Custard beyond Kopp's: Leon's, Milwaukee [pics]

While Kopp's frozen custard receives a lot of attention on this board, another great Milwaukee custard stand, Leon's, has gone largely unheralded. I don't quite understand this oversight. For one thing, the Kopp's location I have sampled (on Port Washington Rd.) is a cold, forbidding place--at once bureaucratic and sepulchral. Leon's, on the other hand, provides an ideal setting in which to consume its outstanding product. Here I speak of a classic American drive-in:








As you can see, Leon's mid-century neon sign claims that it serves the world's best frozen custard, and I can't disagree with this view. Certainly I prefer Leon's to Kopp's. While Leon's custard isn't quite as luxuriously thick as Kopp's, it has a much purer butterfat flavor. I attribute Leon's marginally thinner texture but significantly richer flavor to the fact that Leon's does not use any artificial stabilizers while Kopp's clearly does. This means you might have to eat Leon's custard a little more quickly than you would Kopp's, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make! Whatever the case, I enjoy Leon's custard immensely and appreciate the distinct aura it communicates to its patrons. It is a great Milwaukee institution, helping to create the impression that the city is an entire world apart from Chicago rather than just a short drive up I-94. I hope to consume many cups of Leon's custard (which comes in vanilla, chocolate and a flavor of the day) later this spring and summer.

Leon's Frozen Custard
3131 S. 27th Street
Milwaukee, WI

I've got to agree with you on this Kenny, Leon's is an American classic! I'm a little disappointed that you don't have any pix of Leon's at night. Against the backdrop of ebon darkness, Leon's is one of the seven man made wonders for the world!

While I do enjoy Leon's product, I will weigh in on the declaration of "World's Best" Custard. IMHO, neither Leon's or Kopp's can lay claim to this title. Rather, it goes to Ted Drewes on old Route 66 in St. Louis, MO. As good as the Wisconsin versions may be, compared to Ted Drewes, they are like Dairy Queen soft serve. Ted's custard is even richer than these two, with more of an eggy flavor rounding out the taste.

Like Leon's, Ted Drewes' architecture and lighting harken back to a long gone nostalgic time and place.

Just my two one hundredths of a dollar, but I'll bet if we have any other Route 66 travellers on thse boards, they'll agree with me.

Buddy

Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
6726 Chippewa St.
St. Louis, MO

Well, I have been to Ted Drewes quite a few times when we visit my son at school in St. Louis. It's a great place, but Kopp's is the clear winner for me. While I like Kopp's custard the best, what makes Kopp's the winner is the high quality of all their condiments. My wife, for example, likes to get chocolate custard with pecans. At Ted Drewes and other places, you get small bits of chopped nuts. At Kopp's, you get giant, perfect premium nuts. The flavors of the day Kopp's makes also stand out because of the ingredients. One of my all time favorites is Carmel Cashew, which is carmel custard studded with with huge, delicious, whole cashews.

I do agree that the atmosphere at Ted Drewes and Leon's is better, though. I love standing outdoors and going up to a glass window.

All three, however, serve great custard, which may be my favorite sweet treat of all. I grew up in New York liking Carvel, and it wasn't until I came to the midwest that I got to taste the real deal.

Jonah

i believe that leon's is right across the street from Mazo's?

perfect timing yet again, see you at the custard stands on Friday..

Yeah, Leon's is pecisely located to be dessert for Mazo's, Tony C. Git on it!

OK, TODG and I have gone around and around on this issue, never quite resolving it; needless to say, countless hours of effort and care have gone into our empirical determinations. A lot of work, but: somebody has to do it.

Kopp's: thicker, denser, fuller range of flavors.

Leon's: eggier, cleaner (but less intense) flavors.

Leon's wins on ambience. Wins waaaay big. Yeah, check it out at night.

http://images.google.com/images?q=Leon% ... rch+Images

Now Ted Drewes is awful fine, too. But I think that this, like many St. Louis top hits (think chop suey) acquires its greatness in the main as an origin story, because they harken back to the beginnings of culturo-aesthetic sensibility in a given individual. In other words, it's what we liked as kids, hence it's great now.

Of course, I'm a Kansas Citian and who can trust a Kansas Citian in matters of St. Louis taste.

Speaking of Kansas City, Foo's Fabuluous Frozen Custard ain't at all bad either. The owner has made the pilgrimage to all three of the iconic spots mentioned above, and has chosen to do all she can to emulate if not surpass them each and all. She's not quite there yet, but her concrete comes awfully close.

