Cole’s Ice Cream

I had read the reviews on Unilocal as well as spoke to a few people who said how amazing there tenderlions were. I took my family and went hoping for something incredible. We were so disapointed by the food. My wife and I split a tenderloin that was so thick and fatty and tasted like old grease. When i bit into mine the grease bubble exploded in my face and burnt my lip. Our daughter got a cookie dough shake that had very little cookie dough and the icecream tasted like it was just on the verge of going bad. We will never return back there.

I am truly amazed that there aren’t more Unilocal reviews about Cole’s Ice Cream in Slater (Corner of Hwy. 210 and 510^th Ave., west of I-​35). My wife grew up less than 10 miles from here and we both attended Iowa State together, but really never knew much about Cole’s until some her cousins recommended it during a recent visit.
Cole’s has the best breaded pork tenderloin that I’ve EVER had and I’m not even close to kidding about that. It is absolutely amazing on every aspect. I’ve had dozens of «great» tenderloins over the years across Iowa but none stack up to this one. Their soft-​serve ice cream is also great. We met the owner and he says they get their ice cream and milk from a dairy in Woodward, which is just a few miles down the road from there.
There are a couple of drawbacks. One, the place is tiny. There aren’t really any places to eat inside and I think only one or two picnic tables set up outside. Unless the weather is perfect you’ll get carried away by mosquitoes or just won’t be able to sit out in the A/​C to finish your food. The second drawback is that there is a bad grease smell if you go inside. It isn’t enough to turn the stomach, but it’s not very pleasant. Don’t let either of them stop you from going there.
Cole’s is what small-​town Iowa is all about and if you haven’t been there, please do so. They have the best tenderloin that I’ve ever eaten and their soft-​serve ice cream is fantastic. Please don’t pass up a chance to check this place out for yourselves!
It might be six miles off of I-​35, but it’s WORTH IT!

Their ice cream is fantastic, and their prices are unbelievably low. This place reminds me of going to the ice cream stand when I was a kid! The folks that own the place and work behind the counter are very friendly and helpful.
We got soft-​serve, which often can be bland, but theirs was great! I have found my new favorite ice cream stand, because I’m a big soft-​serve fan. Partner got a fun flavor of regular ice cream (butter-​pecan something, I think) and said it was fantastic. They serve Blue Bunny and Picket Fence, so I’m not surprised! Yum yum yum.
There’s a whole bunch of seating outside — picnic tables and benches that could seat quite a crowd. Inside also has a number of tables, include some high barstool tables.
The place is decorated with all sorts of patriotic images and pictures. The business is named after the owner’s young son, Cole, but is also a tribute to his older son, Brandon. Brandon apparently ran the place a number of years back, before joining the Marines and going to serve in Iraq — where, ultimately, he died in 2004. The recipe for the shop’s famous house-​made tenderloin (nominated for Best Tenderloin in Iowa) was one that Brandon came up with, and his family continues to «carry on his tradition» by serving up monster-​sized tenderloins using his special recipe.
I didn’t know about the amazing tenderloin when we first visited… looks like it’s time for a return trip! I may have to bring a few friends — those tenderloins look HUGE!