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| Double the size of this 12-scoop sundae, and you can imagine what the "Giant Killer" would look like. |
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Lockwood Castle Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor, Chicago, Illinois.
Lockwood Castle was on the northwest corner of Devon and Central Avenues (5400 West Devon) in Chicago. The restaurant had booths in the front with large windows to look out on Central and Devon Avenues. In the back of the restaurant were tables for large groups.
Famous for their "Giant Killer," a 24-scoop sundae topped with Hot Fudge, Strawberry, Marshmallow, Carmel, tons of cherries, and vanilla wafers. Topped off with sparklers and an American Flag, served in a 9"x13" glass bowl on a pedestal. It was usually ordered for birthdays or groups. The menu stated it served 4-6 people, but parties of 8 or more would order it for their dessert after dinner. If one person could eat it in one sitting, you were given a free Giant Killer sundae the next time you visited.
On February 23, 1983, Lockwood Castle was visited by Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne, and a photo was taken of her drinking an Ice Cream Soda. Business boomed when the photo (by Al Podgorski) was published in the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper.
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Grandma & Papa used to take me here for dinner. Great memories!
ReplyDeleteThat's funny, so did my Grandma & Grandpa. Excellent memories. And the French burger & relish trays were great.
ReplyDeleteAnd to this day I have yet to see any place make as large ice cream deserts as they did.
Cheers!! & Happy Holidays!!!
Great site...love revisting my childhood and neighborhoods... may I just ask for a mention of BUFFALO ICE CREAM PARLOR ?? Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteThis is not a Buffalo Ice Cream Parlor post. It's about Lockwood Castle Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor in Chicago.
Deleteyes but there are people, myself included, who are wondering where the soda fountain went and I recently spoke with The owner of Buffalo and he did not know anything but it sure looks like a soda fountain from when I went to Lockwood Castle with my Mom
DeleteIn the middle sixties, I, alone finished the "Lockwood Peak" which was smaller and came with four spoons. Received no prize, cheapskates. I finished it before two accompaning friends finished their banana split.
ReplyDeleteI remember being taken here by my grandparents in the early 80's. I was quite young and I really wanted to have one of the huge sundaes. I don't know if was because I was young but the glass that it came in was like 24" tall. It was strawberry. I don't remember if I finished it but my stomach hurt quite a bit that nice. Later that night, things did not go so well for me; needless to say I was revisited by that sundae. There was quite a "nice" pink stain on the carpet by my bed for a long time. Great memories! Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteWe went to Lockwood if we had grades that my dad thought were acceptable- so probably when he wanted ice cream - we could have a sundae or a float - don't remember him splurging for anything toooo huge
ReplyDeleteReally miss this place! Great times, great ice cream. So much fun and memories. Wish it was still at
ReplyDeleteI was in Chicago with my father ca. 1971, when I was about 12. We went there with my uncle and my two younger cousins, and we had one of these -- I believe the name for it at that time was "Lockwood's Mountain". Our fathers said they'd get it for us (I and my cousins) if we could polish it off by ourselves. We did manage it, though I suspect our dads also contributed to the destruction, but we did succeed in finishing one off between the three/five of us.
ReplyDeleteI got one of the menus as a souvenir, and still have it somewhere. That's one of the reasons I am pretty sure it was known as "Lockwood's Mountain" and not the "Giant Killer" at that time... I haven't seen the menu recently (it's packed away somewhere from a move to a new place), but I've seen it a few times since childhood.