Dane’s Drive-In Dairy

Normally love Danes and they usually do a great job (had it two nights ago and was going to give it 5 stars but tonight’s visit brought it down to 2). We ordered two twisters and a malt and received two cups of soft serve with very little of anything mixed in and a malt with a very odd taste. The lady that helped us was very nice but we will try to avoid having her take our order in the future. I’ll return again to see if this a trend or a fluke and update my review that is if my family will let me go there again.
Just went back last week and they were back to their usual excellence. I’m glad it was a fluke!

it’s always nice to support a family owned business. high school kids waiting on you at the walk up or drive up windows reminds me of my own school days working at the soda fountain. always friendly service, lots of choices for cold treats on a hot day. shakes here taste so much better than Dairy Queen. why wouldn’t you want to find it tucked behind Caseys off of Sunset and add some sweetness to your day?

Love this place! Lots of soft serve flavors and sundae options. Strawberry cone is my personal favorite. Not a ton of seating or shade outside but they do have a drive through!

Best ice cream place ever! I’ve been going to this place since I was a little kid & it is still as amazing today as it was 30 years ago. They have so many options, 8 calorie frozen yogurt that tastes great!

Every city needs an iconic soft serve ice cream spot, and Dane’s fits the ticket! The building has an old-​timey walk-​up or drive-​through window and a surprisingly large menu selection.
What I’m most excited about though is the outdoor, park-​esque space that lines the shop! Sure, there are some exceptionally creepy statues of farm animals, but the yard space is large and there’s loads of picnic table seating.

I’m a fifty year Dane’s Dairy fan. This year they changed their menu and no longer offer many of their unique shakes. Instead of blending the candy with the ice cream «Twisters» they plop pre-​bought toppings on the top of the shake, like a typical yogurt shop. They also changed their cute homemade signs to laminated computer generated signs. Danes is loosing their home spun love. You still get four stars because your ice cream is high quality.

I’m a lover of Danes but today they did me dirty. I asked for a small strawberry cone with krunch kote and got a KIDS SIZE with MINIMAL krunch kote AND they charged me DOUBLE!!! I tried to ask about/​get my order changed but it only confused them. It’s a sad day, fellow ice cream enthusiasts. I will be coming back, however.

We’ve been going here since before I was born. The Drive-​In got moved back a few years ago to make room for Casey’s, but this is the real deal, and a real old-​school Iowa City experience. Quality ice cream served by the Danes, you can’t go wrong.

My mad dash to the ice cream place for one last slushie until spring. I know I can buy them at the gas station… but they do not have Rainbow! My favorite ice cream is cake batter. Taste so much better when used in shakes and malts.

Very overrated! I ordered a malt and I got a glass of chocolate milk. I know it’s a favorite of locals, maybe it was just a bad day for Danes.

I have been going to Dane’s since I was a kid. Now I live in California so my yearly trip to Iowa City is always capped off with a trip to Dane’s. Their Twisters are the best. The only problem is trying to decide
which cup of deliciousness I will choose.

Their large assortment of speciality shakes and malts provides dozens of excuses for a return trip to try something new. While the soft serve and twist cones are good, I recommend ordering one of their more exciting creations. Favorites during my college years included: brownie batter, malt ball, and Andes mint. I don’t think you can go wrong at Dane’s. The staff are incredibly nice and prices are super cheap. I was sad that it took me a few years to find out about Dane’s. Of note– closed during fall and winter.

My husband and I went here after searching for ice cream on Unilocal.The Drive thru is awesome, such fun to drive up and have people hand you ice cream. What a dangerous concept this could be — drive up candy stores or how about a bakery?
The grounds were also cool — lots of place to park, sit, eat your ice cream and have an experience with your fellow ice cream pals.
I think the glowing reviews might be based on that because the ice cream itself, pretty much just standard fare soft serve. But being able to drive through made it taste better!

Definitely a great place to hit if you’re in the mood for soft serve. Feels old timey and
Iike a small family business, although they probably just buy some kind powdered soft serve mix from some giant corporation. It’s convenient to drive through, but also nice to get out of the car and eat at the picnic tables while the kids run around on the grass.

