Who does the best milkshake in London?

February 15, 2013 1:16 AM

It's my girlfriend's birthday this weekend, and she wants a milkshake. So I need to get her a milkshake. Where in London should I take her for a really, really good one? Preferably I'd like some kind of burgers-n-shakes kinda place, but any recommendations are gratefully received!
posted by dudekiller to food & drink (16 answers total)

The ones at Byron are supposed to be outstanding. And they also do have good burgers and fries.
posted by vacapinta at 1:24 AM on February 15 [1 favorite]

The Diner (various locations) does "hard" shakes, which is a bit of a trend in London - Meat Market and several other places also do them.

Lucky 7 also has a reputation for good milkshakes.
posted by MuffinMan at 1:32 AM on February 15

Tinseltown has branches in Bayswater, Hampstead, and Leicester.

I used to stop by the one in Hampstead on the way to the Heath and the milkshakes are really, really good.
posted by three blind mice at 1:42 AM on February 15 [1 favorite]

Seconding the Byron shout.

Their Oreo shake is the kind of thing that one needs to take a little nap afterwards to cope with.
posted by metaxa at 1:53 AM on February 15 [1 favorite]

I've always been quite partial to the hard shakes done by All Star Lanes.

Also I've heard good things about Blues Kitchen near Camden

Ed's Shakes are good, but the burgers etc. are not great.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 1:55 AM on February 15

The Diner peanut butter / bourbon shake is great, but the rest of their stuff is pretty meh. Byron is pretty blah, and the Blues Kitchen was well overpriced and a trauma in general when I last went.

I'd do Meat Liquor or Meat Market if you're going for anything but shakes, one the the Diner chain otherwise.
posted by ominous_paws at 2:26 AM on February 15

All good suggestions so far, but the undisputed king of the East London milkshake is Lumiere.
posted by roofus at 2:57 AM on February 15

Word is we're getting a Shake Shack in Covent Garden soon, though that won't help for this weekend.

Do you have a blender? If so, I think it would be a romantic gesture to make her the perfect milkshake in her favourite flavour/s with your own hands.
posted by Pallas Athena at 3:11 AM on February 15

As per three blind mice's suggestion, Tinseltown make a hilarious hoohah about people's birthdays. It is a video thingy has to be seen to be believed. The food's not the best compared to other diner-style places although it is fine enough. Never had the milkshake. But for the scene they make when it's someone's birthday it is absolutely the place to go. Kitsch, terrifying, one-of-a-kind. It is, I think, the main reason people who know about the birthday thing go there.

And a quick look at their website reveals they have 50 shakes on the menu.
posted by MuffinMan at 3:17 AM on February 15

Honest Burgers (at least the one in Soho) is delicious. You can't book, so you'll have to put your name down on a list. They don't do milkshakes, but maybe you could have one nearby while you wait?
posted by Magnakai at 3:17 AM on February 15

Byrons, make sure you add malt to it!!!
posted by TrinsicWS at 4:35 AM on February 15

Meat Liquor isn't for everyone - my boyfriend won't go because he's put off by the hipstery vibe and the darkness/noisiness, and my teenage nephew down for a visit was nonplussed by it and preferred GBK - and you can expect to queue for an hour or so at evenings and weekends. The burgers are great though - we've gone for our work Christmas lunch there two years in a row.

Lucky 7 on the other hand is quieter and does five dollar shakes (which cost £5 - not sure of the exchange rate they're using there).

I really liked Ed#s malt shakes last time I was there but that was a while ago.

There is a Shake-Away in Kingston (there was one in Islington but now it's a shop that sells soft pretzels covered in half a jar of cinnamon) that will do pretty any milkshake you can think of.
posted by mippy at 8:08 AM on February 15

I far prefer the covent garden based Meatmarket to meatliquor.
Same food, but in a fast food/diner style environment.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 8:45 AM on February 15

The various Breakfast Clubs also do a mean shake! There's also a Tinseltown in Clerkenwell.
posted by teststrip at 5:21 PM on February 15

As it's already Sunday this is more for future reference, but if you want/need to go slightly upscale, The Automat has, if not the best shake, certainly the best burger in London. For Americans it's a bit silly (a posh theme diner) but the taste can't be denied, and I'd imagine they'd devote no less attention to their shake offerings.
posted by war wrath of wraith at 9:48 AM on February 17

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! We're already Meatliquor regulars, and the Diner we went to was having its floors sanded, so we ended up at Byron. And it was awesome. Next week's question - anyone got a good cure for type 2 diabetes?
posted by dudekiller at 3:56 PM on February 17