Mullen’s Dairy Bar & Eatery

Been here with my kids quite a few times through the past 16 years. Not happy with the cleanliness of this place. They don’t care! Here is why I say this. Quite a while back I was here and it is the last and final time I will be there. I know this took a while for me to post, but better late then never. When I walked in with my kids the older lady (the one who’s been cooking at this place for many, many years and acts like the boss) was cooking again as usual. I am one of those kinds of people that NEEDS to wash up before I eat. Anyway, I went down those stairs to get to the bathroom to wash my hands and once again, NO SOAP! No bottle, none on the wall. When I got back up the stairs, I said to her «there’s no soap in the bathroom» and her reply was «someone stole it again» and I said «do you have any I could use» and she said «no and we won’t be getting anymore because they keep stealing it». kind of bothered by her response, I then asked, «what if you or someone else takes a big crap, How do they wash up after they are done» and she said with a sarcastic smile «they wash when they come back into the kitchen». Wow! So they spread all those germs throughout the restaurant. I think this is disrespectful to do to paying customers as well as a health concern. I know old people don’t like to get their hands wet because its hard on the old thin skin but is she for real or really that dim? By the way, I never got the felling that she is the sweet old lady type. Kinda the opposite. Anyway, I guess she is going to punish me and everyone else because of a couple soap thief’s? It costs less then a buck lady to replace! The fact she would say that to me is really a spit in my eye… and maybe some fecal matter too… I know this place is a landmark business from the 30’s but you don’t have to run it like they did in the 30’s. Why didn’t the owner himself care to address this issue? He also has no respect for heath rules or his customers! What else do they do in regards to cleanliness in back where the public can’t see? I’m sure the many past employee’s have some story’s to share! Shame on her and the owner for treating people this way!
One more thing I have to add… The building and fire inspectors are so strict to some business owners, but they will allow a restaurant to have bathrooms down a steep stairway with dim lighting and a steel bar attached. First, people with most impairments in no way couldn’t even use it, no hand washing station at least upstairs for people to use. Also, lets say an elderly person does in fact manage to make there way down there and their is a fire in this very old building, how in the world are they going to get up in time? How can they allow this! After someone dies then they will all say why! Plus, someone with very limited mobility could easily fall down that long and steep stairway! I guess Mullen’s gets special treatment from the city!

I LOVE Mullen’s diner and I go there a lot i recommend Mullen’s diner for everyone.

We went here after finding good reviews and were incredibly disappointed!
The place tries for old fashioned and cute, but instead just looks sad and run down. Counters are cracked and held together with tape. Stools are cracked and one was missing all of its top, but hasn’t been replaced.
The bathrooms are horrifying. Both the men’s and the women’s (my husband checked out the men’s room and said it looked like «something had exploded»). The women’s bathroom was dark. There was standing water in the sink and the paper towel holder had paper towels in it but didn’t actually dispense them, which begs the question how are employees washing their hands???
*shudders*
The teenage worker ignore me entirely and directed all of her questions to my husband (oh the troubles of marrying a beautiful man). There were 2.5 workers there, I say 2.5 because for the longest time I thought the third worker was actually just a customer. She wasn’t wearing a work shirt and was sitting at the counter with a guy. It wasn’t until she got up and started putting her stuff behind the counter and complaining about tips that I realized she worked there, in some capacity. The three girls talked openly about tips and the manager who yelled at them and apparently plays favorites.
Sadly the food and ice cream were not enough to make up for the dismal service and grimy interior. I had a black and white sundae that was average at best, after it had been covered in whipped cream — and I mean covered. I couldn’t even see ice cream when I got it. The pecans with it were delicious though and added some texture and saltiness. For a place that brags about their homemade ice cream you would think they would highlight it — but I saw cheap syrup and sad marshmallow topping and canned whipped cream all being used with reckless abandon. If you have a good homemade product wouldn’t you want to dress it up with other good products rather than drowning it in stuff that can be found at the local Pick n Save for 99 cents?
My husband’s burger was «just okay» although his vanilla shake was the highlight of our experience. We won’t be back.

Literally the best ice cream of my life! Homemade, consistent and delicious!!! This is easily the best ice cream in Wisconsin!

The ice cream is amazing. The customer service, not so much. A handful of teenage girls working and only one talking care of customers. Very poor customer service.

Love the ice cream and cheese curds, great customer service, fun atmosphere and low prices. Plus if you’re a geocacher there’s a nifty little cache near.

i don’t think there is much else to say.
hands down, no questions asked, best ice cream in the world.
this place is family run and i mean family run. locally sourced farm and dairy cows. they milk cows in morning and the milk is ice cream by evening.
if you are within 100 miles of watertown, you must go!

Very happy with our experience here. The young man taking our order was very accommodating making sure the cook would do his best at cooking my burger to temp. Not just saying oh yeah he will but checking with the cook. The cook was honest too saying he would try but saying he was not sure if he would be able to get the medium rare I requested. Because of that I wasn’t upset when it came out a nice medium because I knew he had honestly tried. The patties were nice and juicy and the pickles crisp with a good amount of acid to help cut through the sweetness of the ketchup.
My wife really thought her rueben was excellent. She loved the taste of the kraut and thought everything was perfectly proportioned between meat, kraut, dressing, and bread. The fries were crisp and we’ll cooked. Not the largest fan of shoestring fries but they worked nice with the type of food we were eating. Shakes were good and served in a cute set up with a paper cone in a cup holder. Very cool.

This was the hang out/​date spot when I was in High School.
I only every got their ice cream cones. All their flavors are rich, creamy, and smooth. They do Blue Moon the best. Their Irish Cream holds a place in my heart. They only carry it during the winter months. Flavors change frequently.
Service is always friendly and cheerful. Also retro diners hold a special place in my heart too.

Oh, Mullens. Such a fun place and a great place to take the kids. I remember going here when I was younger. I’ve always loved their Blue Moon ice cream. The banana splits are huge.
The food is only ok. Burgers are the only thing I would consider eating here. Skip the food and go here for dessert instead.

If you’re within 20 miles of Watertown, be sure to swing-​in to Mullen’s for some of their fantastic ice cream while soaking up plenty of the old school soda-​jerk charm. I’ve never tried their food (the menu appears to be straightforward burgers-​n-​fries-​diner-​fare), but I can definitely vouch for the ice cream.
Our group of five ordered a wide variety of ice cream treats: waffle cone with bubblegum ice cream, chocolate dipped waffle cone with blue moon ice cream, a turtle sundae, a double-​scoop of pumpkin ice cream, and your cookies-​n-​cream with hot fudge dish.
All were stellar — absolutely top-​notch. Service was friendly and helpful; the younger gals behind the counter were more than happy to serve up samples and had some good suggestions. I wolfed-​down the pumpkin ice cream and could’ve easily had 3 – 4 more scoops. :-)
Mullen’s Dairy Bar = WIN
Food = 4 stars
Service = 4.25 stars
Value = 4 stars
MISC = 4 stars
Yes, Culver’s is good, and Babcock Hall ice cream is great, but there’s just something about the entire Mullen’s experience that makes me wish we had one here in Madison.

The place is old and that’s a big part of its charm. It’s a fun step back in time. I like their black cows (root beer with vanilla ice cream in a frosted mug) and the cheeseburgers are pretty good. The onion rings are tasty, especially with ranch dressing on the side.
Support this little slice of Americana — the chain restaurants will always be there for another day.