Jump to content

Kline's Freeze, Frozen Custard at 8200 Centreville Road in Manassas - In Operation Since 1967 - Closed


Recommended Posts

I always want to stop here when I have to go to court in Prince William County. And I drove by and then it closed for the season, drove by, then closed for the season. This past Monday I did well in court so I said, "Ahhha! I am going to stop and treat myself."

Kline's just looks like that custard shop you could find all over the country in small town America twenty or so years ago, probably because it has been around forever, but the thing is, it is still here. There was a line and lots of kids in the back enjoying their ice cream at the tables.

I really liked the plain vanilla custard here. To me it tastes very rich, like drinking whole milk, it just has that good fat flavor that makes it seem very full of body. I got it mixed with heath bar as that is reminiscent of my child hood. Was even better to have while I endured stop and go traffic on the way home to Arlington on 66. After eating some other custards in the area, I think it might be my favorite.

Would love to hear if their flavored custards are as good, or the sundaes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was (and undoubtedly still is) a Kline's in Harrisonburg, VA when I went to JMU. There might have been two locations in Harrisonburg, and at least one in nearby Staunton, VA. I wonder if this is related...

There is no relationship between the two. The downtown Harrisonburg Klein's is a fantastic outlet which (as of two years ago) usds an EletctroFreeze machine dating from the '50's (along with Carl's in Fredericksburg) where the custard is scooped. The original Kline's opened in Bealeton in the early '60's but had a later model frozen custard machine (early '60's?) which made a very different custard-nowhere near as good as what the Harrisonburg Klein's made. Ironically, having said that a machine that makes early 1960's custard is nowhere near as good as a '50's machine, both absolutely blow away most custard machines from today. Over the last decade or so places like the Dairy GodMother, Neilsen's and Milwaukee Frozen Custard have reintroduced machines similar to the '50's Klein's machine. I personally believe that the original Klein's in downtown Harrisonburg (and Fredericksburg's Carl's) are better. I have not had the custard in Staunton or the second Harrisonburg location but I am guessing that it is not as good because of the machine it is made in. To the best of my knowledge there are only two of the ElectroFreeze machines left in the state of Virginia with the Frozen Dairy Bar in Falls Church having stopped using it years ago. 60's era machines like Kline's in Manassas are still really good. Ktmoomau, you have to try Carl's or downtown Harrisonburg's Klein's. Or, if you are ever in Milwaukee, Kopp's which is the best of all (with due respect to Ted Drewes in St. Louis and Abbott's in Rochester.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is no relationship between the two. The downtown Harrisonburg Klein's is a fantastic outlet which (as of two years ago) usds an EletctroFreeze machine dating from the '50's (along with Carl's in Fredericksburg) where the custard is scooped. The original Kline's opened in Bealeton in the early '60's but had a later model frozen custard machine (early '60's?) which made a very different custard-nowhere near as good as what the Harrisonburg Klein's made. Ironically, having said that a machine that makes early 1960's custard is nowhere near as good as a '50's machine, both absolutely blow away most custard machines from today.

What is it about the 1950s machines that blows away the ElectroFreeze machines of today? I can understand the introduction of corn sweeteners as a downgrade, but what is it about the machines themselves?

And yes, from what I can gather from web research, Kline's Freeze in Manassas is distinct from the four Kline's Dairy Bars further out in Virginia.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kline's Freeze is not related to the (apparently expanding) Dairy Bars around Harrisonburg.  My grandfather started the Freeze in the 50's, after running as a Tasty Freeze for about 5 years.  The restaurant is currently run by his daughter (my aunt) and her husband.  Kline's Drive-In was opened by my grandfather sometime around 1960.  It was run by my uncle for about 20 years, before being closed in 2007.  There are no other related restaurants.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After 53 years in business, Kline's Freeze of Manassas is closing this weekend. Per the sign at Kline's Freeze, the owners are retiring. While on line, I heard that they wanted to remain open but a car dealership outbid them for the space. Don't really know the real reason they are closing but I'm going to miss them.  😞

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/19/2018 at 6:59 PM, curls said:

After 53 years in business, Kline's Freeze of Manassas is closing this weekend. Per the sign at Kline's Freeze, the owners are retiring. While on line, I heard that they wanted to remain open but a car dealership outbid them for the space. Don't really know the real reason they are closing but I'm going to miss them.  😞

Just to clarify, the closing of the Freeze was because the owners needed to be able to make transitions in their lives.  The restaurant always operated on the grace and generosity of it's landlords, and the family (my family), never had anything to complain about there.  The Freeze was a great run for our family, a place and community that will always be prominent in our hearts.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...