Rockville is home to this Caribbean ice cream shop with a range of tropical fruit flavors. Malt heads should try the Slim Jim, a mix of Guinness ice cream, Malta soda, peanuts, and Horlicks malted milk powder. Or try a shake in flavors like guava, mango, pineapple, soursop, passionfruit, or lychee blended with skim milk.

The University of Maryland has made ice cream for more than 80 years. Dairy science students used to do the honors, but now dining services staff oversees the process. The ice cream is 14 percent butterfat, which qualifies it as premium. The Dairy offers a whopping 15 specialty flavors, plus 10 traditional flavors like butter pecan, mint chip, and pistachio. Students in the know will ask for a shake made with chocolate milk.

Vegans rejoice: There’s a milkshake for you, too. Sticky Fingers blends its shakes with soy or coconut milk ice cream. Options include creamsicle, peanut butter fudge, espresso, cookies n' shake, vanilla brownie and more.

Come to the U Street institution for the half-smokes and chili bowls, and stay for the hand-spun, “thick n’ creamy” milkshakes. Order flavors like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, cherry, coffee, maple, or Oreo. Whipped cream, cherries, and additional toppings are available.

This mini-chain has long been a Georgetown classic. Order a shake in one of the numerous ice cream or frozen yogurt flavors available by the scoop. The Oreo shake comes highly recommended.

The name says it all. Shake Shack's milkshakes are made from frozen custard in flavors like caramel and black and white. Their concretes, made with mix-ins like homegrown Astro doughnuts, are also popular.

Any establishment with the word “shake” in the name had better make a good one, and Burger Tap & Shake does. There are 11 varieties of hand-spun milkshake flavors, plus several “shaketails” (boozy shakes) with names like the Cayman Mudslide and Oreo Speedwagon. Try the restaurant's signature BTS Shake, which combines Butterfingers, Twix, and Snickers.

Although its a hamburger joint, Good Stuff Eatery might be best known for its toasted marshmallow milkshake. A simple blend of toasted marshmallows, sour cream, vanilla ice cream, and milk, it’s a dead ringer for the charred treat. Other unique flavors include soursop hop strawberry and salty caramel kiss.

Ted's Bulletin is one of the most reliably good milkshake spots in the District. With eight milkshake flavors and almost as many boozy options to choose from, there is no reason not to tack a s’mores or caramel macchiato shake onto an all-day breakfast, meatloaf, or order of brick chicken.

Finishing a shake at this riverfront seafood house is a tall order because of the glut of toppings that go on each one. For example, a fluffernutter shake has taffy and whole doughnut garnishes. —Gabe Hiatt

Need a milkshake at 3 a.m.? Head to Bob & Edith’s Diner, open 24 hours (as any proper diner should be). The best shakes come with the mixing tin on the side, and that is how Bob & Edith's serves their chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, cherry, blueberry, and coffee milkshakes.