Soda Jerks

It was ok. Was it the best shake that I have ever had.. .sadly no.. .was it the absolute worst shake I’ve ever had.. .no.. .so I give them 3 stars for the flavor of the shake.
I forgot the name but it was the one with 2 types of coffee ice cream and chocolate syrup. It was good.. .just not THAT good.. .
Service was meh. I waited in line and after the girl at the register took the guy’s order in front of me.. .she went to go and make it.. .
Now that would have made sense, IF she was the only one there. There were 3 other ppl in their kitchen area doing nothing, while I waited about 5 minutes at the window to place my order. Finally one of them came and asked me if I had ordered yet.. .I wanted to look at her and say.. .“uummm if I had already placed an order would I be standing here now to place one???” BUT I was nice and just said no I did not. And you know what? There was NO apology for making me wait.
From that point on things were moving.. .I think I just waited another 5 – 10 minutes for my shake to come out.. .
When I return to the pier in the future.. .would I go back to this place for ice cream? Nope. There were too many other things to eat and try.. .

We visited this establishment a few times in the summer of 2015.
I usually ended up with a kiddie size ice cream and my husband with a cone. We really enjoyed our ice cream and I think the price is fairly reasonable considering it is on the SM Pier. Service was fairly quick too, bonus!
One little bummer though, I do believe this place is closed on the weekdays when the summer tourist season ends.
We will likely be back on our future visits to the SM Pier.

We walked here today for a dessert. I have been here before, but if you don’t know the area you might miss this place. This ice cream shop is little hidden, right in the beginning of the pier (when you walk from the street on your left. Right next to the carousel). I loved the big menu of all different types of sundaes and shakes. It was hard to decide. We decided to share Will Rogers which is warm brownie with scoop of vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and cream on top. Ahhhhhh — it was good. I really loved the taste of vanilla ice cream: so smooth and creamy and just the right amount of sweetness. They use Fosselman’s ice cream. We sat outside since we had our doggy with us, but they have inside area too. Next time I have to try their caramel sauce on top of that delish vanilla…

Yummy! I got the brownie sundae it was perfect very good!!! My kids got the kid scoop on a cone and they loved theirs as well! Very good service also

Lorac B. sounds like a fun person to hang around with, amiright? Anyway, small little ice cream shop at the beginning of the pier that will give you a simple shot of ice cream if you want (kids size) and let you go on your merry way. I adore small amounts of ice cream as that is all I have a sweet tooth for, and this place satisfied the itch.
Service was nothing to write home about, but they were prompt, friendly, and did a nice job.

Love riding my bike from Venice to the pier just to get ice cream from this place. It’s definitely a treat you’ll love and the staff is amazing.

This is a good place to get ice cream sundes and straight up ice cream

Neat little place thats tucked away inside the building that houses the carousel right as you enter the pier. I was hoping to find a homemade root beer, but they only had Barqs. Instead I had a chocolate phosphate, which are hard to find back in Texas. This was a simple concoction made from soda water, phosphoric acid and chocolate syrup. It was pretty delicious!

Was just here on Christmas Day and had the most rudest customer service from their manager Jamilette. Says she gets a lot of customers like me, which means she pisses off a lot of her customers with her piss poor attitude. How is she a manager??? We are paying money for our drinks and ice cream, and she can’t correct our order? Who tells their customers to take it or leave it because their holding up a line??? SHE COULD HAVE JUST ADDED ICE CREAM TO THE ROOT BEER! And then she gets away with her terrible customer service because, she’s «known the owner for a long time.» Wow. Poor management starting with the owner! Jani is RUDE and should be fired!

Good ice cream… but how can you be out of vanilla and mint chocolate chip? I know… long weekend lots of people.
Great choice to end the afternoon out with friends… have never been to the pier and today was a good day to visit.
I’d suggest doing a walk to the end of the pier and then make the return trip with a stop here for ice cream and coffee. Had the espresso coffee and pumpkin in a two scoop cup. Good combo and for being at a tourist destination it’s not overpriced.

Awesome place to satisfy your sweet tooth whenever you’re on the pier. My friends and I were just looking for a place to eat ice cream… but we ended up with alot more than just a single scoop. They have witty names for their menu items but I honestly don’t remember those names. I just remember how tasty our desserts were. I got one of their hand crafted sodas and it was great. My friends got their orange popsicle milkshakes and it tasted amazing. Both of my friends got a scoop of ice cream. They said it was great. Me on the other hand… I was already to full.

