Nestled in Westwood, amongst the restaurants and single movie houses, lies one of LA’s best treats: Diddy Riese. At the easily manageable price of $1.50, one can get a delicious scoop of ice cream, sandwiched between two freshly baked cookies, and the satisfaction that it was money well spent.
Established in 1983, Diddy’s, as the nearby UCLA students affectionately call it, has become a Westwood staple, usually the perfect end to a perfect night out. With a variety of cookies to choose from, ranging from chocolate chip to macadamia nut, one can combine multiple offerings for an intense rush of flavor upon that first bite. But don’t forget the napkins! Part of the fun in eating a Diddy Riese sandwich is seeing how little ends up in places other than your mouth.
It was only a year ago that Diddy’s suffered a small scandal within the Westwood community. Having set their prices at a $1.00 for a sandwich, management deemed it necessary to raise the price of one of LA’s favorite treats by a whole quarter. $1.25 became the new standard, much to the chagrin of purists who felt their local eatery was pulling a fast one. Things settled down and the new price was largely accepted, the reasoning being that it was still a damn good deal, even if you had to shell out that quarter normally used for 15 minutes of parking. But with a fluctuating economy comes even more change, and prices have raised again. Given the slight uproar Diddy’s faced last year, this increase in price has gone over more smoothly, again, with the realization that $1.50 is still a steal. (Ironically, it was several years ago that another Westwood eatery, “Buck Fiddy’s,” which charged only $1.50 for a deli sandwhich went under and was replaced by an establishment that charges, GASP!, actual market value. Needless to say, it remains one of the more popular “after hours” eats.)
But back to Diddy: Even those crosstown rivals from USC trek on over to Bruinland to grab the famous dessert. Dealing with the spiteful glares and “Go back to your school” heckles by UCLA students, Trojans find the allure of a Diddy Riese cookie too tempting to simply pass up. In fact, its not uncommon to see a flurry of red in line at this establishment, though usually huddled together in solidarity to avoid any possible feuds with Bruins.
Whatever the case or whatever the mood, if you find yourself in Westwood, make it a point to stop at Diddy’s. Not in the mood for an ice-cream sandwich? Then pick up three cookies (still for $1.00, natch!) and enjoy them at your convenience. Worried about that big line? Well, it’s common, but it moves fast and the wait is worth it.
For the traditional, try: Two chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream.
For the adventurous, try: Two sugar cookies and coffee ice cream.
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