Ted Drewes

It’s the best. Cindermint and lemon crumble are my favorites

The temperature is above 100 today so we wanted to treat the kids to ice cream and we saw Ted Drewes and decided to try it. They are actually a well known custard company — not ice cream like I previously thought. Ted Drewes is a St. Louis staple but for some reason I’ve never had it. Come prepared to wait in long lines. The place was packed but we only waited about 5 minutes — thank goodness. They have a true social scene going on.
People were just hanging out having a good time which was nice to see. This was actually my first time trying custard. It was rich, smooth, and creamy. The portion was a good amount for the money. The only problem is we ate it all in the car and now I want more. Therefore I can predict we will be making several trips to the famous Ted Drewes this summer. We tried the «cinna crunch», «twisted caramel», «cookie sandwich» and the «turtle — concrete». Hands down the «turtle» was my favorite flavor. Of course my husband and kiddos loved them all. I am so happy we don’t live near this place because I would gain about 50lbs. From now on I can’t even look at a Dairy Queen the same. It just doesn’t compare to this place.

Let me tell you a short story. I traveled to Hawaii about two months ago for 5 days. On the way back from Hawaii I had to take an alternate flight into Utah because of the weather. Then I had to wait about 3hours and finally got a flight into STL. Next I caught the metro link all the way to Shiloh from the airport which is about 1 ½ hours give-​or-​take. When I finally got to my room after that long grueling day, I threw my bags down on the floor, grabbed my car keys and proceeded to drive 40 mins to… guess where… TED DREWES! Yes I was tired and yes I was spent but I was craving Ted DREWES the whole time I was in Hawaii. They probably have the best frozen custard in the Midwest hands down (and definitely in Missouri). Be Careful however, there menu is very intimidating-​lots of flavors and custard varieties to choose from. But you can’t go wrong with the Dutchman Delight.

St Louis tradition! Custard is my favorite form of ice cream. It’s so smooth and creamy! This custard is delicious with tons of toppings to choose from. I can’t give it a 5 star because they only have vanilla! What? No chocolate? Every custard stand should have chocolate custard. I must admit, for someone who never orders vanilla anything… this was still very good!

Ted Drewes is a Saint Louis institution. You know a place is good when people line up in sub zero weather to eat frozen custard. I’ve worked my way through every combination on the menu, and it’s always a winner. If I lived closer to this place, I’d probably be a good 350 – 400 pounds.

We planned a trip to St. Louis mainly for Ted Drewes, City Museum, and a few other food stops. We have heard great thing about Ted Drewes for years. My family is pretty loyal to Andy’s frozen custard.
I got a Heath bar with praline concrete. Wife got a Reese’s PB Cup and Pieces combo. Both were very runny for a concrete. Disappointed was I. The flavor was fine and I’m sure it would have been great if it was thick. We didn’t have time to get a new one since we were on our way out of town. If we ever go back we will give it another shot.

Don’t let the long lines intimidate you. They go really fast, and it’s well worth it. Just hop on the end of a line, and before you know it, you will have a delicious custard in your hands.
We were told this is a St. Louis tradition, and I’m glad we were part of it!
I ordered a Reese’s concrete, which is like the equivalent of a blizzard, but better.
I’d highly recommend!!!

This place was good. I can’t say it was worth the 5-​star hype, but it is definitely good. It was so mobbed, but they move through the lines quickly. They have a pretty extensive menu, but if you are newcomer, like I was, they don’t really describe what anything is on the menu and you will find yourself a bit lost. I took a friend’s recommendation and got The Big Apple which is pretty much vanilla custard with apple pie mashed up inside with whipped cream on top. Delicious, but much more melty than I wanted. Maybe that’s just the way this thing works but by the time it got to me it was really more like a thick soup than a custard and I just didn’t like that.
The prices are incredible. It’s like 60 cents for a small cone which is unreal, so definitely come here if you are looking for a cool dessert spot on a budget. They have tons of flavors and toppings and it’s something you should definitely step out of your way for.

What’s not to love about this classic? Not only is it delicious, and quite a busy social scene at all hours, but the prices seem to be stuck in the 1970’s!
There are a million (okay, dozens) of special flavors and combinations to choose from — and you could certainly fill up on Ted Drewes for a meal if you wanted to — not that I ever have… :)
Just go! You won’t be disappointed. And you may return sooner than you’d expect.

