We scream for ice cream.
The oldest restaurant in Jefferson City brings diner fare and generous piles of ice cream.
Glowing yellow backlit menu signs, brown checkered carpet, black vinyl diner chairs, and a classic red gumball machine set the tone of Daisy Delight Restaurant, the oldest restaurant in Jefferson City. This restaurant, which feels like stepping into a ’70s time warp, was originally built in 1955 as a quaint concrete block structure, and in the 1970s, it was expanded into the roadside stop it is today.
“What the community loves about the restaurant is the fact that it doesn’t change,” says Jerry Bartel, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife, Jana. “I will make sure it never does, if I can help it.”
While the restaurant is known for its longstanding history, it is also known for its diner fare—specifically its hamburgers and Daisy Delight ice cream. The Daisy Delights come with four scoops of soft-serve ice cream and four toppings.
The hamburgers, charbroiled and served with the standard fixings, might remind diners of the smoky smells of hamburgers being grilled at Fourth of July family gatherings. The soft bun melts into the slightly crispy hamburger meat. It is shockingly savory and moist in the middle, as if the seared edges of the meat’s crust is protecting a hidden treasure. The meat has a “unique steak flavor,” Jerry says. The classic crunch of lettuce and onion and the watery blend of fresh tomato, along with the golden, crusty french fries that accompany the burgers, may add a twinge of nostalgia.
Adventurous customers willing to go beyond ketchup and mustard should try Daisy Delight’s “secret sauce,” which is a barbecue sauce. Those who enjoy Coke might want to pair the meal with the soda’s bubbly sweetness.
Besides hamburgers, the restaurant also sells pork tenderloin sandwiches, foot-long hot dogs, chili-cheese dogs, Polish sausage, chicken sandwiches, and other bites.
This restaurant doesn’t skimp on dessert. Visitors flock to Daisy Delight in the summer for its ice cream. What started as a normal banana split has turned into 10 different soft-serve dishes.
• Daisy Delight Restaurant
“The employees dreamed up all of the recipes,” Jerry says.
Behind the glass display counter, there is a binder called the Operations Manual that details the perfected recipes for each dessert, down to how many ounces of toppings each receives. From the Hot Fudge Brownie Delight to the Piña Colada Delight, each ice cream dish completely fills the plastic to-go container it is served in. Jerry’s favorite is the 4 Flavor Banana Split Delight.
The most popular ice cream dish is Reese’s Delight, a mixture of hot fudge, peanut butter sauce, and crumbled Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on vanilla ice cream. The rich flavor of the peanut butter is cut by the plain vanilla ice cream, ensuring those who dive into the dessert won’t be overpowered by constant intense sweetness. The gooey hot fudge forms a snake of warm chocolate moving down the ice cream, while the crushed Reese’s candy with its crumbly texture offers a perfect pairing.
Other popular choices are the Red White and Blue Delight, Strawberry Shortcake Delight, and Rocky Road Delight.
“It’s the same as most soft serve, but it’s what we do with it that is different,” Jerry says.
For those looking to dive headfirst into both history and ice cream that has been frozen in time, Daisy Delight Restaurant offers it all.
• 2715 East McCarty Street, Jefferson City • DaisyDelight.com
This article was originally published in the May 2026 issue of Missouri Life.
