Outdoor seating
Yes
Krekels Dairy Maid in Decatur
Categories
Location on the map
Decatur, Macon County, Illinois, US
Service options
Kerbside pickup
Yes
Dine-in
Yes
Delivery
No
Takeaway
No
Health and safety
Staff wear masks
Yes
Staff get temperature checks
Yes
Staff required to disinfect surfaces between visits
Yes
Highlights
Great dessert
Yes
Popular for
Lunch
Yes
Dinner
Yes
Solo dining
Yes
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible seating
Yes
Offerings
Coffee
Yes
Comfort food
Yes
Kids' menu
Yes
Quick bite
Yes
Dining options
Lunch
Yes
Dinner
Yes
Dessert
Yes
Seating
Yes
Amenities
Good for kids
Yes
Atmosphere
Casual
Yes
Historic
Yes
Crowd
Family friendly
Yes
Groups
Yes
LGBTQ+ friendly
Yes
Tourists
Yes
Transgender safe space
Yes
University students
Yes
Planning
Usually a wait
Yes
Payments
Debit cards
Yes
Comments (199)
6 years ago we left Decatur IL for a new home in Maine.Here we are back to visit family and KREKELS HAS STAYED THE EXACT SAME!!!!Nice place to stop for a quick, inexpensive bite. It WAS chilly and THEIR chili was delicious!! It is VERY BEEFY!ENJOY!!!
Food was good ,but prices were outrages.wont be back there.
The cheeseburger is not fancy, but it is truly delicious. None better anywhere for twice the money. Of course, the frozen custard is legendary, for good reason. Totally worth the trip.
Great friendly and outstanding ice cream
Nothing fancy, just a good greasy burger with awesome crispy edges. I always try to visit here when I am in town. They have crinkle fries too which are perfectly salted. Paired with a small chocolate shake (even in the winter), it cant be beat!
Great ice cream place. The cones were HUGE to where we had to have the kids put them in cups to bring home and finish later. The flavors were good. Lemon is probably the best, especially in a swirl with strawberry. We also got burgers, spicy chicken. Sandwich, and a pork tenderloin there. Dont bother. The burgers were okay, but overpriced foe what they were. They are very similar to steak n shake burgers. Their spicy chicken sandwich was spicy, bit it was the processed chicken patty. The tenderloin was okay but small.Overall okay and a Decatur locals favorite, but I say stick to the ice cream
Fast friendly fresh and efficient.. ty krekles
I always eat at krekels whenever Im in Decatur to visit family. Their burgers are different than any other Ive ever had, and Ive been all over. Everyone doesnt like them as much as I do but my family seems to enjoy everything they have
It would be nice to have the phone number updated. Frustrating. I would come a lot but now after trying to suggest an edit on google to update the number and says couldn’t be verified. I mean why the number change anyway.
My favorite place to go when I come home.
Great outdoor burger joint. My favorite. Great tenderloins, burgers, nuggets and the frozen custard is to die for. Just a chocolate cone with sprinkles does it every time.
Kreckels is awesome no matter which one you go to
Love love their food especially their Chilli beans. Hit the spot in this cold freezing weather. Wish they would add some shredded sharp cheddar on top, but come home and added some. Still not disappointed
A must stop when in Decatur! Get the tenderloin sandwich and the lemon ice cream!
Only reason for one less star is because they encourage you to call ahead but then no one answers the phone. It wasnt even that busy. But food was great always is. Major props to this locally owned business.
First I had a big order so I was being considerate and called in to be placed on hold for 20 minutes and then hung up on. When I called back the girl that answered was rude. Asked for my fries to be extra crispy they were under cooked my lettuce in my sandwich was brown. They also didnt have all my drinks and had to ask for the test of it. Asked if I wanted ketchup and salt I said yes and got none! This was the most disappointing experience and I will not be returning. I will be talking with the owner Monday since thats the next time she works!Tried to call numerous times and was told everytime I called the owner was not available can provide contact info
Always great food, tried calling several times to order ahead of time, no one answers the phone still then they disconnected the phone and you get a busy signal anytime you try to call back.
This place is a real gem. I used to transit through Decatur quite a bit, and every time I passed by a Krekels, especially the one next to Tate and Lyle, it would always be packed, so I gave it a shot. The menu looks like Dairy Queen or Culvers, but the food is on a different level. I dont know what makes it so much better, you just gotta try it for yourself. The banana split milkshake is second to none, I used to order two larges by the time it sank into me that this is some of the best food I ever had.For the burgers, get the triple with all the fixings. The single will taste more like lettuce and tomato than a burger.