Insanely good! This is the first time I’ve ever been in St. Louis and Unilocal helped me find this gem! I’m so happy that I found Ted Drewes because BOY IT WAS GOOD! My dad who normally eats insanely healthy had to have one of their concretes! I had «The Christy» and it was absolutely delicious! It had hot fudge, caramel and brownie mixed together as a concrete. It was so good! The brownie was soft and fudgy and the custard was very creamy and flavorful.
If you’re in St. Louis, you need to stop here asap!

Another St. Louis Fav. Ted Drews is a pretty good ice cream spot. If you can take waiting in line for 30 or so minutes. I really did enjoy the ice cream and will have another cup before the end of summer. It is forever busy so plan to stay a while.

Great custard and extremely fast service.
Came here from out of town and was told this was the place to go for custard. By the amount of people in the 20 plus lines I can see we must be in for a real treat. Even though there were probably 100 people here from ordering to getting our custard didn’t take more than 5 minutes.
A small is all you need. I ended up getting a regular and it is about the size of a pint of ice cream. Although good and easily finished, the small would have accomplished the same satisfaction with a lot less calories. Oh well, I’m on vacation and calories don’t count right?
Do your selves a favor and come here. If you dont, grab some at one of the kiosks at the airport n the way out. You’ll be glad you did.

Well. The ever famous Ted Drewes. Lines do eventually form for these frosty treats, and I will say the popularity of this place is super noticeable when you arrive. The Hubbster and I were only looking at the wall menu for about 2 mins, when plenty of customers strolled on by. I was wondering though. what is so great about this place?
Since the Hubbster and I were new to STL and its comfort foods, we were absolutely willing to try all the good eats around town. Word of mouth from my in-​laws, was that Ted Drewes was awesome. We were super excited to try it. Once we got there, I felt completely overwhelmed with that menu. It seemed self explainable, but some flavors were just WAY out there with no details on exactly what it is. The hubbster was considering just a plain mint, but had to definitely research all of the other wondrous flavors and specials like Cindermint, Tedads, the Christy, or a Terramizzou (which is not an incorrect spelling of Tiramisu) Believe me, it really was total research of standing aside and being one of those annoying customers of asking what each flavor consists of, but the staff was very friendly and energetic. Yes I felt so touristy. but I guess it keeps the fun in trying out any of the frozen custards.
Nonetheless, we went with something tame and it had to be a «concrete» which basically means the custard consistency is thick, and it wont spill out, so the S’mores flavor was something we knew and could handle. To our dismay, it was not anything amazing. It was very creamy, and you could see the bits of graham and chocolate. Being a frozen custard. I just don’t know what I am missing exactly. I have had custard before in pies, with ice cream and Italian Ice. not sure what makes this stand out in presentation, creativity or just taste.
Perks: Great portion for the $. Nice location on the street for a sidewalk stop. Also an official Route 66 Roadside attraction.
Downsides: Long lines, but does move fairly quick. Menu can be overwhelming especially if its your very first time.
Awesome TIP: The «concrete» way is the best way. Locals vouch for it.
OverALL: A-​OK. Awesome for locals, but its a hit or miss. It wasn’t EPIC for me, but it wasn’t horrible. It was definitely a nice cool down from driving around town and sight seeing.

I had been told previously that if I were to remain in STL for a long time than I need to go to Ted drewes. That I was not a resident if I hadn’t tasted the glory.
Glorious it was. I was leery at first of the idea of a frozen custard place but whatever, it sounds delicious. I had the big apple. It blew my mind. I definitely recommend trying it out if you haven’t, my friend got a sundae and it just wasn’t as awesome at the big Apple was in my opinion. I believe they literally blended apple pie into my ice cream. It was amazing. I hear it gets busy so watch out, but otherwise it was amazing.

Their custard here is about as good as it gets. I’ve been waiting to come here for nearly 10+yrs now but havent been able to make it to the STL area until now. I ordered the regular sized terramizzou: chocolate and pistachios… and this was more than enough for a late night dessert.
A lot of people waiting around in the parking lot and near the building, but luckily most had already ordered and were already eating their desserts.
My order came out quickly and I also added a yellow t-​shirt (the only color) for another $ 14.
A must visit at this original location along Route 66.

