Gilles Frozen Custard Drive-In

Today was the last time I would be with in eye sight of the place and not stop in. The sign says Milwaukee’s oldest custard stand since 1938. I was not going to be this close again and pass it up.
The place is an mostly an open concept so you can see the kitchen area that is separated by a long counter from the narrow dining area. Cheap tables with discount store plastic patio chairs to sit in. I like the display case showing all the cold treat options, that is such a great selling tool. I seldom do sweets so the custard would be sampled but I would try a cheese burger and onion rings.
For some silly reason I thought the cheese burger would be small so I ordered a double and what a mistake because it was what looked like a double whopper with cheese, see my pictures. You have to build your burger so I opted for ketchup, mustard, pickles and onions. All the condiments are placed on the lower bun which makes for a less messy cheeseburger it seemed like. Over all the cheese burger was not the best but I liked it because It was moist and not dry and the bun seemed steamed so that was not dry either. The beef patties were thin and about the diameter of a whopper patty. The cheese was melty and with the contrast of the condiments combined with the soft warm texture of the cheese burger just worked. This would work well after after a night of drinking and just hit the spot I thought.
The onion rings were the frozen kind and not best but they were the the whole onion kind. They were hot and crispy and if you don’t bite hard enough you will pull the whole onion out.
Over all this will not replace anyone’s favorite destination burger and ring place but it has some good points. The steamed bun really separates them from MD and BK so I would defiantly go here over the big chains. I would definitely grab another burger when in the area.

Think n creamy custard. Hit the spot when visiting for only 2 days. Wish the fancier flavors were available for dine in but apparently those flavors are only for to-​go.

Oh la la your custard is real good. Those things were delicious. This is one of those dangerous places where you feel like you can make it rain. It’s so cheap and everything is delicious.
I was a first timer and came after a long run and was super hungry. I ordered a malt, cheeseburger, curds, a pint (of oreo custard) and I got ½ of those things (aka a gille dilly bar).
Burger was OK, but not great. Everything else was fantastic. The malt was especially good. I loved the custard. Curds were alright and cheap.
Parking, plentiful. Easy to get to.
Dress– as causal as it gets. You could practically come here in a bathing suit and be OK.
Service, well the gal that I had was a trainee. But she was enthusiastic and gave recommendations.
Cheap, delicious, good specials, and a classic joint. Will be back!

When I first moved to Milwaukee I asked-​what is custard? People tried to describe it to me but it just sounded like ice cream. So this is the first place I tried custard. And lo and behold I liked it!
This place has such a homey feel to it. It has a huge menu for custard and other assorted desserts. If you haven’t eaten here before you have to stand in from the board for a while staring at all the options, trying to decide which one might be better than another. My recommendation-don’t worry about it too much. It’s all good.
Oh yes, it does have burgers and other items.

I prefer ice cream to custard, but there is something about the charm and history of this Wauwatosa icon that keeps calling me back.
Sundae —??? Yes please
Food — pass (it’s all average at best)

I’m a born and bred Wisconsinite, so frozen custard is a deeply personal experience.
I grew up on the north side, so I’m a Kopps girl by default — it’s where I’ve always gone. I never purposely shunned the others, but somehow I made it to my mid-​30s without having hit some of the classic custard spots in town.
So for our anniversary my husband took me to a delicious and fancy dinner and then we had custard for dessert. Because Wisconsin.
There must be some law somewhere that says custard joints must be small and awkward to navigate, especially when full (they’re always full).
So minus a star for me having to awkwardly dance with some other patrons to get to the register and then feeling like I’m standing in everyone’s way while I wait for my sundae.
But otherwise, this was a solid custard experience. I’m coming to learn why one might vary up their custard excursions — you want different flavors and crazy combos, head to Kopps. You want a solid vanilla base with awesomely complementary toppings, head to Gilles.
It was a perfect end to a great date night.

Enjoyed Gilles years ago but they have lost that charm from days past. No longer a destination for me. If you want great custard and a wonderful burger suggest Kitt’s on Capitol. Better service too. Not the same with current ownership which is sad.

My families favorite custard stand in the Milwaukee area. Every time we enter this establishment we are greeted with a warm hello. The food is excellent «by the custard burger standards». Family friendly environment, even at the late hours. The only negative aspect is the limited seating indoors, but many custard stands in the area don’t have indoor seating! Try the burger and onion rings!

