3 Places to Get an Ice-Cold Milkshake in the 908!

Their milkshakes bring all the folks to the yard... and I’m like… claiming milkshakes the official drink of hot days!

Get ready to elevate your shake game into a spectacular dessert worthy of a meal.

By Gina Valencia | Photo by Monique Kuhlman

Koolberry Acai Bowls

3768 Long Beach Blvd, Ste 100, 90807 | @koolberryx

These elaborate creations are the brainchild of Long Beach native Chef Kat Vacharabul, also owner of Hangry Belly, both at SteelCraft. Can’t decide on a dessert? Cookies? Cake? Ice cream? Your inner child: How about all?! Koolberry creates edible works of art like their Cereal Killers: shakes blended and topped with either Fruity Pebbles, Captain Crunch, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal (the Fruity Pebbles shake transported me to Saturday morning cartoons), or their signature FreakShakes: topped with a cheesecake slice, strawberry cookies, or fudge brownies.

The Scoop

3014 N. Studebaker Rd, Ste A, 90808 | @the_eldo_scoop

The Scoop is ElDo’s (two-time Final Fork Champ!) next-door sweet shop. During the height of the pandemic shut-downs, manager Kevin Beatty recognized the lack of family-friendly destinations. The Scoop emerged as the ice cream parlor the neighborhood needed. “The second day of opening, we had a line out the door,” Kevin remembers. With over 100 toppings, Kevin enjoys conceiving new creations, like the Malva Butter Cake Milkshake, blending pieces of the popular ElDo dessert with salted caramel ice cream and topped with a slice of the butter cake.

Hug Life

2707 E. 4th St, 90814 |@huglifeicecream

Love milkshakes but your digestive system doesn’t? All-vegan diet? Hug Life is your anti-dairy/vegan/all plant-based place! Started by friends who had ‘an all plant-based lifestyle and listened to a lot of Tupac,’ Hug Life offers unique flavors that change with the season: Honey Dew, Pumpkin Spice, Mango Chamoy. On their second visit to Hug Life that week, customers Felix and Nina from Germany were sharing the Snickerz Bar, one of the specialty milkshakes. Made with either oat, soy, or almond milk, vegan chocolate and peanut butter, the Snickerz Bar had me in complete delicious disbelief at how amazing it tasted!