The Milk Bottle

We love Mary Lou's! We have been going to their restaurant for years and always have good food and ice cream. This last weekend we got married and knew we wanted an ice cream truck for our dessert option. We went with Mary Lou's and it was fantastic. We went with their little horse trailer option and it was the cutest thing. All our guests loved it and we couldn't be happier with how everything turned out.

We popped in for a quick bite drawn by the historic charm of the iconic milk bottle. The owners were so kind and welcoming! We split a burger with a heap of fries which was the perfect amount of food to accompany delicious creamy shakes served with extra overflow of shake on the side - the absolute best marshmallowy goodness! 😋

SPOKANE GEM! Whether you’re strolling through the historic Garland District or just looking for a timeless, quaint atmosphere, this is a must. We always enjoy the delicious ice cream and milkshakes but their food is just as amazing. To top it all off, the owners are the best part about this business. Always welcoming and treat us like family. Food pictured: chocolate ice cream and strawberry milkshake.

First time coming here, this is easily one of the best burgers I have had in Spokane. I had the Hawaiian burger and it was cooked perfectly and it was not super greasy. The fries were good as was the macaroni salad. The tuna melt was just ok. Split a vanilla malt milkshake for dessert and really enjoyed it. We will be back again

Definitely, an awesome experience. Took my brother there last month. I haven't been there in 30 years last time I was there. I was with my dad, but either way, great experience, wonderful food, fantastic staff. Great ownership. And we even had a milkshake, that was great too. Thanks for your time definitely.A wonderful place to bring your family to. -#Help keep local restaurants alive#-

First time coming here and I thought the food was good. I got the bbq burger and it was simple and not over done. I’ll definitely go back and try more food from them.

Ive been coming here almost 20 years and it's ALWAYS amazing. Shocked I havent reviewed yet, the BEST ice cream in Spokane. Maybe all of washington. Amazing hamburgers, homemade fries! There was a large group celebrating a birthday so most of the place was reserved - we happily sat at the "bar" seating and it was a TREAT. The food was fast and the cook/server/busser were all fantastic!! Thanks friends 💙

Fast friendly service, extremely reasonable prices for the great quality food. Ordered the Hawaiian burger, Reuben, bacon cheeseburger, and the tuna melt; all came out quickly and hot. Hawaiian burger and bacon cheeseburger were ordered by our 10 year old twin granddaughters, both devoured their burgers without hesitation. Plenty of good quality bacon on the bacon cheeseburger. Reuben - tied for the best Reuben we’ve had in our travels across the country, it is that good. Great flavor and it comes with sauce on the side if you want to tweak the taste to your personal liking. Tuna melt (choice of bread, I chose marbled rye) - tasty and very satisfying. Fresh cut fries - fries done right, default was light salt which we really appreciated; too many restaurants drown fries and such in salt destroying the flavor unless you’re one that loves salt. Homemade sauces - tartar and fry sauce are house made, both tasted great. Definitely try them out.

Never stepped into a milk bottle restaurant before - what a neat little diner! Vanilla milkshake and strawberry cheesecake ice cream were SO delicious and rich. The service was also friendly and we walked right in to the ice cream counter. There's some seats outside. They offer a variety of flavors including local huckleberry, and all ice cream is handmade.

The staff were very nice and the place had a fun retro diner vibe to it. It was a laid back atmosphere. I had a deli ham and cheese sandwich and it wasn't anything spectacular. The fries tasted fresh but I prefer them crunchier. Overall I would go back to try the ice cream in the summer but don't expect anything amazing from the food.

We've been wanting to visit this iconic cafe. Finally had the opportunity to go for dinner. Not too busy for a Saturday evening, which was nice. Very retro and casual feeling. Ordered at the counter and sat at a small table by the window. Food came rather quickly. Had the Norms Reuben which comes with turkey instead of corned beef. Which I prefer. It was steaming. So nice to get a hot meal...so many places these days the food is not hot. Homemade potato salad with huge chunks of potato's. Hubby had a huckleberry shake and it had so many huckleberries in it. Fresh!!! Yummy. I always have to sample the sweets. He got the hawaiian chicken sandwich and said it's the best grilled sandwich ever. We really enjoyed our meal. And it didn't cost too much. Definitely go there. No wonder it's been in business so long. Fun night out.

Old school since 1935. After eating breakfast next door at another old school spot we ordered some ice cream. We picked out two flavors of one scoop each and one of them being the popular Huckleberry. These single scoops were so big it was in comparison to three scoops at other ice cream shops. The service was quick and the old world interior and cool bottle design was great.

The food reminded me of the 60's in California when we used to have Soda Fountains. It reminded me of the old Van DeKamps Restaurants. Even the menu with macaroni salad, tuna melt sandwishes, root beer floats All the good stuff we were eating around those days.

