16 Handles Introduce
In a city where there's always something new to try, sometimes the best places are the ones that are consistently reliable and fun. 16 Handles, a beloved frozen yogurt and ice cream shop in the East Village, is a perfect example. Since opening its first store here in 2008, it has become a go-to dessert destination for locals, students, and visitors who appreciate its simple, self-serve concept and wide array of options. It's the kind of place that’s designed for pure, unadulterated sweet-treat fun, allowing you to be your own dessert artist with a mix of flavors and an endless bar of toppings.
The core of the 16 Handles experience is choice. With 16 rotating flavors of soft serve, including frozen yogurt, ice cream, and sorbet, there is always something new to discover. The shop has also become a leader in offering excellent plant-based options, particularly with its popular Oat Milk soft serves that taste just as rich and creamy as their dairy counterparts. This commitment to inclusivity ensures that everyone, regardless of dietary preferences, can find a delicious treat. Beyond the soft serve, 16 Handles also features partnerships with companies like DO, a well-known edible cookie dough brand, adding another layer of indulgence to their menu.
The atmosphere at 16 Handles is a key part of its appeal. It’s a place that welcomes a quick visit, whether you’re craving a post-dinner dessert or a refreshing snack on a hot day. The bright and inviting space, along with the friendly service, makes the process of creating your perfect frozen dessert an enjoyable one. It’s a solid spot that delivers exactly what you expect from a self-serve frozen yogurt shop: quality, variety, and the freedom to craft your own delicious creation.
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16 Handles is located at 153 2nd Avenue, in the heart of the vibrant East Village. This area is a hub of culture, food, and student life, making the shop a popular spot for locals from all walks of life. Its location on a well-known avenue makes it easy to find and a convenient stop during a day of exploring the neighborhood's unique shops, restaurants, and street art. It's the kind of place that feels like a natural part of the community, where a quick stop for a treat is always a great idea.
The shop is highly accessible for a variety of guests. It features a wheelchair-accessible entrance, ensuring that everyone can easily come in and create their own dessert. The East Village is well-connected by public transportation, with the 2nd Avenue subway station on the F line just a short walk away. This makes it a convenient spot to visit from other neighborhoods in Manhattan and beyond. For those looking for a quick and easy visit, its prime location is a major benefit, allowing for a seamless in-and-out experience to satisfy a sweet craving.
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16 Handles offers a straightforward and convenient list of services, all designed to make getting your sweet treat as easy as possible. Here’s a rundown of what they provide:
Service Options: The shop offers in-store pickup, no-contact delivery, standard delivery, and takeout. This variety of options ensures you can enjoy their frozen desserts whether you're at home, on the go, or picking up a treat for a group.
Menu Offerings: The main offerings include a wide selection of soft-serve frozen yogurt, ice cream, and sorbet flavors. They also serve milkshakes and feature edible cookie dough from a well-known brand, adding a unique and craveable option to the menu. A variety of bottled beverages are also available for purchase.
Customization: The self-serve model is a key service, allowing you to choose from a variety of flavors and an extensive bar of toppings. This ensures every visit can be a new and personalized experience.
Payments: The shop accepts a wide range of modern payment methods, including credit cards, debit cards, and NFC mobile payments, for a quick and hassle-free checkout process.
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What sets 16 Handles apart in New York's competitive dessert scene are its unique features and highlights. These are the aspects that customers frequently mention and that contribute to its consistent appeal.
Wide Variety of Flavors and Toppings: The name "16 Handles" speaks to its core strength: 16 different soft serve flavors at any given time. This, combined with a vast topping bar, ensures that there’s always something for everyone, and it's a great spot to mix and match to find your perfect combination.
Excellent Vegan Options: A major highlight is their commitment to offering delicious vegan soft serve. The Oat Milk chocolate and vanilla flavors have received rave reviews from customers who say they taste just as good as the dairy versions, making it an inclusive spot for those with dietary restrictions.
Partnership with Edible Cookie Dough: The collaboration with DO, a renowned edible cookie dough company, is a fun and appealing highlight. This partnership brings a unique and popular item to the menu, perfect for a little extra indulgence.
Quick and Efficient Service: The shop is known for being a great option for a "quick visit." The self-serve model and efficient staff ensure that you can get in, get your treat, and get on your way without a long wait, making it a convenient choice for busy New Yorkers.
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For your convenience, here is the contact information for 16 Handles:
Address: 153 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003, USA
Phone: (212) 260-4414
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Why should 16 Handles be your go-to spot for a frozen treat? The answer lies in its perfect blend of quality, variety, and convenience. While some may find other spots to have a more unique flavor profile, 16 Handles excels at what it does best: providing a solid, reliable, and fun frozen dessert experience. The ability to customize your own creation from a wide array of flavors and toppings ensures you’ll never get bored. The excellent vegan options are a testament to their commitment to being an inclusive destination for all dessert lovers.
The reviews highlight the friendliness of the staff and the solid quality of the product. The prices are considered reasonable for the city, especially given the self-serve model where you control the portion size. Whether you're craving a classic frozen yogurt, a rich milkshake, or a scoop of edible cookie dough, 16 Handles is a dependable and enjoyable choice in the East Village. It's more than just a place to get dessert; it's a place to create your own happy moment, one scoop at a time.
16 Handles Food & drink
Edible Cookie Dough by DO
- Cake Batter Cookie Dough $12.99
Cake batter, white chocolate and milk chocolate chips with sprinkles. 8 oz. container. Made by DO, Cookie Dough Confections.
- Vegan Signature Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (V) $12.99
Signature chocolate chip cookie dough made in vegan recipe (contains coconut). 8 oz. container. Made by DO, Cookie Dough Confections.
