Red’s Dogs and Cones

Every small town needs a great place for a sandwich and an ice cream treat, and Red’s is IT in Gowanda. No wonder the lot is always full on a summer evening, just like the night we stopped in a few weeks ago. The walk up window is very convenient but don’t miss out on a chance to see photos of historic Gowanda inside the dining room. I’m told the pics rotate on a regular basis.

Came across this place on our drive down to Lakewood, NY for a wedding. We were in search of lunch and this place hit the spot! This place is very clean and cute! My husband & I ordered cheeseburgers and then shared a regular fry. Burgers were cooked perfectly! Hot & juicy with just enough toppings! The crinkle cut fries were good too! After we gobbled down everything, we headed to the ice cream window! We decided to share a «razzle» which is like a blizzard. I wanted reese pieces and my husband wanted a peanut butter cup. Since we couldn’t agree, the girl taking our order said «I’ll just put both in it»! Great idea! It was so good! The ice cream was nice and creamy and she didn’t go light on the reese’s or the peanut butter cups! We devoured the whole thing quickly!!! We would definitely stop in here again when we are in that area next!

The food is of good quality. Everything is fresh and delicious no greasy meals here. The staff is friendly and helpful. The owner always greets everyone and thanks them for coming. My husband has been in rehab near Reds and I get him a dinner there every time I visit. The staff recognizes me and always ask how he is doing. This is a must stop if in the Gowanda area.

Lee and I were hiking in the nearby Deer Lick Conservation area, and although we’d packed a lunch, we were hankering for some ice cream. We’d driven by this place on the way in, so we decided to stop.
Contrary to previous reviews, they don’t just have Turkey Hill ice cream. They also have frozen custard, which is pretty much my favorite thing ever. If you are unaware of the difference, let me educate you.
Frozen custard has a higher percentage of egg yolk and butterfat than ice cream. It is not soft serve, which uses a chemical process, but can be served like soft serve because it has a higher melting point.
So, you get all the benefits of soft serve while getting the yumminess of ice cream. Red’s only has chocolate and vanilla, but that’s okay, they do have the hard ice cream if you want other flavors.
They have a good variety of toppings and options. I decided to go with a Mexican sundae, which I’d never encountered before. It’s a sundae with Spanish peanuts. I added caramel sauce to it. Lee got his favorite, a banana split, and it was huge! I helped him finish his, and one of the things that was excellent about it was it had a perfectly ripe banana.
So, we’d ordered at the outside window, but it was a bit windy, so we headed inside. This is where this place goes from «yeah a pretty good place» to ‘wow’ for me.
The inside looks like a typical diner, with other ordering areas. After seeing the dogs one can order, I was almost sad that we’d already eaten lunch. The business owner was there with some locals, and he saw us and asked us if we were from around here. We told him we were just visiting for the day, going for a hike and so on. He was so pleased that we’d stopped in, he shook our hands and thanked us. The other people there in the dining room were incredibly friendly, they treated us like locals.
So if you’re headed to the Zoar Valley or Deer Lick, or just passing through the area, make sure you stop here. The frozen custard is great, and you’ll be treated like family!

This is the best dog and cone shop in all of Gowanda. I have tried to photograph both the dogs and the cones but it is hard to get them to stay still long enough. I ended up having my uncle come down from Tonawanda to help out, he is a tranquility master and was able to sooteh the dogs and relax the cones into a peaceful slumber. Needless to say, I was able to take that photograph and have submitted it to food and wine magazine and awaiting response. My uncle, the tranquility master, also noted how clean the restaurant was. My mother in-​law, after speaking with my uncle, agreed. Come for the dogs, stay for the clean.

Really nice people, cheap prices! But nothing special when it comes to food. Everything is just heated up ex) hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, etc. nothing is fresh or homemade. Ice cream is good but just Turkey Hill brand.

Very friendly and prompt service! Excellent hotdogs and ice cream selections. Fun summer place– not expensive.