Fillmore’s Dairy Hut

I give it a four stars for only the attitude of the cashier lady, she gave me the feeling she just wants me In a out. And didn’t seem really happy with with her work so that was kind of a downer. This was my first time here and right off the back I loved how it looked inside, a sort of simple retro look. The food looks great as well.

Shame that such a great place has the worst staff I’ve ever seen. The girl working tonight was so apathetic to us even being there; the worst customer service ever. We asked what type of sundaes they had, and all she did was point at the list. Hope they’re able to hire better staff, because they have a great spot for family ice cream.

I knew going in I was going to be stepping into 1975 décor but I didn’t realize that 1975 also meant horrible service and attitudes. The malt I purchased was fine but I won’t be back.

Cheap short order cookery at its finest :)
Hard to find a really good chocolate dip cone these days but they have it.
Lots of ice cream options.
Classic, «eh hemm», décor.
John in the back outside the building?
Go here on a sunny summer weekend day and see all the cars there for a hot rod drive in. Parking is always easy.
Not for the fussy, at all. Strictly in the cloth napkin set, stay away…
Feed the kids cheap!
Cheap, not fancy. Kitsch, not camp. Serviceable, not immaculate.

Welcome to the 70s. Have some ice cream while you’re here.
We were in the heart of Kentucky for a fish fry and looking for a spot to get some ice cream afterwards. A quick Unilocal search came up with Fillmore’s and it was a trip. literally and figuratively. Mostly figuratively.
Filmore’s is an old school eatery/​diner/​ice cream social spot. One big room, counter when you walk in, tables in the back. The floor is mustard yellow, the old florescent lights make everything look a little gross, bored teenagers taking your orders and making your meals, the works.
I didn’t get any of the food so I can’t talk about it. I did get a chocolate chip milkshake because it sounded interesting. Turns out they just blend chocolate chip ice cream and most of the chips are still whole, making it impossible to drink through a straw. Ah well.
However, my friends got sundaes and they were old school vanilla ice cream and toppings, love it. They also have over 20 flavors of soft serve ice cream AND a real Slush Puppy machine for real Slush Puppies. When was the last time you saw that?
It is incredibly hot in Fillmore’s, which is weird since it’s clearly a summer place. We took out ice cream outside to try and find a picnic table and stay cool. Nope, no picnic tables. We ended up sitting on the curb of the sidewalk to eat it, officially becoming curb kids (ignoring the fact that none of us are kids anymore.) Don’t like it, old man pulling up in the parking space next to us? Tough, we’re curb kids now, we don’t take guff from anyone.
It’s totally worth going to just to go to … but, you know, know what you’re getting into (aka, the 70s.)

Having the hot fudge brownie, and it’s really awesome.
Totally awesome, need to come more often now.

Wonder what it was like to eat ice cream during the 1970s? Stop in Fillmore’s.
This place could easily be confused with a retro Frisch’s, but inside, it is completely different. Brown linoleum, brown walls, a long counter, and wooden booths. Yep, feels like the ‘70s.
Behind the counter, an extensive menu spans the wall. Fillmore’s offers much more than ice cream, although I haven’t been enticed enough to try it. Think along the lines of hot dogs and cheese fries. The staple ice cream here are the 24 flavors of soft serve. I opt for the banana and get it topped with hot fudge. Be sure to tell the server «hot fudge.» When saying just «fudge,» I’ve received ice cream with the chocolate shell coating. Cheesecake flavored soft serve is also a big winner with the hot fudge.
While the ice cream is good, the service is hit or miss. Teenagers are working behind the counter, so you’ll have to speak your order slowly if you’re getting more than a «vanilla cone.» Each time I come here with my friends, one of us has to have our order remade. Sometimes, a person in our group doesn’t receive their ice cream at all! It’s not particularly busy during these occurrences, so I’m not sure why there is confusion.
Nonetheless, if I’m in Florence for an after-​dinner ice cream, we always end up at Fillmore’s.
Price per person: $ 3.00

