I love that I can get cheese curds from Kalona Creamery and now shop with a delicious DRINK in hand! The drinks are amazing and unique. I enjoyed the 52247 (raspberry white mocha with raspberry cold foam) and Cow's Kiss! Wonderful and fast service. Excited to try every single drink. read more

Kalona Creamery - Coffee bar - Cheese Shops Near Me - Kalona, Iowa

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Stopped in to buy some cheese, but after I had paid for it all, the clerk told me that many of the varieties were actually just Shullberg cheese that was rewrapped and labeled as Amish creamery label. It was a bit misleading. read more

Very nice place to go to north of Kalona. The cheese curds are delicious and they have Iowa things read more

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I tried a sample of the fresh cheese curds they had put out and they were delicious! Since I was there to try their ice cream, I didn't pay much attention to all the other food options. I will report that the ice cream is excellent! The service was friendly and there are items to purchase in the store. I bought a cute plastic cup that changes color when you add ice. read more

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When I wrote my first review of this place, it had only recently reopened and had not actually started producing any dairy products. Their cheese curds were trucked in a few times a week from some other location. As such, it was hard to be enthusiastic about this place. Flash forward now about 5 years. On our regular trips back to Iowa, we've come back to Kalona to visit the Creamery and the nearby Amish businesses. Happily, Kalona Creamery now produces its own cheese curds, and they are delicious. Less happy, however, is that they have reduced the size of their cheese curd bags while increasing the price. Previously you'd get 1 lb for $5, now it's 12 oz (3/4 lb) for $6. Inflation has hit everything, I suppose. If you feel up to the challenge, they do sell a 5 lb bag at a better per ounce price - but that's a lot of cheese curds. They do sell other cheeses, but these aren't produced locally - most of the ones that I noticed (like the ghost pepper and the Carolina reaper) are made in Wisconsin. The place also has a little gift shop with a lot of cow-related doodads and other kitsch. But another things to get here is their fudge. I believe that this is also made at the creamery, but regardless of its provenance it's fantastic and better than anything you'll find in the Amana Colonies. They have lots of different flavors (should have taken a photo of the array, but I forgot) and when we were there they had a special of buy 4, get 2 free. Each hefty chunk of fudge was $4.50, so for 6 blocks we paid $18. It seemed like a good deal to me but admittedly I don't actually know what the market rate for fudge is these days. read more

The BEST cheese curds! The samples were so delicious that we HAD to buy some to-go! The location is easy to find. The whole facility was clean, but cold. There's a life size paper mache cow in the front entrance with no signage to not sit on or climb. Luckily I asked! In addition to the cheese curds, we also purchased 4 varieties of ice cream. They were mediocre flavors. Did we finish them? Yeah. Would we order ice cream again? Not a chance. A huge letdown when compared to the quality of cheese. The customer service was okay. Not incredibly friendly, which may have left a bad taste in my mouth before eating the ice cream. Prices were good, though. read more

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some of the best ice cream i've had, and at a great price too! they basically pack almost a pint of ice cream into a 5.99 two scoop cup, and you can really taste the quality of their ingredients. my personal favorite was the kalona crunch, which is their classic vanilla ice cream with gorgeous, nutty chunks of pecan butter crunch throughout. it's absolutely heavenly. kalona dairy has a beautifully rich flavor that comes through beautifully in the ice cream! i will say the chilly 63 degree thermostat was a little crazy, but it was a nice break from the hot weather outside. if you're in the iowa city area, please do yourself a favor and come by for some ice cream, yogurt, and cheese curds. read more

Kalona Creamery - two scoop cone with kalona crunch! - Cheese Shops Near Me - Kalona, Iowa

Cheese curds are excellent but I also got the plain chocolate fudge and I was a little disappointed. Get some cash out and head to the grocery store down the road where everything is damaged, expired, and dirt cheap. read more

Really good quality ice cream! I wish there was more variety in the flavors though. Adorable little gift shop with a bunch of cow-inspired decor for sale. The service was really great! read more

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We unknowingly came here on a day they make fresh cheese curds... let me I'm just say, YUM! They are the best cheese curds ever. We even tried some ice cream. We don't live in Iowa but if we did, I would be here every week! read more

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We visited for the first time on a Saturday afternoon. The line was wrapped around the main portion of the shop and out the entrance. We kind of followed the crowd and got in line with everyone else. Not really sure why, but it gave us time to browse. This gave time to notice that not all products are Kalona made. We grabbed some cheese curds and two single scoop ice creams cones. Probably some of the best ice cream I've ever had. Their fudge looked really good at $4.50/chunk (like 1/4lb.), but we passed this time. Cashier was super friendly and working by herself the majority of the time. Cashiering, scooping ice cream, cutting fudge - everything! 4/5 stars because I feel like this is just a really big gift shop with lots of typical retail wares aimed at tourists. Merchandise wasn't overly unique, and a lot of it wasn't even made in Iowa. Large viewing window where you can watch them make cheese. Nice area for sitting down to eat. Parking right outside and across the street. We spent less than $15. read more

I've been here many times since I moved to Iowa City. Love the fudge and ice cream! A great place to visit.

Oh, so, good! Made a quick stop on our way to Kalona for cheese curds and of course couldn't leave without ice cream! The creamery offers a variety of products from milk to ice cream and cheese curds to homemade fudge! I of course went for the ice cream - had a chocolate espresso flavor "calf size" ie 1/3 a scoop! It was rich, creamy, and oh so dreamy! read more

Kalona Creamery - Yummy!! - Cheese Shops Near Me - Kalona, Iowa

Cute dairy-themed gift shop, fresh fudge, cheese curds, ice cream, and more make this a fun stop!

