Best thing: The authentic, nostalgic walk-up stand atmosphere from the 60s and 70s, paired with generous, plentiful portions that offer great value for your money. Review: Dairy Kurl is a charming, retro-style ice cream stand that perfectly preserves a classic 1960s and 1970s vibe. Visiting feels like stepping back in time, offering a wonderful, authentic alternative to massive corporate dessert chains. It features a classic walk-up exterior window where you order before sitting down with family at the nice picnic tables located out front and to the side. While there is no indoor seating--meaning you will be dealing with the Florida heat and humidity--it is all part of the fun of getting a summer treat. Despite online complaints about a strict cash-only policy and massive lines, they accepted cards during our visit, and the service was incredibly fast with no wait when we stopped by later at night after dinner. The counter staff did an excellent job crafting our order, making the ice cream plentiful and ensuring we absolutely got our money's worth. With a vast selection of choices and quick service, it is a fantastic spot for a post-dinner treat. Cons: Parking and access can be a bit tricky, as you may have to make a U-turn depending on the direction you are driving from. There is also no indoor air-conditioned seating, which means eating outside in the heat. Thumbs up / Thumbs down: Thumbs Up! (Will definitely go back the next time we are in Clearwater). read more

Every time we visit Clearwater we get ice cream at Dairy Kurl! Best around hands down!!

3rd attempt to get a vanilla cone and third time I struck out, this time they were out of it.

This old school ice cream stand is so cute! We love stopping by for a sweet treat. It is classic ice cream flavors with mix-ins, root beer floats, and sundaes! The staff is always nice and the vibe is very 50's. It is perfect for a date night or for the whole family! read more

The server was great but the milk shake was not what I expected. I got a large black and white shake and it was not sweet, could not drink with the straw and just not flavorful. I was disappointed. They do have many other desserts and it is a fun place to park outside and have a sweet treat. read more

AMAZING Absolutely LOVEEEEE dairy Kurl it's amazing. The service is great. It looks old because it is, but you can't judge a book by its cover so go try it now. It's such a cute little ice cream shop. The ice cream is amazing, I got a small vanilla cone dipped in chocolate. The chocolate didn't really harden but it doesn't matter because it's amazing. 100% would come again! read more

First time stopping by this historic ice cream shop. I got a medium Kandy Kurl with chocolate soft serve, Oreos and gummy bears. It was excellent and the portion was huge! Highly recommend the Dairy Kurl if you're in Clearwater. read more

Delicious ice cream at this Clearwater landmark. I've been coming here for 25 years. BCk when my kids were little, this was the go-to and it's changed little since then. Nothing fancy, and only 2 tightly packed picnic tables. Good spot to buy the cones, then sit in the car. Service is slow, prices are about average. Ice cream is super cold, creamy and dense. You really don't need much more. read more

Dairy Kurl - Vanilla chocolate twist with sprinkles - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

Right off the road, this place still manages to have a nice diner-inspired vibe. I've been here many times and always have good service from the staff (who definitely don't skimp on toppings!). I've also tried lots of different desserts and flavor combinations--they have a large selection--and have left happy every time. Hands down one of the best ice cream spots in the area. read more

Dairy Kurl - Nutella milkshake - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

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My black and white (vanilla chocolate swirl) milkshake with malt was a 10/10. Those combos are often not available at other places. Malt was an extra dollar. Wish I lived in the area so I could try all the other items. The Nutella milkshake looks awesome too. The old school styrofoam cup kept it cold the whole drive home! read more

This is a cute little corner ice cream shop. They have been in business since 1953. Delicious creamy ice cream. I had a small hot fudge sundaes. So good Sabrina who works there is a very sweet and kind person. read more

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if you are looking for a classic ice cream stand look now further. Dairy Kurl is a dime. Seems like it hasn't changed in 70 years and that's a great thing. Great spot to stop after a long day at the beach or just because your in the mood for a chocolate vanilla swirl. Great place! read more

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What happened to this place? The soft serve is nothing special and it certainly is not worth the ridiculous wait. Seriously understaffed. One person working on a Sunday late afternoon. Line around the building. Cashier/food prepper takes one order at a time, closes window, makes food, delivers food to the other window, repeats. Handling money and food. Tables are covered in filth. So, don't plan to sit down and eat. If not for a promise to a toddler we would have left like several others that couldn't take the line. Never again. read more

Yes! Highly recommend coming here for ice cream. Portion sizes are huge perfect for sharing. I'll definitely recommend others to come here and Ill be having to come here on my next trip back. Service was also great, quick and super friendly. read more

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I have been coming to this place literally for my whole life. It's the first ice cream place I ever loved. I went to school with kids from the Wellman family who owned the store for many decades. I'm a life-long fan. That being said... I'm not totally sure about the new change in ownership. The last 3 times I have been there, there was been one person working. She takes a bunch of orders, and then makes the orders -- and not really with any sense of urgency. Even with only 8-10 people in line, the wait seems like forever. Tonight it look so long that we waited about 10 minutes and then gave up and left and went to Dairy Queen. It was hot, we were getting CHEWED UP by mosquitos, and there was no end in sight to our wait. The ice cream is still good, and the prices are still fair -- but they really need to staff up for summer. I'll think twice about stopping if there is anyone in line. It's really a 2-star experience, but I'm giving an extra for purely nostalgic reasons. read more

