REVIEW: Come for the Burgers, Stay for the Shakes at Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer in Downtown Disney District

Ali

REVIEW: Come for the Burgers, Stay for the Shakes at Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer in Downtown Disney District

As Disneyland Resort continues to revamp the Downtown Disney area, we now have a new restaurant to enjoy; Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer. The Anaheim location is first in California. Black Tap is now officially open to the public right underneath the Ballast Point Brewery. The line was long, but employees did a great job with crowd control and the food was worth the wait.

Black Tap Outside Seating Day

The outside patio area can seat up to 60 guests.

Black Tap Line 03

Everyone was excited to get their “CrazyShake” on.

Black Tap Line 04

Black Tap Walk Up Shake Menu

For those in a hurry, you can order from the walk-up shake window; which is a first, and only available at this location.

Black Tap Walk Up Shake Window

The inside features street art on the walls to keep with their NYC vibe.

Register Area Mural

Black Tap Register Mural

Even the outdoor patio has bright wall art.

Black Tap Patio Art

The inside features a mixture of well-lit and darker areas for contrast.

Black Tap Counter Interior

You can sit at the bar and watch drinks be made.

Black Tap Interior 06

The entire space has this kind of modern, open, industrial feel.

Black Tap Interior 04

While the space does feel open, the tables and chairs seem oddly close together once you’re actually seated.

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Black Tap Interior 02

Black Tap Inside Counter

One of the appeals of Black Tap is their “CrazyShake”. They pride themselves on allowing guests to watch the creations be made.

Black Tap Interior 03

Black Tap Interior 05

There are a variety of housemade beverages including iced tea, passion fruit lemonade, strawberry lemonade and cocktails such as white sangria, red sangria and a spicy pineapple margarita.

Black Tap Interior 07

Black Tap Interior 08

Black Tap Locations

Black Tap Interior

Those who choose the walkup window also have the ability to watch their shakes be made.

Black Tap Walk Up Inside

While waiting, you can view the various toppings and mix-ins.

Black Tap Cake

Just look at this beautiful birthday cake.

Black Tap Shake Toppings 02

So. Much. Sugar.

Black Tap Toppings 04

They even have Pop Tarts.

Black Tap Shake Toppings 03

Black Tap Shake Being Made

Each shake is treated as its own work of art.

Black Tap Shake Toppings

Now lets get to the food. We tried the Carolina Wings, the Texan Burger, the Black Tap Burger Salad, and two of the CrazyShakes: The Cake Shake and the Sweet ‘N’ Salty. We did get 10% off our bill with our annual pass.

Black Tap Full Food 04

Black Tap Full Food 03

The food was definitely photogenic.

Black Tap Full Food 02

The shakes were messy and already dripping when the arrived, but luckily, they put that extra plate underneath which caught the majority of the drippings.

Black Tap Full Food 01

Carolina BBQ Wings – $14

Black Tap Wings 06

Black Tap Wings 05

These perfectly coated beauties were delicious. Even non-wing eaters should enjoy these.

Black Tap Wings 04

Black Tap Wings 03

The BBQ was sweet, but not too sweet, and had a lot of flavor. So much flavor, that we didn’t even feel the epic sized bowl of ranch was needed.

Black Tap Wings 01

The meat was tender and easy to eat off the bone. These are messy, though. One complaint would be the tiny napkins this place had. We probably used 20 plus after the meal was over.

Black Tap Wings 02

Black Tap Wings 07

Final thoughts on these is that $14 seems a little steep for six wings; but the flavor was good and they were overall well done. You’ll likely be here splitting the giant portions, so wing lovers should consider adding on a side of these also available in Spicy Korean BBQ, Texan BBQ and Mexican Hot Sauce.

The Texan Burger – $19

Black Tap Texan Burger 03

This giant burger comes with a side of fries, however, you can substitute onion rings, sweet potato fries, or a salad for an additional $2.

Black Tap Texan Burger 04

Black Tap Texan Burger 05

Black Tap Texan Burger 06

The Texan comes with bacon, a crispy onion ring, Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce and mayo. I’m happy to say the bacon was crispy enough to add some texture, but did not overpower the burger. The onion ring didn’t add much in the way of flavor and sort of melted into the whole thing. Not sure I’d miss it if it wasn’t there. Overall, this was a solid burger. The temperature was perfect and the portion large enough to share.

Black Tap Texan Burger 02

Black Tap Texan Burger 01

The meat to bun ratio was great in our opinion. I don’t like bread with a side of burger, I’d rather have burger with enough bun to keep it organized.

Black Tap Texan Burger 08

The fries were also excellent. Super crispy and just enough salt to keep you wanting more.