- Gimme S'more Cookie Dough $12.99
Signature + Hershey bar + toasted marshmallows + graham crackers. 8 oz. container. Made by DO, Cookie Dough Confections.
- Signature Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough $12.99
Signature chocolate chip cookie dough. 8 oz. container. Made by DO, Cookie Dough Confections.
- Sugar Cookie Dough $12.99
Sugar cookie dough topped with sugar sprinkles. 8 oz. container. Made by DO, Cookie Dough Confections.
- Salty & Sweet Cookie Dough $12.99
Sugar cookie + salted caramel + dark chocolate chips + sea salt. 8 oz. container. Made by DO, Cookie Dough Confections.
- Brookie Dough $12.99
Signature chocolate chip + brownie batter, swirled together. 8 oz. container. Made by DO, Cookie Dough Confections.
Bottled Beverages
- Large Water Bottle (1L) $3.00
- Can Of Diet Coke $1.95
A crisp, refreshing taste you know and love with zero calories.
- Can Of Coke $1.95
The cold, refreshing, sparkling classic that America loves.
- Water Bottle (16.9 Oz) $2.00
Please note: brand my vary by location
- Can Of Sprite $1.95
The cold, refreshing flavors of lemon and lime, perfectly blended.
Milkshakes
- Chocolate Milkshake $8.95
Made with Ghirardelli chocolate sauce
- Cookies & Cream Milkshake $8.95
Made with crushed Oreos
- Vanilla Milkshake $8.95
Made with premium vanilla syrup
Soft Serve
- Oat Milk Vanilla Soft Serve (V) $0.00
Bold but balanced, cool but creamy, decadent but dairy-free! Let this description be the sign you're looking for: Vanilla oatmilk soft serve is exactly what you need today.
- Arriba Coffee Frozen Yogurt $0.00
Rich, dark roast coffee frozen yogurt made with 100% Arabica coffee beans
- Coconut Castaway Frozen Yogurt $0.00
Coconut frozen yogurt, the perfect tropical treat to transport you to paradise with every bite
- Shirley Temple Sorbet $0.00
A bubbly twist on a classic! Our Shirley Temple Sorbet blends sweet cherry and zesty lime into a light, refreshing artisan sorbet-- perfect for a nostalgic sip-in-spoon treat.
- Strawberry Fields Frozen Yogurt $0.00
Strawberry frozen yogurt with a summery, sweet taste you're sure to love
- Birthday Cake Frozen Yogurt $0.00
Our fro-yo take on a classic cake batter ice cream
- Classic Vanilla Frozen Yogurt $0.00
Classic vanilla soft serve fro-yo
- Cookies & Cream Ice Cream $0.00
Delicious, silky sweet cream folded full with real OREO® cookies makes what might be our most delicious ice cream yet
- Oat Milk Chocolate Soft Serve (V) $0.00
Chocolate lovers, prepare to be delighted. This chocolatey 16 Handles x Oatly oatmilk soft serve has all of the decadence but none of the dairy. Indulgence awaits—you just have to order it!
- Chocolicious Frozen Yogurt $0.00
Classic and creamy chocolate frozen yogurt made with real cocoa
- Fresh Mango Sorbet (V) $0.00
Our signature mango sorbet flavored with fresh mangoes from India
- Mint Chocolate Chip Frozen Yogurt $0.00
Who doesn't love the refreshing combination of mint and real chocolate? Our mint chip flavor is all natural and ultra-flavorful
- Cookie Dough Ice Cream $0.00
Cookie Dough Ice Cream is the perfect indulgence. We fold real cookies and chocolate chips into 16 Handles' all natural, soft serve ice cream. Treat yo'self!
16 Handles Details
Service options
- No-contact delivery
- Delivery
- In-store pickup
- Takeout
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible entrance
- Wheelchair accessible parking lot
Planning
- Quick visit
Payments
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- NFC mobile payments
- Credit cards
16 Handles Photos










16 Handles Location
16 Handles Reviews
flavorspricecupsmachinesfruittoppingsmusicweightareasorbet
★ 5★ 4★ 3★ 2★ 1Solid fro yo. Not the best I’ve had in NYC and not my favourite flavours, but solid.There’s space to sit and good toppings.The vegan oat milk chocolate tastes exactly like the regular chocolate and was really good!!!The strawberry was mid. Not my favourite.2 medium sized / pretty small bowls came to $16.
March 25 · Cassia AVery great frozen yogurt service was really good. Would recommend to anyone who is craving a sweet treat. Andy & angel were very nice.
August 04 · Lara FananiI’ve been a loyal customer at this 16 Handles location for ~4 years, but unfortunately, the quality has really gone downhill. Over the past few visits, I’ve noticed that the store is often dirty, has a noticeable odor, the AC is usually broken, and more often than not, half of the topping bar is closed. It’s disappointing to see such a decline in what used to be a favorite spot!
August 03 · Shannah Reagan16 handles has really fallen. memories of pouring endless amounts of fro yo topped with the best toppings are just that, memories. 25% of the machines are out of order, another 25% have screens that dont work, light fixtures are falling out of the ceiling. It looks like no maintenance has been done here for 2 years. Pretty disappointing. Too many options these days to pay 10 bucks for that experience.
July 30 · David AhlbornIf you get a cone, they also charge the weight of a huge 10 oz metal cone holder. My order was 9 oz for ice cream, 1 oz because the woman couldn't zero the scale, and 10 oz for the cone holder for 20 oz, coming to $20!The server told me I could throw the cone in the trash if I didn't want to pay that, which I didn't."Pay only for what you eat" is a lie.
April 03 · Zach Taylor
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