Union Dairy is over 100 years old and is a favorite among the locals. Great staff ready to give you wonderful recommendations. Atmosphere was great and makes you feel like you walked into simpler times. They offer over 15 different ice cream flavors; Pretzel City, Turtle Sundae, Hot Fudge Sundae, Banana Wheel, Root Beer Float and so much more. As well as, variety of great food; Willie Burger, Union Dairy Burger, Chicago Style Dog, Little Guy Burger and much more. I stopped here with my large family and relatives to enjoy good ice cream. We had Rocky Road, Blue Moon, Pirate Booty and few others. Everything tasted good and fresh. Next time you come to Freeport, stop by and enjoy some delicious food and creamy Ice Cream. I recommend stopping here with your family and afterwards stop by the famous Lincoln Douglas Debate Statue. For more great content, check out YouTube.com/@AbroadTravel read more

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Always a treat when visiting Freeport. Local gem right by the historic landmark. Easy in and out - like walking the area with a cone in hand. read more

Would rate zero if possible. Waited in the line for over 10 min, was told to sit down and someone would take our order. Sat for another 20min and just got ignored by every single employee. One employee finally walked by, ignored us then helped the old people who had just sat down. Would never even attempt it again. read more

The icecream is great! Service has always been great. Sometimes there's a bit of a wait, but that's only due to high customer volumes! Could be considered a little pricey by some, but portions to price ratio is great! read more

Website said grlll hour mon thru friday 11- 6 We were there tuesday at 4:40 - no grill. Covid is over - lets go back to how it use to be. Not a fun place to stop anymore read more

Service was HORRIBLE. Really wanted to like this place. Arrived w a group and gave them plenty of notice (weeks). They had the back room completely reserved for us. Waited anywhere from 10-60 min just to have our orders taken. Waited over an hour for our food (it never came) after waiting 30 min to get our order taken. Meanwhile, other tables got food before us, or got half orders. We were very kind and understood delays but after one of us brought all the issues up w an employee, who wouldn't let us talk to a manager, we were basically told to eff off. At that point those of us who weren't served offered to settle up for drinks and cancelled our order. It was total chaos. No one knew what they were doing. Might be a good place if not w a group, but we will never find out. Won't got there again. read more

Union Dairy is Open! Service was great and I had Superman ice cream. Yum This is always a favorite and never disappoints read more

very good ice cream but no shake is worth $10! Out of control. im an ice cream snob and rate the shake a 9. Service 6. Cleanliness 5. This based on 1-10 with 10 being best. read more

Next to a park commemorating the Lincoln Douglas debates. What a gem. An absolute celebration of Americana. An Art Deco building housing a restaurant and Ice Cream shop. Burgers, melts, shakes, and cones. Friendly service and even the curbs are decorated. This is the kind of place I grew up around and in. In these troubled times it made me feel good to know that this type of place still exists. Everyone should visit Freeport, if only to get some ice cream. It's only open seasonally, so jump in the car and go, Now.!!! read more

Why is there a sign hanging in Union Dairy that says "sadly due to government handouts no one wants to work anymore. Therefore we are short-staffed. Please be patient with the staff that did choose to come to work today"? I'm puzzled how the owner/manager can hang such a sign when the employees they typically hire are high school kids who are most certainly NOT eligible for unemployment benefits. Perhaps Union Dairy should pay a liveable wage and they wouldn't have such trouble finding employees. The sign is offensive and should be taken down. If you are short-staffed, just say you are short-staffed. Don't lie and blame it on government handouts (didn't Union Dairy get a BIG government handout during the pandemic? Yes, I do believe they did! read more

I give the Union Dairy 5 stars due the nostalgic experience when visiting this historic ice cream shop. The ice cream is good. Service was great considering how busy they were. I love that it hasn't changed over the years. read more

Union Dairy - Coconut sundae - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Freeport, Illinois

It's a delightful little place. I love the 50s theme and music. My burger was delicious. I ordered the Bacon Ranch Burger and it was worth every penny. The staff was so friendly as well. I'd name the employees who provided great service to us but it would be almost all the staff there. We will be back! read more

Delicious ice cream at a very cute place, right next to the Lincoln and Douglas debate Square. There's a nice statue of those two men in the Square. But meanwhile, back to the ice cream, I am allergic to dairy, so I had lemon sorbet with hot fudge. It was delicious. And all of my traveling companions loved their ice cream's. read more