First time here and I loved it, we come down to Garland alot here in Spokane and have always seen it but never stopped in. Today we did and I got the cheese steak sandwich and was it ever good it just needed a touch of salt but boy did it taste good and their fries are bomb I loved them. Come on down and try it out if you haven't been here you'd love it and the Staff is super friendly as well.

Really nothing has changed since my last review. Decent, but not a 'knock your socks off' burger, soggy fries, and a good macaroni salad that is sweet, just as advertised. The dining area was clean and the gentleman helping us was friendly. Just a note that they charge an additional 4% for using debit/credit cards. My wife also had a shake and it was very good. At the time of this review the shakes are $9.

Very cute exterior. Nice atmosphere. Friendly professional staff. Very tasty shake for sure would highly recommend.

I great up in the garland neighborhood a few moons ago and now I get the treat of taking my own kids here for the best milkshakes in town. The customer service is always amazing and there's nothing like sitting outside with a burger and a shake. A true Spokane staple.

Never been to this little restaurant so thought we would try it out since we hear a lot of people talk about their burgers. I had the bacon cheese burger and fries and I tell you what it was a dang good burger and their house cut fires are the bomb. I am a very happy customer with the food also the 2 guys in there were great. Will be back again

Nothing like having a couple of really good burgers and an excellent banana shake while just passing through. The weather was nice so we ate outside with the sun beaming overhead... we almost didn't want to leave. Great experience in Spokane...

Delish and great service! Food was hot and shakes were creamy. It's a banger dine. Got the burger.

The whole thing. From the ambiance, service and quality of food is the best. This local landmark never ceases to please!

For 2 years we have come for my daughter's birthday treat. She loves the milkshake and I love the old-timey charm of the building, reminds me of places of my childhood. Service was attentive by the young man who waited on us.

We went on a Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 for a late lunch. We shared a basic cheeseburger and they plated it for each of us. The burger was delicious but the fries were awesome. They really are fresh and not frozen and you can just tell. We asked for tartar sauce (super good) and fry sauce (good but nothing out of the ordinary. Service was friendly even when they got slammed and the place filled up. After lunch we got what we really came for - ice cream. The chocolate mudslinger has pieces of brownie and fudge and my husband got it in a bowl. I thought the chocolate wasn't quite rich enough, somehow but he liked it. I chose Lemon Custard and oh my goodness, it was silky and creamy and such a good choice. I had it in a waffle cone. The scoops are nice and big and worth the $4.00 charged. We were surprised that using a debit card or credit card added 4% to the total.

Stumbled upon Mary Lou's on an Eater list for Spokane and stopped by for a quick milkshake before a walk around the Riverfront Park. We got the River City Sludge (hot fudge, brownie bits, chocolate) milkshake and it was a delightful thick creamy milkshake! Smooth chocolatey goodness with chunks of brownies bite in every sip! Note: Yelp indicates no credit cards, but we were able to pay with a credit card.

It could have been great but like most places nowadays, the prices are too high. The menu on yelp was apparently outdated when everything was more reasonable. Anyway the Huckleberry shake was awesome. The cheese burger special was pretty good. Service was very good. Next we will just focus on the shakes and ice cream and forget the food.

When I searched for "must eat" Spokane, Mary Lou's Milk Bottle was the top of each list. Great cheese burger, amazing huckleberry milkshake and grandma's potato salad which was really close to my grandma's. Small, homey and a cute retro diner vibe. Really great place to stop for a fun meal. More food than we could finish for less than $15.

Could have had a better $14 burger without the attitude somewhere else. My friend had a hotdog cut up into 5 pieces & put on a hamburger bun. :(

You want to feel like you have gone back in time.... Back when times were easier. This is the spot. Family owned and Ran. Great People! Great Food! I definitely recommend their Cheeseburgers! The Restaurant its self is really Cool inside and out! I definitely recommend going here. I Do. Enjoy

Always love coming here and so does this little man! Joey is having his usual cheeseburger, fries and Huckleberry shake...Yummmm!

Today we visited this cute little restaurant after reading such wonderful reviews only to be super disappointed. The place was packed, there is very little seating, lots of confusion and terrible service. The food is meh at best and quite pricy! We found nothing redeeming about this cute place except the building. Visit at your own risk.

Great milk shake and French fries! I will be back. Service was excellent; watched the chef cook and he was very deliberate and careful.

Just love the Milk Bottle. As seniors we appreciate the retro ambiance, but the people and food are what we most admire. My go-to are the French fries. Unlike 99.9 % of the fries one gets elsewhere these fries are right up there with the best I've ever had. Not the stiff, crunchy fries with "mashed potato" innards, but solid yet flexible (should I say "limp"?) beauties. Other folks might prefer generic fast-food fries, but for real down-home fries the Milk Bottle is the place!