My favorite place of all times!! Been coming here since I was a little kid and anytime I go by Decatur I have to stop for their amazing lemon milkshakes and a cheeseburger and cheese fries!!! ❤
Great place for a great hamburger or a great lemon milkshake. Very nice staff. Since it was cold when I stopped the lady very quickly to my order and ask that I wait in my car so I could stay warm as they would call my number. Always ver quick service. Just a great place to eat also the prices are reasonable.
Been a Krekles fan all my life, but this location is so poorly run now. Its sad really. There seems to be no leadership at the store. The employees do there best, but no one seems to be there to lead them and it shows especially when busy and sometimes even when its slow. Hopefully they can get a leader in there soon..
Hometown burgers that are fresh and hot! A bit on the greasy side and pretty thin, but still tasty. Not healthy food by any means, but if you splurge on a burger every so often, not a bad choice. The shakes are great. . If you visit Decatur you MUST eat at Krekels!
Love coming back to this place. Never disappointed.
I ordered a double hamburger with ketchup, pickles and onion. When I got it, I had a double cheeseburger with mustard, pickles and onion. While waiting for my food a man orders four ice cream cones. He had to knock on the window and ask them if they were going to get him his ice cream cones. Definitely NOT the service you expect or accept.
Kreckles will always be the 10 star, all burgers are rated against. Been eating these for 40 years. Today was a rare disappointment. WAY!! too much salt in burger. Please go back to old fries when possible. Great service during these bull_hit Corona days. Just get the food back to normal.
How does this place not have a perfect 5 rating? Their burgers and krinkle fries are great. I love their lemon shakes and enjoy getting the strawberry lemon swirl ice cream cones for the family. They have one of the best places in Decatur to get ice cream and burgers. Prices aren’t bad for the quality of the food they serve. Definitely recommend this place. Can be crowded at times because their food is so good, so keep that in mind if you are in a rush.
Who doesnt love one of Decaturs Krekles delicious burgers!? This place just has the essence of my hometown. Always been a favorite and their lengthy selection of shake flavors is impressive. Good stuff right here folks!
One of the best restaurants in town. Great smash burgers, crave worthy frozen lemon custard. Its not fine dining but its better then most fast food. A place you miss when out of town.
My favorite place just disappointed me the burgers were terrible. I drove 14 hrs for my burger hope it was just an off day.
AwesomeIll go there every time I come this way
A legend in Decatur, IL. Several locals asked if we planned to go to Krekels or said you must try Krekels. It was worth every calorie. Every bite delicious. They even know how to make a root beer shake, not a root beer float or freeze but a rrotbeer shake. AWESOME!
G.O.A.T(Greatest of All Time).This place is on our minds before we arrive to Decatur Il....Definitely 👍 our 1st stop to eat. Smiles 😃 and great memories in a brown bag.
Stopped by for some ice cream while out shopping. Servings are huge!!! And delicious! Good prices, too! Next time well try some of their meals!
6/22/20: ice cream Great as usual. Pork Tenderloin worst Ive ever had because cooked to death. Too bad, their Tenderloins use to be very good. Plus 3 people returned cold fries. You dont drop fries before the burgers. 3 yrs ago: Great hamburgers & I dont usually eat burgers. Tenderloins & shakes are marvelous.
Krekels has the best cheeseburgers in town! They are thin (so I recommend a double cheeseburger) and have a toasted bun! They are amazing! 😁
The ice cream was great but the girl working touched our money and the next customers money then directly grabbed our bare cones. Not a very sanitary practice, especially during a health conscious time.
Have really good ice cream and Krekel Burgers. The service is quick and it dont cost that much. I think its the best burgers in Decatur Illinois.
The service was quick and kind. The burgers are very tasty! The chocolate shakes are the best anywhere! Very nice selection on the menu. I am looking forward to my next visit!
Use to be my go to for the best burgers in town...not anymore..burgers are pretty much tasteless anymore fries are extra salty..heres a idea...how bout you put some of the fry salt on the burgers! Annnd can the guy cooking the burgers PLEASE put some gloves on..first your touching the raw meat then your touching my bun to check to see if my burger is done... not yet a burger master I see!!! That is all...#losingfaithinkreckels😒😞
Krekels is the best.. Ill pass everything else to come here. I cant get past the lemon ice cream, unless its a banana split with hot fudge added.
Been all over the world. These by far are the best burgers on the planet! Even thought about how good these burgers are while returning fire on deployments. Always my very first and last stop when visiting Decatur.
Hometown walkup fast food a fan favorite for anyone who has ever lived around here all their live . Burgers , and fries , and award winning ice cream and shakes , floats all hand made and cooked to order while you wait. Outdoor seating available.
