Mr. K’s Soft Ice Cream & Drive In

Everything a family-​run, local restaurant should have. Char-​grilled burgers, hot dogs, and chicken and plenty of ice cream and shakes for afterwards or a hot summer day. Very kid friendly and kid approved. They have picnic tables for outside seating too. A Southend tradition since 1967.

This has been a stomping ground for me and my friends for many years. The staff feels like family and makes you feel welcomed.
The food is typical diner fare with some differences. I have sampled many dishes from the hamburgers, hotdogs, ice cream, milkshake, fries and onion rings. I can speak that each is delicious. Nothing fancy or imaginative but each is prepared with care. This is the perfect place to indulge in greasy and sweet food.
They have many different types of sweets from milkshakes (so many types), soft serve ice cream, dipped cones, sundaes to just name a few. I would recommend this place to anyone that wants to indulge and experience Charlotte first hand.
Details: Inside and outside seating can get busy, bathroom is located behind the building, perfect for families/​friends, parking is limited but can park on street. does accept credit cards now use to be cash only.
Pricing — A+
Setting/​Layout — A
Staff — A+
Food — A
Sweets — A+
Clean — B+

I really love Mr. K’s not only because it’s so conveniently located next to my apartment complex but because it has great food and ice cream.
I’ve only been a handful of times but each time is really great. The soft serve ice cream is delicious, I mean how could it now be! Of course I always get my favorite, vanilla with chocolate dip! I could eat it over and over again every day.
We recent went for some food too. I got a cheeseburger and the frings. Whoever came up with the frings was genius… perfect combo when you can’t decide between onion rings and fries. The cheeseburger was really good too! Got it with cheddar cheese, onions, lettuce, and pickles. Everything tasted really fresh and right off the grill! And to make it even better, it’s super cheap. The burger was like 3 or 4 dollars!
I love that the whole inside is dedicated to the panthers. They have pictures everywhere. Supporting the panthers, of the stadium before and after being built, memorabilia etc. It’s a really inviting atmosphere, especially if you’re a fan! I always look forward to going back to Mr. K’s and getting my usual and now I’ll also look forward to getting some new food!

I’m giving Mr. K’s four stars because of one reason and one reason only. I felt the food was a little bland. But the service is always good and that ice cream is awesome. Also their onion rings or something to note!

Awesome food although a bit pricey for me a burger combo $ 10.18. Dang but a really great burger and awesome staff to go along with it

This place is pretty awesome and just makes you happy when you step inside. Family owned for a long time and a Charlotte staple!
We can here the other night as my hubby was craving ice cream after I cooked dinner… not sure what it is about craving sweets after a home cooked meal but it’s definitely a thing!
Everyone inside is super nice! I got the small swirl cone and my husband got the medium chocolate dipped in peanut butter. The dip was so awesome. They had chocolate, PB, Butterscotch and Strawberry. Love that they gave us a little sleeve so the ice cream didn’t drip! Didn’t get any food food but everything smelled awesome!

I hit Mr. K’s about once a month. It’s typically a choice between here and Zack’s when I want a «mom and pop» place burger that has a real grill flavor to it. The fries were not salted much if at all today but the burgers are always consistent. The toppings are fresh and crisp and the onion bun was perfectly heated to a very light crisp. I added a peanut butter milkshake (first milkshake here) and was hoping for a thicker consistency with actual pieces of peanut butter in it but it was over blended for my taste. It was basically milk by the time I finished my burger (the air temperature was only in the low 70’s). I think Cookout has definitely spoiled me for super thick, flavorful milkshakes. I think I would like to see more of a combo lunch pricing as you’ll be close to $ 10 for a burger, fries and drink at Mr. K’s. (versus about $ 7 for Zack’s combo special).

Whether you’re in the mood for a grilled or boiled hotdog, a flame-​kissed burger, onion rings, or a soft serve sundae or Italian ice, this is THE place! Excellent service and great food is always a win-​win. It’s never easy to decide if I’m getting a burger or a couple of hotdogs, but whatever I decide, I always order frings (half fries, half onion rings) and a chocolate peanut butter blitz. I can truly say I’ve never been disappointed every time I’ve visited and I always bring my family or friends here when they’re visiting.

I suppose it’s a Charlotte thing, and many of the reviewers grew up coming to this place over the years, so the attachment runs deep. To someone like myself who doesn’t have those memories, I was truly let down with this place. If I had just decided to stop in and give it a try, I just would’ve chalked it up to a bad choice. But I had heard other people suggest the burgers here. Three of us ordered burgers and fries, no one was happy. The fries didn’t have much salt and were very crispy, too crispy. Most of them stayed on the tray. We all ate our burgers, all agreeing that even Five Guys would’ve been a better choice.
One person said they would rather have McDonalds burger. Now, I wouldn’t go that far, but I was underwhelmed. I ordered the home style patty, made on site. The party itself was good, but the buns were awful. Flattened and hard. The service was warm
And friendly, but I won’t return.
My daughter did enjoy her brownie sundae, though. It was huge.