Union Dairy - a red car parked in front of a dairy dairy - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Freeport, Illinois

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Our family stopped in on Saturday, 4/27/24 for an ice cream treat in honor of our recently departed father. Pops always enjoyed the Union Dairy and would have been extremely disappointed in the experience that we had on Saturday... When we arrived, the line was 25-30 people deep outside the door. We arrived at approximately 2:45. We had 9 people in our party. Once we finally got inside and it was our turn to order that is where things went terribly wrong. The first person in our party to order merely ordered a cone and a nice young man took care of that. Then, Quita (I believe that was her name) insisted that 1 Union Dairy employee would take our other 8 orders and that she would be that person. Quita immediately proceeded to disappear for a minimum of 20 minutes while taking no orders. Our group watched at least 30 people that were in line behind us order, get served, pay and either sit down or leave. Once Quita finally reappeared, several members of our group expressed our displeasure with the ineptness in which the orders of our group were handled. I should really say our displeasure with how our group was ignored while 30 others made their way through. Quita responded, with quite a bit of attitude, that she had to get the next shift started. She also made comments to others about how unreasonable we were being. She somewhat instructed another employee to take care of our order. We saw this young man walk in while we were waiting to order and he did a good job in trying to get our orders as quickly as possible. Shortly after Quita instructed the young man, she went to the back, reappearing with food in a bag that she was obviously taking home. No apology from Quita for her mishandling of our group. Just a poor attitude and some snide comments. WE WILL NOT BE BACK due to Quita and we have been going for nearly 25 years... read more

The ice cream is amazing..great taste, very inviting atmosphere to be in. Ice cream looks amazing. Love this place. Good service

We stopped here two out of the three days I was in town, and the only reason I didn't stop by that third day was because I was overly stuffed from dinner. Be forewarned... their "kiddie" scoop is a true single scoop, their "single" scoop is really a double scoop, their "double" is a triple... and so on. I was shocked at how enormous the portions were. Their ice cream comes from a nearby Wisconsin creamery of which the name escapes me at the moment, but OMG. The first visit, I tried the After Dinner Mint. They had, I think, 3 varieties of what you'd consider a mint-chocolate type flavor... but I loved how unique this one was. Mint-flavored ice cream with chocolate and mint flakes. My almost-2-year-old daughter loved it -- yes, a toddler who loves mint ice cream. She enjoys our mint toothpaste, so I wasn't shocked about that. The second visit, I had the Blueberry Waffle Cone flavor... vanilla with a blueberry swirl and pieces of chocolate dipped waffle cone dispersed throughout. Sadly, I did not learn my lesson from the first visit and unwisely ordered a single scoop... and couldn't finish it. I mourn the ice cream that did not get devoured. read more

Everyone raves about Union dairy. We went and I enjoyed a cone. The scoops are too big and the wait was too long. However the ice cream was excellent- Also very expensive. Equivalent to Oberwies dairy in suburbs. read more

Good ice cream I guess. The service was terrible. They had barely any staff for the amount of customers, so to even order it took 5 years. I aged 47 years while sitting and waiting for my food. Then, another 25 years to get my milk shake. I am a pretty patient person, but this put me to the test. If you end up coming here make sure you clear you entire schedule for the day, shit maybe even the week. read more

The ice cream is good and, while more expensive than the absurdly cheap prices of yesteryear, still a great value. The single cone was huge; it's hard to find that much ice cream for that price anywhere. I highly recommend the salted caramel 100th anniversary commemorative flavor, though they have a wide selection from which to choose. read more

Great place for food, ice cream and fun! Love the atmosphere and music!

Awesome lunch in a retro diner! This place is impossible to resist, which is probably true of the locals, too, judging from the crowd that was coming in and out for to-go orders. The front is an old-style diner, brightly decorated in red and white, a long, curving counter with chrome and vinyl stools, and a huge stainless steel fountain that runs the length of the counter. A separate freezer for ice cream cones/sundaes is on the other end of the dining room. There is also a separate room in the back of the store, with plenty of booths for Dobie and Zelda after school. The walls are covered with vintage advertising (some of which looks suspiciously reproduction, but who cares?) and a huge sign in the window that advises they serve Cedar Crest Ice Cream. Ironically, Cedar Crest makes ice cream back home, not that far from home. One might think it silly to drive over two hours to have ice cream that I can buy in the freezer at Pick 'n' Slave, but the grocery store just doesn't have the atmosphere. Nor a Chicago style hot dog and a malt. read more

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Excellent ice cream. They even have great sugar free options. Their customer service is wonderful as well. I highly recommend.