Cheese curds yes, burger no. It was thin and a strange brown. I didn’t feel well after either but that could’ve been psychological– it tasted ok but didn’t look good. On the other hand is go back for the cheese curds!

custard? yes.
hamburgers? yes.
do I love it? yes.
do yourself a favor and hit it up. you will be saying, «wow yeah that one Dave guy on Unilocal was really smart to recommend gilles»

The oldest custard stand in the city definitely delivers in the world of frozen treats. Classic 3 choices of flavors: an awesome vanilla, a chocolate and a flavor of the day. You really can’t go wrong with any of them. But don’t go mucking up something great by getting a sundae with gobs of other toppings. A simple cone or dish (if you are a sloppy eater like me) is just what the doctor ordered.
One thing I am not impressed with is their food choices. Their food isn’t bad just very very average. You could do much better at other custard stands (Kopp’s I’m thinking about you) or any other sandwich/​burger joint.

It’s so hard to decide on the «best frozen custard» in Milwaukee, but this is one of the candidates. A wide selection, both for eating here (always crowded, usually a short wait for a table), or taking home, excellent youthful service, tight parking lot and be careful, some of those with the largest vehicles are the least skillful drivers. Check online ahead of time for specials, and if your diet allows for ridiculous amounts of fat and cholesterol, this is an excellent place for burgers and such.

Cute custard shop! Several sundaes and lots of flavors to choose from. They do have food, but we only got custard. The sandwiches did look good. Great place on a hot summer day!

Needed a quick lunch so stopped for a Gillie burger aka Sloppy Joe. It was just as I expected bringing back childhood memories. The malt was very good as it should be from a custard stand of this vintage.

I have been to basically every custard place possible in Milwaukee more times than I can count. Gilles is up there but not to be outdone by Leon’s.
Gotta try the BBQ sandwich when it is on special though.
Great service and location. Excellent custard quality.

Pretty good custard but not like Leon’s! The strawberry was very fresh. Hot dogs were delish and there actually was seating space inside

We had a craving for desert and for once, I wasn’t feeling DQ. I pass Gille’s all the time and deliberately divert eye contact with their mascots.
The sundaes are split up and the ingredients are all individually listed which I appreciate. I got the caramel apple crunch after reading reviews and having it suggested to me by employees. Harvey got an oreo milkshake (the real reason we went in the first place).
The kids working were friendly and the service was very quick. There was a lot of staff and on even though it wasn’t slammed there was a steady stream of customers coming through. I liked the sundae enough, and Harvey finished his milkshake. I guess that’s saying something!

A good stop by anytime especially after a ball game. My favorite is chocolate. The staff here are as fast as Kopp’s. servings are significantly smaller. Tastes average. Plenty of seating inside and outside.
The restrooms are locked so ask for the key they will give you half a bucket lid chained to a key. Who the heck still does the giant keychain for a RESTROOM?
Food 4
Amb 3
Service 4
Location 3
Value 3
⁶⁰⁄₂₀₁₄

Gilles is the closest custard stand to our house, but we rarely go here. It’s certainly not bad — not at all. It’s just not anything special.
Like Kopps, Gilles serves food in addition to custard — burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, etc. I’m puzzled by the options of «junior» and «regular» on the food items though — «regular» doesn’t seem to come with anything extra and how exactly does one make a bacon double cheeseburger «junior»? Unlike Kopps, the service is not at all efficient, friendly or fast — simple orders seem to take waaaay too long and the servers are sullen Tosa teens who’d rather be checking out the new Abercrombie fragrance being pumped into the Mayfair mall air handling system.
If you’re planning on dining in, there are a few (3 – 4) tables but it’s probably nicer to eat outside if the weather is decent.
Normally, Gilles would be a 2-​star kind of place for me except for their malts. They are truly superior to any other malt I’ve had (and that includes Kopps and Leons). Gilles custard is just okay but they use a shit-​ton of malt powder and not too much chocolate syrup and the end result is just delightful. Sure, you’ll pay a little too much and it will take a little too long — but aren’t you worth it?

Best custard stand on the Westside/​Tosa. I love the «Turtle» Sundae; served with crispy glazed pecans. Wow!
They also have burgers and other «eats» folks swear by, but their forte is custard/​ice cream and it is top of the line, as is the counter service.