Located just blocks away from the UCLA campus, this cookie & ice cream shop always has a long line-up of students waiting to grab a treat. You'll see most people getting their dirt-cheap ice cream sandwiches ($1.75) which features two of their fresh-baked cookies with a sizable scoop Dreyer's ice cream sandwiched in between.
There was a relatively short line-up when we showed up around 2pm on a weekday; we must've missed their lunch rush. I've seen that line go half a block down the street post-dinnertime, so try to avoid it around that time if you can.
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| Front of the store: waiting in line to place our orders |
We were served after only about 5 minutes. I went with a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie + chocolate with white chocolate chip cookie + cookies & cream ice cream. IT WAS SO HARD TO DECIDE. But it was a solid choice. (Side note: Diddy Riese has a sandwich builder on their website... which is pretty cute and awesome at the same time)
There isn't a whole lot of seating, just a couple of chairs out front. We ended up snagging a seat there to people-watch while inhaling our ice cream sandwiches.
YUM. The cookies were baked to perfection; a little crunchy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside, just the way I like them. I was glad I picked one chocolate cookie and one "plain" cookie to balance the flavors and to get a chance to try one of each.
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| Custom Ice Cream Sandwich ($1.75). My picks: chocolate with white chocolate chip cookie + cookies & cream Dreyer's + white chocolate macadamia nut cookie |
The texture of the cookies were perfect for ice cream sandwiches in the sense that they were firm enough to hold up the sandwich during the 15 minutes (er..2 minutes?) while you devoured it, but not too firm such that ice cream squishes out the sides when you bite. They were just right.
The Dreyer's cookies & cream flavor went really well with my cookies too... such a great combination! I was actually very (and in hindsight, disproportionately) pleased with myself for making those picks -- haha.
The guys who worked there were friendly and very efficient. My server told me that he knew that all the ice cream sandwiches were good, but he really thought he made the best. I laughed and could not contest. There was a ridiculously large scoop of ice cream in my hand: Yup, looks like the best to me!
By the time we were finished eating, we were already thinking about buying some extras to-go. Unfortunately ice cream does not travel well. But we were happy to just pick up some cookies, so we lined up again.
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| Lining up again to buy some cookies. Friendly and fast workers! |
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| Cookies! |
Dirt cheap: $0.35/cookie, $1/three, $4/dozen. No brainer. We picked up a dozen. Lots of other great choices, which I was delighted to try later in the day. The best in my books was still the white chocolate macadamia nut. Honorable mention to the chocolate-based cookies and the somewhat underrated sugar cinnamon.
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| Diddy Dozen for $4(!) |
Then I saw it. Brownies for $0.75 a piece. I looked at our bag of cookies. Then at the menu board. Then considered my waistline. And then I made the most reasonable judgement call. Could not pass that sh*t up. One brownie, please.
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| Brownie ($0.45) |
Awesome! Best call ever. I ate a bit of this immediately, on the way back to the car (see: bite mark). Moist, fudgy, delicious. The brownie was definitely very sweet and very rich but really just what you want in a brownie. The nuts were a nice addition too.
And with that, I concluded my sugar-coma-inducing adventure to the infamous Diddy Riese. After visiting this place, I can see why it is so popular and why it has become a landmark eatery of LA. If you are in the area, you must stop by for an ice cream sandwich. Must.
TL;DR
Food 5/5 - Perfect ice cream sandwiches! My pick: white chocolate macadamia nut cookie incorporated into any sandwich form. Chocolate with white chocolate chip is a close second.
Value/Price 5/5 ($1.75 per ice cream sandwich)
Ambiance 3/5 - Casual.. it's an ice cream joint!
Service/Wait 3.5/5 - Only downside is the possibly very-long wait during peak hours. Staff are efficient and friendly
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Overall 5/5
Diddy Riese Cookies
926 Broxton Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 208-0448
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