Michael’s Frozen Custard

Stopped by with the kids one Friday night. Loved the ambiance, custard was just average.

I still contend that Michael’s is a tad overpriced but on a warm summer night, this spot can’t be beat. Order at the window and eat at one of the tables or walk to nearby Lake Wingra to take in the scenery.

Amazing custard. Do yourself a favor and try one of their signature sundaes– and trust that a ‘small’ will be plenty!
I had the turtle Sundae, and it was LOADED with pecans, fudge, and caramel. They do not skimp on the toppings!
Sure, it costs a bit more at $ 5 for a sundae, but it’s worth it as an awesome treat every time I visit Madison.

way over priced for what you get… prices keep creeping up and neighborhood families can’t afford the prices.

Great place to stop for custard after dinner. I was looking for something a little lighter so got the paradise sundae with pineapple bananas and coconut. Fresh and tasty, custard was thick and creamy.
Service was fast and polite. Will be back!

I’ve only gotten the custard here, which I found mediocre. Surprisingly, I prefer custard from Culver’s! It tastes fine, but is nothing too special.

DO NOT GIVE MICHAEL’S FROZEN CUSTARD YOUR BUSINESS!!!
They call the parking police (who then ticket your car…$ 30 fine) even when, as what happened with us, you go across the street with the intention of getting an ice cream after. AND when we called to ask them why they called the Parking Police they were rude and refused to write a letter stating it was an error. We will never go there EVER again and urge others to boycott them.

I’m feeling sad to write this. This used to be a wonderful spot to grab a hamburger, fries, and ice cream (custard). Today we stopped for hamburgers and fries — sweet potato fries. Very few customers and a long wait at ca 6:30 and the fries tasted rancid. They were willing to refund us. We did not go for any custard and people still seemed to be enjoying the custard. I hope owners and managers see this and turn this place back to the way it used to be.

I will go out on a limb in this review, but only later, after some setup.
About all I get here is the chocolate shake and/​or the turkey burger. I prefer their shakes to Culver’s slightly, because they are a tad bit less-​thick. I know that contradicts what everyone always wants in a shake, but if your tongue and neck muscles go sore and numb from trying to suck Culver’s concrete shake through a straw, it kinda takes the fun out of it. Maybe I should do tongue exercises? I won’t even try to follow that one up! Plus, when Culver’s shakes melt, they start to get a little foamy, which makes me suspicious. Michael’s shakes are just the right consistency to drink while driving around town.
Their turkey burger is usually decent, and is a good-​sized patty. When properly cooked and put together, it is a tasty alternative to the usual beef patty. I get the onion petals, which are a cross between fries and onion rings. Vegetables! Balanced diet!
Now, for that limb…
I’ve had really good turkey burgers from Michael’s, and I’ve had turkey burgers that were undercooked and scary and that I ended up throwing out after a couple of gross, slimy bites, fearing for my health. In both cases, I have observed, without any judgement, that different staff could be associated with different burger outcomes.
In all cases where I was served a well-​cooked and well-​assembled burger, the staff appeared to be from south-​of-​the border. I am given to understand by those in the know that a large percentage of restaurant staff is of Mexican or Central American origin. I made the assumption, from their distinct Latin appearance and relatively thick accents, that this was the case at Michael’s. Also, in those cases, I observed that the service was quick, efficient, and courteous.
On the other hand, in all cases where I was server a horrible, inedible burger, the associated staff was comprised of teenaged white kids. In those cases, the service was slow and inattentive, and the kids could barely put down their iPhones to help me as I stood at the order window. The burgers were haphazardly assembled, and usually of lesser quality generally.
I offer these observations without agenda, and I leave any conclusions for you, Dear Reader, to draw for yourself.

Good food. Prices for the burgers were excellent! I enjoyed the mushroom and provolone, while my husband had a cheeseburger deal. The burgers were pretty big! The custard was delicious! The inside of the restaurant was clean. Staff was friendly. Would definitely go back!

