Kopp's Frozen Custard

Kopp's Frozen Custard has been a Milwaukee institution since 1950, and it is not an exaggeration to say that frozen custard is part of the city's cultural DNA. Milwaukee has more frozen custard stands per capita than any other city in America, and Kopp's sits at the top of the pantheon.

Frozen custard is fundamentally different from ice cream. Federal regulations require custard to contain at least 1.4% egg yolk, which creates a denser, creamier, richer product. It is churned slower and served at a slightly warmer temperature, which enhances flavor perception. Once your family tries it, regular ice cream will feel thin by comparison.

Kopp's rotates a different specialty flavor every day -- the flavor of the day schedule is posted on kopps.com and followed religiously by locals. Flavors range from cookies and cream to German chocolate cake to raspberry cheesecake to more adventurous options. Vanilla and chocolate are always available alongside the daily special.

The jumbo burgers are the underappreciated other half of the Kopp's experience. Fresh-ground beef, hand-formed into quarter-pound patties, grilled to order. At $6-8 each, they are objectively one of the best burger values in Milwaukee. Many families come for a burger dinner followed by custard dessert.

Kopp's has three locations in the Milwaukee area (Glendale, Brookfield, and Greenfield), all with the same quality. The experience is fast-casual -- you order at the counter, get your food quickly, and eat at tables inside or on benches outside. Summer evenings have long lines (15-25 minutes) but the lines move fast and the atmosphere of families eating custard in the parking lot is pure Milwaukee summer.

At $4-7 for a generous serving of some of the best frozen custard in America, Kopp's is one of the best value family experiences in the city. It is the kind of place that creates lifelong flavor memories.