Wisconsinites are in for a delicious summer.
National Ice Cream Day is July 18 and National Frozen Custard Day is August 8, so let’s dig in!
You might think the Dairy State can lay claim to the invention of ice cream, but according to the International Dairy Foods Association, the treat’s history goes all the way back in the second century BC! The earliest records of ice cream in the United States come from the 1700s on the East Coast, and the sweet stuff didn’t become an industry until the 1850s.
But frozen custard — ice cream’s thicker, richer cousin, made with more egg yolk and less air — is surely a product of Wisconsin, right? Unfortunately, nope! The creamier custard came about in 1919, thanks to a pair of Coney Island ice cream vendors. The World’s Fair in Chicago in 1933 introduced frozen custard to the Midwest, and Milwaukee ran with it, opening stands — Gilles in 1938, Leon’s in 1942 and Kopp’s in 1950 — and earning the title of the “Unofficial Frozen Custard Capital of the World.”
There are plenty of places around Wisconsin to get your frozen custard fix. Here are a few to check out — or put your family to the challenge and see how many you can visit this summer!
Adrian’s Frozen Custard
572 Bridge St., Burlington
Facebook
AJ Bombers
1247 N. Water St., Milwaukee
Website – Facebook – Instagram
Bubba’s Frozen Custard
1276 Capitol Dr., Pewaukee
Website – Facebook
Fred’s Frozen Custard
4726 W. Vliet St., Milwaukee
Website – Facebook
Georgie Porgie’s Treefort Restaurant
9555 S. Howell Ave., Oak Creek
5502 Washington Ave., Mt. Pleasant
Website – Facebook – Instagram
Gilles Frozen Custard
7515 W. Bluemound Rd., Milwaukee
Website – Facebook – Instagram
Kitt’s Frozen Custard
7000 W. Capitol Dr., Milwaukee
Facebook
Kopp’s Frozen Custard
7631 W. Layton Ave., Greenfield
18880 W. Bluemound Rd., Brookfield
5372 N. Port Washington Rd., Glendale
Website – Facebook – Instagram
LeDuc’s Frozen Custard
240 W. Summit Ave., Wales
Website – Facebook – Instagram
Leon’s Frozen Custard
3131 S. 27th St., Milwaukee
Website – Facebook
Leon’s Frozen Custard
121 Murdock Ave., Oshkosh
Website – Facebook
Michael’s Frozen Custard
5602 Schroeder Rd., Madison
3826 Atwood Ave., Madison
Website – Facebook – Instagram
Mickey’s Fresh Frozen Custard
675 Grand Ave., Hartford
Website – Facebook – Instagram
MooSa’s Custard Stand
2272 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr., Milwaukee
Website – Facebook – Instagram
Not Licked Yet Frozen Custard
4054 Main St., Fish Creek
Website – Facebook – Instagram
Oscar’s Frozen Custard
2362 S. 108th St., Milwaukee
21165 E. Moreland Blvd., Waukesha
7041 S. 27th St., Franklin
Website – Facebook – Instagram
Pop’s Custard
N87W16459 Appleton Ave., Menomonee Falls
Website – Facebook
Robert’s Frozen Custard
N112W16040 Mequon Rd., Germantown
Website – Facebook
Wholly Cow Frozen Custard
637 Main St., Delafield
Website – Facebook
Zesty’s Frozen Custard
508 Greene Ave., Green Bay
2639 Lineville Rd., Green Bay
3718 Riverside Dr., De Pere
Website – Facebook
And don’t forget …
Culver’s! Started in Sauk City in 1984, this custard and burger chain now has more than eight hundred restaurants in twenty-five states — but 142 of them are right here in Wisconsin, meaning a cone or dish of frozen custard is never far away.
Is your favorite custard spot missing from this list? Please let us know!
– Katie Vaughn
Katie Vaughn is the editor and co-founder of Northerly. She is a University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stanford University-trained journalist with experience as a writer, reporter, editor, blogger and author. She lives in Madison with her husband, daughter and son, and is always up for an adventure.