You’ve got to hand it to the milkshake — this creamy and cold concoction is an old-school multitasker. It’s a dessert. It’s a sweet accompaniment to a meal. It even subs in as a post-workout meal under the alias “smoothie.” And for cooling off at the end of a long, hot Miami summer day? It just simply can’t be beat.
While parents, babysitters, or nannies can take the kids to find a classic chocolate or vanilla milkshake at plenty of places around town, Miami scoop shops and restaurants are stepping up their milkshake game in a serious way. Simple and delicious blends of fruit, milk, and ice cream are now sharing the spotlight with mason jars overflowing with cookies-and-cream milkshakes topped with blondies, Oreos, and syringes full of Nutella. What a time to be alive.
Ready to sweeten up your summer days? These five Miami milkshake shops know how to please a crowd and have them coming back for seconds.
Vicky’s House
Address: 3190 Commodore Plaza, Miami, FL 33133
Hours: Monday – Friday, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. | Saturday & Sunday, noon – 10 p.m.
Phone: 305-442-3377
The ‘80s nostalgia is all too real here. Modeled after the owner’s childhood home circa 1986, this 12-seat shake shop has all the totally tubular retro fixings: wood paneling, linoleum, and an arcade version of “Galaga,” naturally.
After a round or two on the classic Nintendo system, sidle up to the bar for one of their over-the-top specialty shakes, all named after classic ‘80s TV shows and flicks. One example is the “Golden Girls” — a banana milkshake with a cream cheese frosting rim, Golden Grahams cereal, toffee bits, a Twinkie, and a homemade blondie with a cherry on top. It’s almost too Instagram-worthy to eat. Almost.
Sweetness Bakeshop
Address: 9549 SW 72nd St., Miami, FL 33173
Hours: Tuesday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. | Sunday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Phone: 305-271-7791
A local Kendall favorite, Sweetness has been winning over fans for years with its decadent selection of cupcakes. But the milkshakes here give the baked goods a serious run for their frosting. They even have a few awards under their belts. In fact, you’ll usually discover that pieces of the shop’s famous cupcakes, brownies, and cakes strategically find their way into the milkshakes, like the G.O.A.T. — a classic milkshake blended up with the popular G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) cookie.
Worried about leaving all the delicious cookie bits at the bottom of your milkshake cup? Sweetness hands out extra-wide straws to accommodate every scrumptious and chewy morsel.
Address: 10200 NW 25th St., #101, Doral, FL 33172
Hours: Monday – Thursday, 11:30 a.m. – 11 p.m. | Friday, 11:30 a.m. – midnight | Saturday, 8 a.m. – midnight | Sunday, 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Phone: 786-401-7071
One of the best milkshakes in the city is found in a Peruvian restaurant. While you might think ceviche and Nutella make odd bedfellows, one look at the jaw-dropping milkshake concoctions here will make you change your mind — or at least strongly consider the possibility.
Served up in mason jars, each milkshake towers perilously above the rim, threatening to topple and overflow onto the table below. They have three different milkshakes here, but it’s the Tres Leches that literally take the cake — it’s topped with a slice of spongy tres leches cake and a full-size waffle cone filled with vanilla ice cream (just in case you were having trouble deciding between a cone or a cup).
Robert Is Here
Address: 19200 SW 344th St., Homestead, FL 33034
Hours: Monday – Sunday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Phone: 305-246-1592
Drive down south to Homestead and you’ll stumble across Robert Is Here, a family-owned-and-operated fruit stand that’s been serving locals for almost 60 years. Fresh and exotic fruit from around the world is cut by hand every morning and thrown into a blender cup with milk and ice — that’s it. The vibrancy of the fruit does all the talking here. Flavors like guanabana, mamey sapote, and the popular cherry key lime will keep your palate guessing with every visit.
But Robert Is Here is so much more than just a fruit and milkshake stand. After you’ve ordered up a cup of cool, creamy goodness, take the kids on a tour of the animal farm in the back, complete with parrots, tortoises, and goats.
Cream Parlor
Address: 8224 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33138
Hours: Monday, 9 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Tuesday – Sunday, 9 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Phone: 786-534-4180
This MiMo District ice cream parlor is kitschy cool in all the best ways possible. Inside, the small storefront is filled with the owners’ personal items — everything from Girl Scout sashes and vintage china to childhood writing desks. While it’s easy to get distracted in here, don’t forget to make your way to the counter and order one of their massive milkshakes. They have mint milk chocolate and a decadent chocolate and peanut butter and jelly ice cream latte, but kids in particular will get a kick out of ordering the Pixie Splitshake — a whimsical concoction made with the shop’s colorful Unicorn Poop ice cream topped with tiny butterflies.