Ted Drewes, been coming here for over 15 years, even since I first started to visit this lovely city in the center of the country.
Always a line at Ted Drewes. No, that is not true. We came here just the other day, our very first day in a week-​long vakay in the Arch City, and there was no line at all. It was also about 30 degrees freezing! It’s a trip to go to Ted Drewes and not have to wait in line. Suddenly, you are confronted with all those choices, immediately. That is actually the utility of the endless Ted Drewes line, you need all that time to figure out what the hell you are going to order that day.
It’s a brilliant business strategy, really. You start with utter simplicity and use a wide range of add-​ons to generate a product of significant complexity, amenable to the varying demands of every single customer. Look at the lines, people are not going to wait in such lines if the product is not good! Ice cream is so ubiquitous in this culture, there has to be a reason why people want Ted Drewes frozen custard.
Get this straight: The base flavor, and there is only one, is a vanilla flavor, a very mild vanilla at that. People complain about the mildness of their custard, that is because they are used to current trends in flavor complexity. One of the big curses of America’s renaissance in foodiness, this incessant demand for BIG BOLD FLAVORS. I hope, and I have been hoping this for many years now: that the next big trend is going to be simplicity. It will have to happen someday.
So the base flavor is mild, really mild, but focus on the smoothiness, the creaminess, the incredibly luxurious mouth feel of this custard, that is the simplicity that I desire, that makes just their base custard so worth seeking out and waiting in line in the hot sticky summer sun for.
So the base flavor is mild, but you add any one of about 20 flavors and then the add-​ins ranging from soup to nuts, and get it served in a shake format, or a sundae format, or a «concrete» format. Customers seem to get upset if they can’t tip their concretes upside down, at risk of losing the contents; that is worth the trip just to see them freak out!!!

Going to Ted Drewes is just as much about the experience of going to this iconic location as it is eating it. Who doesn’t like Ted Drewes? Especially on a hot summer night after a cardinals win.
Be patient when trying to park and when trying to order. If you’re in a large group, you’ll want to split up on the lines or send in just a few people with the orders. I’m not really sure why, but people don’t tend to go into the middle lines. Weave your way through and you’ll definitely find a shorter line to wait on! This is a must do in St. Louis.
Everything is delicious and I’ve never heard anyone say they didn’t like what they got. A note: when you order a size, it tends to come out a size larger. This doesn’t happen all of the time, but if you’re wavering between 2 sizes you might want to go for the smaller one.

I want to write 100 pages on how Ted Drews is the best thing to happen to frozen treats ever. If we ever leave STL this will be the place we talk about for years to come.
Best most velvety custard I have ever had.
It brings a little tear to my eye it’s so good.
You’re currently closed for the season and I hate you for it. You’re a bad drug dealer.

For my 700^th review I figured that I should bring it back to a local icon that I have ignored over the years, Ted Drewes! Yes, Ted Drewes is a Saint Louis icon known for creating the «concrete» which is a custard blended with any number of combinations that is so thick that if a spoon was inserted and the cup was turned upside down it wouldn’t fall out, and that is just the way they are served to you here.
Opened in 1941, this location is a landmark and gets very busy during the summer season that parking can often be difficult, the one major plus is that the lines move fast so you are never really waiting long. Credit cards are accepted here, so no need to worry about having enough cash. Prices are reasonable too so you don’t have to worry about breaking the bank. If you do not want to brave the crowds, the famous custard can be found in Ballpark Village, Lambert Airport, and many St. Louis grocers. However its bet enjoyed here, where the cool creamy custard can be blended with a wide variety of flavors and toppings. Seasonal ingredients like cherry, apple, and yes even pumpkin pie have their turn depending on the time of year.
Overall Ted Drewes is a well-​known and highly recommended spot, however it’s not my favorite custard stop in the area, that honor goes to Bobby’s Frozen Custard located just across the river in Maryville, IL. Don’t get me wrong the custard here is good, however I feel that there are just better options. Yet, another reason why I wish Unilocal would allow ½ star ratings, I think a solid 3.5 star rating is due here since the custard is good, just not great.

I stopped here after an ice cream craving hit. I’m not from around here, and had never heard of the place. A quick Unilocal search later and I was standing in the Ted Drewes parking lot. Well, there was a drive in between but that’s neither here nor there.
There’s a menu posted on the side, so like me if you’re a first timer, you can take a minute or two to peruse.
I landed on the concrete, which is custard mixed with your choice of mix ins. The custard had a creamy perfect texture and the brownie and cookie dough mix ins were delicious.
The staff was friendly and I got my order in about a minute or two. I went on a colder day so there wasn’t much of a line.
I’d definitely go back. The concretes melt fast, and are offered In a range of sizes, the smallest (micro) satisfied my sweet tooth. Prices for most desserts seem to range from about $ 2.50-$ 5, with additional cost for extras.
Yummy custard, recommended!