Best Milkshakes

[October]

Where can I go for a fantastic milkshake? Particularly in the Valley, but open to anywhere.

[The Food Buster]

I'm a huge fan of both the Counter's and the Oinkster's Milkshakes.

The Oinkster makes all of theirs using real Fosselman's ice cream, so it's always really fatty and deliciously thick. The vanilla is a pretty simple flavor, though, and if you really want something impressive there, I'd stick to the Ube Milkshake. The ube is a purple potato found in the Philippines. The purple potato flavor is a tad odd, but it is very interesting. For reference, I rated it a 9.3/10 when I reviewed it for my blog.

The Counter's is even better in my opinion. I'll just give you some impressions from a review I wrote: "The shake is extremely thick, to the point that it’s not served with a straw, just with a spoon. Tons of ice cream goes into this thing, so you’re really going to need the spoon to eat it. It’s rich, creamy, with kind of a malty, satisfying thickness to it. On the sweet side, but not too much. Absolutely a pleasure. 9.5/10"

Other than that, you might want to check out the Pumpkin Shake from 8 oz. Burger Bar for something a bit different.

Hope all that helps!

Take care,
The Food Buster
http://www.thefoodbuster.com

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Oinkster
2005 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041

8 oz. Burger Bar
7661 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

[Servorg]

Growing up I over indulged countless times at the Currie's Ice Cream Parlor in Toluca Lake. Now I normally settle for one from Baskin Robbins 31 flavors.

[HuntFishEat]

I like the shakes at Bob's Big Boy. I don't like much else at Bob's but their shakes are really good.

[happybaker]

Not new or trendy (it was years before the word "foodie" was used) but your post made me think the most dedicated chocolate shake incident I've ever seen - and it's still replicate-able.

I was visiting a friend. She asks if I want to go to Baskin Robbins and I say yes (what girl wouldn't?). I get a scoop. She orders a chocolate milkshake BUT --

"Instead of milk, I want chocolate milk, instead of vanilla ice cream I want chocolate ice cream and instead of chocolate syrup, I want you to use the hot fudge."

Now, I am a huge Fosselman's fan. But I still remember that shake, it was that good : )

[Kris P Pata]

My picks, mild lactose intolerance be damned:
Ube @ Oinkster.
Real Rum Raisin or Real Lemon Custard @ Hans' Ice Cream Deli
Salted Chimay Caramel @ Lucky Devils

[hpsquared]

ooh. rum raisin?! and, wait, lemon custard!

[happybaker]

I haven't made it to Hans, but Fosselman's Rum Raisin is the best I've ever had - and won over my dad, a very picky life long rum raisin lover.

[Kris P Pata]

@hpsquared. Indeed! And they make both classics -- as all their ice creams -- on the premises. Thematically, the place reminds me of a Swensen's frozen in mid-late 70s decor and vibe. Upon entering, you are immediately met by a wall of glass counters to your right, the first housing their array of hand-dipped treats including house drumsticks, frozen bananas, ice cream sandwiches that put those @ Milk to shame and massive ice cream bars that reminded me of the behemoths that Spanky, Alfalafa and the rest of the Our Gang enjoyed on old "Little Rascals" episodes.

@happybaker. I'm a fan of Fosselman's in general and their RR is great however, I rate Hans' version a bit higher. Give it a try and let us know your verdict.

[apple7blue]

that's pretty gangsta . . . I am allergic to chocolate now, that would probably kill me. I like that you can totally customize your shake at Baskin's, I usually get Pistachio milk shakes there.

[1newyorkguy]

I imagine Sweet Rose Creamery has a great one. Haven't tried their shake yet, but their ice cream is tops and organic to boot.

-----
Sweet Rose Creamery
225 26th St #51, Los Angeles, CA 90049

[wienermobile]

These are the shakes on Sweet Rose Creamery's menu at the moment:
Vanilla Milkshake/Malt
Chocolate Milkshake/Malt
Caramel Milkshake
Strawberry Milkshake
Seasonal Fruit Shake
Banana Milkshake
Caffé Luxxe Coffee Milkshake

-----
Sweet Rose Creamery
225 26th St #51, Los Angeles, CA 90049

[apple7blue]

too bad they don't have a a rose shake/malt

[mc michael]

The desire for a shake can hit me suddenly, without warning. If I'm in my car and I see a Carl's nearby, I just hit the drive-thru and get a chocolate shake. It's like $3.15 plus tax. Not bad really.

[apple7blue]

Maybe I am poor but I always found that a rip off . . .

[hpsquared]

Oops, also wanted to say that I agree that In n Out has good shakes. And I didn't know you could get a Neapolitan. Yum.