Over- priced ice cream with bugs in it. Go to culvers or Andy's for a frozen custard. read more

We have been a long time customer of Dairy Kurl have noticed some obvious changes. The staff is very unfriendly and could care less if you are there as a customer. They closed sign goes up 5-10 min before closing time. The whip cream machine has been broken for months, the portions are skimpy, and they make mistakes all of the time. Tonight they practically threw the ice cream order out of the window. We will try again, but our relationship Might be over soon. Sad because the ice cream is good. read more

It'd be nice if they could be open past 9:15 on a night when they're supposed to be open till 10pm. Can we get some new employees in here who want to work their whole shift? Somehow ice cream machine is already shut down at 9pm. The second weekend in a row this has happened, had it not, they would've gotten a better review. read more

although Dairy Kurl is good, the server could've been better. I love Dairy Kurl! One of the best ice cream places I've ever been to. I'm just commenting on the service. We got there at 7:59 and got in line. But apparently we were too late because the waiter looked at us and said to the person in front of us they were the last order because it closed at 8:00 but the website says it closed at 10:00 we found this to be very rude that she closed the window right in our face. Also, I find quite weird that she could not serve one more order, Also nobody was behind us. She saw us coming and didn't care. I would recommend this place for the quality of the food but not the service. I am not impressed. read more

We're visiting from Ohio and were driving back to Orlando from the beach. This mom and pop shop caught our eye and we stopped. Everything we ordered was really good. We had a chocolate vanilla swirl sundae with pb and hot fudge sauce and Oreo topping. The vanilla peanut butter milkshake was also good. read more

Dairy Kurl - Chocolate vanilla swirl sundae with peanut butter, hot fudge and Oreo - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

Terrible Service I will preface this by saying that I am a very patient and understanding customer. We very rarely complain and I have never walked out of a restaurant due to poor service. We stopped here at around 6:00 pm to get ice cream. The open sign was on but there were no people around. The service windows were closed. We could see inside and could not see anyone. We waited around thinking maybe someone would come to the window. Eventually my grandson and I walked around the building and I looked in the front window to see if I could see anyone. I saw two girls in the back chatting, they noticed me and came to the service window. They immediately told me how rude that was to look in the window, that there was a bell at the window which I didn't see, and that to be honest it felt very creepy. I tried to explain we had been there for 15 min just waiting for someone to take our order. They continued to argue with me how that was my own fault. I did not feel comfortable having them take my order. We went down the road to Rita's, had excellent service, ironically by 2 young girls about the same age. I will not return to this establishment read more

I was craving soft serve, so I figured I'd try this place. Pulled up and walked to the window and order, since the family standing by was still talking and deciding what they wanted. Placed my order, large chocolate cone, and stepped to the next window and received my cone in short order. I took it back to my car. As I sat there, I watched their process. They seem to have it in good order. Fast order placing and filling of orders. Their menu, posted outside on their wall was clear and clean. I just walked past because I knew what I wanted. If they would freshen up the serving area it would be a 5 star for me. Staff was very nice as well. read more

We always see this place packed. I'm not a big ice cream person but hubby is. We'd been out to dinner with friends and on the way home stopped here for a sweet treat. Place is so cute and has all the old fashion, small town vibes. I loved it!!!! Had the hot fudge sundae and it was amazing. I'm not sure how you can go wrong with a hot fudge sundae ....lol. Just saying it's a really cool place with some good soft serve ice cream. read more

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Yummy, reasonably prices soft ice cream! Some people made a whole night it and brought food and drinks! Family time was fun with watch!

This place is a Clearwater landmark, built in 1953 Dairy Kurl links the generations with its iconic 1950s style architecture and soft serve ice cream. For years I have enjoyed coming to Dairy Kurl. Over the past 4 years I have observed several upgrades from removing weeds, paving the lot and painting the exterior. Recent visits reflect all of these upgrades. What has remained constant is the nostalgia of the soft serve ice cream cone and the cool wonderful flavor. Health reports indicate issues of age such as broken mop sinks etc. Nothing super big. While the exterior is fine I get the feeling in reading health reports that they need to invest in the building. A few years ago there was rumors that the city was attempting to force them out of business. I am not sure of the accuracy of this but on Change.org an online petition to save the Dairy Kurl was started. All I know for sure is that it is still in operation and I still like their soft serve Ice cream. I wish they would have an old car show on site or give a discount if you drive a Classic car. This would add to the experience. No matter I am good just enjoying this iconic building and restaurant from a time gone by. When in the area stop by. The locals seem to love it which means alot. I just enjoy the simple pleasure of a soft serve cone at an affordable price with no delays. Stop by some time. I am confident you will be glad that you did. read more

