local mix.
Sweet Dreams
540 Hartbrook Dr., Hartland, (262) 367-7120
sweetdreamshartland.com
Bring quarters to play the arcade games while you enjoy your custard in this place out in the western suburbs.
Toucan Food & Custard
620 W. Grand Ave., Port Washington, (262) 235-4446
toucancustardpw.com
Toucan opened a second location in Port Washington in 2022 and then closed its previous West Bend custard stand, which had been open for years. Fortunately, it's still going, you'll just find it somewhere else now!
Uncle Harry's Frozen Custard
100 S. Jefferson St., Waterford (262) 534-4757
facebook.com/Uncle-Harrys-Frozen-Custard-234845370041194
Located in a 1935 Phillips 66 filling station, Uncle Harry's – which opened in 1985 – sells house made frozen custard and sorbet. Under new ownership as of 2019, Uncle Harry’s also sells pints, quarts and half gallons at some local retailers.
Wholly Cow Frozen Custard
637 Main St., Delafield, (262) 646-2555
whollycowcustard.com
While custard is the name of the game at "The Cow," the bigger allure is that the joint is owned by the parents of Julie Stoffer, from Real World!
Of course, there are chains – like Culver's and Andy's – that serve the cold stuff, but with so many hometown options, you'll only need to know about those when you're on the road...