I like this place. The staff are young, and while some people seem to think they’re rude, I found them to be pretty cool. It’s a counter! It’s not a 5-​star restaurant.
Graveyard milkshake: Order this and be happy :)

«What can I say? A couple of egg creams, the bright fluorescent lights, and a retired jeweler named Shlomo all conspired to make a night of enchantment. — The Golden Girls: Season 5, Episode 20
Walking the Santa Monica Pier — very touristy and almost a requirement when going to Santa Monica, or even LA for that matter. But what to do when you are walking in the deathly heat of September and you feel the sudden dehydration hit you? Drink some ice cold water? Heck no! Stop into the Soda Jerks and get a shake, or a malted or an egg cream!
That’s what we did at the end of our hour-​plus stroll of people and ocean watching. We needed refreshment and felt a shake was the way to go. I considered an egg cream (man I love them), but figured the bubbles were not a good idea considering the walk we had left to get back to the car. So I opted for Ken’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ — half orange sherbet and half vanilla ice cream in shake form. Wowza! The folks behind the counter (one dressed like an actual soda jerk from the 50’s and the other in a tee shirt and jeans) were super friendly and very speedy.
In no time we were presented with our drinks (Angie ordered a Chocolate and Coffee ice cream shake called the Graveyard — also amazing, but super rich). We opted to hang out and chat and watch the carousel while we enjoyed our drinks in the air-​conditioning before braving the heat once again.
The perfect stop for before the walk up and down the pier or the treat for after — Soda Jerks knows how the make the classic drinks just right.

Boy, this place has gone downhill. I’ve known this place since they opened in SM, and was a regular when they were in Pasadena until they closed. It’s always been a great treat when we’ve come to the westside. The last time was iffy. Today was terrible. I walked up and ordered two single scoops in cups and two shakes to go. Some staff were too busy with their smartphones to work. Another gave me two single scoops of melting ice cream without lids, and refused to put the melting messes back in the freezer while I waited for the two shakes. The Graveyard Shake, an old favorite, was lacking. The chocolate malt had no malt. Much room for improvement. Kevin, what’s going on here?

Soda Jerks is located on the Santa Monica pier inside the merry go round. It has the 50’s theme with Fosselman ice cream, root beer floats, ice cream sundae, etc.
It’s a fun place to hang out. Ice cream’s good and service is friendly.

Came here after a long bike ride from Venice Beach (hahaha). We were first in desperate need of iced water and they were happy to give a shot of water. My sister and I was looking forward to a delicious hot fudge sundae but instead we received mediocre vanilla ice cream (Dryers tasted better to me) on a microwaved, hard brownie and NO cherry!
We asked for iced water in a larger cup and was willing to pay for the cost of the cup but did we really need to pay for 2 cups of iced water after paying for an overpriced sundae?!?
In comparison to Baskin Robbins, I find the quality of ice cream is much higher than this place and at the same price point (with better service).

If you happen to find yourself on the carousel at the Santa Monica Pier, craving some Fosselman’s ice cream (Alhambra) stop in a Soda Jerk and have yourself a mighty fine ice cream sundae, cone, float, or shake. Or if you’re really feeling nostalgic grab a banana split and sit up at the old-​fashioned counter. Ice cream is outstanding, thick, rich, and creamy. Toppings are fresh. Chocolate syrup, hot fudge, caramel, pineapple, are all pretty tasty treats. Top with whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry, and there you have some pretty great treats. Tip: Ride the carousel first.

The place is located near the «entrance» of the Santa Monica pier, right next to the carousal. There is seating along the counter near the ice cream, giving a kind of ice cream parlor feel.
The ice cream was decent here, but it was nothing special or unique. It’s a great choice if you’re in the area, but not something that I think is worth going out of your way to get.

I wanted to like this place. I really did, and I tried really hard to do so.
I was visiting from Utah, and decided to ride the merry go round, which is located right across from this establishment. While ground round & round, I decided I wanted what Soda Jerks was selling.
I spent some time reading over the menu, and finally decided upon the Vanderbilt cup of s’mores. The description made it sound heavenly. How can you go wrong with ice cream and s’mores ingredients! I thought you couldn’t, until I came to Soda Jerks.
The service was off, and so was my ice cream. The vanilla ice cream itself had no flavor, and nothing going for it. You would think that they would have perfected the most important part of the dish, but nope.
My next complaint it the toppings, and lack thereof. It was advertised as being drenched in chocolate sauce, marshmallow goo, and graham crackers. What did I get? A little bit of okayish fudge, and two small gobs of marshmallow goo. Where the fuck are my graham crackers? Apparently still behind the counter.
The price I paid for this disappointment was far too high. If I am ever back in California, I will not be returning to Soda Jerks.

Stationed right at the beginning of the Santa Monica Pier, it’s difficult not to succumb to the temptation that is an old school, 30’s-styled ice-​cream shop. And just caution your taste buds before you delve into your first shake; you’re going to want more!
Simply reading through the menu will make your tastes buds go crazy, but when you have the chance to take that first sip — UH-​MAZING! My friend and I went inside to sit down at the counter and got to watch the staff in their costumes/​uniforms make all of these delicious concoctions. I ordered the Graveyard Shake, which was a blend of cappuccino and espresso ice-​cream and chocolate syrup. I am obsessed with coffee, so this shake was the equivalent of a drug for me. My friend had the Ken’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ Shake and oh my goodness, it tasted exactly like an orange creamsicle. It was scrumptious!
Being able to enjoy these delicious drinks with the carousel behind us was such a treat on a beautiful day, and I can’t wait to visit again!