Handel's Homemade Ice Cream

With a cornucopia of sugary flavors and affordable pricing, this Ohio-based ice cream franchise hits the perfect middle ground between gourmet shops and bargain bin options like Thrifty's. Every scoop of ice cream is made at in-store at each Handel's location, and the brand's captured our attention with flavors like Buckeye (peanut butter base with fudge ripple and buckeye candy pieces), Elvis (banana base with peanut butter ripple) and a delightful mint Oreo. While we're admittedly less keen on the fruit flavors like strawberry, which tend to taste merely sweet, we love any flavor that uses cookies, candy, chocolate or peanut butter. Just note you'll have to leave L.A. proper to get a fix: As of now, Handel's is open in Santa Monica, Culver City, Manhattan Beach, Downey, Pasadena, La Cañada, Long Beach, Northridge and Woodland Hills.