Black Tap

I finally came face to face with the most Instagrammed, and possibly most controversial, dessert in NYC: the Black Tap Crazyshake.  Black Tap was not the first place to make over-the-top ice cream shakes, but with a brilliant social media campaign in 2015 they quickly became known as the destination for these ice cream creations with frequent hours-long lines to be seated and served.  After seeing thousands of gorgeous photos, I had to know if they lived up to the hype.

They did not.

The Crazyshakes arrive

What I got: Churro Choco Taco Shake - Cinnamon Toast Crunch shake with a vanilla frosted rim with Cinnamon Toast Crunch, topped with a Choco Taco, two churros, whipped cream, and a dulce de leche drizzle.

What Greg got: Bam Bam Shake - Fruity Pebbles shake with a vanilla frosted rim with Fruity Pebbles, topped with a Fruity Pebble Rice Crispy Treat, a strawberry Pop-Tart, Laffy Taffy, whipped cream, and a cherry.

The Churro Choco Taco is not a well conceived milkshake at all.  When the shake was first served I took a sip, and as far as I could tell, it was just plain vanilla ice cream.  Black Tap's shakes are made with Blue Bunny Ice Cream; a perfectly standard ice cream, which available in your local grocery store.  As I excavated down through the toppings to the shake itself, I discovered that there was a large amount of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal mixed into the shake, which meant I needed to eat it with a spoon rather than actually drink it.  And let's be honest; I don't want to chew my milkshake.  The cereal in the ice cream had the same effect as it would in a bowl of milk; the longer it sat there, the more the flavor of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch soaked into the shake, making it overpoweringly sweet. 

Speaking of overpoweringly sweet, the frosting they use to stick the cereal to the side of the glass is so mouth-puckeringly over-sugared that it is inedible.  It also serves as shellac, making it incredibly difficult to actually eat the cereal which adorns the sides of the cup, which means it is purely decorative and a waste of food.  The churros were stale, which is fine for a subway platform churro, but at $17 a shake I hoped for something softer.  The Choco Taco was fine, but was definitely just the same sandwich you can buy in the grocery store, unwrapped and used as a garnish.  But who doesn't like having ice cream on their ice cream?  I thought it was fun.  The part this shake that I actually enjoyed was the dulce de leche sauce on top.  It was delicious and it was fun to have something to dip the churros in.  The dulce de leche was well balanced and helped elevate the rest of this over-processed shake.

Greg's Bam Bam Shake was a little easier to deal with in both texture and palate.  You could, theoretically, actually drink this milkshake because Fruity Pebbles are smaller than Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  Unfortunately, they didn't quite fit up the standard drinking straw provided.  This shake was also less cloyingly sweet than the Churro Choco Taco Shake.  The Fruity Pebbles Treat was good, the Pop-Tart (which was actually half a Pop-Tart) was standard but fit with the rest of the shake, and the Laffy Taffy (which was served in its wrapper) came home with us untouched.  Greg finished his shake; I did not finish mine. 

The aftermath

We did also order food, all of which was quite enjoyable, and left feeling VERY full.  I do recommend going to Black Tap for a meal, but skip the Crazyshake.  It's simply not worth the price tag for a pretty, but pretty inedible, milkshake. 

Black Tap's shake makin' station

The Rundown:
Where: Black Tap
529 Broome Street
New York, NY 10013
(There are other locations as well)
https://blacktap.com/
What they're known for: Crazyshakes (and burgers and beer)
Classic Shake: $9.50, Crazyshake: $15-$17
Lactose Free/Vegan Option: There are vegan menu options, but not alternative milkshakes
Non-ice cream menu options: Burgers, Salads, Chicken, Sides, Drinks (both alcoholic and soft)