Los Angeles is home to numerous dessert shops that feature a range of treats from cupcakes to doughnuts to shakes. Urban Confections will select dessert restaurants whose only West Coast location is Los Angeles, highlighting students’ opportunities to taste the city’s distinctive flavors. Follow columnist Lindsay Weinberg around Los Angeles as she samples local confections and suggests how students can take advantage of these iconic desserts.
I stood in the same dessert shop that Miley Cyrus, Kim Kardashian and Lindsay Lohan have visited.
“A Taste of Stardom” is a fitting slogan for Millions of Milkshakes in West Hollywood – numerous celebrities have come here to create a signature custom milkshake.
A scrolling sign outside flashes red to remind passersby that this is “The Most Famous Milkshake Bar in the World” and brightly announce the names of the stars that have entered their doors. Millions of Milkshakes recently opened branches in Dubai, Kuwait and Qatar, but the Los Angeles location is the only one in the United States.
As soon as I entered the store, my attention was divided between two extremes: the constant video reel of celebrities strutting through mobs of fans into the milkshake bar, and the intense pink and yellow decor, including wallpaper with a repeating milkshake cartoon. A piece of the wallpaper is unblocked by the counter so that customers can stand in front and take photos, like celebrities might do on a red carpet.
Considering all this hype and media exposure, my expectations were high; I was eager to sip the nectar that was worthy of celebrities’ adoration and publicity.
The bases of the shakes are vanilla, but the addition of fruit seeps into the entire ice cream portion. I chose the so-called “Mr. Pink” milkshake, which blended banana, cookie dough and Ferrero Rocher chocolates into one drink. The banana base with chocolate goodies mixed inside tasted like a molten banana split.
Despite their popularity among several stars, I found the shakes to be subpar. While Millions of Milkshakes featured interesting combinations and shake names, the textures were odd, unlike the thick, creamy shakes from In-N-Out Burger. The ice cream bases of most were too liquid for my liking, like a watery smoothie, with chunks of chocolate bits suspended inside.
It was surprising to chew up a cookie or hazelnut candy piece, then suck the fluid base through a straw in a dissonance of textures, like boba milk tea. Perhaps some customers like thinner milkshakes, but I was expecting something more homogeneous. I’m assuming the obsession with these milkshakes began as a fad because although the flavors were golden, the textures were disappointing.
However, the excitement of imagining celebrities in your midst, standing on this very floor, reminded me of the proximity UCLA students have to entertainers. In the past, it seemed that Millions of Milkshakes named menu items after visiting superstars, like “The Obama Shake” and “The Shaquille O’Neal ‘Boys & Girls Club’ Shake.” Now, Millions of Milkshakes does not name products after specific celebrities but instead attaches generic star-themed titles, as well as offering “build your own” shakes.
For example, there’s “The President Shake,” which features strawberry with cookie dough, while “The Million Dollar Shake” mixes strawberries and Ferrero Rocher in an appetizing duo. The strong fruit flavors are sweet and meet expectations, allowing the fruit to be the hero. Millions of Milkshakes sells smoothies as well, like “The Fruitside Blend” – a strawberry, banana and pineapple combo – which was refreshing but rather icy.
I try to picture Cher Lloyd or Justin Bieber drinking their customized fusion of sweets in the cheesy diner-style building, grinning as cameras flash and crazed fans cheer from the sidewalk outside. The milkshake bar was relatively empty when I ventured into West Hollywood, so Millions of Milkshakes probably would’ve been more exciting had it been crowded.
Despite the lackluster textures, the fame of Millions of Milkshakes will draw in first-timers to try its fruity shakes. Priding itself on the visits of stars like Reese Witherspoon, Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson, Millions of Milkshakes is a bucket list item. The best part of my trip was earning the right to say, “I’ve sipped the same shakes as celebrities.”
– Lindsay Weinberg
What’s your go-to milkshake creation? Email Weinberg at lweinberg@media.ucla.edu.