[hpsquared]

I like the shakes at: Swingers (Santa Monica and then also one near-ish The New Beverly), the 101 on Franklin, and at Mel's Drive-In. The one on Hllywd and Highland, anyway. Sorry that none of those are in the Valley.

Swingers has a peanut butter and banana milkshake that... well, it's good. really good. :)

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Mel's Drive-In
8585 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

[Jerome]

OLd thread , but IN THE VALLEY, i had chili size and a decent milk shake at the restaurant on the corner of woodley and Sherman Way. Now going to google street the area and get the name...
ok. i'ts beeps fast food and already in this thread.
2nd.

[apple7blue]

I am sure others have reviewed Millions of Milkshakes. I have not tried them yet. There is one close by at the Fox Hills Mall, and one open accessibly late on Santa Monica Boulevard. But a shop dedicated to milkshakes should have a viable contender for a fantastic milkshake . . .

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Millions of Milkshakes
8910 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

[rednyellow]

I've been the one in weho many times. They offer dozens of flavors, additions, toppings etc. If you order the simplest of shakes - like a chocolate, it may come out fine. no better than any fast food drive thru, but ultimately ok. If you try to order anything else, anything specific, they will get it wrong.

[apple7blue]

thats disappointing

[paprkutr]

How about good old fashioned Bob's Big Boy. I just had a thick chocolate shake, and it comes with extra in steel shaker.

[MahiMahiFish]

Pie N Burger in Pasadena

[Ringo Gato]

If you are willing to take a drive, the improbably-named Land of Fruit and Nuts on the Queen Mary in Long Beach is the place to go for milkshakes.

http://www.lofan.com/

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Queen Mary
1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, CA 90802

[J.L.]

South Pasadena:
Buster's Coffee (on Mission) makes an incredible green tea ice cream milkshake (using Fosselman's ice cream). Try it.

[ms.sunshine]

It's not in the Valley, but Ground Zero's specialty shakes blew me away! Try their swashbuckler Chai milkshake :)

Ground Zero Coffee House
615 Child's Way
Los Angeles, CA 90089.
[phone]

[apple7blue]

I should try one, I am there all the time.

[Barbara Ladden]

MILK, 7290 Beverly Blvd., L. A. So far I've only had the Coffee Toffee Crunch Shake, Triple chocolate Shake and The MILKIE Way Malt and they're all to die for... also, the Cafe Mocha. They go great with the Pressed Sandwiches.

[apple7blue]

This might not be so Gourmet, but Jack in the Box is pretty good as is Baskin Robbins.

[Emme]

my high school memories definitely include JITB's Oreo Cookie Shake with massive chunks of oreos...

[mdpilam]

Had a craving for a shake tonight, and went to The Counter and got their "Shake of the Month": Chocolate Brownie Coffee Malt. It was delicious, albeit a bit rich.

[apfb]

Agree with Bear City and Will Owen re. Oinkster in Eagle Rock-- made with Fosselman's ice cream. They make it from scratch every time that you order it. Also Connal's in Pasadena makes great milkshakes, with high quality ice cream and made-to-order.

For mass chains, Ben and Jerry's.

-----
Oinkster
2005 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041

Connal's
1505 E Washington Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91104

[BearCity]

Oinkster is great, Cafe 101 is good too, but the shake I consider the best is the toasted pecan shake, made with frozen custard, at Lucky Devil's. In the Valley, I like the 50's-themed dive, Beep's--they have a full range of flavors.

-----
Lucky Devils
6613 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Beeps Fast Food
16063 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA 91406

[jackattack]

Lucky Devils! OH YEAH !!!

The strawberry shake at Johnny Rocket's is a fave of ours, too. And the peanut-butter-and-fresh-banana at Connal's

[mrgreenbeenz]

Sorry, no idea what might kick ass in the valley but here are some thoughts...

There was a honey nut shake at Cafe 101 on Franklin that was amazing. Haven't been in years but that was a fave back in the day.

Recently I have become a hard-core proselytizer for the shakes (and the burgers) at Farmer Boys on Alameda. Despite being in a fast food joint you actually can watch the employees scoop the ice cream out and make the shake in an old fashioned blender. Best of all, the shake is only around $3.

[tissue]

Milk on Beverly

[Peripatetic]

Have to agree, it's worth a trip over the bump for Milk.

I love their "Coffee Toffee Crunch" shake and "MILKIE Way Malt" shake.

[J.L.]

Milk (surprisingly) has mediocre shakes, IMHO.

[Peripatetic]

Interesting . . . what other places (besides Busters) do you think are significantly better?