Culver's opened 18 months ago in KC, thereby giving the masses some initial familiarity with The Real Thing from WI.

Geo

Foo's
6235 Brookside Blvd,
Kansas City, 64113 -
(816) 523-2520

You make a powerful case for Leon's. Or at least the signs do.

I eat Scooter's enough that that seems like the baseline for me. On that basis, although the richness of Kopp's is great, I find it a little chemical-y tasting next to Scooter's. So my mind is open to alternatives.

Gonna have to get to Leon's.

Leon's is great, for the reasons Kenny lists, but I just find Kopps, in its purest form, vanilla, so over the top, Wisconsin fatty, that I cannot fathom anything better.

As an aside, a bit north of Leons when 27th turns into Layton, at National, is a truck some pretty decent tacos. A nice one-two old and new Milwaukee eating.

Jonah wrote:Kopp's is the clear winner for me. While I like Kopp's custard the best, what makes Kopp's the winner is the high quality of all their condiments. My wife, for example, likes to get chocolate custard with pecans. At Ted Drewes and other places, you get small bits of chopped nuts. At Kopp's, you get giant, perfect premium nuts. The flavors of the day Kopp's makes also stand out because of the ingredients.

Vital Information wrote:I just find Kopps, in its purest form, vanilla, so over the top, Wisconsin fatty, that I cannot fathom anything better.

I echo both.

Now that Kopp's has two flavors of the day, one often piques my interest beyond efforts to resist -- I especially adore the red raspberry, with big ripe berries in it -- but when they only had one, it didn't always appeal and I was always happy to bask in the pure, sweet, vanilla butterfat richness.

Compared to that, Scooter's tastes thin and insipid, like skim milk.

We typically visit the Greenfield Kopp's, which, with its futuristic garden benches and fountain, seems like a 1950s vision of tomorrow.

Kopp's Frozen Custard
414/282-4312
www.kopps.com
7631 W. Layton Ave.
Greenfield WI 53220

Mike G wrote:I eat Scooter's enough that that seems like the baseline for me. On that basis, although the richness of Kopp's is great, I find it a little chemical-y tasting next to Scooter's. So my mind is open to alternatives.

Mike,

I've been going to Kopp's, literally, since I was a small child, love the stuff, never, ever, detected even a hit of "chemical-y" taste. Scooter's custard, as you most likely know, is modeled after Kopp's, with the exception of the butterfat content. Scoters is 10%, Kopp's 14%.

Leon's is fine, I like Leon's custard, Kopp's is terrific.

Enjoy,
Gary

I think it's the vanilla extract they use. I'd bet you anything Kopp's uses a more commercial, 1950s-style vanilla flavoring, and Scooter's a more natural, Birkenstock-wearing, Whole Foods-style genyoowine vanilla.

TonyC wrote:i believe that leon's is right across the street from Mazo's?

Tony,

You still like Mazo's? I thought due to numerous changes "this burger joint is (half) dead to me..." Or are you just using Mazo's as a point of reference?

I liked my one visit to Mazo's, but took it off my Milwaukee short list after your post.

Mazo's (Milwaukee)


Enjoy,
Gary

You make a powerful case for Leon's. Or at least the signs do.

Yes, the signs are amazing. But one thing that I didn't mention in my initial post is there's a certain level of hysteria surrounding Leon's custard. People don't simply eat it. Rather, they devour it with something like an animalistic frenzy. While customers stand in line at Leon's, one can frequently hear their excitement mount as they endlessly discuss the different custard options and "how good it will be". And when people finally are served, they lock down on their dishes with a kind of focused intensity that lets you know you don't want to get between them and their custard. Indeed, Leon's seems to provide a bit of an orgiastic experience for many of its customers. In this regard, I think the neon definitely serves as a bit of an aphrodisiac, but the custard is definitely very, very good.

And I do believe Leon's vanilla has a purer, more satisfyingly creamy flavor than Kopp's. This isn't to say that Kopp's doesn't make a fine vanilla. Only a fool would forward such a view. Kopp's is excellent. But then, I'm a big fan of Wisconsin custard in general--Robert's, Kitt's, Bella's Fat Cat, Michael's (Madison), Frosty's (Whitewater), etc....I like all of them. Leon's just happens to be my current favorite.

HI,

I was about ask a dumb question: how does Gilles rank in your experience?





