Crown Candy Kitchen

The Best BLT you will ever eat. A historic landmark of Saint Louis. Homemade Ice Cream, Syrups, Whipped Cream. Shakes and Malts so large you’ll never finish. Ice Cream Sundaes (Newports) with Candied Pecans. All homemade candies. Great Grilled Cheese. Waitresses will remember your entire order even with 10 people. I recommend going as soon as it opens because it gets really busy, or ordering to go if you aren’t willing to wait. Closes early.

Decided to try this place due to the hype– was very underwhelmed. Be aware that the inside is super tiny and can only seat around 40 people. The food menu is very small/​limited. Shakes were average. Can’t comment on the ice cream as we didn’t have any. The chocolate candy selection is basic and not particularly good.

My nostalgic dad would love this place. I wish more of these hold-​over old-​school luncheonettes (without the stools, no room for those!) existed in the world, our planet would still be filled with much more character!
The chocolate shake was awesome and my BLT was perfect. Don’t expect to have a private chat with your buddy, you’re basically on top of other patrons but I suppose that’s part of the charm. And don’t come here with a party over 4 people unless you don’t mind being separated. There’s no way I would spend more than an hour waiting outside for this experience though, showing up at 12 and eating at 2:30 isn’t fun.
I’m glad I finally went here but return trips are just too time consuming. Well done though!

Just go and get a BLT plus a malt. Nothing else needs to be considered. Make sure you book time afterwards for a nap though. This is a St. Louis institution and a must go.

If you’re in St Louis… you have to visit Crown Candy Kitchen. You just have to. It’s a St Louis icon. Staple. Tradition. LANDMARK. Just go. Have the best sandwich ever and a malt. Leave with some candy from the store. Your day is made.

I understand the appeal as a tourist stop and a city landmark, but today Crown Candy had bad service and really mediocre food. The restaurant was not very busy, but our waitress was MIA most of the time. We weren’t sure if we were supposed to refill our own water glasses or not – maybe we’re supposed to already know that the water is self-​serve? There was also a really rude worker who snapped at us and pretty much every one who walked in the door – we were planning on ordering dessert, but we just got our food and left.

Dang. It’s been here since 1913, and I’ve never been.
My husband took our children every Easter season to pick out a chocolate animal. Invariably, every year, someone came home with a pig. When you can get only one piece of chocolate, you want it to be big, and you want it to be solid (not hollow).
My great friend and I came for lunch today, timing arrival to avoid crowds and lines, part and parcel of Crown Candy Kitchen. And we got a fabulous parking spot.
We arrived at 10:40 a.m. They open at 10:30 a.m. We got a two-​person booth right away. Water served immediately. Menus at the booth.
Please note: no separate checks.
Tammie was our great server. We needed a few minutes to decide on our order. While discussing and contemplating, a guy in the booth across from us (of course, he heard our conversation), lifted up his BLT to show us the bacon depth. Gads, there must be a pound of bacon on that sandwich. And he showed us the half he hadn’t eaten yet.
He got a grilled ham-​and-​cheese sandwich ($ 6.99), which comes with chips and a pickle; and a chocolate-​banana malted ($ 5.19).
I got a large chili ($ 4.99) — with cheese and onions (+$.99) — and a hot fudge shake ($ 5.19).
All their shakes and malts are 24 ounces. You are delivered one of those old-​fashioned glass sundae containers with a straw and a spoon. The beverage comes in the metal container used to create your confection.
Their chili is no beans. I like that. The cheese and onions were massive. The chili is sooooo good. Hefty. Spicy, but not hot. Thick and rich. I ate about ¼ of it. Comes with three packages of oyster crackers.
The hot fudge shake was stellar. So rich, so wonderful, so fudgy. I drank perhaps ¹⁄₃ of it.
My great friend ate half of his sandwich. It was so big! And drank half of his malted.
AND, he gave me his pickle. .. which was divine!
We left with a lot of future meals. And when we walked out, there was a line of diners.
We timed it well.

Delicious ice cream, good sandwiches, long wait. This is the place to be for lunch and the wait proves it! However, for the ice cream and history it’s worth the wait. Service is fast and efficient. Wish I could go there most days!

Crown Candy is one of the places to visit if you are in St. Louis. They offer more than candy so don’t let the name fool you. I walked in and thought to myself «This is how an old school dinner/​candy shop is supposed to look like.»
I ordered a chocolate milkshake. It was huge! They give you a the container they shake it up in so you can make sure to drink all of it. This can easily be shared by two people. They put ice cream and love inside… the taste was exceptional! I warn you– it is very filling.
I also bought some chocolate candy to take home. Again, it was great!

I had the Raspberry Banana malt with the heart stopping BLT, and the other meal was a chef salad. So good both. Neither of us could finish our dinners. Love this Old Fashioned Soda Fountain the original building and furnishings. Great place.

Hometown glory in the center of Old North St. Louis! the entire area is so rich in culture and beautifully preserved I feel warm inside whenever I hit St. Louis Ave. I’ll save my neighborhood spiel for a separate review and focus on selling you Crown Candy for now.
This place is like an old monument; reminiscent of a 1960’s candy/​general/​convenient store all wrapped in one. It’s a family owned & operated business. The workers are always super personable, very efficient and knowledgable about product.
I encourage you to try the food, the malts and the chocolate here or you’ll regret it. I personally adore the Tuna (bread less), the Chocolate Banana malt, the Heavenly Hash, Dark Chocolate Blueberries and award winning Chocolate Covered Strawberries.
Don’t let the long line deter you, it moves fast. The booths are tight compared to today’s restaurant seating but Crown Candy’s nostalgia is what makes it such a cool place.
Thank me later.
~Christy

