Empire Dairy King – Empire

Empire Dairy King

Driving through Empire on a hot summer day after a hiking in Ruby Gulch I was drawn like a moth to a flame to the giant ice cream cone sign of the Empire Dairy King. The Dairy King reminded me of a classic American Hamburger stand and it was exactly what I was looking for the day I went, which happened to be July 4th.

There are a half dozen of outdoor tables with some great views of the Empire area and another handful of tables inside.

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The Food

The important part…the food! The menu reminded me of a Hamburger Stand crossed with an ice cream shop. There were burgers and chicken fingers, fries and onion rings. then they also had a series of malts and ice cream options.

To start I had to order the Fried Mushrooms. This are a favorite of mine growing up and I don’t see them much any more so when they are on the menu I have to order them. The mushrooms were exactly how I remembered them. Big breading around the mushrooms and as soon as you take a bit you get a squirt of super hot juice burning the roof of your mouth. It was perfect and really brought back some nostalgia!

Next up was the burger and fries. The burger came with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup and mayonnaise. I don’t recall mustard but it may have been on there as well. While this burger won’t be mistaken for a $50 kobe beef burger it did take me back to sitting at ball game on a hot July day eating hamburgers and living the best life a twelve year old could ask for.

Everything about this place took me back to growing up. Nothing was fancy, nothing had ingredients I can’t pronounce or were trendy. It was just good old fashioned food and I enjoyed every bite!

The Malt

After lunch I ordered a chocolate malt. I failed to take a picture because it didn’t last long enough. The malt was heavy on the malt flavor and was amazing. It tasted like drinking a liquid version of those Whopper malted milk ball candies. It was perfect way to finish the meal and beat the heat!

If you find yourself driving through Empire and are looking to look back in time make sure to give the Empire Dairy King a shot!

Finding the Empire Dairy King

The Empire Dairy King is located right in the heart of downtown Empire. It is pretty hard to miss from 40 as the town isn’t too big. There is some parking near but I needed to park on the side street parking lot near the town Welcome Center.

I have added this restaurant and all of the restaurants I have been to on my interactive map that you can find here. If you have a suggestion for a restaurant or any comments feel free to email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com or you can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Bon Appetit!

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