CHARLIE'S CHILL & GRILL
Bang for Your Buck
Taste: 4
Appearance: 3
Price: $
Charlie's Chill and Grill provides great ice cream options on the cheap amid a clean, modern-feeling environment. The restaurant, which is still in pristine condition from its 2013 opening, offers ample indoor seating as well as a drive-through option. Flat screen televisions allow you to sit in a booth or chair and take in a football game while chowing down on hot dogs, burgers and sweet treats.
With soft-serve ice cream starting at just a dollar for a cup or cone, the dessert options are a steal. We indulged in a strawberry sundae that towered high (even though we sampled the smallest size). Creamy vanilla soft serve in a styrofoam cup serves as a base to sweet and tangy strawberry topping, whipped cream and two cherries on top.
An extensive dessert menu at Charlie's also features cones and cups of soft serve, floats, twisters (which grind toppings up into soft serve creating a treat similar to Dairy Queen's Blizzard), shakes and sundaes. The restaurant also features deals regularly, including $2 shakes.
Charlie's is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays until 11 p.m. and is located on 424 S. Bloomington St.
DAIRY CASTLE
DePauw Classic
Taste: 4.5
Appearance: 3.5
Price: $
The DePauw and Greencastle favorite when it comes to ice cream provides homemade hard ice cream, soft serve and a host of heartier meal options to accompany any sweet treat. The small "castle" painted bright orange with various sea creatures painted on its exterior hosts indoor and outdoor seating along with a drive-through.
We tried a Dairy Castle specialty, the Brownie Fantasy sundae. A mountain of rich chocolate brownie served as a bed to vanilla ice cream, walnuts, hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry on top. Between three ice cream eaters, we left the restaurant completely full and crashing after the sugar high.
The massive menu and very reasonable prices make Dairy Castle a great option for a sweet treat, but unfortunately, the restaurant will close for the winter this Friday. Restaurant owners say they will open around President's Day in February.
Green Castle is open the remainder of this week from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is located 801 Indianapolis Rd.
DAIRY QUEEN CHILL & GRILL
Pricey
Taste: 3.5
Appearance: 4
Price: $$$
Dairy Queen Grill and Chill, a new addition to the Greencastle restaurant scene, opened in June at 40 Putnam Place off of Route 231. The restaurant chain that boasts soft serve in various sundae, shake, malt and blizzard formations offers ice cream concoctions of the month, including the pumpkin pie blizzard, which we sampled on our ice cream expedition.
The signature blue Dairy Queen emblazoned cup filled to the brim with pumpkin pie flavored soft serve accented with crunchy cookie bites and topped with whipped topping and pumpkin pie spice was a delight to the eyes and the taste buds. We dipped red plastic spoons into the cool treat and savored the sweet tastes of fall.
The restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating in a classic fast food environment. The place is still immaculate from its opening, though not comfortable enough for sitting a long spell in the hard plastic chairs and booths.
At over $3 for a small blizzard, this isn't the cheapest of options, but Dairy Queen does offer a wide variety of dessert options.
GRREEN APPLE FROGURT
Have it Your Way
Taste: 3.5
Appearance: ...depends.
Price: $$
With 11 different flavors and over 20 toppings, there are endless possibilities for dessert combinations at Green Apple Frogurt. Flavors range from the typical vanilla and chocolate to more exotic and unusual flavors such as sea salt caramel pretzel and keylime pie. Even when topped off with M&Ms, Oreos or chocolate sauce frozen yogurt is a low-fat alternative to other ice cream options in town. For those looking for an even healthier treat, yogurt can be topped with fruit or granola.
The modern decor, comfy couches and TVs offer a relaxing hang out spot to catch up with friends after class. Plus it's affordable - yogurt is weighed by the ounce, so you pay for exactly as much as you get.
Green Apple Frogurt is open on Sunday through Thursday from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on Friday through Saturday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. and is located at 306 E. Washington St. across from Clark Gas Station.