I then found your post where you ranked Milwaukee custard stands with a special note for Gilles:

Kenny from Rogers Park wrote:1)Leon’s
2)Kopp’s
3)Oscar’s—the vanilla is way better than the chocolate, which more closely resembles soft serve than custard
4)Robert’s—perhaps a little sweet, but very good texture
5)Bella’s Fat Cat—strikingly similar to Kopps in texture, but suffers from an overwhelmingly artificial flavor
6)Kitt’s—decent texture, but nondescript flavor: I may have to re-evaluate this stand shortly as my taste buds may have been compromised by a minutes-earlier pastrami sandwich at Jake’s
7)Gilles—a classic stand that was all sizzle and no steak; good burgers, though

So far, only Leon’s has been able to produce a consistently transcendent experience while Gilles remains the lone stand to which I would not return.

While they did use whole pecans, the general product was not as good as Kopp's. I haven't tried Leon's yet.

Can anyone explain the absence of whipped cream at Kopps, Culvers and Gilles to name a few custard stands? It seems to be an agreed standard like mustard, no ketchup, on a Chicago hot dog.

&&&

I have been to 2 of the 3 Kopp's locations. While the buildings are not your classic custard stands from the 30's and 40's. They have clearly spent money on architects to design unique buildings for their establishment. I am most familiar with the location on Port Washington Road. The first time I went I thought it had a sci-fi floating in space aura about it. The pavement in the parking lot has little bits of reflective material which sparkles. Their sign at night is a bit of kinetic art with an array of colors streaming through it as if you were being transported in a time warp.

Photo by Gwiv


I went to Kopp's just last Saturday after consuming smelts in Port Washington. There is a new edition to their public art at this location:



Even cooler at dusk:



Though ultimately it is the ice cream, flavor of the day sometime ago of Chocolate, Raspberry Cheesecake, which tasted even better than it looked:



If Leon's is even better, then so much the merrier!

Thanks!

Regards,

Kopp's is now offering Sprecher's root beer float.. i saw this a bit too late, only got my cookies n cream

TonyC wrote:Kopp's is now offering Sprecher's root beer float.. i saw this a bit too late, only got my cookies n cream

Theyve been offering this for a while I think - probably back to last summer,
when I too saw it (but didnt try it). Getting there so infrequently, I often find
it hard to go beyond the Turtle Sundae.

FWIW, BTW, Ive tried Leon's on a couple of occasions and Kopp's numerous
more. IMHO at least, Kopp's is far superior - even when at Mazo's (bang
across the street from Leon's), I usually end up driving down a couple
miles to Kopp's rather than just go with Leon's.

BTW, what *is* your opinion of Mazo's now, TonyC? I havent made it there
since the "changes" - is it still worth a trip? Is the burger still anywhere near
as good as it used to be? Iam sure the atmosphere isnt nearly the same
anymore - but if the burger is still as good, I'll definitely try to make it down
there again sometime soon.

c8w

I was in St. Louis this weekend visiting family and taking in a ball game and went to Ted Drewes for custard on Saturday night. I was surprised to see a wedding party there getting custard and takings photos, but my brother-in-law, who lives in St. Louis, said it was a rather common occurence. I think that probably speaks to some sort of unique cultural/social resonance that Ted Drewes has with St. Louisans. (Or else maybe it is just an unthinking trend that someone started, followed by a long line of successors exhibiting a failure of imagination.) Apparently it is also common for wedding parties in St. Louis to go to the A-B brewery for photos (again, susceptible to the cultural-significance interpretation or the cynical interpretation).

Anyone ever seen wedding party (or something similar) at a Wisconsin custard stand? Or is this a unique thing for St. Louis/Ted Drewes? I imagine because Ted Drewes doesn't have the competition that the Wisconsin places (seemingly) have, perhaps it has taken on a more iconic status.

Cathy2 wrote:Even cooler at dusk:

C2,

Having been to Kopp's twice in the last few days I found your picture quite moo-ving.

In the interest of LTH science I tried Culver's custard, which some have compared favorably to Kopp's. Putting aside pencil tip size shards of ice crystals in my $1.99 single serving of Culver's chocolate custard, I found the flavor lacking in depth, overpowering chocolate with no dimension, like a canvas splashed with one bright color, momentarily interesting at best.

On the way out of Milwaukee I'll try to stop at Leon's, having grown up in Milwaukee I've been any number of times, but not for a few years, for a comparison to Kopp's and Culver's.

