We sipped our way across the Valley to find Phoenix’s must-try milkshakes. Here are 12 tempting treats to shake up your summer.
ZuZu Restaurant at Hotel Valley Ho
6850 E. Main St., Scottsdale Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry … pashaw! The Show Stopper shake at ZuZu Restaurant is a large, in-charge, busting-at-the-seams, $20 creation that defies gravity and all definitions of a traditional milkshake. The flavor rotates monthly. At the time of this reporting, the monthly is a joyous Happy Shake, a chocolate milkshake topped with a burger-shaped chocolate macaron, French fries, cake pop chicken nuggets, red and yellow sprinkles and whipped cream, with $1 from each shake sold going to Phoenix Pride. But know this: Whenever you do snag a Show Stopper shake, it’s always over-the-top, literally, with fun additions overflowing onto the tray. It’s always shareable, but if you want to tackle this beast solo, consider yourself warned.
The Tuxedo is dressed to impress with Oreos, a cookies and cream ice cream sandwich, vanilla whipped cream, chocolate sauce, vanilla frosting and Oreo rim.
Allison Young
Soda Jerk Co. Milkshake Bar
5350 E. High St. If you want a milkshake with an extra side of nostalgia, Soda Jerk is your place. This modern-day take on the old-fashioned soda fountain is complete with counter-service stools and glass canisters filled with confections. Yes, you can get straight-up handspun milkshakes in classic flavors like chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mint chip and cotton candy, all made with top-quality ice cream, classic syrups and local dairy, and they’re all dang good with the perfect balance of thickness and sweetness. But if you want something extra, go for one of the Killer Shakes. There’s the Sweet Tooth, a cotton candy shake with a lollipop, sour ribbon candy, handspun cotton candy and vanilla whipped cream on top, plus seasonal standouts like the Lucha Libre, a Mexican chocolate shake with honey, chocolate sauce and a scoop of fried ice cream in a waffle bowl.The Stand Arcadia Burger Shoppe
3538 E. Indian School Road Shakes at The Stand in Arcadia are boldly designed. Take the salted dulce de leche. First the sides of the cup are coated in a candy coil of house-made caramel sauce, then in goes the goods. A mix of vanilla ice cream, more caramel, half-and-half and coarse pink Himalayan sea salt create a sweet and salty sip. The chocolate chile shake is a handspun hybrid that delivers bitter bites of gluten-free brownie and a hint of spice with each sip. There’s the strawberry shake, a sweet and tart flurry spiked with housemade strawberry puree and the Banana Stand, a banana pudding concoction bursting with banana pieces that put that doublewide straw to work. Drive-thru and dig in.
Sweet Republic
Multiple locations It makes sense that when you spin Sweet Republic’s award-winning artisan ice cream into a frenzy you get a highly memorable milkshake. How could three scoops of that densely delicious brownie or bright and bold strawberry buttermilk not come out of a straw just right? But these milkshakes are more than just scoops, shake-ified. The flavors are dialed up with additional syrups such as the chocolate-lovers dream which features bittersweet Belgian chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup and the salted caramel creation, where salted butter caramel ice cream is blended with extra caramel for a creamy and sweet blast that’ll have you vacuuming up every dreamy drop.
The Yard Milkshake Bar
50 W. Jefferson St. There are milkshakes and then there are the creations at The Yard Milkshake Bar. You have to jump through hoops before you get to the actual milkshake – and by hoops we mean whole brownies, bananas, donuts, cupcakes, entire slices of New York cheesecake, massive scoops of homemade cookie dough and hypnotic swirls of rainbow whipped cream. These massive milkshakes are topped with more candies, chocolate chips, sprinkles and cookie crumbs than physics should allow. Once you get to the straw-sucking part, the soft serve-thick milkshake doesn’t disappoint, whether you go with the Camelback Mountain Milkshake and its orange blossom ice cream finish or Cereal Killer’s marshmallowy zing. Quantity, quality and a take-home mason jar make this spot a can't-miss.
