Penn State’s Berkey Creamery reopened indoor seating for the first time since 2020 — but there’s no word yet about when milkshakes are coming back.

For the time being, we’re lucky to be in a town with so many other opportunities for a delicious milkshake, even in the dead of winter.

I set out on a search for the best milkshake in downtown State College. Here’s what I found.

Five Guys dedicates itself to delivering high-quality American cuisine: no-frills burgers, hot dogs and fries, all served in a vintage-style diner complete with checkered walls.

Its milkshakes are the same way — there’s only one size offered, and they’re served in a standard thick paper cup. No mason jars here.

Five Guys’ milkshakes all start with a basic vanilla flavor, but customers are encouraged to mix and match any available add-ins (chocolate, strawberry, peanut butter, etc.) to make a flavor all your own. I ordered a chocolate shake topped with whipped cream.

While the milkshake was the perfect consistency, it was far too thick for the regular-sized straw I was given — but this is an issue with the straw rather than the shake itself.

I wasn’t sure whether the chocolate added to my shake was in the form of a syrup, powder or actual chunks of chocolate, but it didn’t really matter to me — the shake was evenly mixed and delicious.

If you have class by the west end of campus and want a taste of nostalgic Americana during your break, you can’t go wrong with Five Guys for a quick bite to eat and a delicious, reliable treat.

As an out-of-state student, I’m often asked my stance on the Sheetz vs. Wawa debate. To be honest, I’d never bought anything from either restaurant, save for buying the occasional bottled water.

I changed my ways this weekend when I purchased a milkshake from Sheetz.

The downtown location of Sheetz on Pugh Street offers 17 flavors of milkshake, but I opted for a plain chocolate like Five Guys’ chocolate shake to see which State College fast food staple makes a better one.

As a side note, there’s the option to add an “energy boost,” which is basically the Sheetz equivalent of an espresso shot. You can also add an “immunity boost,” which conjured a mental image of a Sheetz employee dumping bright orange Emergen-C powder into my milkshake.

There was a distinct syrupy taste in Sheetz’ milkshake — not Hershey’s syrup, but definitely something close to it. It was also thin and slightly watery, rather than thick and indulgent — this probably would have been improved by the addition of whipped cream.

I enjoyed it but probably won’t actively seek it out in the future — a satisfying milkshake but nothing to write home about.

Performing in houses scattered throughout State College, The Willard Building has been rocki…

BRGR, which opened its doors in 2019, is noted for its upscale burgers and drinks served in a casual bar and grill atmosphere.

Because the restaurant is known for its specialty fare, I decided to go for a different kind of shake than plain chocolate. My peanut butter cup shake came served in a tall BRGR glass with whipped cream on top.

It didn’t taste exactly like I expected it to, in that it wasn’t as cloyingly sweet as an actual peanut butter cup — I think the restaurant uses salted peanut butter, which played nicely against the sweetness of the whipped cream and the chocolate sauce that coated the glass.

My one gripe about my BRGR’s milkshake is that the texture was more coarse than I’d like a milkshake to be.

But all in all, BRGR makes a solid milkshake, which pairs excellently with one of its craft burgers.

The Corner Room has been a Penn State legend since 1926 for breakfast, American comfort food and, of course, desserts.

While most people today associate this restaurant with grilled stickies, a dessert originally served at the now-closed Ye Olde College Diner, The Corner Room also serves ice cream floats, sundaes and milkshakes.

Milkshakes at the Corner Room are $6 each and come in six flavors: vanilla, chocolate, s’mores, cookie dough and mint chocolate chip.

My s’mores milkshake came in one of those classic milkshake glasses — you know the ones — and was piled high with whipped cream and topped with chocolate sauce.

My milkshake tasted just like a fire-roasted marshmallow, accentuated by chocolate sauce and the subtle sweetness of a graham cracker. However, seeing as the drink was smooth throughout, I don’t think there was actually any graham cracker in it.

At the bottom of the drink lay about 2 tablespoons of solid chocolate, which I scooped out of the glass with my straw in a most undignified manner.

Whether you’re a Penn State student or alum, or you’re just stopping by, check out The Corner Room for a little piece of State College history — and a high quality milkshake.

Taking the audience down the Hollywood streets at night, two Penn State alumni have created …

If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here.

Victoria Gough is a campus and downtown blogger for The Daily Collegian. She is a junior majoring in advertising with a minor in German.

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

In this week’s episode of the Wrap Around Podcast, hosts Braden Dyreson and Nick Stonesifer embrace the spirit of April Fools' Day and tell students some jokes in the HUB-Robeson Center.

Your contribution will help the Collegian provide award winning journalism to the Penn State community and beyond.

Donate to the Collegian by clicking the button below.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Going through the highlights of the Penn State and State College news so you don't have to. Sign up today! Sent every Thursday.

Get weekend previews and weekend recaps from The Daily Collegian Sports staff sent to your inbox. Sent every Friday and Monday.

If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here.