16 Handles

Great Management!!! Great staff!!! Amazing flavors, options, sitting area. Love this place!

It’s a little bit of your local mall, right here in Coolidge Corner!
Do you like overly sweet frozen yogurt? Really bad music played LOUD accompanied by a nightmarish light display? We’ve got the froyo shop for you.
Watch as other customers put their shoes on the low tables! See the poorly marked recycle bin (identical to the trash bin) get filled with garbage!
OK, that’s a little harsh. This franchise shop (kosher certified) is exactly like all the other shops in this chain. Huge selection of flavors and toppings for you to (over)serve yourself. Limited seating. I find it oversweet and quite inferior to JP Licks (two blocks away). The kids really do like it though. There’s no arguing taste.
The people who work here are unfailingly helpful and polite in my experience. They’re happy to give you a small cup to sample flavors.

Good selection of flavors and toppings, but I was entirely ignored by staff. They didn’t even look at me when I was checking out and just stood there talking about a coworker.

I honestly prefer 16 Handles OVER Mixx because it is truly a SELF-​SERVE froyo shop = you can sample as many flavors as your little heart desires (YES!)
16 Handles is located conveniently beside Trader Joes in Coolidge Corner.
*HOW: Choose a cup (varies in size = varies in price)
*HOW: Choose flavors (after you sample them, of course)
*HOW: Add as many toppings as you would like
*HOW: Pay by the weight in ounces
*GET: European Tart (if you like extreme tartiness)
*GET: Peanut Butter Froyo (so pea-​nutyy)
*CON: Not as many FRUIT options
*CON: Consistency of the froyo varies (i.e., some were milky & drippier than other flavors)
*FYI: Take credit cards
*FYI: Have a rewards card
*FYI: Nutrition info for EACH flavor is displayed above the Froyo flavor (YES!)

Tried this place with a couple friends and was pleasantly surprised. First off, the staff are awesome and don’t stock pile the tasting cups like lunatics, they graciously give you 4 – 5 mini cups to try whatever flavors they have that day. The mint, birthday cake and graham cracker flavors that day were pretty good, the graham cracker was def the front runner. Toppings-​wise, I was totally bummed to not to see mochi on the line-​up, however lots of fresh, crisp fruit options, a pretty good variety of sugary, chocolate, crunchy toppings and the self-​serve option is much appreciated. Not a bad choice if you’re in the area but I wouldn’t seek this place out as a destination.

Self-​serve frozen yogurt (froyo)! They always have 16 flavors (hence, their name) and they rotate flavors. My favorite is definitely Nutella, but they do have a good mix between chocolatey and fruity flavors. Being in brookline, it is on the pricey side of froyo.

What can I say?
I absolutely love self-​serve FroYo and 16 Handles does it way better than Pink Berry ever could!
So many cool toppings, so many interesting flavors (Peanut Butter Confession, come on!)
I haven’t had a bad experience with a staff member, too, so that’s always great!

i prefer this place after getting korean barbecue compared to mixx because the flavors tend to be more tart. There is a lot of different toppings here from cookies to all kinds of bits of candy bars.
They don’t have many fruit options so if you are going here don’t expect to even be healthy or make good decisions. I mean the name is literally 16 handles. There is no way you’re going to get there with fruit!

Great variety of flavors and toppings!
Fruit toppings looked fresh and not sitting there for hours like at other places.
Place was very clean and had a very hip atmosphere with plenty of seating.

As a chocolate lover, I got the two flavors «on tap» today that prominently featured it: Chocolate Eruption and Chocolate Love Affair. Next, I loaded up on brownie bites, cookie dough, and the tri-​color chocolate covered things (the name escapes me).
The Chocolate Eruption was thick – almost milkshake consistency. It tasted like thick chocolate milk. At first I didn’t love it but after comparing it with Chocolate Love Affair, I think it was better.
Chocolate Love Affair was much thinner in comparison, almost watery. It didn’t taste as rich but wasn’t very memorable.
The tri-​color topping things were okay but basically tasted like sugar. I immediately liked the brownie bites – so rich! However, after eating a few I felt pretty sick quickly. The cookie dough wasn’t bad, just tasted very sugary.
Unfortunately they were out of sample spoons, and when my friend wanted to sample something they told her it was not possible. The couple behind her told her they just used their fingers, so she did that and then got yelled at by the manager (?), who was speaking about her in Spanish to his coworker. Yeah, she probably shouldn’t have done it, but it was disappointing that they were out of sample spoons and had no solution.
The place has a cool vibe (hip music – actually a bit loud, cool lights), interesting flavors, and tons of topping options, but I didn’t love the Froyo quality or the service. Not sure I’d come back.

I’m not sure why I keep giving 16 handles more chances to turn out good, but I did it again and it got me sick again. They charge 54 cent an ounce for a frozen yogurt that’s probably infested with bacteria for the lack of cleaning the machines properly. They had a flavor which I liked very much and that’s how I got tempted. If this was in California or New York I could have reported them to the health department and perhaps they would become better. The location is great for a frozen yogurt, so its just too bad they suck!

I’m not the biggest fan of frozen yogurt usually, but I heard great things about this place and decided to give it a try. Well worth it! They have such a wide variety of flavors and toppings which are all weighed at the end. My favorite yogurt flavor was definitely the pumpkin :) didn’t have all the flavors they posted online, though. Delicious and fresh fruit toppings as well as other candies and chocolate NOM.