What's not to like? Great menu, food, staff and plenty of parking. Fun lunch crowd. We'll be back. Lots of other shops on this street to explore. Highly recommend. We got the bacon cheeseburger with salad and fries...the ice cream being served all around us was hard to resist...and my waistline won out.

Great food. Great service. Good value! This is food you will crave when not there. Homemade buns. Fresh cut fries. Homemade ice cream. Lots of menu choices, burger and fries just happens to be my go to.

Great food and service. Everything here seems to be from scratch. The cheeseburger/fries/shake combo is our family go to and it never disappoints. They've kept the vintage vibe and seating is limited. Worth the trip.

Such a charming gem hidden in the quietest of neighborhoods in Spokane. I cannot state with certainty, but it appears as. If they have their ice creams flavors made especially for them. We tried banana, salted caramel, and lemon custard... they did not disappoint. For the 3 cups of ice cream that I purchased, it was approximately $15, including tax. If we're ever living in Spokane again, we will regularly visit this cutie.

I came here with a few friends over the long weekend and will definitely be coming back! They had a daily deal which I ordered and that included a cheeseburger, milkshake of choice, and side all for $14. This was such a great deal and everything was delicious and filling. I got their cookies and cream milkshake and it was delicious. Their milkshakes are really big and they split it in two cups. So for the price of $7.50, you basically get two cups of milkshakes. They have so many flavors to choose from, I will be coming back to try each flavor!

The wait staff was very attentive the restaurant was busy and ice cream sundaes made you feel like you were living in the 50s but without the racism. The ice cream soda that was handmade had zero carbonation but the homemade ice cream was really good.

All around great experience! Old school and the very BEST ice cream! Cool little street fir casual shopping

So good! Tried this place with my dad. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted with a smile from everyone and seated instantly! they lady who served us was so patient and kind! We decided to split a huckleberry shake and I'm so glad we did! They split it in half for us but it was well over half each and it was so good. I don't prefer that artificial huckleberry taste so I was skeptical but my dad wanted to try it and oh man it was perfect. They make their own ice cream and use real fresh huckleberries! We also got a burger and fries and though that did hit the spot, it wasn't amazing. But no complaints because we came for the shake and I'm very satisfied! This is a must try!

Ordered a cheese steak with fries and a bacon cheeseburger with fries. The fries were burned with both orders, and the cheese steak wasn't on french bread like the menu stated. And they gave the wrong flavored milk shake. Over priced and mediocre food. Sad because this was our first time trying this place. Wont

Is you haven't been to the milk bottle, you haven't been to Spokane. Slow service, sh***y fries, and greasy food, but that's all part of the charm. It's old, it's vintage, it's historic, it's just fun! Their patty melt and their Mac Salad are fantastic! But the milk shakes...I would do a lot of shameful things for one of their huckleberry milkshakes. All their milkshakes are the tits, but the huckleberry milkshake is especially good. Truly, you will never find a better huckleberry milkshake.

This seems like a Spokane cult classic, but I wasn't in love. The restaurant is very cute and has a great retro feel to it. The icecream had chips of ice and tasted old.

Great food and excellent service! I have only been here a few times but I enjoyed the food I ate both times (French fries and a veggie grill). The fries are awesome as well as the "fry sauce". The person I was with ordered a cheese burger and they enjoyed it. I have tried both the cookie dough and the Oreo milkshake. Both were great but I preferred the Oreo one. The person I was with got the chocolate shake and says it's the best shake they've ever had. The milkshakes are pretty big (you get a tall old school ice cream glass and a metal blender cup that holds the overflow. Usually they are pretty thick so I recommend eating it with a spoon (and dipping your fries). Really what I'm writing the review here for is the great service and kindness of the staff. The first time I was there it was really busy and you could tell all three of the workers were working hard and quickly to get orders out (the waiter looked around high school age but he did a fantastic job handling all of the tables and trying to clean up quickly after each table left). The other two workers behind the counter were working just as hard and were very nice. The second time I came, I mentioned to one of the staff that I had a garlic allergy and he gave me this paper menu unprompted with stars marking off all the foods that were unsafe for my allergy. I get a lot of anxiety eating at restaurants from previous experiences where restaurants didn't take my allergy seriously (leading to me having a scary allergic reaction), so this was a very kind gesture that was above and beyond my expectations. That staff member (I wish I could remember his name -if it was you, please comment your name on this post!) made the experience much more relaxed for me and I felt safe to enjoy my food without fear that I could go into anaphylaxis. I have never had that kind of service at a restaurant before (even fancy expensive ones). That made the experience very memorable and I will happily be returning as soon as I can! 10/10 would recommend!

