Half diner, half ice cream shop, this gem is economical, good food with friendly staff.

This place brings back so many fond childhood memories. My husband and I stopped in for lunch, and I was instantly flooded with memories of going here back in high school to visit friends who were working and helping them scoop ice cream and clean. It is still as cute inside as it used to be. The staff was just as welcoming. We ordered eggplant fries and Sandwiches. The sandwiches were both very good but the true winner was the Eggplant Fries. They were thick, with a soft interior and super crunchy exterior. The dipping sauce was excellent. I would recommend these to anyone and can not wait to go back for more. read more

Dairy Circus - two plates of food on a tray - New American Near Me - Scotia, New York

See all

The staff at Dairy Circus is always super friendly, and service is FAST, no matter how busy the place seems to be. There is plenty of seating and space and the dining area is always well kept and clean. Most often my visits take place when a friend and I stop by for an "ice cream social" - a quick chat to catch up while eating an dish of twist (we both like Dairy Circus soft serve better than Jumpin' Jacks - and not just because it is offered year round!) There are PLENTY of hard-scoop ice creams, toppings, and novelty treats available at Diary Circus for your entire party to find their favorites. The hot food menu is lengthy - partnered with specials for breakfast and/or lunch (including soup/chili.) The specials are often advertised on Facebook and always advertised on a white board at the counter - don't forget to check it out before deciding on your order. read more

Dairy Circus - specials board at Dairy Circus - lunch specials one day in December - New American Near Me - Scotia, New York

See all

For years I drove by the old Dairy Circus and never stopped because I was always on the move. After years of fly-bys I made it a point to go with my wife and see the Scotia landmark where Hollywood A-listers visited while filming "The Place Beyond the Pines". We were far from disappointed! The food was fantastic. I recommend the breakfast menu dish called "The slop". Don't let the name fool you, it's de-lish!! You can get breakfast until 11am, or you can get lunch time items in the morning for all of you night shift workers. After looking at the menu and seeing a huge ice cream selection, we got a sundae to go. It too was delicious! The business was clean and neat, and the staff was very friendly, polite, and accommodating. Don't make my mistake, stop In and enjoy the Dairy Circus in the near future, you will enjoy it and I'm sure you will be a repeat customer! read more

Went here on a whim, the burgers, the fries, the shake, and the service were all wonderful! Was a nice little find!

Amazing food, quick service. My daughter wanted a chocolate milk, and she said they didn't have it, but the girl in the back was nice enough to make one from scratch! read more

Have been hearing about this place for years, decided to try it this evening. So good!!!! The ladies at the front were delightful, will definitely be back!! read more

Just recently I went to five different soft serve places in Schenectady on the same day. At each of the stops, I had a chocolate and vanilla soft serve twist with nuts. The idea was to find my favorite. Dairy Circus was my jam. However, it was all about the nuts. So if you're not into nuts, your milage may vary. And if you're looking for the best chocolate soft serve, you will need to look elsewhere. What really set Dairy Circus apart was the salted peanuts on the vanilla soft serve. Sometimes vanilla soft serve tastes like nothing. Other times there is a lingering artificial aftertaste. And texturally, soft serve can be downright unappealing. This stuff was actually tasty. So much so, that after eating five cups of soft serve, I wanted one more bite of this vanilla with the nuts. That's about as high praise as I can give for soft serve, which I don't even particularly enjoy. Dairy Circus may be lacking some of the old school charm of its longer in the tooth counterparts. But I'm glad this Scotia institution rebuilt after the fire. The new, clean, dining room is a good place to escape the heat. Over time I look forward to trying more of the menu. The fried clams were fine, but next time I'll explore other options looking for what the kitchen does best. read more

Great find for soft ice cream and burgers. Well lit, clean and friendly workers. Good quality and reasonable prices. I'm glad it's not too close to my home or I'd be there every Friday night in the summer! If you're an ice cream stand fan, I recommend it. read more