I wanted to really give this place 5 stars. And probably if I hadn’t gone on a busy holiday baseball game weekend — or maybe not — I would have. Here is the thing — we got there 10 minutes before opening on a weekend. It was hot. It was super sunny. And since we weren’t in the 1^st round of seating — we had to wait to get in the door even until the 1^st rounders got up to leave. The place doesn’t sit but maybe 2 dozen people. And the two tops don’t hold today’s super sized people very well. This place is a throwback to a bygone era where people were considerably less large. It’s in a sketchy at best hood north side stl. I can’t say I felt real easy there. And once we did get seated — I felt the eyes of hungry hot cranky people adults and kids boring into the back of my head while I tried to wolf down the bacon sammich. Which was over a pound of bacon. With a small glass of water and a small cup of iced tea which didn’t get refilled. The sammich was 8.99. And it was an awesome sammich. Which I never ever have to feel like a competitive eater to consume again. The chocolate malt my dining partner has was the «best he’d ever has». It was awesome. Served in a large metal cup with a fountain glass to pour into. Easy to share. But again had to wolf it down.
Go on a week night. Or a week day. Stop and savor the bacon.
I spent the rest of the day in some sort of gastro distress that started with rapid consumption of only half my sammich. And I regret it. This place is amazing. Just not when you wait in the heat to then be rushed through a meal that is so fun it is painful to rush through. If you are a larger person — expect to be shoe horned into your booth. It’s not really handicapped accessible when crowded. Don’t expect a cheerful attentive server — she was all business.
I will go back — but probably not in the dark.

After a few unsuccessful tries to get into here due to some huge waits and extremely hot weather, I finally got a chance to try Crown Candy Kitchen a few weeks ago. It immediately feels like stepping into another era in North St. Louis. Old fashion diner and milkshake place? Sign me up! I had the turkey club with chips (tasted like Ruffles). Sandwich was good but next time I’m getting the BLT. I saw a few other folks get it and there was a truckload of bacon on there! Best part of course, the chocolate malt. You have to get a shake of some type in here.

Not much I can say that hasn’t been said.
AMAZING BLT (without the T for me) and caramel malt! One day I want to go and try some of their handmade chocolates!

The Heart Stopping BLT definitely stopped by heart, but not because of cardiac arrest. I was in love with all that bacon!
Crown Candy Kitchen is a throwback to a 1940’s candy/​malt shop and it’s so nice and quaint inside, really looking like how I assume it looked back in the day.
I made a poor choice of milk shake flavors, but I’m not faulting Crown for that, I should have chosen a flavor that I knew I would have liked instead of venturing out to a new flavor.
Even without liking my particular flavor, I could still tell the shake was of very high quality, and I’d definitely give Crown another try should I find myself in the St. Louis area again sometime!

Great place, food great. Waitress was so slow and not too friendly. But we will come back and give it another try. Love the history behind the place.

Growing up in North St. Louis in the 80’s this was a common local treat to visit Crown Candy for a milkshake. Back then it was not a problem to walk in and get your booth and order up. But since the Internet has been established this hidden local gem has been dug up and the common masses now know of this treasure and you can forget about getting right in especially around lunch time! I was shocked to find it so busy in past years because of its notarity on various tv shows and review sites like Unilocal.But I guess a great joint like this has to shine at some point.
So if you want to enjoy this great historical eatery try to come on a week day during non peak hours like 3−4pm. We were able to walk right in and get our glasses of water and within 5 minutes we were slurping away at our giant malt shakes. Another tip is to share a sandwich, they are plenty big enough for two and split the shake if you want too, but I bet you order a second one for dessert! Common favs are the Chocolate, Chocolate/​Banana, and Oreo shakes. Make it a malt to get that classic flavor. And if you dare, try the BLT it’s scary good!
Oh and don’t forget some change for the parking meters outside!

It goes without saying that when people think of the best iconic (and maybe historic) places in St. Louis, CCK comes to mind. I’m not sure where to start; I guess the food: food is great especially their heart-​stopping BLT. I also really dig their shakes, especially the seasonal ones (eggnog, peach, etc). I haven’t tried most of their sundaes, but I always gotta order one to top off my meal when I’m here! Their homemade candy (which is made by them in the back) is just plain awesome. Actually, no words can explain the many kinds they got. The only negatives about this place is no french fries and even though the neighborhood has improved over the years, its still kind of sketchy. Otherwise, its a great place that takes you back in time!
I also forgot to mention that service as well as the food was quick! I’m usually there during the dead hours but during peak hours I strongly suggest planning ahead… I’ve seen long lines there!

For people who are visiting out of town, do not expect a lot from this place.
They have good ice cream. Their specialty Sundaes are rich and they put a lot of pecans in them, which is really nice for the price.
What makes this place beautiful is also their simple sandwiches. I had the breaded chicken sandwich. Meat was very good and ingredients were fresh. Just the basics in it and tasted really good.
Now being from Chicago and having the best ice cream shops; this was a very ordinary experience for me. But I understand this is a big deal in this town because there is not much else here.

Like walking into a 60s burger/​shake/​ice cream shop in an old section of St. Louis. Not for the faint of heart or people with blood sugar issues. It’s also a candy shop as the namesake describes. There is so much chocolate most people with a sweet tooth will be beside themselves.
Best worst decision ever will be getting the Heart Stopping BLT. You can spend a fleeting moment thinking, «well at least it has miracle whip on there» but realize then that there is about a pound of bacon you are eating in one sitting. There is enough shake serving for 2.5 glasses. Let me reiterate the disclaimer for people with blood sugar issues.
Worth the trip for anyone that wants something with an old St. Louis feel. Definitely a highlight of any trip to St. Louis.