Of the multitude of Fro Yo in Coolidge Corner, 16 Handles is my favorite (so far). Besides loving a good pun, they also have homemade whipped cream! It’s the best topping because it weighs practically nothing =P
They charge by the ounce, and the price is standard as far as serve yourself places go.
The flavors seem to rotate a little with there always being a vanilla type, cake one, berries, and a chocolate or peanut butter (or both)
Staff is friendly, but I dont like eating inside. Weird lighting makes it feel more like a dance club than a place to enjoy the fro yo fully.
Try it out!

Now I’m not big on the frozen yogurt craze that’s been pervasive throughout the U.S. (and maybe even the world!), but I shared a cup here with my girlfriend and I gotta say it was pretty good. They’ve got some unique flavors and solid toppings. It’s a great place for families and kids, and an okay place for everyone else I suppose.
I just never really understood how a few ounces of frozen yogurt (not that 99% of consumers even know how much an ounce actually weighs and how many ounces a spoon of frozen yogurt is-​I know I didn’t until I looked it up-​) could somehow end up costing $ 6. Like I could buy two enormous containers of frozen yogurt from the supermarket for that much… Something is amiss here, and while it could be me, I believe there is a significant chance it is the cost of frozen yogurt ;)
Enjoy responsibly!

I am an Asian from California. I have had my share of frozen yogurt. This is the only place I could not finish my frozen yogurt. The yogurt itself tastes very artificial; too tarty. There was nothing outstanding about the toppings.
Cross the street and head over to yogurtland.

I am a froyo nut, and this place is a solid notch better than Yogurtland, Froyoworld, Zinga, other self serve froyo places in the area. I’ve tried the tart yogurt, the salted caramel, and the peanut butter, and all were great, but a special kudos to the caramel.
The toppings selection is very, very good, and you really won’t want to miss the wet walnuts. They look weird, but basically it’s walnut chunks swimming in maple syrup or something, oh mama! Plus plenty of fruits and candies to choose from as usual with places like this.
Service was very friendly, the place was spotless, and of course you can’t go wrong with the location. Also they offer a rewards card, so that’s nice as well.
Can’t wait to go back!

Continuing my quest to review all the froyo places (yeah, all of them in the entire country), I returned to 16 Handles in Brookline.
As my companion said, it looks like a club in here with flashing lights and an all-​white theme. Standard froyo store décor, just bumped up a notch. The wooden fixtures added a bit of 1970’s flare, but the lack of tables was a bummer. I want to sit in a real chair at a real table and eat my froyo, ok?
The flavors were good though. The blueberry was delicious, tart, and creamy, and a nice blue/​purple color. It paired well with fruit for a relatively healthy desert treat. My companion had a combination of several flavors, but my favorite of hers was watermelon. I also sampled the toasted marshmallow flavor which was intense and shockingly real.
Standard toppings with the appreciated addition of whipped cream.

I became borderline obsessed with 16 Handles in NYC. It was a pleasant surprise to see it next to Trader Joe’s in Coolidge Corner. I love this place. Unlike NYC, where there are people standing around to help you out with samples, here, they give you mini cups to try what you like. Yummy.
No matter how many times I go, I always end up trying other ones but getting the mango and original tart. The original tart is my favorite.
It’s a very clean space with lots of seating. They also have a rewards card. It’s the cheapest and tastiest froyo around.

I came to redeem a voucher and once the fellow behind the counter realized this was my inaugural visit, he became my personal tour guide through the yogurt line to taste all the flavors I wished. He knew his stuff well, and pointed out his favorites. I was amazed at how the flavors actually tasted as they were named, with none of that disappointing artificial taste that some froyos suffer from.
They had a pretty generous topping area, with not one but two ways to load up your cup with Nutella, but they didn’t have MOCHI! I was aghast and immediately told him they have to get it. So, here’s hoping…
I ended up with a cup of the salted caramel, graham cracker, and cookies & cream — but I also liked the mango, vanilla, and I can’t remember what else. When all was said and done though, my froyo was about $ 5+.
It took my friend pointing out that the middle mixing handle was missing from the yogurt dispensers, which was understandable from the number in the name of the shop being not divisible by 3 that I realized that the name (16 Handles) referred to the # of yogurt flavors they had — yes, I’m a bit slow on the uptake sometimes…
Free Wi-​Fi is available — just ask for the password. Two gendered single person bathrooms are available in the back. During our visit, this spot was quite popular with families.
They are located at the Coolidge Corner T, just past Trader Joe’s.
PS — if you think the frozen yogurt is a bit watery, let the workers know and I think they take it for a spin by turning on the mixer for a bit.

16 Handle’s froyo is on the watery side and melts too quickly to my liking. Props to their flavors, they do indeed taste like their labels-​on the sweet, non-​tarty end.
What’s up with froyo shops using electronic screens to display their flavors these days? While impressive, their screens are rather small compared to Froyo world in Allston. Ultimately, such screens are unnecessary. If it means being able to cut costs by omitting such screens, then I’d be all up for it.
It’s pretty narrow for a store and not very ideal for a lot of people. We had to stand because the seats were taken up ~3pm.
Toppings were average. You got your standard fruits and American toppings and sweets like cereal, sprinkles, brownies. They don’t have mochi! :(:(:(Froyo world and Mixx wins handsdown compared to the toppings at 16 Handles, perhaps because they’re catering to the Asian population that frequents Allston while Caucasians dominate Brookline? :P
Their pudgy spoons are pretty cute. Very kid friendly, reminded me of the kind of spoons moms use to spoon feed their kiddos.