Seriously Shook

By Mark Loehrke
June 2024 View more Discover

Add some decadence to your summer with these over-the-top milkshakes

JoJo’s ShakeBAR

While much attention was focused on JoJo’s colorful façade when the restaurant opened in 2022 in downtown Naperville, somebody probably should have been checking into any zoning ordinances the signature Biggie Shakes ($14) might be violating. After all, given the abundance of cookies, doughnuts, marshmallows, and other sweet extravagances piled atop creamy concoctions like the popular Chocolate Nirvana (chocolate Oreo) and the Wonder Years (blueberry with cotton candy), it seems natural to question if these impossibly balanced creations are structurally sound. But that’s kind of the point—and JoJo’s takes those toppings seriously. “We have an in-house pastry program, as well as skilled chocolatiers baking and dipping everything right here onsite,” says cofounder Robbie Schloss. Amid its distinctly ’80s and ’90s pop culture surroundings, JoJo’s also serves up a sizable slate of non-Biggie (but still delicious) milkshakes and extreme hot chocolate offerings, along with a full food menu and a wide variety of cocktails (booze can also be added to any Biggie for a more grownup indulgence). And as summertime gets underway, the Biggies menu expands to include a couple of special limited-edition shakes—a rainbow-overload Pride Shake this month (with $1 from each sale going to local LGBTQ+ organizations) and a patriotic (and blissfully caloric) Fourth of July Shake next month.
Good to Know: A popular destination for parties, JoJo’s also hosts a number of its own special events every month, including candle painting gatherings, mixology lessons, and milkshake master classes. 5 Jackson Ave., Naperville

Tizzy’s Treats & Eats

This family-owned Darien ice cream shop has been a favorite stop for milkshake and malt fans since opening in 2020, but there’s just something about topping off those simple standards with everything from cupcakes and cookies to cotton candy and marshmallows (plus whipped cream and sprinkles, of course) to create the phenomena that are Tizzy’s Epic Shakes. Inspired in part by the outrageous pseudo-meals perched atop many an overstuffed Bloody Mary, the Epic lineup now includes a variety of memorable mash-ups, including popular standouts like cookies and cream, the Unicorn and the Cookie Monster—each $11.99 and each suitable (and likely recommended) for sharing. “We wanted to offer our customers an epic experience with these extras on top of a shake,” owner JoAnne Tzinares says. Mission accomplished.
Good to know: In addition to its regular Epic Shakes, Tizzy’s plans to add flavors as the seasons change, including pumpkin pie, deep-dish apple pie, and s’mores for the fall, as well as peppermint and winter wonderland varieties at Christmastime. 737 Plainfield Rd., Darien

The Creamery

The Creamery’s overflowing Mason jar milkshakes—aptly known as Colossals—evolved from the popularity of its massive ice cream cookie sandwiches as a limited special for Valentine’s Day in both 2023 and 2024, when they were featured exclusively for reservations in the chain’s cozy winter igloos in Homer Glen, Manhattan, and Lombard. “We wanted to offer customers a unique, over-the-top festive dessert to elevate the Igloo experience,” director of sales and marketing Leah Sisk says of the shakes that burst forth from the frosted rims of their jars and defy the laws of physics with toppers of soft serve, whipped cream, candy, and full-size cookies or brownies. Strong feedback during those two Igloo seasons led to a permanent spot on the menus in Lombard and Lemont for three new Colossals—Birthday Bash, Orange Blossom and Ring Master—alongside the mainstay Cookie Dough Crush, which itself is topped with a Colossal ice cream sandwich, harking back to where all of this excess began. “The name says it all—they’re called colossal for a reason,” Sisk notes. “It’s probably safe to say you won’t leave hungry after one of these.”
Good to know: After moving Colossals to the year-round rotation in Lemont and Lombard in 2023 as test concepts for $12.95, the Creamery plans to roll them out in its five other locations—Homer Glen, Manhattan, New Lenox, Sandwich, and Elgin—this summer as well. ourcreamery.com

Photos: Neil John Burger (JoJo’s ShakeBAR); Leah Sisk (The Creamery); JoAnne Tzinares (Tizzy’s Treats & Eats)