Stopped by with my daughter for ice cream. Tried the taffy apple sundae and she got a scoop of cotton candy. Very nice place. Was surprised that there was a place like this in Freeport. Will most definitely be back. read more

Stumbled upon this place last weekend and boy and i happy i did! The entire place is so charming and decor is to the nines with ice cream items and old fashioned diner type stuff. There's so many options for ice cream choices, sundaes, and a whole list of different ways to try them. I got the Freeport Pretzel and it was unreal! I cannot wait to have another one AND try something else. They do serve food and everything on the menu looked great however we had just eaten prior and wanted something sweet. Definitely definitely recommend this place !!! read more

Union Dairy - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Freeport, Illinois

Ok where do you go when its 90 degrees out and want to relive your childhood? The Union Dairy of course. This is the real deal. From the neon signs outside to the indoor red counters and bar stools you know you have made it to a piece of Americana. There are so many flavors of Cedar Crest Ice Cream to choose from that i couldn't even decide - and by the way its a bit ironic that this Illinois establishment serves Wisconsin ice cream but hey it means they have good taste. Order your favorite in line at the ice cream bar or sit at the large U-shaped counter and order up from the menu (they do have more than just ice cream). But if you are super hungry get the Pig Order - 12 scoops of ice cream heaven. I didn't opt for that but instead got a classic single scoop chocolate chip cookie dough. And oh my gosh then it was gone! what happened? i gobbled up that delicious summer treat before you i could scream for more ice cream. No worries as there is always more. Staff was friendly, helpful and prompt (all young-in's mostly) but nice as pie in these parts of town. if you want to refresh outside there's lots of outdoor seating or you can hang out in the park just steps away. So glad i dropped in for a cool-down. There aren't many places like this one any more. Don't miss your chance to appreciate this special place that is more than 100 years old now. read more

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Great ice cream, manager got snippy with us because we didn't observe the lines on the floor . Too many rules . Kids getting orders were not trained right . I'll probably be back because the ice cream is amazing, hope it's better managed and staffed . Don't talk down to your customers young man , bad for business. read more

Great hard scooped ice cream. Variety of choices! At the landmark "Lincoln Douglas Debate!"

I loved Union Dairy! Food was great and staff was very helpful and friendly. Super cute little diner style counter and decorations. I just appreciate the very admirable effort to maintain a place like this. We did have to wait a little while for the food to arrive at our table but not long enough to make me grumpy (or remove a star). The burgers and fries and banana splits were really, really good. And this is a locally owned business. Check out Union Dairy if you are in Freeport- it's worth it. read more

The ice cream is fabulous but the service leaves a lot to be desired. To say the staff moved in first gear would be generous. It shouldn't take 7 minutes to make a banana split. We ended up ordering scoops of ice cream so that we didn't have to be there forever. May either want to hire more workers or get some staff that can actually do there job efficiently. read more

It's a cute little shop. We only got ice cream and you get a lot for the money. The kids behind the counter were very efficient. Only down side was there were mosquitoes inside the shop. Only because there was a line out the door yeah it's that popular. read more

A family favorite! They've always been the hangout for desserts, but they made a great decision adding the grill years ago! Burgers are They're having some staffing issues so it's a little slow lately but worth the wait, our server last time was stellar!! read more

Very good variety of ice cream flavors. Favorite is black walnut. A favorite place for my grandchildren.

Unfortunately our experience was quite unpleasant. Reading the reviews and history made this place seem like a gem! However, when we arrived, we found an extremely dirty and unsanitary environment. Within 15 minutes of arriving my one year old son vomited all of the lemonade he was drinking all over the counter, seat and floor. We cleaned the area the best with could with paper towels but staff did not come over to properly sanitize the area... a few feet from their food prep area. Additionally, we watched as multiple staff members stuck their fingers in various floats, food and ice cream then directly serve those items to customers. Not once or twice- I'm talking multiple orders tainted by multiple hands of at least 4 employees. I also saw the same number of staff members wipe their hands on their jeans, shirts and aprons and not once wash their hands. Upon returning home, my wife started vomiting that lasted about 24 hours and so did I. It felt like this place made my family sick and is in need of a refresher on food prep practices. Would not recommend to anyone. read more

