Ted Drewes - St. Louis, MO

Posted By Michael Stern on April 9, 2001 5:23 AM

For anyone in search of America’s most delicious ice cream (and what roadfooder is not?), here’s a name to put on the short list of candidates for greatness: Ted Drewes. Drewes’ frozen custard is fresh, pure, and tons of fun, manufactured only as vanilla, but mixable with your choice from a list of dozens of different flavoring agents from chocolate and strawberry to fudge, cherries, cookies, nuts, and candy bars.

The best-known dish in the house is called a concrete, which is a milk shake so thick that the server hands it out the order window upside down with a spoon and a straw planted in it, demonstrating that not a drop will drip out! Beyond concretes, there are sundaes, cones, floats, and sodas.

Ted Drewes has two locations (the second is at 4224 S. Grand, phone: 352-7376), both of them mobbed all summer long with happy customers spooning into huge cups full of the creamy-smooth delight. Although custard is served into the cold months of winter, Christmas trees are the big business in December, and the shops are closed from the beginning of the year to early February.

If you are far away and seriously crave this superb super-ice cream (as is the case for many St. Louis expatriates), Ted Drewes is equipped with dry ice to mail-order its custard anywhere you need it.

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Posted By ann peeples on May 18, 2011 3:20 PM

I just spent two days in St. Louis and, while I was outnumbered when it came to restaurant choices, I insisted upon visiting Ted Drewes. Now remember, I am from a place in Wisconsin that has awesome custard. My traveling companions have also visited the shrine that is Kopp's, where they serve frozen custard at its finest. We were sorely disappointed at Ted Drewes.

My cousin ordered a butterscotch concrete, and he said it didn't have enough butterscotch. He described it as a weak milk shake, once it melted a bit. Without going into what everyone ordered, I think my husband Bob hit the jackpot (recommended by Al Bowen): he got the vanilla custard with sour cherries and hot fudge. He wished he had ordered a larger one.

Don't get me wrong; I simply have had better. But the place is busy as can be, and I would return just because it's there. Friendly, helpful staff was a plus.

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Posted By Akavar Dylutra on July 30, 2006 10:09 AM

Within an hour of arriving in St. Louis for my first overnight stay in 35 years I was standing in line at Ted Drewes for a concrete. I had heard of this famous ice cream dessert for many years and I'd just driven over 900 miles from New Jersey, and I had to have one. I arrived at sunset and was surprised at the brisk business for a relatively cool evening in early May. I cannot imagine how long the wait must be on a hot summer evening.

The young woman at the counter was very accomodating as I photographed her holding the concrete upside down. This is the signature of the concrete - you can hold it upside down without it falling out of the cup. The concrete did not disappoint me. It was cool, thick, and had just the right chocolate flavor. It melted fairly quickly into a thick chocolate shake. This usually means that the ice cream was made without a lot of artificial thickeners to keep it thick as it melts. Whatever the recipe, this is a dessert that you must stop for whenever you drive through St. Louis.

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