The Vanutzel at Shakes & Cones is made with vanilla soft serve, Nutella and chocolate-covered pretzels.
Allison Young
Shakes & Cones
7215 E. First St., Scottsdale At Shakes & Cones, a walk-up ice cream window in Old Town Scottsdale, the fun starts with organic soft serve. The base is made from scratch daily with organic ingredients and no preservatives, chemicals, or things you can't pronounce. Then come the specialty shakes, bold, blended and so thick they demand a spoon over a straw. Standout flavors include The BCG, a banana, caramel, graham cracker blast; the Vanutzel, a crunchy-creamy blend of vanilla soft serve, chocolate-covered pretzels and Nutella; and the vegan mint chocolate chip. Or go rogue and order off the mix-and-match menu, meaning you pick the soft serve (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or vegan vanilla) and up to three flavors.
Earth Plant Based Cuisine
1325 Grand Ave. While restraint is usually the name of the game when it comes to vegan milkshakes, Earth doesn’t hold back on flavor or presentation. Made using housemade organic soy-based ice cream and almond milk — a creamy base that provides a smooth, silky, ultra-thick backdrop — the milkshakes come in eleven flavors, from classics like chocolate and vanilla to unconventional spins like turmeric-spiked Golden Milk and Strawberry Shortcake with house-made strawberry puree and sugar cookies. But if you really want to go big, order off the Monster menu of sharable shakes that not even a 32-ounce glass carafe can contain. Strawberry Marshmallow comes overflowing with popcorn, cookies and marshmallows, while the Crazy Churro features a colossal fried-to-order churro loop on top.
Milk Run
1702 W. Camelback Road Milk Run has its drinks down. The strip mall spot neighboring Pho Thanh on Camelback Road packs in regulars and newbies who may walk in parched, but walk out with ravishing refreshers they can’t down fast enough. While there isn’t one drink to order — Vietnamese coffee freezes, multi-colored mangonadas and lychee strawberry slushies are all top picks — the milkshakes are a must. The Cookie Monster takes blue-hued Oreo cookie ice cream and tops it with whipped cream and cookie crumbs for a colorful creation. Or sample some Asian-inspired flavors with Thai Tea, Taro, or Vietnamese Coffee, all blended with house-made ice cream and topped with a mountain of whipped cream. Add Nutella or boba for even more decadence.
Danzeisen Dairy Creamery Store
6024 W. Southern Ave., Laveen Village It’s easy to get lost in Danzeisen Dairy’s picture-perfect milkshakes piled high with Ding Dongs, gummy worms, Cracker Jacks, Twix bars and ice cream sandwiches, served in retro-style soda glasses. But these sirens are so much more than the sum of their toppings. Strip away all the fancy frills and you have the freshest dairy in town courtesy of Danzeisen Dairy, a local, family-run creamery turning out slow-churned ice cream and quality milk. The result: A superior milkshake base that’s mega thick and uber luscious. Your best bet: Order the Stack Flight for four 8-ounce versions of the bestsellers.
Nami
2014 N. Seventh St. Have a milkshake for breakfast at Nami. The completely vegan ice creamery and coffee bar in the Coronado area shakes up an energizing espresso drink with two eye-opening shots of espresso, almond milk and vegan soft serve. The soft serve's coconut milk and soy base is made in-house, and somehow coats your mouth in creamy goodness, yet is totally dairy free. Nami also makes a mean strawberry shake that doubles down on flavor with both strawberry preserve and fresh strawberries.
Toasted Mallow
1034 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert1055 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler Toasted Mallow specializes in all things marshmallow. Think gooey, gourmet, handcrafted versions of the puffy, nostalgic treat. So it makes sense the Happy Camper milkshake is a superior sip. Ghiradelli chocolate, vanilla ice cream, mini chocolate chips and toasted marshmallow syrup are handspun into a campfire-in-a-cup drink that’ll take you back to your childhood. The generous helping of housemade marshmallow fluff, graham cracker crumbs, a heart-shaped cookie and a freshly-torched marshmallow lollipop only make it that much s’more delightful.
