Crest View Dairy Bar

These tots are all mine

A dairy bar is my kind of bar.

Due to Ben’s family ties, once in awhile we find ourselves cruising along Highway 25 to Carthage, Mississippi. Carthage is a typical small town with a population less than 5,000. They have a square, a Wal*Mart, quiet neighborhoods and most notably, the Crest View Dairy Bar.

The Dairy Bar has been in business for over 60 years and is a fixture on the side of Highway 16. I believe the same establishment has been passed down within the Watkins family, and the oldest Watkins daughter still works there today.

On our most recent stop, I was really hungry. We convened at lunch time, ordered big and our group of ten easily overwhelmed the staff. The wait for our food was a bit longer since they moved at their usual leisurely amble.

I got a hamburger, tater tots, strawberry shake and may have swiped a few of Ben’s curly fries…and one of his aunt’s offered me a chicken finger. I didn’t want to be rude and turn it down. No crumb was left behind.

The burgers are fairly large, hand-pattied, well-dressed and so greasy you can see through the wax paper it’s wrapped in. Tater tots are irresistible when I come across them and these were a perfectly crisp, golden brown. However, the best part might have been slurping up the creamy, fresh shake with an occasional strawberry clogging up the straw. Be sure to get ice cream, because in lieu of air conditioning the restaurant has fans.

They also serve sandwiches, chicken livers, gizzards, chicken-on-a-stick, homemade pies, sundaes and nearly any fried side item you can think of.

If you are looking for a meal which includes fried foods, batter, saturated fats or grease, look no further because this is the place. Do you see the glossy sheen on the hamburger bun?

Since I find nothing wrong with indulging in any (or all) of these four food groups on occasion, I welcome these sporadic road trips.

Crest View Dairy Bar
102 Highway 16 West
Carthage, MS 39051
Phone 601-267-9191