Black Tap Texan Burger 07

We were both happy with this burger and would order again. The sauces added flavor, but didn’t overpower it. The meat was high quality and had a great texture and there was enough cheese to keep this Wisconsin girl happy. I’m sure the other burgers are just as good and flavorful.

Black Tap Burger Salad – $16

Black Tap Burger Salad 06

Black Tap Burger Salad 01

The Black Tap Burger Salad should keep guests watching their carb intake happy, but I don’t think this is by any means “healthy”. All their burger salads come with greens tossed in olive oil and apple cider vinegar. The greens themselves were fresh and crispy. I’ve had some sad, wilted burger salads and this was not sad nor wilty. The greens held up the thick burger.

Black Tap Burger Salad 02

The burger itself was just as good as the Texan burger. You get a thick patty cooked to perfection covered in cheese and bacon.

Black Tap Burger Salad 03

There is a side of “special sauce” (Thousand Island Dressing) to pour over the top. Pretty sure we feel off the healthy train at bacon and cheese but just to make sure we added the sauce.

Black Tap Burger Salad 04

Black Tap Burger Salad 05

This was exactly what it was called, a burger salad. Was it good, yes. Was it outstanding, no. Would I pay $16 for it again… no. If you want to try the burgers here and can’t eat the bun, then go for this or one of the other salad options.

The Cake Shake – $17

Black Tap Cake Shake 05

Black Tap Cake Shake 04

$17 for a shake? When it comes with an entire slice of cake… yes.

Black Tap Cake Shake 02

This monstrosity turns heads when the server brings it to your table. Make sure your social media account is up and ready to snap pics before it melts everywhere. For $17, you get this giant Crazy shake that 5 people could split. The menu description reads “vanilla frosted rim with rainbow sprinkles, topped with a funfetti cake slice, whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, and a cherry”. There are limited quantities each day (I’m assuming when that giant funfetti cake we saw earlier runs out.)

Black Tap Cake Shake 06

As a huge rainbow sprinkle fan, this was amazing. The cake itself was dense, but not overly sweet. The vanilla frosting was just enough to add flavor but not so much that it become a story about frosting. I’d be happy with just that slice of cake. The Rainbow Cupcake is my favorite Sprinkles cupcake flavor and this reminded me a lot of that.

Black Tap Cake Shake 07

As it melted a bit, I think the shake actually got better with some of the cake and frosting mixed into the original cake.

Black Tap Cake Shake 09

This looks like the Titanic of cake sinking into the glass.

Black Tap Cake Shake 10

Overall, this was fun and delicious. It was a sugar bomb for sure, but bring friends and split the shake. This is one of the three shakes only available when you dine in. Not sure if this is a ploy to get people to eat in or if it because that slice of cake would fall off and the streets of Downtown Disney would be littered with fallen cake. Either way, I think shake fans will be happy with this and since you’re already at Disney, splurge!

Sweet ‘N Salty Shake – $15

Black Tap Salty Shake 06

Black Tap Salty Shake 07

As you can see, this has a lot going on. Candy on sugar on pretzels.

Black Tap Salty Shake 08

Black Tap Salty Shake 09

The description is a “chocolate and peanut butter frosted rim with chocolate gems (M&Ms) & pb cups topped with a sugar daddy, pretzel rods, chocolate covered pretzel, whipped cream, caramel and chocolate drizzle”. I think kids would be thrilled with this as there is a lot to pick at. Also candy lovers should be satisfied. As with the previous shake, this one is only available if you dine in.

Black Tap Salty Shake 04

Black Tap Salty Shake 03

The shake itself was super thick. It tasted like drinking peanut butter, not that that is a bad thing. We didn’t like this one as much as the sprinkle cake one but chocolate peanut butter lovers should be satisfied. Be warned though; it is very sweet.

Black Tap Salty Shake 02

Black Tap Salty Shake 01

The chocolate-covered pretzel covered in candy.

Black Tap Salty Shake 10

The pretzels and candy were fun to pick apart but the shake was super thick and I wish it had more chocolate. The flavors were good, but definitely more towards the peanut butter side.

Overall, I think Black Tap is a nice addition to Downtown Disney. The fun shakes should draw a crowd and keep both kids and adults appeased. Next time, I’d likely try a more simple shake and the walk-up window is a nice option for those with less time. The prices are high even by Disney standards, but there was no shortage of families inside. We’d recommend ordering less, sharing, and going from there.

Black Tap Night Patio

Black Tap Night Patio 02

As the weather gets nicer, the patio is a great option.

Black Tap Evening Shake Window

Even late at night, the walk up shake window was popular. Be sure to let us know your thoughts on Black Tap and tag us in your CrazyShake photos.