I eat with my eyes. No, seriously—I scroll through countless food-stagrams, gawking at the C1 VSCO-filtered poke bowl that has the ideal ratio of pink salmon to orange masago. I live for aerial shots of brunch. But, food is ambitious—does it taste as good as it looks? Sometimes, but not often. Beyond Sweet’s humongous milkshakes, however, satisfy both my eyes and my belly (and my yearly sugar intake). Located just east of the Delmar Strip, the store is a hidden gem, a few blocks away from the action of the Loop. Okay, yes, I know—you can Google Maps your way over there, so I’ll skip to the details.
THE VIBE
Beyond Sweet has a simple aesthetic: with white walls and purple jewel-toned decor, you won't feel overstimulated (I'm looking at you, The Sugar Factory). There's even a backdrop with the shop's candy-themed logo to take #HandModel pictures of your milkshakes in front of. Snipe away, I'm not judging.
The central focus of the sweetshop is the milkshake bar—this is where the magic happens! Jars line shelves and display cases, boasting the variety of toppings available should you choose to customize your milk shake or ice cream sundae. They've got gum balls. They've got chocolate chip cookies. Fruity Pebbles. Sprinkles. Chocolate Chips. 'Shmallows. Oreos. Twix. Oh my!
When I paid a visit, the weather was cooperative, so I was able to snag a table outside. There is ample seating indoors, though, and barstool seating that overlooks Delmar Boulevard. Milkshakes with a view, I'd say!
And, perhaps most importantly, Beyond Sweet is encouraging of your sinful, gluttonous eating habits. Don't come here anticipating to count calories or find a "healthy alternative." These people here mean business, because after all, in my opinion, ice cream will always be better than froyo.
Okay, now the moment you've all been waiting for...
THE GRUB
Just look at this. #FoodEnvy?
WHOA, right? A true work of art. Beyond Sweet refers to their employees as "Shake Artists," and rightfully so! Each shake takes about 15 to 20 minutes to prepare, but hey, Rome wasn't built in a day.
The manager took me behind the scenes to show me how the Birthday Cake shake was prepared (a testament to their accommodating service). First, a fresh waffle cone is generously doused in sprinkles; the end of it is cut off to serve as a straw insert.
Meanwhile, a second Shake Artist blends small-batch vanilla ice cream with cake batter, throwing in some sprinkles for good measure. Yes, there's sprinkles on top, on the sides, and in the shake. If you're a texture eater like me, you'll appreciate that the Birthday Cake shake is not only creamy, but sprinkle-y. There's no other way to describe it.
You know when you're at an Italian restaurant and the server tells you to let them know "when" they've shaved enough parmesan onto your pasta? Well, let's just say that this practice doesn't apply to Beyond Sweet's whipped cream dousing habits. Theres a lot of it.
For the final touch, throw on a funfetti cupcake, 'cuz we fancy, and voilà!
THE FLAVA
These milkshakes are good. They're creamy—a key requirement of any milkshake—but the variety of toppings adds a new, much-needed texture. I couldn't help but smash the cupcake and waffle cone into the milkshake to add an element of crunch to the shake. As such, I opted to dig in with a spoon as opposed to a straw, creating a sort of milkshake-sundae hybrid.
I also got their Double Chocolate flavor, in which chocolate ice cream is blended with chocolate syrup, placed in a chocolate sprinkle coated cup, and topped with more chocolate sprinkles, a chocolate ice cream sandwich, mini chocolate donuts, and chocolate cookie crumbles. This, my friends, is not for the faint of heart. Again, creamy, full of texture, and oh-so satisfying. Other flavors include New York Cheesecake, Turtle, S'Mores, and a monthly rotating special.
Needless to say, I couldn't finish these ginormous creations. Costing $7-10 per milkshake, I felt pretty guilty wasting half of it. But a picture is worth a thousand words (or in this case, 752), and 300 likes.
So, head over to Beyond Sweet in the Delmar Loop to try a colossal milkshake for yourself! Have a sip, or a spoonful, and as the owners would say, according to the sign framed on their wall...