Diddy Riese Cookies, Westwood, CA

Diddy Riese Cookies

926 Broxton Ave.

Westwood, CA  90024

When I arrived at UCLA in 1984, I looked forward to seeing lots of this particular image. I remember it being around the house of the older couple that had babysat for me back in the early 70's. Old Ray Ortega was a huge UCLA fanfollowing UCLA basketball and the glory of the John Wooden days. Ray's son my Uncle Paul and all of my cousins in that branch of the family still keep the UCLA faith, more so than me, though I'm the only UCLA grad in my family.

I didn't follow college sports much though, and in the 80's, the glory of UCLA basketball                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           was long gone. I did have some classes with future Pacer legend Reggie Miller as well as NBA journeyman Pooh Richardson, but even with those great players, it was easy to get tickets to see the team play at the old Pauly Pavilion during the Walt Hazzard years. 

Along with a less successful basketball team, UCLA changed mascots, and the Joe Bruin that I remembered fondly from my youth metamorphosed to this. I worked at the ASUCLA bookstore, and on one wall there was a framed poster of Vintage Joe Bruin that I would look at longingly, no longer for sale, and no possibility of me ever owning it. I would complain about that, along with the school colors and several other things, all masking the fact that I personally unhappy and couldn't get my act together to take advantage of all the great opportunities that surrounded me.

The sticker on my car is one of the old Joe Bruin.

But just before I got to UCLA, Diddy Riese had opened in Westwood. At the time, I remember enjoying Mrs. Fields cookies, and I'd pilgrimage to Famous Amos on Sunset in the early 80's, so it took me a while to warm to Diddy Riese. But when I finally went in, I was hooked. For starters, it was much cheaper than Mrs. Fields or Famous Amos, an important consideration to a starving undergrad. But along with that, the cookies were really good. The turnover was such that cookies were always being baked, so the shop smelled amazing walking in. The cookies were always warm and fresh, and if memory serves, they were just a quarter.

Five or six years ago, my wife and I were in Westwood to see a play, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Diddy Riese was still there, still as good as I remembered and still cheap. So on a recent Sunday, after visiting the ASUCLA Bookstore to buy a new sticker for my car and a new UCLA Water Polo t-shirt, I took my daughter and her friend to Diddy Riese for an ice cream sandwich. For $1.75 you get to pick out any two fresh cookies and some Dreyers Ice Cream which they will then smash together for an ice cream sandwich. I've paid a lot more for desserts much less satisfying, and needless to say, my daughter, her friend and I were all very happy.

They have a wide variety of cookies, all baked fresh and all $0.35 each, or three for a dollar. Expect to wait in line whenever you go, but it is worth it.