The best soft serve in Clearwater. The staff is friendly and kind. Easy to order and quick service. read more

Dairy Kurl - an ice cream cone with sprinkles - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

I am giving the lm a start because I could not give them zero. I just got here 40 minutes before they close and the employees behind the counter told me and another customer they are close but while I was on my car getting the address for another place this people arrived and they served them ice cream 3 different cars. This was my first time and last time to come to this garbage of a place.... read more

Despite the less than desirable appearance of the outside, it is a decent place for ice cream treats. Prices are average and so is the friendliness of the staff. No outside menu board makes it challenging to order. No extra napkins so bring your own. read more

Dairy Kurl - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

Awesome classic ice cream shop. It's been around for ever and always so yummy. Very sweet employees, Sam was so helpful and kind. read more

Best ice cream in Pinellas County! The building looks run down but don't let it fool you. Wide variety of shakes, malts, toppings, etc. If you happen to be near Clearwater beach I recommend this place over any overpriced ice cream parlor on the beach. read more

Great! Old school, local spot. We were on vaca and wanted to explore, encouraged by reviews. Swirl cone and root beer float, hit the spot. It's a one man show, requires patience. Employee was friendly and quick, considering it was a busy summer evening! read more

Large selection of milkshakes! Located on busy Gulf to Bay, this little ice cream place is reminiscent of the 1970's.. maybe even 1950's. In the style of Dairy Queen, there is no inside seating. Walk up to the counter window and place your order. The ice cream and shake menu is broad, offering the standard variety of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry as well as interesting options like peanut butter. After placing your order, there are picnic tables under cover where you can sit in the hot humid Florida weather and slurp down your fast melting frozen treat. On a recent occasion we stopped for milk shakes for the kids who order the standard flavors, two vanilla and one chocolate. The shakes were blended to the kids liking and provided the perfect amount of cold for instant brain freeze. I ordered a root beer float with chocolate ice cream. What I got was a root beer float with vanilla ice cream. There was a long line so I took my float and decided to live with the mix up, hey - mistakes happen. Overall this is an ok place, not my first pick for ice cream or a shake but a quick stop if you're heading back from Clearwater Beach down Gulf to Bay. read more

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Unfortunately we weren't able to try the ice cream. We got in line at 9:40 pm and the employee rudely stated they were closed even though the hours online said 10 pm. We realized we had a large group and were planning on leaving a good tip considering the time. Being from out of town we were looking forward to trying a local establishment but we were mostly disappointed in the rude employee. A local standing in line with us notified us that that particular employee often closes early. read more

This place got good Yelp reviews and we didn't want the standard old ice cream place so we went here. The ice cream wasn't the creamy soft serve I was hoping for. It was more like ice milk, but I'm picky about my soft serve. My 9 year old was happy though. read more

They have two flavors- chocolate or vanilla (no twist) at least not today. The menu is difficult to see. I'd highly recommend a menu on the outside wall. They give each customer one tiny napkin and no extras where you can get to them, so ask when you order. Several menu items were not available and the person working the window seemed to really hate his job. On the plus side, the chocolate and vanilla ice cream are pretty good. In general, I'm sorry to say, I think this tired old ice cream stand has seen better days. It could really use an update. read more

I bought a sundae which comes with any topping you'd like for my 4 year-old . Two minutes later, she decided she wanted chocolate syrup. Although I tipped them $5, they charged me for a topping. read more

This place has been around forever and we finally had the chance to check it out. The soft serve icecream is amazing and the service is great. Prices are reasonable. Defense worth the try and a lot better than the chain icecream places. read more

Horrible. Cheap ice cream, dollar store brownies and cheap caramel. The guy servicing was rude too. Waste of time and calories, My husband didn't even eat half. read more

Dairy Kurl is literally the best. It is located in the actual and figurative heart of Clearwater, FL. The faded ice cream cone sign, the red and white paint, the teller's window, the steel picnic benches, the ancient concession stand styled menu board... It is not a state of the art, nor edgy nor modern by any stretch of the imagination. It is not an experimental self serve gluten free frozen yogurt clinic. But it is perfect. Dairy Kurl is woven into the DNA of the locals who have been visiting it since early childhood. The establishment is old than most of its patrons. It is a part of the community. It is a landmark. It is a point of conversation and common ground for "expat" Clearwaterians. It has these pragmatic qualities: Extremely accessible (being right on Gulf to Bay). Parking is very "figure-out-able" (you'll understand when you get there). The quality of ice cream is top notch. They are open late. It can accommodate a large crowd thanks to the very, ahem, open layout. The casual outdoor ambience catalyzes the people in line to tend to socialize with one another. So people aren't put off by a line. My order every single visit: large vanilla malt. It ties with Whities of Davenport, Iowa and Uptown of Missoula, Montana for the best vanilla malt on the planet. Go here. You're welcome. read more

Delicious ice cream! Lots of choices for flavors. I highly recommend the sundae and/or the strawberry ice cream!