Preston Eats: Who has the best milkshake in Augusta?

By Preston Hall | Staff writer

Hello Augusta! It’s finally December. So naturally, what else would be on anyone’s mind other than who has the best milkshake in the area?

My journeys this semester have sent me to multiple restaurants looking for different things, and now I am on this important mission to find the best milkshake in Augusta. It’s never too cold for milkshakes and that is exactly the reason I chose to start this search. I decided for the milkshakes to vary in flavor so that I could have a variety.

The locations I visited during this investigation were McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Arby’s, Chick-Fil-As and Cook Out. You saw that correctly. I said McDonald’s. I too was surprised that their ice cream machines weren’t down.

As mentioned before, my first stop was at McDonald’s and there I ordered a small chocolate milkshake. After the surprise wore off, I started to taste it and was not utterly blown away. Their milkshake almost tasted like frozen chocolate milk. It was so rich and overly sweet it was hard to enjoy. Overall, it wasn’t terrible but not to be desired, so I would rate it a 4 out of 10.

The next stop took me to Arby’s on Washington Rd. This was a first for me since Arby’s is not a regular stop. I ordered a small chocolate milkshake as well. When it came out of the window, I was initially impressed with the display. It had a chocolate drizzle over the whipped cream and was a larger small sized cup. The flavor was better than McDonald’s chocolate, but I didn’t care for the globs of chocolate sauce spread over the cup. It got stuck in the straw and was almost bitter when that was all that came through. It was an improvement but not by much. Honestly, I would rate it a 5 out of 10.

My next store was Burger King and there I ordered a strawberry milkshake. Again, I was impressed with the presentation I received. The milkshake had a good strawberry flavor and the ice cream was of good consistency. The overall flavor was not too strong, but my only gripe was that the ice cream melted so fast, almost as if it was a summer day all over again. I would rate their milkshakes a 6 out of 10.

Chick-fil-A and their chocolate milkshake was next. Their chocolate milkshake was good. It was a little bit smaller, but it was made up for because you can taste the real ice cream and real chocolate flavoring, not that overly sweet chocolate sauce flavor that other restaurants use. The whipped cream on top also was real and doesn’t leave your mouth with an oily feel. I would rate their milkshake an 8.5 out of 10.

Wendy’s came up next and before I give my rating, I want to say that they don’t have milkshakes, but they have Frosty’s. I would like to argue though that these are the same thing and that is why they still made the list. I enjoyed them. I ordered a small chocolate Frosty along with a small fry to dip them in. The Frosty was thick and had a great chocolate flavor. Also, if you have never had salty fries to dip in a Frosty, you’re strongly missing out. I would rate their Frosty a 9 out of 10.

Cook Out was the last stop for me. The milkshake here was the only real difference in flavor that I got during this hunt. I got their orange push pop milkshake and let me tell you, it was good. It had to sit in my car as I finished tasting the other milkshakes ahead of it and it never once started to melt. It was so thick that you had to use a spoon over a straw because there was no way it would work. That is a sign of a great milkshake, and it must be from the use of real ice cream. This was by far the best milkshake during my trip and now has the title of having the best milkshakes in Augusta, Ga. I would rate their milkshakes easily a 9.5 out of 10.

So, there it is. Cook Out is the premiere place in Augusta to get your milkshake fix. Now that it is December, it is the last time of the year to go out and look for milkshakes and chicken sandwiches. Next month is the beginning of a new year, the beginning of everyone’s New Year’s resolutions and possible diets and workouts, so go out and enjoy them now!

Until next time, stay hungry Augusta!

Contact Preston Hall at prhall@augusta.edu.