Just went for custard, it was good!
Does anyone have a phone number for this location?
Old hometown favorite. Delicious! Try the lemon custard!
Best hamburgers and shakes around. Chili is outstanding. If you are looking to start a family tradition.. start here. Friendly staff with quick service.
Awesome food and fast service
My mom and I take my girls there at least once a month and its a treat for all of us, we love it.
Its Krekels, what more needs to be said. If youve never been there then stop in, grab a burger, fries, and a shake. You wont be sorry. They have great food, great service, and awesome shakes. Definitely a local favorite.
Satisfied customer never received anything bad always made fresh. Able to see how food is being fixed. Friendly and convenience off of highway #36 . Would recommend to anyone.
The bugers are delicious but the malt I had here (twice) and it was awful. They used icemilk instead of icecream.
Love their hamburgers and fries. Usually I enjoy their ice cream but this time there was something wrong with it. It had clumps in it and didnt taste very good.
This one of the few origonal yesteryear hamburger joints that still do it right,from the burgers and fries to the deluxe chocolate shakes and many treats in between, including lemon soft serve, cone or cup which I used to eat for lunch everyday when I was in High School. I graduated in 71. It was great then and unlike alot of places, it is still the same great food now. Somethings just are mentioned to last, and I am glad this one has. You would be well served to check this one out in on Rt.36 East ,Decatur or newer location (about 20 yrs.) Mt. Zion. Step foward to a simpler time when the hard choice was do want agood single, double, or triple? Then with cheese?
Awesome place always has been
Delicious food and friendly service every time! May take a few minutes to get your food but it is well worth the wait! Thank you for being awesome!
This Krekels NEVER answers their phones. No matter what time or how busy the crew simply refuse to answer to take orders. Normally great food but frustrating on the lack of management.
Tbe place is a staple in this town forever. People that have moved away, say they miss it. Their friends want to visit when in Decatur. Krekel burgers, and their seasonal chili is the best..
Love Krekels, always go there when we are in Decatur .... wish they had them down here in North and South Carolina... you would be extremely welcome.... for sure.
True staple of Decatur. Cant pass it up on our way to the zoo. The burgers are on phenomenal and the malt shakes are an added bonus. I highly recommend it.
Best place to get a burger! Great food great service! From milk shakes to chilli and do much more! You have to try it! Its great!
The best hamburger and fries ever! A must try if ever in the area...their frozen custard is out of this world several flavors but for me...its lemon, hands down!!
Banana Splits are my favorite
I love the food here. Its kinda expensive, but worth it once in a while. Only negative for me is some of the newer employees seem a bit snooty. You can tell they dont want to be there. Or maybe its me...
Excellent always,always professional,kind,delicious.My husband always have our Date Night at Kreckles and we will be married 56 years here in Decatur.I even wore my Red Nose to support Walgreens Day to help make our need to help children around the World.We love your Milkshakes Also!!!!
It is very busy, noted for burgers and soft serve ice cream. This one only has outside seating and window service . Several in the area, some have inside seating and drive up window.
A family favorite! We love both strawberry and lemon ice cream, spicy chicken, burgers, and crinkle-cut fries!
Good food and excellent dessert. A favorite place to stop when visiting Decatur.
Nina loved the 🐔 yall got
Krekels always gets your orders correct, its also fast and friendly service. We love Krekels and will continue to eat there. The ice cream is delicious!!!!
Awesome cheeseburgers & ice cream
Good as always, quick and wearing masks and gloves! I was impressed! The public amazed me also, most of us wearing masks and 6 ft. Apart! 🇺🇸
Horrible experience. Nothing but young kids who are too busy playing around visiting their friends instead of helping customers in a timely fashion. I will go to DQ first even though I will have to pay more. Service is key!
The lady acted like she didnt have any customers other than Caucasian and dropped my change in my hand with her nose wrinkled up.. It was an elderly woman. Maybe shes been there since it opened and racism was a thing then. But she needs to check her attitude.
Amazing burgers and fries, but the best part of the meal is always a lemon ice cream cone! Also be sure to look for the Chicken mobile with the Rooster Tail.
I give this place 2 stars because they stop serving chocolate ice cream over a half hour before they close. And I just heard them tell a customer that they are now no longer serving vanilla. Over 15 minutes before they close. I get that it takes a while to clean the machines, but thats just bad business practice. If you are open till 9, then you are open until 9 and serve everything on your menu.
Good food
Krekels is a home town favorite. If you were born here and moved away, Krekels is one of your first stops when home. Lemon/strawberry cone makes a great dessert after the juicy double cheeseburger.