They should be ashamed. I went there yesterday to get 2 burgers for takeout. The wait wasn't too bad when I first walked in, 2 couples in front of me getting ice cream and one picking up an order. I placed my order for 2 burgers, cheeseburger and Union Dairy burger. The girl/teenager at the cashier seemed upset I wasn't leaving a tip but I normally don't when getting takeout, the waitstaff literally has nothing to do other than hand me the takeaway bag. The place quickly started becoming busy, and I saw several couples at the diner counter get food while I was waiting, people that came in long after I placed my order. One girl with braces was helpful, I don't recall her name, but she asked the manager to come over as I had been waiting so long. The manager asked what was wrong, I let her know I had been waiting a very long time for my 2 burgers. She told me it would be 5 more minutes. Others were complaining as well but neither she nor anyone else seemed to care less. After at least 10-15 minutes my burgers were brought out and she handed them to me. She asked if I had paid. I told her yes I had or I would have left a long time ago. The only reason I hadn't walked out is I was starving, didn't want to have to try and fight through the mob of screaming, unruly kids to try and get some snotty, inconsiderate bitchy teenager to try and figure out how to refund me. The staff overall were extremely rude, except the very nice girl with braces, the customer service was appalling. And to top it off the burgers were a joke. $20 for a cheeseburger missing the lettuce, tomato, pickles, everything, yet SOAKED in ketchup and mustard. The Union burger sans grilled mushrooms and maybe one or 2 little slices of onion, and it ALSO was absolutely SOAKED in ketchup and mustard. We both ended up throwing out our buns as they were drenched and mush. This place may have great ice cream per other reviewers but their customer service is appalling, and $20 for 2 so called burgers and an hour long wait was ridiculous. Burger King would have served me better food and very likely by much more polite and considerate staff. read more

This place is a gem. I walked in and was immediately enamored with the design and old 60's diner feel. If your in town or passing through take the time to pop in and set at the counter and enjoy some delicious food and even better deserts! read more

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Old time old fashioned ice cream shop. Bring around of 100 years. Favorite place to visit when in Freeport...

Which do you want first, the good news or the bad news? GOOD NEWS: The Historic Union Dairy, located near the site of the Lincoln-Douglas debates deserves 5 stars based solely on being an ice cream parlor BAD NEWS: If you order food here, you're in for an experience that is worth LESS THAN TWO STARS. The food is NOT GOOD and it is way overpriced. Now that we've got that out of the way, let me tell you about the Union Dairy. It was founded in 1914, but the feel is classic '50s & 60's. The walls are white with red vertical stripes, and the old fashioned soda fountain countertops are red with round red padded stools. Classic 60's music plays throughout the inside and even out in front of the building where there are six tables and two benches where you can enjoy your frozen delicious treats on warm summer days. On my first visit, I heard Daydream Believer by the Monkees and Little Darlin' by the Diamonds. Union Dairy serves only Cedar Crest Ice Cream which is made at a creamery right here in Freeport, IL! Cedar Crest, IMHO, is one of the creamiest ice creams around! They serve a wide variety of flavors, which makes it difficult to choose, but they will give you as many free tastes as you need to make up your mind. I had never had Cedar Crest ice cream before so it took several tastes my first time to decide which were my favorites, but I wouldn't abuse the privilege now that I am more familiar with their offerings. I have liked all the flavors I have tried. So far, my favorites are Coconut, Blue Moon (almond), Elephant Tracks (chocolate ice cream with pieces of peanut butter cups and chocolate fudge swirls), Mackinac Island Fudge (Vanilla with fudge pieces and chocolate butter fudge swirls), Play Doh (almond with pieces of sugar cookie dough), and Pirates Booty (caramel ice cream with m&m's and chocolate sandwich cookies). I have also tried tastes of the orange pudding ice cream and the cinnamon ice cream and they were good, too. They also serve sundaes, banana splits, milkshakes, malts, and ice cream sodas. On another visit we ordered food and a chocolate malt. The malt was thick, creamy, and very tasty; they served it in a glass, and then delivered the extra in the tall metal cup that it had been mixed in - bonus points for that. NOW for the not so pretty part of the review. We tried eating dinner at the grill portion of the Union Dairy and it WAS NOT a happy experience. Our waitress was lovely; she was friendly, feisty (in a good way) and provided EXCELLENT customer service. The problem was with the food. They advertise that their burgers are hand formed which may be the case but they are tiny; they are dwarfed by a normal sized bun, and all of them were way overcooked. The burgers ranged in price from $4.35 for a regular hamburger to $6.10 for the Willy Burger ($10.95 if you wish to double the burger, bacon, & cheese), but the quality was on the level with Hardees and far below an In-n-Out burger, and was priced far higher. One of my friends ordered a cheeseburger with a small handful of sweet potato fries ($4.95+$2.65=$7.60) which was totally not worth the cost (see posted pic). I can get a gourmet gastropub burger and fries for that price. I ordered the Willy Burger which came with bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle, ketchup, mustard, mayo, and your choice of cheese (American, cheddar, or Swiss) with french fries ($6.10+$1.79=$7.89). Honestly, except for the bacon, it was the same basic burger and fries that you can get at In-n-Out for under $4. My other friend ordered the Chicago style hot dog which he said was nothing special. We all agreed we'd NEVER return for the food, even if someone offered to treat us - just not good. So just how can I justify giving this place five stars if the food is AWEFUL? Well, it is only listed on Yelp as an ice cream parlor, not a restaurant, and yes, the ice cream and the atmosphere is just that good. The ice cream parlor portion of the Union Dairy is an absolute must not be missed stop if you're anywhere in the vicinity of Freeport, IL, but if you're hungry enough to want dinner just remember you've been warned. read more

