What’s Shakin’ This Summer?

By Sonia Pramanick and Vanshika Sharma

With summer just around the corner, we decided to find the best milkshake in Fremont. And for a classic summertime treat, what better flavor than vanilla? We sampled six different milkshakes from a local creamery in Niles to a fast food chain with locations all over the west coast. Our criteria were consistency, sweetness, and overall vanilla flavor, with a scale from 1-5. All the hard work has been done for you, so the next time you are craving a cold and creamy treat, look no further than this comprehensive guide to the best (and worst) milkshakes of Fremont.

Niles Ice Cream Sweets and Eats:

• Price: $4.50 for small  

The vanilla milkshake from Niles Ice Cream Sweets and Eats seemed as if it was going to be a real treat. The store was full of people enjoying ice cream and it was made fresh to order behind the counter. However, once I tasted it, I was very disappointed. It had nearly no vanilla taste and really no flavor. The two perks were that it was relatively creamy and came with free whipped cream. If I hadn’t ordered vanilla, I would have thought it was simply sweetened ice cream with no vanilla.

Consistency: 4/5

Sweetness: 4/5

Vanilla flavor: 1/5

Average: 3/5

Cream:

• Price: 5.99 for small

The vanilla milkshake at cream was pretty good. The vanilla flavor was prominent though Cream could have used a bit more. The consistency was also good. The best thing about this milkshake was the sweetness. It wasn’t too sweet, but just right, which is difficult to come by from store-bought ice cream. Most of the time, ice cream and the milkshakes made from it are far too sweet.

Consistency: 4/5

Sweetness: 5/5

Vanilla flavor: 4/5

Average: 4.33/5

The Counter

• Price: $6.25

The vanilla milkshake from The Counter was advertised as vanilla bean so I was hopeful that there would be some real vanilla flavor in this one. However, I was disappointed once again. There was barely any vanilla. The consistency was pretty thick, but it lacked the creaminess of a classic milkshake. For the price $6.25 for a small, The Counter’s milkshake was definitely a disappointment.

Consistency: 4/5

Sweetness: 5/5

Vanilla flavor: 2/5

Average: 3.67/5

In-N-Out Burger

• Price: $2.15

I was expecting a really good classic vanilla shake when I ordered one from In-N-Out, but I was disappointed as soon as I took the first sip–or tried to take the first sip. The shake was extremely thick and very hard to get up the straw.  In terms of taste, it did not have a clear vanilla flavor. It tasted more like the malt used in the chocolate shake and a lot of sugar. In-N-Out is known for their shakes, but in my opinion, they’re overhyped.

Consistency: 1/5

Sweetness: 4/5

Vanilla flavor: 1/5

Average: 2/5

Jack in the Box

• Price: $2.79

The vanilla milkshake from Jack in the Box was decent in all categories. It was not too sweet or too thick, and it had an acceptable amount of vanilla in it. The best way I can describe it is like tasting melted vanilla ice cream. The best thing about the shake was how creamy it was. It had a really nice consistency and texture and was an overall good milkshake.

Consistency: 4/5

Sweetness: 3/5

Vanilla flavor: 3/5

Average: 3.33/5

The Habit

• $3.60

The vanilla milkshake at the Habit was really good. It tasted healthier (in a good way) than the other milkshakes. The vanilla flavor was subtle but it was a good amount, the consistency was perfect, and it was not overly sweet. The consistency was almost like vanilla milk with some viscosity. The reason why I thought it tasted healthy was because it didn’t taste artificial, and it was really refreshing to drink a milkshake that tasted natural.

Consistency: 5/5

Sweetness: 3/5

Vanilla Flavor: 3/5

Average: 3.67/5