As an aside, Zaffiro's was it's crispy matzo thin crust perfection and Range Line Inn, an old school Milwaukee road house, was as good as always, which means near perfect pan fried walleye, hunks of prime rib, juicy fried chicken, killer crisp greaseless shredded mound of onion rings and just ok Italian by way of Milwaukee classics.

Enjoy,
Gary

Range Line Inn
2635 W. Mequon Rd., 112 N
Mequon
262-242-0530

Gary, I've discovered that the taste of Culver's chocolate custard can be enhanced when covered with hot fudge and green mint. A pineapple malt from Culvers is also a good custard combo. I still prefer Kopp's.

Personally, I prefer Kopp's frozen custard to any other that I have had in Milwaukee.

Having said that, I think that Ted Drewes has a better topping selection and better ideas as to what to do with custard than Kopp's.

Makes you wonder why the Food Network is spending so much time promoting Dairy Queen and Carvel.

Based on recent visits to Kopp's, Leon's and Gilles, I'd still put the custard at Kopp's way on top of my list, but Gilles has the best burgers. Leon's doesn't do a proper hamburger at all, but something they call a "Spanish" burger, which is more akin to an Iowa loose meat sandwich. Gilles' emphasis seems to be more on sundaes than on custard alone -- the hot fudge was dark, intense and all that it ought to be.

As a lifelong Wisconsinite I must admit that I am not a huge fan of frozen custard. Its just too rich for my tastes. I'll probably have it 2-3 times a year and that is it. I prefer the small portion sizes and bold flavors of gelato.

However there are a couple of places you can get some custard that is pretty good, yet kind of under the radar....

Georgie Porgies - http://www.georgieporgies.com/
Milwaukee and Racine. Pretty much every custard I have tried has been good. Love the Wacky Berries. Burgers are ok, I usually get a gyro or chicken shishkebab sandwich when I visit.

Ferch's - http://www.ferchsmaltshoppeandgrille.com/ Greendale, WI. Kind of a cross between Coldstone and a Custard stand. They'll mix up goodies into your custard on a chilled marble top. Kind of a nice alternative to the flavor of the day.

I also don't like the famous State Fair Cream Puffs. After this post I might need to seek asylum in Illinois.

eatwisconsin wrote:As a lifelong Wisconsinite I must admit that I am not a huge fan of frozen custard.


I also don't like the famous State Fair Cream Puffs. After this post I might need to seek asylum in Illinois.

We do not want you.

Why in the world is your handle "eatwisconsin", given that you don't like either custard OR State Fair Cream Puffs. Next thing we know, you'll sotto-voce that you don't like brats either!!!! [mebbe it should be "idon'teatwisconsin" !]



Geo

sounds like he'd rather be "eatmanhattan" but had to make due with what was available...

just kidding obviously...

Geo wrote:Why in the world is your handle "eatwisconsin", given that you don't like either custard OR State Fair Cream Puffs. Next thing we know, you'll sotto-voce that you don't like brats either!!!! [mebbe it should be "idon'teatwisconsin" !]



Geo

Not born, but raised Wisconsinite here, who will concur that the cream puffs are all hype. Can't imagine standing in line for them. My sister used to work at the fair and would bring home boxes of them...even free and with no wait I couldn't figure out what the excitement was about.

I like Oscar's custard, but that's about it...and, I usually end up with a Black Cow, anyway.

Maybe it should be "eatenwisconsin"...as in, been there, done that, meh.

I fully agree on creampuffs. Waited in line at the state fair years ago and, well, I won't ever do that again.

Kopps, however, is a holy shrine. To fully confess my devotion, a year or so ago we went to Milwaukee for the funeral of a friend's mother and hit Kopps on the way home.

Jonah

Kopp's *might* be better, but Leon's is kühler, fer shure!



Geo

I tend to not get excited about sweets anyways so that probably plays a part in my indifference towards custard and creampuffs. Though I do love the famous "Apple Pie in a Bag" from the Elegant Farmer.

On the other hand, I love bratwurst, artisanal cheeses, craft brews, deep fried cheese curds, smoked whiefish, butter burgers, and pretty much any other Wisconsin product on the savory side of the spectrum.

Maybe my handle should be "eatwisconsinsavoryfoods"

eatwisconsin wrote:Maybe my handle should be "eatwisconsinsavoryfoods"

.

There you go! You sound perfectly qualified for that handle!


Geo

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Adrian's in Burlington. Small town, family owned, and based on my experience, as good as, if not better than Leon's and Kopp's. Plus you have Fred's Riiverview down the street for burgers and a great park right across the street to eat your custard instead of exhaust filled parking lots.