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If you find yourself in Freeport Illinois for whatever reason, make it better by stopping at the Union Dairy. It's a time warp back to a 1950 soda shop, complete with marble counter tops and tiny two seater iron tables. The sparkling clean dairy serves GIANT ice cream cones (one Freeport scoop = 34 Chicago scoops) for a tiny price. 50 fresh flavors--some standard, some wacky. The teenage girls working here are sweet and efficient. *******BEWARE! THEY CLOSE FROM OCTOBER-MARCH********* I understand they have a full menu as well---check back for more on that later. read more

This ice cream is hands down one of the best, if not THE best, I've ever had. We were visiting from Northern California Bay Area, which is a hot spot for artisanal... well, everything, but ice cream is one of the more popular items to be artisanal about. Most places there have great quality ice cream (hand churned, slow churned, in the back room churned) in fancy or posh flavors, such as basil or earl grey, something that is oriented towards a crowd that likes to think of itself as haute couture and the like. However, Union Diary blows them out of the water in two ways: 1) It is amazing ice cream. The texture, quality, and flavors are those of ice cream out of the imagination and fairy-tale land where children are lured to their deaths with ice cream this enticing. And, 2) It stands for what ice cream fundamentally represents to me, which includes family, happiness, and simple joy. I love how unassuming their options are, with black cherry and whatever that neon blue flavor is called as clear favorites among other guests. In addition, the traditional ice cream bar setting only accentuates their longstanding history with ice cream (100 year anniversary!). All in all, I love that Union Dairy is a place where ice cream is not really art, it's heart. read more

Union Dairy is set up like an old-fashioned '50s ice cream parlor / soda shop. Y'know, the kind of place high school kids are always hanging out at in movies or TV shows that are set in the past. I half-expected duck-tailed greasers and poodle-skirted bobby soxers to be milling about, sipping milkshakes and calling things "swell." But alas, real life is less cliched than our idealized depictions of the mid-20th century, and I had to content myself with modern-day people-watching. Drag, man. I ordered the Lincoln/Douglas Burger (kudos to Union Dairy for playing up their proximity to the debate site), which was topped with Havarti cheese, sinus-clearing amounts of horseradish, and too much ketchup and mustard. It was alright, but nothing life-changing. Nice to see that they use local beef and cheese in their burgers, though. For dessert, my boyfriend and I shared the Razz-A-Mac Sundae: Mackinac Island Fudge ice cream topped with raspberries, whipped cream, pecans, and a cherry. It was crazy, you dig? I mean, this sundae was the MOST, Daddy-O! One bite and we was gone, REAL gone! ...Oh, sorry. I don't usually speak in outdated '50s beatnik slang when I get excited, but the sundae was incredible and I guess I just got swept away by all of Union Dairy's nostalgia. It won't happen again. In summation: have a burger if you like, but you've GOT to have the ice cream. And don't forget to roll a pack of cigarettes in your shirtsleeve. read more