Cute creamery but be aware, only the cheese curds are made there. The rest of the cheeses they get shipped in. They have a lot of different fudge flavors and gifts and ice cream too. Check it out. read more

Discovered this gem in 1990 when living and working in Eastern Iowa. Always make an effort to stop and buy some cheese curds and some of the many other items they offer. read more

Wow - I'm super excited for this spot to complete it's renovations so we can start enjoying even more local curds! In the mean time, they've already re-vamped a good deal of the space, and everything they sell is from an Iowa vendor, which is great! They have a ton of baked goods (including Cresents from Tiffiny's Tipton Bakery), short bread, and a bunch of other stuff I'm forgetting. They also have fresh made salads, a variety of cheeses and dairy products, and every item you could ever need to construct the perfect cheese plate. I will definitely be back in a few months to check out the progress! read more

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A cute shop with handmade ice cream, fudge and a nice selection cheeses at affordable prices!

Amazing! Incredible! Delicious! As I walked in I saw fresh cheese curds made at the creamery being packed and put out for purchase. I grabbed a bag along with delicious crisp cookies baked in the area to take to a friend's house later. The ice cream section grabbed my attention and I couldn't resist getting a double scoop of Rooster's Call & chocolate after trying both. Then I grabbed a Kalona Supernaturals chocolate milk (for later) and went to enjoy my ice cream. I love ice cream but the combination of the espresso and caramel swirl with the base of vanilla in Rooster's Call is next level. I enjoy Ben & Jerry's ice cream as well as Haagen Daaz however there is no comparison to the creaminess of this homemade ice cream. The cashier told me she helps make it ! The chocolate was hands down the creamiest chocolate ice cream I've found. It is similar to the chocolate milk (also bought this trip) where you know you're eating chocolate but it is so decadent it tastes like there's a secret ingredient in it to make the chocolate even more accentuated. Even though I'm lactose intolerant I've been able to eat and drink everything I've ever purchased from Kalona Supernaturals and from the creamery. I attribute this to the whole milk used versus short cuts and pasteurized milk. They use milk from farmers in the area rather than sourcing it out. Everything I purchased was amazing and I'm so happy to see that they help sponsor other local businesses. They have other souvenirs including farm house style decorations and beautiful dish towels. To those who wrote about change or things not being the same, it's better! If for some reason your taste buds are not not wanting to experience nirvana then it's all the more fresh homemade ice cream, cheese curds, milks and other goodies for those who will appreciate it. read more

Kalona Creamery - Rooster's Call (vanilla base with espresso & caramel swirls) and Chocolate double scoop with a happy cow chocolate on top. - Cheese Shops Near Me - Kalona, Iowa

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I am so glad to see they are open. Great selections of cheese and cheese curds. Their ice cream is creamy and delicious! So smooth and tastes like the homemade from my childhood. read more

Kalona Creamery - Udderly chocolate ice cream is the bomb - Cheese Shops Near Me - Kalona, Iowa

I loved the vibe of the deli/shop inside the creamery--they had a great selection of cheeses and gifts, and if you come before 2pm, you can get some made-to-order dishes. I thought it was a bit overpriced for some items, and I was totally let down by the ice cream, but it's a cute shop and probably a much more exciting visit when you can see more of the production (it was under construction when we stopped by). read more

Really nice gift store and cheese house. The curds are amazing!!! Try the homemade ice cream. So good

I should start by saying my review is probably a little biased simply because of how much I love cheese. I also grew up going to the original cheese shop in this location and have many fond memories. The good news is if you share my love of cheese you will be quite happy at the creamery. Their cheese curd production isn't up and running yet, part of a 3 stage opening process, but you can still buy cheese curds there from an Iowa dairy farm. You can also buy several other varieties of cheese being made there or around Iowa. Here's the better news, even if you don't like cheese there are a bunch of other products that are all from Iowa. Noodles from Zaza's in Cedar Rapids, pasta sauce from Galassi in Coralville, emu meat sticks from Heartland in Toddville, and much more. Kids not so interested in supporting local businesses? They have ice cream fresh for the scooping. All in all, it made for a great trip to Kalona and I'm eager to return. read more

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Sandwiches were eh. Reuben was not toasted, so that was gross. The meat on the reuben was fatty, more fat than meat. The Italian melt was good. Supposedly these sandwiches had sauce on them, but you couldn't taste it or see it. Would not eat here again, but will stop for the cheese and the butter they will be making in 2018. read more

Was very excited to visit the return of the cheese curds, made a special hour drive knowing they are made fresh every Tuesday and Friday. I had seen once they noted on Instagram that they wouldn't be producing cheese curds that day, but didn't see anything today. We were pretty bummed to find they had curds from two Fridays who out... we wanted fresh curds. It was very nice one lady went in the back and got us a bag from last Friday. Instead of several bags each, we were satisfied with one to share. Not much squeak, not fresh but still pretty good. Here's hoping our next trip is more successful. read more

No indoor seating and not really a "deli" they have pre made sandwiches and other cheese items, as well as ice creams and lots of local products. Will be nice when they get their own cheese production going again at the end of 2017 for the signature "squeaky cheese curds". read more

I love this place. Tons of local items, from wood products to candy to cheese, meat and more. Their sandwiches are so good and their ice cream is delicious. Try the chocolate ice cream, made with Kalona Supernaturals' Chocolate Milk. Mmmmmm. read more