18 Absolute Best Milkshakes In Los Angeles

LA is known for a wide range of diverse cuisines, from the BBQ joints of Koreatown to the upscale seafood served in Santa Monica, as well as the gourmet Mexican food and taco trucks found throughout the city. However, what the city also does best is delicious American classics, like a good old-fashioned burger and milkshake. In fact, there are plenty of retro diners within city limits that have been happily serving customers since the 1950s, and ice cream and malt shops that date back even further than that. 

Wandering around LA, you can find anything from gourmet, boozy, beautifully handmade milkshakes to delicious, traditional diner treats you can get late into the night. For anyone who is vegan or lactose intolerant, don't worry, as the city provides plenty of creative, tasty options for those who prefer their milkshakes without the actual milk. Whether you're in the Valley or the Westside, up in Pasadena or downtown, check out where to find the best milkshakes in Los Angeles.

With 48 ice cream flavors available in its shop in Alhamba, Fosselman's, established in 1919, prides itself on carefully making some of the most delicious and creamy ice cream around. The landmark shop also serves rich, indulgent, and old-fashioned milkshakes to its California clientele.

With flavors ranging from the classic to the unfamiliar, there are many options available, but the horchata shake has to be one of the best. This sweet and creamy shake is inspired by the classic rice milk Mexican drink that has become incredibly popular throughout southern California. Unfortunately, it's only a seasonal flavor available in May, as Fosselman's serves a few different shake varieties each month. If you drop by any other month, check out the macapuno shake instead, which bears the flavor of sweet, creamy coconut flesh, a substance often used in desserts in the Philippines.

LA is the place to get a good milkshake if you're vegan or lactose intolerant in. Monty's Good Burger looks like a seemingly classic retro burger joint at first glance, except for the fact that everything is vegan. 

One of the best milkshakes at Monty's started as a temporary offering and has now been gracing the menu for a couple of years, at least, thanks to its popularity. Travis' oat matcha latte, a collaboration with Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker, combines the earthy flavor of matcha with the subtly sweet flavor of an oat latte. This shake is especially perfect for summer, with a refreshing taste. Order it in either a mini size of 9 ounces if you want a taste but don't have too much room for dessert or a full size of 16 ounces.

Serving deli specials in the Fairfax area since 1931, Canter's Deli is a local institution; you're not considered a native Angeleno until you've dropped by on a Saturday night at 3 a.m. to grab a sandwich. Managed by the Canter family for four generations, this deli has been recognized by LA media as serving the best pastrami sandwich in the entire city.

However, you may not know that the 24-hour-operated Canter's Deli also serves top-notch milkshakes, with the banana shake slightly edging out the rest in terms of popularity and flavor. The slightly sweet and relatively light flavor of this shake makes it both a perfect accompaniment to lunch as well as a late-night snack. Drop by, soak in the ambiance of this traditional, cozy, retro deli, and try a banana shake and an old-fashioned deli sandwich.

Fosters Freeze claims to be California's first actual fast-food chain, originating from a soft-serve store built in Inglewood in 1946. This chain has continued to expand all over California since the day George Foster opened it up almost a century ago, and today, Fosters has added a variety of classic American foods like burgers and fries.

You can't go wrong with any of the options here, but the hot fudge shake is one of the richest and most popular items on the menu. As with all of the other milkshakes served here, this dessert is "made with real milk," and you can feel the difference in flavor this creates from your first sip. It may look like a chocolate shake, but the presence of hot fudge gives it a thicker chocolate ribbon, making it ultra-rich. Keep an eye out for the occasional specials Fosters is known for, like offering a mini milkshake for $2 or a $4 fry and shake combo. 

The whimsical flavors at Turn Dough include a piña colada milkshake, matcha, and Frutti Pebbles. That's right, though this establishment is mostly known for its tasty chimney cakes, it also serves a large — and pretty wild — selection of milkshakes. However, the best item on the menu by far is the red velvet shake. Turn Dough will bake red velvet cake in-house, then break it down to combine the cake crumbs with its classic vanilla bean gelato.

To add that extra layer of flavor without compromising its natural ingredients, Turn Dough uses Madagascar vanilla beans, some of the highest quality and most prized beans on the market. You will be able to feel the difference in the red velvet shake, as the vanilla bean gelato found in it is like nothing you have ever tasted before.

The fun, quirky, and vegan ice cream concept store Creamo perfectly matches its young, laidback Silver Lake surroundings. In addition to a variety of vegan ice creams, Creamo serves up a whole lot of milkshakes. This store certainly knows how to have fun with flavors and names; some of its particularly exceptional shakes here include the Paramoreo or the Green Teagan and Sara. However, you definitely want to try the X-Ray Speculoos shake.

This unique concoction is made with the store's X-Ray Speculoos ice cream, which consists of Speculoos cookie butter and chocolate ribbon. For those wondering what this cookie butter is in the first place, it contains ground-up Speculoos cookies, originally a Belgian biscuit meant to be eaten with coffee, sugar, and oil. The cookies are flavored with brown sugar and a touch of cinnamon. All the milkshakes at Creamo are made with the store's vegan ice cream, a concoction of oat milk, and artisan jams.

Chef Andre Guerrero, who usually specializes in fine dining menus, decided that he wanted to create a casual dining experience with classic American comfort food that still packs all the nuance and flavor of a gourmet experience. Enter The Oinkster, a retro restaurant that serves gourmet burgers and craft beers in addition to some of the greatest milkshakes in LA. That may be partly because all of its ice creams and shakes are made with top-of-the-line Fosselman's Ice Cream.

If you have to truly only one shake here, go for the ube shake. For those who have never heard of the purple yam ube before, it is a tuber that hails from Southeast Asia and is used in several traditional Filipino foods. 

Did you know that in North Hollywood, there is yet another retro family-owned diner that has stuck around since the 1950s? In a city where restaurants regularly open and close in the blink of an eye, Beeps Diner has survived for decades, and for good reason: its menu is out of this world.

Check out the "fancy shakes" menu, which includes Reese's, Oreo, and Butterfinger flavors. The Reese's shake is by far our favorite, mixing together the classic chocolate and peanut butter flavors of Reese's candy into a thick, creamy shake. You can customize the size you'd like to order and ask for a dollop of whipped cream on top if you want. Enjoy this blast from the past in the Valley with some of the friendliest services around.

Located on one of the most popular stretches of Los Feliz, right off Franklin Avenue, Fred 62 attracts customers all day long, whether they're stopping by for brunch or popping in at night for a sweet cocktail. In fact, the establishment closes at 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, making it a great late night spot in the area.

You can build your own milkshake or malt here, by combining the flavors and toppings of your choice, but your best bet is to combine two of the tried and two favorites: chocolate and peanut butter. Individually, these shakes are some of the most beloved items on the menu; when combined, a flavorful shake is created that most customers just can't resist. Vegan flavors and toppings are also available at Fred 62.