Love this place! Great Ice cream. Best part of a hot summer’s day in Iowa City

This place rocks. I just moved to IC, had never heard of it, was walking along the road, and my boyfriend and I decided we had to stop for ice cream before breakfast because the place was so damn cute. He claimed not to be hungry but devoured an enormous Twister in like 3 bites. I had a delicious soft serve cone. The lawn ornaments of horses buried up to their haunches in grass, thoughtful little places to sit (with shade!), and the off-​the-​beaten-​path awesomeness of this place make it a real 5 star shop. As the matter of fact I’m thinking of returning after the pizza I just ordered is eaten. Mmmm danes.

We’ve been hearing about «Dane’s» for some time now and our first trip was for sure a memorable one. The place is located somewhat off the beaten path and housed in what looks like a large old shed — winning! The place sports a drive thru that is reminiscent of the southern chain «cookout» — again legit — as well as a walk up window from whence the soft serve also flow. It gets the five star stamp for being unique among establishments in the area, serving up some unsurpassed great ice cream that’s both delicious and creative, and being a spot you’ll be excited to take peeps to!
The lawn ornaments that are scattered delicately upon the property include ceramic dogs and cows, which just have to make you smile. The outdoor seating includes a couple benches and a number of nice tables.
However, what you’re really after is that cool treat that makes you remember how great a car ride could be when you were 8. The reality is that Dane’s is a step up from Dairy queen, simply based on the number of offerings they have, though I’ll say DQ isn’t far behind. The soft serve is excellent w/​plenty of flavors, including a flavor of the week — queue American Hi FI — and the ever delightful dipped cone! Dane’s version of a Blizzard — The Twister — is also some serious deliciousness. Some of the flavors seriously approach orgasmic as your taste buds are treated to a sensation of flavors that are unsurpassed. We tried the peanut butter buster (or something like that) which included PB, oreos and I think some heroine as I was craving it for a few days afterwards.
The quintessential local ice cream spot that will leave you and your friends/​family/​guests wondering what other sorts of treasures exist in this land of Iowa City! Only word of warning is they take cash or check — no cards and the lines can be a bit on the long side — both negatives pale in the positives of this place and overall it’s a spot not to be missed!

this is a great place for soft serve or yogurt. glad we finally came here. nothing against Dairy Queen but this is definitely a better alternative. for all those that are lazy, they’ve got a drive-​through too.

So I have lived in Iowa City for nearly 4 years now and I really thought that I at least knew of all the cool places, maybe I haven’t been to all of them but I at least knew they were there — places like Dane’s really prove me wrong. I had no idea it existed until I was browsing Unilocal today and after reading the other reviews I knew I had to go tonight.
Upon arriving the first thing I noticed was how many people there were. There had to be at least 30 people hanging out and 6 cars in line the whole time I was there. How did a place this popular escape my and all of my friends’ ice cream radar? It seems impossible.
I ordered a small strawberry soft serve cone dipped in chocolate (upon the recommendation in Bean B.‘s review) and man was it delicious. I had never had strawberry soft serve and this was everything I had hoped it would be. The small was plenty to satisfy my ice cream craving though I probably could have choked down a large if I absolutely had to.
Anyway, on to the important stuff: the prices were dirt cheap, the ice cream was delicious, and the service was as fast as could be expected given how many people were waiting.
There is more to this place than simply good ice cream I think… you can really tell this place has been there for a long time and that the people have a lot of love for their cones and they return that love via tasty, creamy, desserts.

As a kid, summertime approached with a much-​anticipated countdown to the end of the school year. However, the true start of summer began with a trip to Dane’s. There’s nothing like bathing in the yellow fluorescent light above the walk-​up window, listening to the quiet hum of the nearby highway, and surrounded by people eagerly waiting in line for some of the best soft-​serve ice cream ever created. This is an Iowa City institution and a place where you can still get your chocolate-​dipped cone fix for less than $ 2! The menu also features varieties of shakes/​malts, sundaes, and other standard ice cream fare.
There are three ways to enjoy Dane’s: 1) walk-​up; 2) drive-​up; or 3) take-​home.
I highly recommend the first option, but the second will do. The drive-​up can get backed up pretty quickly, especially when several SUV’s or minivans pull up, which isn’t uncommon in this area (Dane’s is a popular destination after kids’ ball games). You can’t see the menu until you’re a couple of car lengths away from decision time and you feel isolated from the rest of the Dane-​lovers. Ice cream pressure! The walk-​up experience gives you a chance to chat with your friends/​family and offers plenty of time to decide what to order. Plus, when the summer heat starts to melt your ice cream everywhere you can let it drip in the grass without the hassle of cleaning up.
Bring your dog along and they’ll be treated to a special doggy dish of ice cream!