Bobbie’s Dairy Dip and an Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social

Bobbie’s Dairy Dip, located on Charlotte Avenue in Nashville, is the embodiment of small town American charm. Multicolored light bulbs and a shiny, metallic American flag banner outline the long-established drive-up burger joint and ice cream stand, lending the distant yet familiar nostalgia of the good old days – the ones that passed long before I was born. The long line of customers enduring the heat of the pavement in front of the sliding glass window entices passers-by to ditch their air-conditioned cars and join the crowd.

Bobbie’s Dairy Dip has been serving up burgers, fries, hot dogs, milkshakes, soft-serve ice cream, floats, banana splits, hot fudge cake sundaes, and the like to Nashvillians and tourists for over fifty years. Now that’s a long time; at least it is to a young’un like me. In my opinion, this is a “must try at least once” for anyone who lives in the Nashville area and loves ice cream. Though the place has gotten a few negative reviews on Citysearch, my experience at Bobbie’s was quite swell.

Our little trip to Bobbie’s was for their summer Ice Cream Social, featuring folksy-type artists Caitlin Rose, James Wallets, Sawgrass, and Danger and The Steel Cut Oats. A note on the music: it was intimate and entertaining. Caitlin Rose was quirky and cute, wearing an oversized sweatshirt (she told us not to ask why), side ponytail, and giant red sunglasses. Sawgrass was a pleasure. And Danger and the Steel Cut Oats ended the whole show with an audience participation version of Oasis’ “Wonderwall” that sent them into the crowd as we all sang a cappella, swaying back and forth with cell phones in the air, while cars drove by, most likely gawking and mouthing “WTF?”

The weather was nice and there weren’t any annoying children, so we didn’t mind waiting in the long, long line. For dinner, I ordered a regular cheeseburger and then shared an order of onion rings and an order of fries with a friend. We ordered their sweet potato fries, but they gave us the regular kind. This was my one big complaint for the evening. We decided we didn’t want to wait any longer to have the order changed and just went with it. The wait to hear our names called at the pick-up window was a bit long for standing in line, but I guess that just means that our burgers were made to order and hadn’t been sitting under a bacteria-multiplying heat lamp for who knows how long. If you order anything that has to be cooked, this is not fast food. Our friends who had all ordered grilled cheeses were finished eating before our burgers and fries arrived at the pick-up window.

Once our order was served, we headed over to the brightly colored picnic tables to enjoy the food and the music. We shared our table with total strangers who then became friends, further enhancing the small town feel. After reading reviews online, I didn’t expect much from my burger, but it did exceed expectations (though they were pretty small to begin with). It wasn’t small or dry like others have experienced (granted, this was a special occasion). In fact, I found it pretty homemade-ish, like it just came off the old charcoal grill in the backyard and placed on a quite lovely sesame seed bun. Of course, it’s not going to be a gourmet burger. This is a burger stand, not a five-star restaurant. It tasted like a burger from a burger stand – somewhere between McDonald’s and I guess your casual dining establishment of choice. The fries (though not the ones we actually ordered) ended up being sparse and only so-so, but the onion rings were delish. I love onion rings.

When the line had thinned, our food had disappeared into our bellies, and the fabulously quirky Caitlin Rose had finished her set, we headed back to the walk-up window to order our ice cream – the thing we really came for. To be honest, I can’t tell you exactly what all was on the menu (the usual ice cream shop stuff: shakes, sundaes, and of course, dips) because once I saw the Heath Bar Swirlie, a generous amount of crushed Heath Bar chunks mixed into rich, creamy soft-serve ice cream, I stopped looking. Ever since the Sonic (a major part of my small-town adolescence) quit serving their Heath Bar Blasts in favor of the fluffy, not quite as good Butterfinger Blast, I have been missing it something terrible. And Bobbie’s brought it back to me. Ah … it was a sweet, sweet reunion.

As I said, I would recommend Bobbie’s Dairy Dip to anyone (except for maybe hardcore dieters, as I don’t recall seeing any salads on the menu). So drive on over to 5301 Charlotte Avenue, park your car, walk on up to the slide-glass window, and get yourself some rich, fattening, marvelous ice cream. It’s what they’re know for. The rest of the menu is just there in case you get hungry. I hope I make it back before they close up for the winter. I seriously need to try one of those milkshakes and indulge in a ginormous hot fudge cake sundae. I’ve also heard the Banana Boat is a “must have,” but I don’t like bananas.

Must haves: anything from the sweet treats portion of the menu. The Heath Bar Swirlie is perfection, and the hot fudge cake sundae comes highly recommended, as does the Banana Boat.

Could have done without it: The ice cream melted pretty quickly in the sun, and the fries were nothing special. I’d skip those and pick the onion rings instead.

What makes it special: its nostalgic charm. Plus, it’s been around so long, you can almost say it’s a historic landmark … or at least a part of Nashville history.

Know before you go: There are no restrooms, so keep that in mind. And Bobbie’s does take plastic now, so you don’t have to worry if you don’t have cash.

Parking: Parking can be a little tight, but they do have a few drive-up spaces.

Price: $1-10

Website: myspace.com/bobbiesdairydip

Phone: (615) 463-8088

Address: 5301 Charlotte Ave, Nashville, TN 37209-3001

Hours: Open late April through late October

Monday: 11am-7pm (kitchen close 7pm)

Tuesday-Thursday: 11am-9pm (kitchen close 8:30pm)

Friday-Saturday: 11am-10pm (kitchen close 9:30pm)

Sunday: 12pm-9pm (kitchen close 8:30pm)

Address 5301 Charlotte Ave, Nashville, TN 37209-3001

Right click for SmartMenu shortcuts