16 Handles is a self-serve frozen yogurt shop that sits on 75th and Amsterdam on the Upper West Side. The yogurt shop has been the dessert spot of the UWS since 2011. They have every classic fro-yo flavor you can think of, from tart to cookies and cream to chocolate, plus others that come and go. No matter the season nor the time of day, 16 Handles is always filled with people. Kids in soccer uniforms, high schoolers crammed around the hot pink couches, parents with strollers and even the elderly: everyone enjoys 16 Handles. The walls are bright, the music is loud and the vibe is pure fun.
Solomon Choi founded 16 Handles, New York City’s first self-serve frozen dessert shop, in 2008. Choi opened the first location in the East Village after moving to New York with the intention of creating an inclusive experience-focused brand that people love. He has succeeded in his mission.
Choi is a Korean-American entrepreneur who built the most recognizable New York City frozen yogurt brand. After graduating from the University of Southern California and moving east in his twenties, Choi saw an opportunity to bring the popular concept of froyo to New York. He launched 16 Handles with a simple concept: customers fill their cups with 16 rotating flavors, add as many toppings as they want and pay by weight. His goal was not only to introduce customization and fun into desserts, but to create joy around a brand that simultaneously encourages playfulness. He expanded the chain through franchising, taking a risk in the food industry to establish 16 Handles as a staple.
The appreciation for 16 Handles stems from its offerings. With 16 flavors (hence the name of the brand), they offer the classics, but also keep things exciting with new flavors added periodically. In fact, they recently launched their latest flavor: Shirley Temple. I wouldn’t recommend it, but I respect the attempt.
Its topping selection is impeccable. From peanut butter cups to every kind of fruit, crushed-up candy bars, Nutella, peanut butter, cookie dough, gummy bears, to the classics like Oreos, you name it, and 16 Handles has it. The combinations are endless.
Then comes the familiar routine of what it entails to be a 16 Handles customer: as soon as you walk in, you grab a hot pink cup or an oversized blue one if you’re extra hungry. There will occasionally be some waffle cones if you’re feeling adventurous. Cup in hand, you make your way over to the silver line of fro-yo machines lined up against the wall. Then comes the fun part: the toppings.
No two cups ever look the same, which is what makes it so fun. After you check out, you try to snag a spot on the hot pink couches. Trying to find a seat is never an easy task, considering the couches are almost always packed. I’ve sat on those couches for hours with friends talking about everything, from school drama to our weekend plans. I’ve run into neighbors, teachers and kids I went to camp with. I’ve even made new friends just by standing next to someone and bonding over which flavor was the best that day. On hot summer afternoons, you can take your fro-yo outside, sit on one of the benches and people-watch.
There are currently 35 locations expanded across the East Coast, with plans for international expansion. 16 Handles is a neighborhood favorite in dozens of towns. Yet, as I visit many different 16 Handles, nothing will ever compare to the UWS location. Over time, the store’s appearance has evolved. Sleek gray patterns have replaced the white and green striped 2000s-esque wallpaper, and the mirrors once tucked between the fro-yo machines have given way to clean white walls. The space now feels more polished and sophisticated. But no matter how many times the decor changes, what 16 Handles means to the Upper West Side has stayed precisely the same.
The UWS 16 Handles serves as a testament to how food brings people together. When you walk into 16 Handles, you often leave with new friends. Perhaps someone you sat next to on the couches in the back while enjoying your ice cream, or someone you were waiting in line with for the same flavor. 16 Handles is where the Upper West Side comes alive.
The Upper West Side is like its own small town inside the big city, and 16 Handles is the neighborhood’s town square. The Upper West Side is a diverse neighborhood, home to people of all different backgrounds and identities, and a 16 Handles swirl cup serves as the perfect metaphor for this mix. 16 Handles isn’t just a frozen yogurt shop. It’s where I grew up, where I made memories and where I feel most connected to the people around me.
