This review is based solely on hot chocolate and milkshakes.
We arrived around 1:45 on a Saturday afternoon. The place was busy and I saw that there was a slight wait for a table. But I had previously called and was told that you can’t sit at a table if you’re only having drinks, so that didn’t apply to us. If you’re only getting drinks, you pretty much have to get them to go or sit at the bar. The bar also has a separate waiting line, but we got the last two seats that were open and didn’t have to wait.
There are about 7 different hot chocolates to choose from and you can make any of them with white, milk, or dark chocolate. I just got the classic hot chocolate made with dark chocolate. It was pretty great and I loved drinking it, but it really depends on what type of hot chocolate you’re wanting. When you go to some of the other chocolatiers in town and they serve you hot chocolate, it’s often times very thick, rich, and essentially melted chocolate made with cream. This was much lighter and therefore less guilt inducing. The classic is really a mix of shaved chocolate and milk, topped with some milk foam. It’s served in the Hug Mug, which is cute and has an unusual shape for a mug. I would definitely get this hot chocolate again if I wanted something comforting and light.
There are around 10 milkshakes, each made with either chocolate or vanilla ice cream – but I’m sure you can switch if you want. We again got the most standard one, called the 80s milkshake. It’s vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and topped with a chocolate shell. Now let me just say, it is not actually topped with a chocolate shell. At all! If you order it you will see that the drizzle that comes on top doesn’t meet your expectation of a shell. It’s just a small drizzle of the chocolate sauce that solidifies really quickly, so it adds crunch. But there is such a minimal amount I’m surprised it’s even mentioned as part of it. Nonetheless, the milkshake is also delicious. It’s again much lighter than milkshakes you get at other ice cream shops, restaurants, and diners. It doesn’t make you feel very guilty drinking it. It’s three very moderate sized scoops of ice cream, chocolate sauce on bottom and poured over it (but not drenched at all – moderate amount), supposedly topped with a shell. It comes served in the Alice cup, which has a straw attached. It really is a great milkshake and I would get it again if I wanted a light milkshake that wasn’t going to drag me down.
That being said, it is not something incredibly special, so I’m not sure that you should go out of your way to have it – just if you’re in the area. Same goes for the hot chocolate. It’s a great thing to have if you’re around and you want it.
I will say one thing, though. I’m a huge chocolate person. It’s really the only dessert I eat. But I am not impressed with the desserts at Max Brenner. I have not had them, but I saw so many of them while I was there, and they are tiny, expensive, and seem ordinary. The presentation is definitely nice, but I’m not sure I would go back to try a dessert – even though, yes, it’s obviously very famous.