A lactose intolerant person’s worst nightmare. My best friend, especially during a breakup.
This custard joint is truly delightful. They have it all: custard, burgers, hot dogs, and cheese curds.
After revisiting that list of food, I’ll probably go kayaking on Wingra before indulging as to avoid food guilt. :)
But really, this place is the place to be if you want a good burger or an icy treat. It has a drive-​in vibe, with outdoor seating, only basic utensils to gorge on their food, and neon signage. It’s great during the warmer months, but you can always use the drive-​thru if you’re craving comfort food during the colder seasons.

Over priced. Take a drive to Betty’s in mineral point. Shakes for under 2 bucks… like you’re in the 60’s.

I am reviewing Michael’s Frozen Custard, Culver’s, Chocolate Shoppe, and Babcock Ice Cream at the Memorial Union. I was a graduate student at UW from 87 – 89. This is the first time I have been back to Madison since 1989. I actually tried to purchase Michael’s in the early 1990’s when one of the partners passed away. I did not have the capital required at the time, but would have bought it if I had the money. 25 years after grad school, I came back to visit and do a taste test on the local ice cream places in Madison. My choice was a chocolate malt. Here were the results:
1^st Place: Michael’s. By far the best, but also the most expensive. Over $ 6 for an average size malt. They can get away with it based on the local competition.
2^nd Place: Chocolate Shoppe (However, I did not have a chocolate malt there, but turtle sundae ice cream. It was delicious).
3^rd Place: Memorial Union. Do not get a chocolate malt there. They don’t know how to make one. However, tons of people were eating ice cream cones.
4^th Place: Culver’s. I don’t know what this was, but it was not a chocolate malt. Don’t go there for chocolate malts. It may have other good items, but I only got the malt.
Note: I did not try Dairy Queen. However, they typically make very good malts.
Happy Eating!!!

I could give them a five star for taste, but the price is just terrible. Their frozen yogurt is just so good. Sometimes their burgers are on the dry side. They definitely have the best fried cheese curds around. Any time I have a craving this is the place I go to.

I don’t know why I came back to try it again, but I was extremely disappointed with Michael’s custard. The flavor wasn’t as good as Culver’s or even your basic Ben and Jerry’s, and they don’t even have real cookie dough. The prices are also incredibly expensive for the quality/​quantity. I didn’t enjoy it, and would recommend you go elsewhere for frozen custard.

I think they might have run out of salt while I was there. Both the burger and the fries were terribly under seasoned and bland. Certainly not worth the $ 6 that I paid. Also my malt didn’t have nearly enough malt powder in it, but that may just be a matter of personal preference.
Other than that, the burger had a really great sear, with lots of crispy bits, and the old-​timey theme was cute.
I think my boyfriend and I might return just to try the custard, but doubt we will be getting any more food.

I am not a local resident, but I’ve heard of frozen custard from Wisconsin. As soon as I landed at the Dane County Airport, I was in search for this. To my surprise, I couldn’t find many places, I was mainly finding regular ice cream shops and not FROZEN CUSTARD. I was finally recommended by a local to try this place. I had their chocolate frozen custard… amazing! I’ve been to a few ice cream shops and this was probably the best one. The flavors are basic (vanilla and chocolate) compared to Babcock Hall Dairy (University of WI) and Chocolate Shoppe (Downtown Madison), but Michael’s frozen custards are much more creamy, thick, and rich in flavor.

This might be the best use of fat since the invention of bacon.

This review is limited to our experience getting custard here as we got no other food. The place is a good, typical old frozen custard shack as seen in this region, the custard we had was certainly good but, aside from being limited in flavours it lacked in character and especially texture when compared to all other custard places I’ve been to like Leon’s in Milwaukee, Ted Drewes in St. Louis, or Culver’s. I particularly put strong emphasis on texture when judging my ice cream or frozen custard and this custard seemed to have a weaker, less creamy texture that was less like what I expect frozen custard to be like. That said, it was still enjoyable, perhaps because I inherently love frozen custard. Service also seemed a bit cold and unhelpful, but not actually bad.

Michael’s is my favorite dessert-​type stop in Madison. You see ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and frozen yogurt all over the place. But frozen custard is a superior breed of dairy goodness.
I never get tired of Michael’s custard. They offer many mixes and flavors, and each one can quench your cravings. It’s pricier than ice cream, but that’s because, again, frozen custard is superior.