Food in Review: Ice Cream
May 5, 2021
The Moo Thru:
You might be slightly confused about why we are reviewing the Moo Thru because you know it to be a road trip stop located in Northern Virginia. However, the Moo Thru recently established a location here in Charlottesville. You can find the Moo Thru in the new Dairy Market on Grady Avenue (don’t worry, we are planning to do a full Dairy Market review in the near future). The mission of the Moo Thru is to serve customers ice cream made with real ingredients. Each ingredient is fresh and intentionally selected from a dairy farm. In addition to using clean ingredients, the Moo Thru is also dedicated to serving delicious ice cream. Every ice cream served is slow-churned to perfection, and the consistency is spot on. You will find that the Moo Thru has a large variety of flavor options, and they even offer many seasonal flavors. If you have a dairy intolerance, you may feel kind of disappointed while reading this. Have no fear; the Moo Thru serves dairy-free and sugar-free ice creams!
To order: Brownie Sundae (for the adventurous ones), single cake cone (for the basic ones), or the Traditional Banana Split (for the “healthy” ones).
Chaps Ice Cream:
If you haven’t been to Chaps before, we would expect that you are new to Charlottesville. Chaps is an absolute classic. It is located on the Downtown Mall—only two doors down from The Paramount. Chaps is known for having the finest premium quality ice cream. However, this restaurant serves more than ice cream: Chaps serves homemade donuts, milkshakes, floats, coffee, smoothies, breakfast, and lunch, and it offers a grill service. The delightful 50’s environment is very Instagram-worthy, so be sure to go to Chaps with some friends. All of Chaps ice cream is made using family recipes from over 70 years ago. You can get your ice cream with your choice of cake, sugar, or homemade cone. The restaurant strives to make flavors that fit every request. If you’re looking for a classic ice cream, Chaps is the place for you.
To order: Double scoop with banana & chocolate fudge walnut ice cream (for the indecisive ones), Pistachio single scoop (for the adventurous ones), or a Heath Bar Milkshake (for the basic ones)
Kohr Bros. Frozen Custard:
Kohr Bros. is known for having the best frozen custard. Their slogan “The original still tastes the best!” is very accurate. This frozen custard restaurant has a very rich history. It all started in 1917 when Archie Kohr, a school teacher from York, PA, bought an ice cream machine powered by a gasoline engine. Archie and his younger brothers (Elton and Lester) sought to expand their family’s dairy business, and they certainly accomplished this task. Their fresh ice cream was a very popular addition to the milk delivered by the Kohr’s horse-drawn wagon. However, Archie and Elton were not satisfied; they began experimenting with different ingredients and even dismantled and reassembled the ice cream machine until their recipe was perfected. The recipe was unlike any other — it was cold, refreshing, silky, and creamy. After several years of growth, there are now stores in four states. The company prides itself on quality, cleanliness, and customer service and continues to delight its customers of all ages. The ambiance of the Charlottesville location (on 29) is almost diner-like, with an antique horse merry-go-round (very kid-friendly). The quality of ice cream is a rich and flavorful 10/10, and the presentation of their famous ice cream ‘swirl’ is spot on (be sure to ask for rainbow sprinkles — it’s better that way).
P.S. Every summer, Kohr Bros has a 5 cent cone day– so stay tuned and mark your calendars!
To order: Vanilla bowl with rainbow sprinkles (for the simple ones), chocolate & vanilla swirl with a waffle cone (for the basic ones), or an orange sherbert and vanilla swirl with rainbow sprinkles in a waffle cone (for the adventurous ones)