24 flavors of soft serve. Allow me to repeat myself – TWENTY FOUR FLAVORS OF SOFT SERVE. I mean really, I could stop my review right there! But I won’t because there are actually more great things to say!
I love Fillmore’s – always have and always will. They have that great greasy spoon feel that is accompanied by exactly the food the atmosphere makes you crave.
They have an extensive menu and the prices are super cheap.
The best part of Fillmore’s though is the soft serve! They offer all types of ice cream classics from banana splits to chocolate dipped cones to what they call «Cyclones» which are their (better in my opinion) version of a Blizzard. But the best that they have to offer is their extensive soft serve selection. From adventurous flavors like rum and apricot to their berry selection (the blueberry is the EXACT match for that awesome Smurf ice-​cream you crave from King’s Island!!!) to their decadent sweets like cheesecake and German chocolate you really can’t go wrong! Add hot fudge or rainbow sprinkles and you are on cloud nine!
I absolutely recommend that everyone enjoy a little Fillmore’s every once and a while. And hey, if you are ambitious like my husband and I, you can even try to tackle all 24 flavors!

This place is great as long as you don’t go in expecting world class service and thought-​provoking intelligent conversation from the teens working there.
Don’t expect this to be a brightly-​lit, sterile, corporate-​owned, soulless place of business, because it’s not. It has history, and character and soul. Enjoy it while you can. Sadly, these family-​owned places are going the way of the dinosaur.
The orange soft-​serve is 100% absolutely without a doubt the best soft-​serve ice-​cream I’ve had in all of my 33 years.
I’ve heard great things about the «Big Burr» cheeseburger. I haven’t had the pleasure yet, but I will soon enough and will post a followup.

Let me preface this review by stating the 2 stars is for service only.
Since 1973, when this was Reeves Drive In and they sold Christmas Trees at Reeves Tree Stand right next door, my family (in some form) have given this local business our money. Happy to do so.
However, the past few years have given me pause to visit Fillmore’s. Hiring teenagers can be a gamble. I was one. But I remember having a brain. In the last few years, our experiences at Fillmores have bordered on mediocre to downright ridiculous. I usually get a strawberry soda. It’s soda water, vanilla ice cream and strawberries in their syrup with a little whipped cream. Not rocket science. I’ve been told, my husband has been told 3 or more times when we place the order, «What? Um, we don’t have that.» or «I don’t know what that is.» or my personal favorite, a boy put fountain coke in a cup with ice and put strawberry syrup in it…
On Sunday night, my mom, my 2 year old and I stopped in after some shopping. I was trying to think of something my 2 year old could eat while riding in the car home, without a spoon, without a cone, when I saw that they had «prepared» frozen treats, like Trauth fudgesicles and cream pops advertised (with prices) on the window. GREAT!
At the counter, the teen gal at the register stared at me. «Hello.», says I. «What?», says she. «you know, Hi, a greeting, a form of communication, an opener to a conversation!?» @!!!#@!# GEEZ!!!
Just to be sure, I asked if they had the fudgsicles. Her reply? «Um, I can’t let you try those because they have to be weighed individually and like, um…» she trailed off. Were we even in the same room? I explained that I wanted to BUY one, not TRY one… and she still stared at me blankly.
Seriously. SURELY there are more capable monkeys this owner/‘manager could hire? I’d like to give this local business my money, but until he figures this out, I’ll go to Sweet Tooth in Newport.

If you’re from Northern Kentucky and you’ve never been to Filmore’s, chances are good that your parents have. During the sixties, this was the hangout – and if you come in for a visit you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. But that’s not necessarily a good thing when it means that nothing has been updated in forty years.
Filmore’s serves up the standard creamy whip delights – shakes, malts, slurpies, sundaes, floats, cones, as well as burgers, coneys, chicken tenders and more. The only sign of the 21^st century is their offering of low-​fat and sugar-​free frozen yogurts and the digital touch-​gaming monitor.
Filmore’s is a nice spot to reminisce if you’ve had childhood memories of their chocolate dipped and smiley-​face cones, but it’s not really a place I’d drive out of my way to visit.