Arrived at 8:45 pm on a Saturday night to be told that they were done serving ice cream, because they were cleaning the machines for the night. If the sign has an ice cream cone as its main advertising, I believe that the people working the place should start to clean it after closing hours. They should probably just start cleaning the grills and turning off the open sign if this is the way they operate.
Stopped in for a lemon ice cream cone. Delicious 😋,
Excellent burgers n ice cream. Fast service n fresh meat. French fries not too good
Great local burger joint. Great spot to take people that are visiting from out of town. And who doesnt love the Roostermobile.
Food is always good. Best hamburgers in town...
Keep up the good work Tonya don’t let themHaters in the family bring ya down you do a great job taking care of that store can I say that or am I even a krekel lol 😂😂😂😂😂😂 Tonya was a good choice judge Webber !!!!
Great food!
Great food but little slow on service time. Phone orders are good but not for someone who is standing there waiting in the cold waiting just to order.
Great place for burgers, fries and shakes.
They have good food. We ordered 50 bucks worth of it. Dont get a free refill of soda for 50 bucks tho. Even complaining that i just spent 50 bucks did not get me a refill. Shame.
The best cheeseburgers around no one can beat there food
Quality of food has seemed to go down. Bun was soaked in grease making it not edible.
My brownie treat was half melted and it was not hot outside, the brownies are store bought, hard, and taste like plastic. They put half my order out one window and half out the other window.
Always a treat to have a burger and a lemon cone after a long week. Service is always pleasant and fast. Krekels is life
I love Krekel since I was 13 and Im 47 now, my main thing is the milkshakes triple strawberry😊😊😊😊
One of the best burger and shake places around hands down. The chocolate shakes make me happy!
We are from Champaign and stopped for ice cream because we know one is coming to us. It is delicious and so much less expensive than custard cup!
I personally dont like the thin burnt burgers with a pound of onions on it and there is always a long wait
Love this place but hamburger was a lil to done.
This is not a chain restaurant this is individually owned cooked individually very good food normally fairly quick I ate here many times in 25 years never been disappointed
Best burgers in that part of the country. Awesome milk shakes also.
Multiple locations have the best flavored ice creams you can find as well as super Burgers and Fries
The dancing chicken was a delight
True Decatur staple. Best burgers and shakes around! Love taking family and out of town guests there!
I love the lemon ice cream ❤ hamburger with lettuce tomatoe pickle onion mustard ketchup 😍 and you cant forget there crinkle fries
Best burgers n shakes ever
6 stars! Grab a burger and a shake! Eat outside! So good! Closed on Sundays, but its a must stop every time we are in town!
The milkshake was to runny but overall I love the food
One of the best burgers I have had in a long time!
Food was good Services was great but they did forget one of my drinks
The young kids that were working were tonbusy playing around by the time I got my food I had been waiting for 20 mins and my food was Ice cold i do not recommend this kerkels anymore
Slow serves had to ask for a bag for all my ice cream and the guy who waited on me acted like he was high.
Food is always good and cant beat a krekels strawberry lemon shake on a hot summer day
Local Historic/ Nostalgic place to grab quick burgers and ice cream treats. Love the giant Chicken Car!
Awesome hamburgers! I love this place! I try to go at least every other week!
Very rude employees messed up are order by giving it to the wrong people then after 20 minutes of waiting gor are food the hamburgers was raw will not be goubg back to this one will stick with Oakland st
Homemade Cherry Coke! Heaven in a bottle! The Triple Cheese ought to run McDonalds out of town! Friendly staff!
Totally awesome food nice people couldnt ask for better place to stop in and pick something up real quick
Not like it was 20 years ago.
A must stop for me for 40 years. Best burgers. Great shakes.
Very good burgers, and custard....love this place at least 1 time aweek
Wonderful little ice cream shop! They were accommodating for our requests and reasonably priced.
This is a must have if your in Decatur or passing through. Lemon shake is also a must have.
Love krekeos definitely try the strawberry lemon
Apparently when you order a double bacon cheeseburger with everything but ketchup..it means 1 tiny onion and nothing else smh
Great place good food. Wish it wasnt so greasy but still good and cheap.
Great food, value and service! A must have everytime I return to my hometown.
Was waiting in line for someone to take my order waited 20 minutes too long finally said something they closed on us while we were in line!! Not coming back to this location
They messed up my order I do not recommend this place...
Yum. Great burgers and fries. And they are glad to pat it dry
Absolutely the BEST ice cream anywhere!
Best hamburger in town. Best lemon ice cream.
