For whatever reason, social media has been blowing up about these fancy milkshakes from Black Tap Craft Burgers and Beer. Seriously, people are trekking out to Soho and the Meatpacking District (because no one who spends $15 on a milkshake has enough money left over to live in either of those places) and waiting up to two hours for the most 'gram-worthy dessert of all time. Naturally, seeing as though nothing gets me out of the house like bourgeois snack options, I was one of these people. For those of you who don't have the convenience of spending your afternoon on Broome Street (or for those of you who do but are much smarter about how you spend your time/money than I am), I documented my journey so that you may live vicariously through me via the internet.

The Wait

Luckily, my roommate (I forgot to mention she's on this journey with me) and I avoided the infamous two-hour-long wait at Black Tap. Our secret? We are college students with weird schedules. We showed up at 5pm on a Wednesday, right as they were starting to serve dinner, and waited only about 25 minutes to be seated.

Overall: Sit at the bar. Seats there open up faster, and food is delivered there quicker (this tip comes from our super-friendly hostess). Unless you have a major issue with communal dining, this is your best option.

The Order

After consulting our lovely waitress for recommendations, we decided on the vanilla cotton candy milkshake and a bison burger with fries (medium rare). After consulting our bank accounts, we decided we should split the single burger and shake in half. We also ordered our shake before deciding on our burger because apparently it takes longer to mix ice cream and milk than it does to properly cook raw meat (S/O to our waitress for giving us a heads up though because no logical person would have ever guessed that).

Overall: Listen to your waitress, she can tell you what all the actual cool people who went there before it was famous ordered so that you look like you know what you're doing.

The Shake

Okay, first of all, I am not even going to share the picture that I took of the shake because it did not look anything like the ones you see popping up all over the internet. I don't know if everyone else is hiring professional photographers to document their meals or what, but mine was blurry, dark, and not worthy of the Insta post I dedicated to it. Second, of all, the milkshake was hard to eat. The little candies were falling off of the sides and it was large and melting and messy and honestly consuming it was an overwhelming experience. Oh, and we didn't even eat the rock candy or the Whirly Pop on top because (shocker) by the time you ingest cotton candy AND a milkshake, you're fairly sugared-out. However, the most disappointing aspect of this shake was the fact that IT TASTED LIKE A MCDONALD'S VANILLA MILKSHAKE. WE LITERALLY COULD HAVE WALKED TO THE MCDONALD'S DOWN THE STREET FROM OUR APARTMENT AND GOTTEN A MILKSHAKE.

Overall: Presentation was top-notch, lighting for cliché food pics was poor, flavor was good but not great. Seeing as though food is meant for consumption and not photography, I wouldn't pay $15 for this shake. Or any shake, really. Why did I think this was a good idea?

The Surprise

I know that this is going to come as a shock, but Black Tap Craft Burgers and Beer was originally known for its burgers, not its shakes. Yes, you heard me right, the specialty burger restaurant is actually really good at making burgers. Like, really really good. Anyone who knows me knows that I eat a non-veggie burger maybe three, four times a year. But this was the best burger I've ever eaten. I could eat it every week if I had to. I'm glad that I don't have to, but, like, I could do it.

Overall: Come for the shakes, stay for the burgers.

The Bill

$50, including tip. I have to give it to Black Tap that even splitting the meal in half, we both left full. But still. $25 each for half of a burger, some fries, and half of a shake. What?

Overall: Should've gone to Wendy's.

The Takeaway

Honestly, I can't say I would recommend that anyone go to Black Tap. That being said, I'm also not about to stop anyone who has their heart set on gong. Black Tap is an experience. Not a life-changing one, but an experience nonetheless. Then again, watching Making a Murderer is also an experience. And you don't have to leave the house to watch Making a Murderer.