REBUILT & REOPENED FOR BUSINESS IN NOVEMBER 2017. Temporarily closed due to fire on April 18, 2016. At first glance from the outside, Dairy Circus looks like a very old school and classic drive-in restaurant, which is located across the street from Scotia Glenville High School. Well, it is... Dairy Circus has outside takeout windows with picnic table seating in the back of the building and an indoor counter with booth seating. It feels like a 1980s atmosphere here with no aesthetic updates. Dairy Circus serves up a good variety of ice cream (Blue Bunny and Upstate Farms) & cold treats and typical drive-in fare such as burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, chicken tenders, fish frys, fries, onion rings, fried appetizers, Pepsi fountain drinks, and more. A Breakfast Menu is also served here at 7AM. On a recent drive through Scotia, I stopped in here (mid-March) for lunch, since Jumpin' Jack's across town was not open yet. I ordered a Fish Fry ($4.25), Onion Rings ($2.50), and a Monster (Size) Coffee Shake ($4.45), totaling to $12.10 with tax. The "MONSTER" coffee (44 oz) shake was made to order and served to me quickly and was very good and refreshing, not too thick, made with coffee ice cream and milk. This is the kind of shake I make at home with the blender. And no, there was no energy drink in this"Monster" size shake, though I had a quick thought about adding a can of "Monster" for a nice kick. The hot food was cooked fresh to order which took about 10 minutes to be ready and to be picked up at the counter. Sauces & condiments are self serve. The hot food was good, but nothing really outstanding. The fish fry was a footlong thin round fish fry coated with a very crispy batter served on a toasted hot dog bun. The onion rings, a small portion for the price, were pretty standard, deep fried breaded onion rings, hehe. After I finished lunch, I was still enjoying the Monster Coffee Shake as I continued my drive up Route 147 (Sacandaga Road), which still has a rough concrete road surface. (3.4/5.0 STARS) read more

See all

This ice cream and greasy food not remotely fine dining. Stewart's shops have better ice cream and food, plenty of parking, and clean spaciousness family friendly restrooms. The "legacy" owner is an absolute monster who had ZERO tolerance for a 67 yo gramp with an 8, 6, and 4 yo old who we're fighting in a dining area with two other couples. I've gone here for 33 years and the oldest child was autistic, probably we all had Covid, school starting and his dad just left their home. legacy, privilege owner said I don't care about any of that. I paid CASH only or pay a three percent surcharge for credit ( like to see what IRS says), $18.73 for three gatorades and three novelty popsicles meant for this age group. I told him I'd make him miserable, meaning trashing him and he called the dimwits in Village police who get free food ( I am retired NYSPLieutenant) so go to Stewart's as he has no soul and I always thought their fire was questionable, now I really wonder read more

If you are in need of an excellent local ice cream shop I 100% recommend Dairy Circus. The service, ice cream, and prices are the best around. If you are feeling like ice cream I strongly recommend stopping at Dairy Circus. read more

Been coming here for years, the quality stay the same and the prices haven't changed much in the nearly 20 years I've been eating here.

So darn good! Hot, fresh food delivered with a smile! We got a deluxe cheeseburger, chili dog, onion rings and fries! After that we couldn't walk away without trying the ice cream! By far the best creamy ice cream in the area. I have no idea why there were not lines of people at the window! I think I'll go again tonight! read more

Service is nice but the food is super over charged now. It used to be about 7 to 8 dollars for food, fries and a small drink but now it's $15. read more

Stop in this morning for a breakfast sandwich and home fries. The sausage egg and cheese on a hard roll was ok. It would have been much better with 2 eggs. (A lot of bread) The home fries (order well done) on the other hand are why this is a 2 star review. They were just plain fried potatoes. Not cooked on a flat top, no seasoning, no peppers onions and no charred when cooked on the flat top. Completely bland and flavorless. read more

Dairy Circus - Sausage egg n cheese - New American Near Me - Scotia, New York

See all

Had a quick bite after signing up for some continuing ed courses at Scotia High School. Had a delicious burger and fries. Everything tasted very fresh and the coleslaw on the burger was great. Wasn't crazy about the cheese sauce for the fries, but didn't mind. They don't charge a great deal for the cheese sauce and the amount of fries is enough to share and they still taste great with ketchup. Definitely going back to try some other items. Nice place to stop for a quick meal! read more

Always a good place to grab food, especially breakfast. Great if your on break at the highschool or want something if your in the area.

