Dairy Kastle: Still Serving Up Ice Cream at Old-Fashioned Prices

Each year, when Dairy Kastle reopens its stand on Eastern Parkway at the corner of Bradley Avenue, Louisvillians breathe a sigh of relief. Summer is right around the corner, and you can get a preview at Dairy Kastle in the form of a chocolate malt, a Brown Cow or a scrumptious nut and chocolate-covered frozen banana.

Dairy Kastle sells lucious ice cream treats from March to October — much to the delight of the crowds who patiently wait in line for the soft serve they remember from their youth with prices to match. Dairy Kastle has been a Louisville summer tradition for decades. The eatery serves soft-serve ice cream in vanilla, chocolate and a swirl of both, in addition to a wide assortment of ice cream confections — sundaes, banana splits, Brown Cows (root beer floats with vanilla ice cream), Black Cows (root beer floats with chocolate ice cream), and even the peanut butter-banana goodness of a Fat Elvis.

All of your favorites for childhood are here, including dipped cones — available in chocolate, butterscotch and cherry and priced at $1.75 for a five-ounce serving and $2.15 for the eight-ounce size. As with many of these old-time ice cream outlets, all of the seating is outside on concrete benches and tables.

Sundaes cost $2.30 for an eight-ounce serving and $3.35 for the 12-ounce size. Flavors include peach, blueberry, cherry and pineapple as well as the usual ones. Hot fudge runs 20 cents more for the small and a quarter more for the large.

Milkshakes come in more than a dozen flavors, including banana, blueberry, peach, Oreo, peanut butter, chocolate chip, Orange Cow, Black Cow, Brown Cow, cappuccino, cherry cordial and the aforementioned Fat Elvis. Prices start at just over $2. Flurries come in 16 ounces ($2.45), 21 ounces ($3.10) and 32 ounces ($4.45) with more than a dozen mix-in items. A Firemen’s Special — a massive dessert of two hot fudge-drenched cakes on a banana boat loaded with ice cream — tops out at $5.

Dairy Kastle also does a good business in selling the sort of food you associate with summer: hotdogs (89 cents), chili dogs ($1.19), bratwursts ($2.25), barbecue pork sandwiches ($2.60) and Tacos in a Bag — a crazy concoction made by piling taco meat, cheese, salsa and sour cream atop Fritos® Corn Chips in its own snack bag ($1.50). You can also have Nachos Supreme ($3.95), potato salad or coleslaw (95 cents for either) or a bag of chips (60 cents). You can wash your food down with a milkshake, a soda or a Slush Puppy (85 cents, $1.05 and $1.25).

HelloLouisville Tip: While Dairy Kastle's hours are officially noon to 10 p.m., the restaurant sometimes opens earlier.  

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