Ted Drewes Frozen Custard in St. Louis, Missouri has been serving delicious frozen treats to locals and tourists for more than 90 years. Don’t miss getting a signature concrete in the place that invented it.
Ted Drewes Sr. was once best known as being a tennis champion who won the Muny Tennis Championship every year from 1925 to 1936. But today his legacy is his frozen custard shop that still draws crowds.
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Every year Drewes Sr. would travel with his family to Florida to play tennis. And it was there where he opened his very first frozen custard stand in 1929. The stand became so popular that he decided to bring the business back to his hometown of St. Louis, opening his first Missouri shop on Natural Bridge Avenue in 1930.
A year later, in 1931, he opened a second location on South Grand Blvd, and ten years later, he expanded again to a third location on Chippewa Street. The original St. Louis location closed in 1958, but the other two are still in business today. And, thanks to its location right on Route 66, the Chippewa Street location is booming.
What is frozen custard? Frozen custard is a frozen dairy dessert made with milk, cream, and sweetener, just like ice cream, but with added egg yolks and less air pumped in while churning, it has a richer taste and denser consistency.
At Ted Drewes you can dig in to a variety of frozen custard treats, like malts, milkshakes, sundaes, floats, and ice cream sodas. But they are best known for their concretes.
A concrete is a thick, rich ice cream dessert made by blending frozen custard with mix-ins like candies, fruits, or cookies until it’s so dense that it can hold its shape upside down. This decadent treat originated right here at Ted Drewes in 1959. Drewes, already known for his smooth, creamy custard, crafted the concrete to create a thicker, richer version of a milkshake that wouldn’t lose its consistency. Customers quickly fell in love with the concrete’s thickness and intense flavor, and it became a defining feature of the shop, ultimately spreading in popularity across the United States.
Try one of their specialties, like Strawberry Shortcake that has shortcake topped with custard, strawberries, and whipped cream or a Turtle concrete with hot fudge, caramel, and pecans.
When you pull into the parking lot look for the Route 66 roadside attraction sign to learn a little more about the stand, and don’t be put off by the long lines. Because there will be long lines. But they move fast. Shuffle into one of the up to 12 walk-up windows to place your order and get your sweet treat. There is no inside to sit at so most patrons enjoy their custard while standing around the building or go back to their car to eat it there.
The Chippewa Street location is open year-round (minus January) and even hosts its own Christmas Tree farm in December. The South Grand location is open seasonally during summer months.
While you’re there be sure to also pop next door to the Ted Drewes Gift Shop and museum to browse a small batch of memorabilia, photos, and newspaper clippings that allow you to explore the stand’s history. And don’t leave without picking up a souvenir from your visit. The gift shop has a curated selection of Ted Drewes, Route 66, and St. Louis items to choose from.
Photos of Ted Drewes Frozen Custard in St. Louis, Missouri