I've had excellent shakes at Lucky Devil's, Swinger's, Connal's, and The Counter, but in my experience, Milk is easily a match for these places.

[DrBruin]

I'd like to put in a nod for good ol' In and Out.

[crystaw]

I second that! The neopolitcan is great since I have trouble deciding on which flavor I want.

[DrBruin]

Cool deal, I didn't know you could get it that way.....

[apple7blue]

In n' Out, I will second

[FatTooth]

coffee shake from the counter

[coffeebrownies]

When I was nursing my son, I used to get a daily coffee malted shake at Papoos in Toluca Lake--admittedly said infant is now a high school senior, and my appetite isn't what it used to be--but they are a fond memory of the upside to nursing.

[Will Owen]

Fosselman's, Fosselman's, or perhaps Fosselman's. Or if that is too far from The Valley (assuming you mean SFV and not SGV), you could stop at Oinkster and get an Ubu shake, made with... Fosselman's.

[ipsedixit]

Gonna ... have ... to ... agree ...

[Harry Nile]

At Fosselman's I usually get two scoops cookies 'n cream, one scoop espresso to achieve the Platonic Ideal of a Dairy Queen oreo blizzard. And the old man said my philosophy degree would be worthless!

[apple7blue]

There is a place that sells fosselman's, Korean owners I think, on Vermont, north of 10 freeway

[Harry Nile]

Gus's BBQ also uses Fosselman's. The shakes and malts look good, but I always get the Old School Sundae -- Fosselman's French vanilla bean ice cream, honey maple pecans, and hot fudge with whipped cream, etc. It's such a complex combination of rich flavors as is that I recommend resisting the temptation to get any ice-cream flavor other than vanilla. (They also have Fosselman's mint chip, which I love but didn't even like in this dish, and their dulce de leche.) Order your BBQ carefully -- in other words, get a hamburger -- and the shake, the sundae, or just plain Fosselman's ice cream is a perfect finish to an excellent meal.

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Gus's Barbeque
808 Fair Oaks Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030

[Will Owen]

Across the street from Gus's, on the corner of Mission, the Fair Oaks Pharmacy's soda fountain sells Fosselman's, too, and makes the full range of ice cream fountain treats. Lunch fare isn't all at the same level as Gus's, but they have a good range of sandwiches, with a different atmosphere and generally less $$.

[sel]

"...the Fair Oaks Pharmacy's soda fountain sells Fosselman's..."
Are you sure Will? I have read this many times but the last time that I was there, a few years ago, they were not using Fosselman's.

[Will Owen]

They could've quit... a few years?? It may very well have been that long ago that I was last there. When you get old, see, a five-year span can just collapse into Last Week Sometime. Just wait, you'll see...

[hnsbmg]

The Fair Oaks menu notes "We Feature Only the BEST Ice Cream" but omits provenance. I agree with sel -- it's good but doesn't taste like Fosselman's. Incidentally, Will, the menu also says that anyone over age 65 gets 10% off (and a smile from one of the teenage girls behind the counter).

[Will Owen]

Yes, I do know about the 10% - it hasn't been THAT long! And if I can't get a smile at any age I'm totally off my pace...

[apple7blue]

I'm not 65 but I still get a smile. Fosselman's logo is a old time-y milkshake glass, or a sundae, so maybe their ice cream itself has a milkshake making heritage . . . damnit, why did I open this thread, now I have to get a shake. I went to Mel's recently and got a shake, it was pretty good--though not the best. I have been thinking about it and I think Kelis probably makes the best milkshake, though I haven't tried it yet.

[toonoble]

I have always really enjoyed Fatburger milkshakes

[mucho gordo]

Have you ever tried their Maui Banana shake? I'm not sure they have it all the time; it may have been a one-time special. Sounds delicious but I haven't tried it. I'm trying to lose some weight by staying away from those things.

[desidetergent]

The Counter is not bad, but they use vanilla ice cream for the chocolate shakes. Whenever I have an Oinkster shake I can't imagine one better, whether it be chocolate, strawberry, or the Ube.

[westsidegal]

on a related note: the vanilla ice cream that they use is actually a good quality ice cream, unlike so many other places in town. .

[goodhealthgourmet]

there have been mentions here about various specialty shakes at The Counter that sound *outrageously* delicious. every time i read one i start craving a milkshake!

take a look at these threads to see if any other places appeal to you (just beware that some are a few years old):
other http://search.chow.com/search?query=b...

[westsidegal]

second the Counter.

[wienermobile]

The Counter always has a different shake of the month. This month it's churro.