We go here often in the summertime. The dining area is comfortable and well-maintained, and the staff is incredibly friendly. Also, the menu is diverse enough that you will be able to find something for almost everyone, including vegetarians. read more

I'm just SO happy they rebuilt! We love everything in the menu, we love the people and their catering options and pricing are always wonderful! Delicious and inviting! read more

Ordered a roast beef sub sandwich. It was theworst I've ever had. Very light on the roast beef, american cheese that you can see through. Lots and lots of bread. With any taxes it was $7.51 but in my opinion we got $4.51 worth of bread and paper wrap. You should be ashamed to say this is a sub. read more

Dairy Circus has great specials! I literally buy their potato salad all the time, and serve it at home with our dinner. It tastes exactly like my homemade salad. Their subs are HUGE! Everything is so fresh. The hamburgers are nice, thick and juice. Try this place. It's nice and clean, and the girls that work the counter, are sweethearts!! read more

Really great snack bar and ice cream in Scotia. I love their butterscotch sundae with vanilla soft serve. it is like no other sundae i have ever had, the butterscotch is super rich an tastes like it is homemade. They also offer a decent amount of food options for lunch and dinner like, hamburgers, hot dogs, and fries. Prices seem fair for the amount you get. read more

Wow !! The best home fries I've ever had !! You can also create your own breakfast sandwiches... the place is very clean and the cashier is awesome read more

This is probably a one-time situation, but the way it was handled has made me come to Yelp to post. Our family went in to get ice cream on Saturday and were greeted very kindly at the counter by a young woman. There was another woman working on the orders behind the counter. We placed our orders and waited. I received a cup with cookie dough ice cream and my boyfriend got a chocolate soft serve cone. My boyfriends mom also got a cup of sherbet. All three of the items had one of the staff members fresh blood on the cups, napkins, and cone. We didn't notice it at first until we sat down and I then had the blood all over my hands. I was completely appalled. I brought the items to the counter and the same young woman apologized and said her coworker had just nicked herself. If you were aware of this, why were you serving food while bleeding or without gloves?! She offered to replace our ice cream but we were completely disgusted. They didn't offer to refund our money or anything. I'm still completely grossed out by this occurrence. It was an awful experience. read more

Very friendly. Great prices and quick service. Environment is clean both inside and outside.

Ordered chili dog and onion rings 6 bucks carryout. Chili dog had no chili - do i need to say more read more

The place is hot. Like on fire. Right now. It's closed indefinitely. Gonna miss this place. RIP.

What a great local place! Great burgers and pastrami to die for! Fantastic staff. Disclosure: I'm sweet on Jennifer!

Been eating at Dairy circus for a while now and burgers, fry, fish, ice cream all have solid flavor. Prices are decent to the amount of food recieved. The employees are always a joy and positive. The looks are fun in color on the outside and we'll decorated on the inside. Great place for a family lunch! read more

Love there food!!!!Clean nice little restaurant with amazing boneless wings and eggplant fries.

Does not serve cone ice cream if you want sprinkles and dip combined anymore. Hiring underage(below 18) workers with no culinary skills or career is not a good business strategy. Never buying ice cream again until they serve cone with the works. read more

Average ice cream and fast food style food. No frills. Overall ok.

The best ice cram in Scotia/Glenville. Vastly superior to Jumpin Jacks. Large selection and fast service -- even when there is a line. Their milkshakes are incredible. Make no mistake. This is not a place for ambience just good ice cream. They also serve breakfast and lunch. read more

Rob and Staff - thank you for yesterday (7/13/13). You came highly recommended and it was the first time using your catering services and I can't say enough! The food was delicious the portion sizes where amazing and everyone ranted and raved! Thanks Jennifer read more

This home-town cafe and ice cream stand is clean and has great food! The staff is very friendly and very kid friendly as well. The prices are affordable. read more

The food is great! However the area wasn't the best, almost witnessed a fight, The Children in this establishment have no manners!

Stopped here for lunch. Got a Deluxe Burger with a small fry and a side of Potato Salad. Great quick meal on my lunch break. Potato salad was fresh and great! Will be back soon. read more