The ice creme was so good! The inside was cute and the outside was picture worthy. Servers got to us right away.

Over the past decade, since I've been paying more attention to food and restaurants, a category that never seems to disappoint is diner food. Something about nostalgia wrapped in a chill vibe and topped with handmade cuisine will always get me! We had a hankering for something relaxed, delicious and eclectic - we had the kids with us and they wanted ice cream and something memorable...we'll maybe just ice cream. The milk bottle was everything and more! Located in the Garland district (didn't know what that was until tonight), this slightly eccentric and old time gem fits right in. It's hard to miss as there's a giant milk bottle outside the place! It's been here since the 30s and was rebuilt in 2012 after a fire. We're glad it's back! With seating for about 30, I imagine it's not abnormal to to wait a bit. We luckily came at an off time and got right in. Seating is a combo of tables, benches and at the bar. Service was quick and everything is under $10! We split a couple burgers, a hot dog and a shake between four of us and it was plenty. Everything was made from scratch and tasted like it. The burgers were delicious (the cheeseburger and Hawaiian burger) with buns that were phenomenal. The fries are hand cut and solid. The ice cream here is as good as we've ever had...and we've had a lot of ice cream! We shared a chocolate/cookies 'n cream shake and it was Epic! The Rita for everything came to $29 with tip. For our buck, this was as good as it gets! A must stop for fans of diner food, good food and really any food!

Absolutely the best .. the shakes, sandwiches, burgers .. oh so very classic. As good as a diner could get.

What a delightful nostalgic place. An old school ice cream shop, and diner. Special $13: Homemade ice cream milk shake, cheeseburger and fries. The milkshake was the best we've had in years, hand scooped and we ordered huckleberry. The cheeseburgers are made with soft fluffy homemade buns and simple but perfection. The fries are homemade cut and fried with skin, so very delicious. We really enjoyed our food. We had take out and called in, order was ready in 10.

Fun space, good for kids but not a good shake. We love shakes and get them all over the place. This was the worst one and especially for $9.00. It tasted like half ice cream and half whip cream. We drank 1/4 of it and tossed it out. Such a bummer especially after all the hype from other reviews

Underwhelmed. Super disappointed because this place was recommended to us by multiple people and maybe we just got the wrong stuff. We ordered the Hawaiian Burger, cheesesteak, and bacon burger. Nothing to make us want to come back. Maybe we should have tried a milkshake.

They are so expensive now!!! And I hate the new buns. This place is so nostalgic for me and I really want it to return to having amazing prices and great food.

Delicious diner food in the cutest milk bottle you ever did see. The service was quick and to the point & we enjoyed your daily special. A burger, fries & milkshake all for about $20 when everything was said and done. Not too shabby. If you're looking for a quirky Spokane eatery, this is your spot.

Was not very happy about our experience. There is soooo much potential, yet there was such a missed opportunity. The burger was great, fresh bun and smash burger. The food was good but the service is the miss. Forgot my mocha milkshake, brought out a vanilla shake. Took it back in and they added coffee to it (fyi this does not make a MOCHA shake). They forgot my daughters sundae (tried to tell us that it was still in line to be made. We were finished with all of our food and they had asked us twice if we wanted our check.). Two groups that came in way after us got their food and their sundaes and shakes before they finally brought out ours. We were not offered a comp on anything of at least an apology. Not suggested. Not advised in fact.

First time at this "Must Go To" restaurant in Spokane. I had the Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich and my son had the Patty Melt. Both were great. The restaurant is full of old photos as this place has quite a history. Definitely recommend. We will be back

We've been to Spokane so many times and not sure how we missed this jewel! Mary Lou's is a darling 50's dinerish place serving burgers, fries, sandwiches and salads. And of course the most delicious milkshakes. Their ice cream is homemade in a creamery across the street. We all had burgers, fries and a shake for $13. That's a great bargain. Especially for a good quality hamburgers. The buns are homemade and soft and fresh. We will def be back and make sure our friends and family know the Mary Lou's is the real deal!!

This is a fun staple in spokane. Food is decent and the ice cream is great. Kids love coming here!!! The only complaint I have is how dirty it is. Could use a good deep cleaning!!!

I cannot believe I've lived in Spokane for 30 years and have never been here. Cute, classic, iconic, and all those other things. The fare here is typical for a diner with nothing really outrageous on the menu. Food is prepared well and served hot. I don't think there was a lot of house made. Service was great and attentive. If I had to guess I'd say that our server was an owner because he acted like an owner. Lots of pride in service and making sure we were happy. The outstanding part of this visit was the milkshake. Hand scooped hard ice cream, lots of flavor, and they left the mixing tin on the table! They are the Milk Bottle so I'd expect nothing less.