This place is amazing! Been coming here ever since I was little! Their burgers, fries and ice cream are the best! They even have Italian ice served with different delicious flavors!
This is the one place that I will always come back to!

My sister loves this place and now so do I. The food is great but what I love more is how sweet the girls are. They are so kind and I love the fact they remembered me when I came back. I love how fresh their food is. Made to order. Real and simple ingredients makes the best food. They make the best burgers and shakes. And I love the fact they are so quick and don’t have you waiting forever… even when it’s packed. And it’s always busy.

I feel lied to. We were traveling on our honeymoon and staying in Charlotte for a couple nights, and popped onto Unilocal to find a place to eat dinner that was good, a local favorite, and on the cheap end of the spectrum. We excitedly hurried to Mr. K’s after reading reviews.
The location is interesting, between a Chipotle that I should have eaten at instead and a strip club that may have also had a better burger.
The décor in the place was uniquely Charlotte, and Panthers fans will approve.
The food was pretty bland. I ordered a double K burger, and my wife had a cheeseburger and cheese fries.
Burgers had nearly no flavor, and had to be doused in condiments and toppings to really eat. The cheese sauce for the fries was fairly watery and bland.
Fries were OK, nothing special.
My wife paid extra for bacon on her cheeseburger. Up until today, I didn’t know it was possible for a piece of bacon to make me want to want to be a vegetarian.
All in all, I regret driving past McDonald’s to get here.
After dinner: I had a sundae and she had a banana split. Though OK, I expect better from a place billing themselves as an ice cream location. Not any better than soft serve at Dairy Queen.
³⁄₁₀

Mr. K’s makes me happy. Good place for burgers and onion rings. The fries are outstanding, too. Personally I love their Italian Ices. They have a lot of flavors that are sure to satisfy a sweet craving on a hot day. Another reason I love them is their fountain drinks. The ice is the crunchy kind that reminds me of my favorite childhood ice cream and burger place back home in Indiana. And what’s more? The prices are great. Skip the fast food chains and go local with Mr. K’s, you will be glad you did!

Oh Mr. K! You leapt into a sunny Charlotte day. Cone craving cacophony, small swirl in a patented EAT IT ALL cone, which of course I would. Two ice cream worlds collide and integrate. Drip, drip. You were so thoughtful to put a plastic sleeve over the cone to catch the drips. Lip lick, smick smack soft serve goodness…

I must have just not ever hit post. There is no way that I have not reviewed this place before. A big K, onion rings, and a shake. I’ve been doing it since I was a kid. This was literally the place where I realized that some places were just better than others in the foodie world.
This no frills diner that is located next door to a strip club may not look like much from the road, but do yourself a favor and just go have a bite. If you’re looking for healthy food, go across the street to Luna’s.
The Big K is pretty much their version of the Wopper. Its just better. If I just left the gym, I might make it a double. They have plenty of other options in general such as chili dogs, as well as diverse daily specials.
There isn’t table side service, but the service is plenty friendly. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

If you’re looking for a locally owned, friendly, old fashion place for a burger, hot dog or ice cream, this is the place to stop! I’ve done their dogs, burgers and corn dogs so far. Still haven’t actually had the ice cream. Go figure. Inexpensive but good. Friendly and fast. When I get a craving for a good grilled dog, this is my go to spot. I’m a fan for sure!

The best food
The best family run
Very quick service
I am a regular
Come eat here and discover the taste of that good old grill.

This place is right outside of my work so I pass by it all the time. There’s Chipotle right next to it (the only Chipotle in town if I remember correctly), and I always go straight to Chipotle in stead of this place.
And you know what, after trying Mr. K’s today, I will continue to choose Chipotle over Mr. K’s.
I order the Big K’s burger and Homemade onion rings. The food is not anything special, definitely not as good as Five Guys. Beef patty tasted bland and without condiments I wouldn’t able to push it down to my stomach. Onion rings is a little overfried, and overpriced (more expensive than a beef burger? and only has 8 rings in it? really?).
I see this place probably is recognized for its sentimental value and not really the food.

Their sign mentions ice cream and onion rings, but I go for the burgers. The place feels like a diner, but you order at the counter then find a seat. If you can find a seat. There is seating outside, but August in Charlotte does not always make a comfortable outdoor eating environment.
The burgers taste like they are grilled in your backyard over a charcoal grill. There is a list of toppings on the menu board, ala 5 Guys. But for a couple of dollars less than 5 Guys, and just as good. I haven’t tried other selections on the menu, it’s a double Mr K with lettuce, mayo, grilled onions and jalapeño peppers each time I stop in. Keep it up Mr. K!

Coronary burger with a side of frings. Of course, the burger loaded and on an onion bun because… why not?
The burger was excellent. Decent beef in there and cooked properly. Cheese, onion, tomato, ketchup and mayo. All the proper toppings for a proper burger.
As much as I wanted to have one, I opted to skip the milkshake. Maybe next time, I’ll drop the fries and go with the shake instead.
Service was good. Be warned that they put a lot of ice in the sodas, but they do give free refills.