Black Tap: Burgers, Beer and Awe-Inspiring Milkshakes

Crazyshakes at Black Tap

​Designer burgers are in. Craft beer is in. Globally inspired sauces and flavor profiles are most definitely in. A birthday cake milkshake with a rainbow sprinkle-crusted rim, topped with a full-sized slice of funfetti cake and whipped cream? Yep, that’s in too. Foodie Instagrammers and American comfort food lovers come together quite happily within the broad reaches of Black Tap.

From its beginnings in New York in 2015, Black Tap has kept a keen focus on modern appeal among a mostly urban, trendy crowd. Their take on ‘upscale but not fussed up’ has certainly taken them places, with locations in Dubai, Singapore, Switzerland and The Las Vegas Strip to name a few. That same global allure resonates throughout the dining room, with loud yet tasteful décor setting the scene for a lively crowd, eyeballs darting this way and that to catch a glimpse of the next artful concoction that leaves the kitchen.

Crazyshakes are the ringleaders of Black Tap’s spectacular show, piled high with accouterments and made beautiful with rich color. The churro choco taco delivers a cinnamon toast crunch milkshake topped with two churros and an entire choco taco thrown into a mountain of whipped cream. Then there’s the cotton candy, a strawberry shake with bright pink and blue chocolate balls lining half the glass, covered with another mountain of whipped cream, two rock candy sticks, a whole lollipop and of course, finished with cotton candy.

These shakes, in addition to being a sight to be seen, absolutely taste as good as they look. The cakeshake noted above uses a cake batter ice cream that tastes like you’re licking the spoon after making the dough. And that funfetti cake on top isn’t just there for decoration, but rather a genuinely good dessert in its own right. Their peanut butter shakes are so thick that they might actually use more peanut butter than ice cream. In any case, it’s clear that Black Tap backs up its looks by walking the walk.

Black Tap’s burgers are a bit more down to earth, but certainly satisfy all the same. The Texan burger brings it with bacon, aged cheddar and a crispy onion ring for full richness and texture. Then there’s the Greg Norman, which boasts a ½-pound ‘wagyu’ patty, house-made buttermilk dill ranch, blue cheese and arugula. Thankfully, Black Tap does their burgers the right way by serving them with fries (as opposed to a la carte), and fries that are very well executed at that. Definitely worth trying out some of their special sauces as well, such as the truffle mayo or Black Tap’s special sauce, comparable to In ‘n’ Out’s spread.

A long list of salads should satisfy those looking for healthier options. And of course Black Tap lives up to the latter part of its name with an even longer list of beers on tap, as well as wines and an intriguing cocktail menu.

Black Tap’s California location is at Downtown Disney, 1540 S Disneyland Dr. Ste 101, Anaheim, CA 92802. Open 10:30a – 12 midnight 7 days a week. Avg. out-the-door price for burger, beer and a milkshake is ~$55/person. For more information, visit BlackTap.com.