Great burger fries and shakes. Their Lemon icecream is the best.
Cool little place to stop at and grab a burger! Good prices!
Best shakes I have had get them every time we are in town
Just like i remember ....when i come back to visit Decatur i always stop by...brings back memories of my childhood....keep up the great work
Great Food Best Double cheese burger anywhere.
Best fast food anywhere! Burgers are hot with crispy edges, perfection!
Good place to come when Im in town
Excellent hamburgers, lots of fries, and at a inexpensive price, friendly staff
Great ice cream. The burgers are good
We always eat there whenever were in town foods good and fast
Good little burger and ice cream stand !
Love that we can still get our favorite burgers and milkshakes in the winter!
If theres one thing you can count on with krekels its consistency....always just like you remembered...great place and super service!
Best ice cream and milk shakes and burgers in town
Amazing service and amazing food and the price is great!!
Great place to eat. Excellent people that work there
Nothing fancy, just great burgers and fries. This REALLY hit the spot after a long car ride.
Quick service! Hot food! Hometown landmark! Stop in for great burgers and milk shakes!
Great food and friendly service ☺️
Always great shakes an burgers
Best Hamburgers and Shakes!
Local cheeseburgers, fries and shakes just never disappoint
Called several times. 34 times in a half hour period. Appearently they dont want any business since they have their phone off the hook.
Love Krekles but give a girl a couple napkins without asking 🙄
I can not wait until they add a room On the hamburgers are delicious and people would buy a drink and fries then they would order cone j think they would have a gold mine if they would
LOVE Krekels!!! Best place in Macon County to get an ice cream cone!
Very good burgers and fries!
Has the best burgers, ice cream and shakes in town.
Love this place, buy hamburgers everytime Im visiting Decatur, from Oklahoma
Fast friendly service, great food!
People go to this krekels mainly for the outdoor eating experience and becsuse youre close to the lake, once again, cant go wrong with krekels
A Decatur tradition! Love some Krekels! Try it!
Really good burgers, surprisingly fast service
Pretty decent burgers. Great ice cream.
Ice cream is always special. Sandwiches are very good
Friendly service, great food, very low prices.
Crack on a bun!! The lemon ice cream is also a local favorite. Its pretty good
Great place to get a good hamburger
Always great, never disappoints!
Love the fact that they are opening on Sundays
Food and service always perfect.
Tried the code it was delicious.
Closed at 7. seen five cars pull up and get told they was closed
It was horrible. The tenderloin was hard as a rock and cold and so were the fries. Rt 36 sucks
Great
One of my must visits in Illinois
I have always loved krekels I always stop when Im in town from north carolina
Big Ice cream cones, doesnt break the bank, and really hits the spot.
Good ice cream. They have lemon ice cream. Something a bit different.
Sufjan fans, here be your chicken car.Best burgers, nuff said.
Ggreat food love the ice cream strawberry lemon
The best burger in the midwest!
Not quite as good as I remembered. Left Decatur in 81. It was ok though. Think they changed the hamburger they use.
I have been a fan of Krekels since i was a child. They never disappoint me
Great lemon custard! The best.
Great job! Didnt take very long either. Well be back.
Hamburgers are awesome and ice cream is also
They are always super friendly here. I love this place.
Great food and even better icecream
Best shake I have ever had.
Total reviews rating 4.6
199 Reviews for Krekels Dairy Maid 2023:
Review №1
2022-05-13We love us some Krekels!! They have great lemon ice cream and cherry cokes. My kids ask to go here all the time.
Review №2
2022-04-24My mom worked here in the 1970s so I was going here since I was a young girl. I havent been home in years but I will be moving back soon and this will be a first stop so I can get a lemon cone. My favorite and cant find it anywhere else. Cant WAIT.
Review №3
2022-06-29I have always loved eating here ever since I was a kid.
Review №4
2022-07-09Glad we stopped. Great lil local spot. Great food.
Review №5
2022-05-30Great burgers and ice cream. Love coming here for lunch or dinner.
Review №6
2022-06-16Hot fresh food.FriendlyYummy ice cream lots if flavors!
Review №7
2022-04-28They food is delicious. The service is quick. The food is quickly ready for you to eat.
Review №8
2022-07-10I dont get this to often but when I come home I do and they never fail!!!
Review №9
2022-06-15Girls were super nice. Much better than the west location
Review №10
2021-06-04It is a long time favorite of mine, Ive been coming here since I was little, to get ice cream cones with sprinkles to watch fireworks almost 55 years. Lemon shakes are awesome and they have new vanilla cokes... yummy!!! And the burgers are fantastic, everything is great here.