On one of the coldest nights in New York City, my two roommates and I decided it would be the perfect time to try one of those famous Black Tap Milkshakes. If you live under a rock and haven't seen one of these milkshakes, here is a picture to summarize it:
These over-the-top milkshakes have been all the rage on social media, gaining most of their popularity on Instagram. Even Doug the Pug got a hold of one:
This is seriously my favorite thing ever.
So being three college students living in NYC, we knew that we had to spend the $15 to get one of these bad boys and 'gram the heck out of it.
It was a Wednesday night, so we figured the line would be more doable than the average 3 hour wait on weekends. It looked like an average small bar or burger joint from the outside, but what really set it apart were the bouncer and ropes outside, queuing the line of people in. A few passing people even asked me what club the line was for, which was pretty funny.
Since the place doesn't open until 5pm, we got there at 6 and there was already a substantial line. Towards the front of the line, there were overhead heaters that helped a little bit, but waiting for almost 2 hours in February cold is never that great.
By the time we got to the front and were seated, we were overjoyed just to be anywhere with heat. However-this burger joint was one of the coolest places I've been in. All the booths and tables were made of wood, and customers are encouraged to doodle on them and leave their marks. Many couples had written their initials in hearts, and some people even promoted their Instagram pages. Our booth had a doodle of a dog waiting on line outside Black Tap.
The wait staff were fast, considering they had a line outside to take care of. We ordered one of each milkshake. There were three options:
1. Sweet n' Salty: basically peanut butter and chocolate milkshake with pretzels, m&ms, and a Sugar Daddy.
2. Cotton Candy: strawberry milkshake with cotton candy, lollipops, and pearl candies.
3. Cookie Shake: vanilla cookie milkshake with an ice cream sandwich, mini cookies, and cookie crumbs on the rim.
All of them were about 1,600 calories and topped with a ton of whipped cream.
The milkshakes came out before we knew it, and we each chose our favorites after some taste-testing. Mine was definitely the Sweet n' Salty. I'm a huge peanut butter lover and the chocolate and m&m pretzel on top was incredible.
I definitely recommend skipping a meal or two the day that you go for your milkshake, because that way you'll stand a chance at finishing it all. It was tough to decide what part of the milkshake to eat first—the whipped cream, the pretzels, the m&ms, or the actual milkshake itself. There is so much stuff on top that you almost forget there is an entire milkshake under there.
As you are taking your last sip, they are already taking your glass away. I didn't love feeling rushed, especially since it takes time to finish all those toppings, but all in all, it was an experience I would recommend.
I left feeling full, sticky, and lazy, with the Sugar Daddy from the top of my milkshake in my purse for later. I immediately went home and went to sleep, and got up early the next morning to go to the gym.
As I was working out, and realizing that I was only burning a fraction of the 1,600 calories I consumed in less than 30 minutes the night before, I felt pretty gross. This is definitely a one-time treat-yo-self kind of deal (at least for me).
So, if you ever get the chance, check it out! Bring many layers of clothes, an empty stomach, and a few wet wipes for afterwards.
