When growing up in Texas, one learns that Whataburger is the place to eat for any occasion. Whether you just finished watching a Texas High School football game with your friends or you decided to ditch the “fancy dinner” pre-prom tradition, Whataburger was the place to be. It should be noted that I went to Texas’ favorite fast food chain at least twice a week in high school, and so going to try their new Dr. Pepper shake felt more like going home than venturing out.

And the verdict is… it’s good.

The shake tastes like Dr. Pepper, at least sort of. It captures the essence of what you recognize to be Dr. Pepper, but while adding a hint of milkiness and lacking the depth of flavor that the bottle has. When drinking from a can or a bottle, the carbonation prevents most soft drink enthusiasts from quickly chugging the whole thing, and so each of Dr. Pepper’s 23 flavors can come through in those quick sips. In the shake, there is no carbonation, and so the creamy concoction goes down without much time on your taste buds. The shake smells like… Dr. Pepper, although I was immediately reminded  of a Dr. Pepper Icee rather than Dr. Pepper from a can or a bottle; I would imagine most serious soda connoisseurs could also make that distinction.

The Dr. Pepper shake is about at the same level as the rest of the Whataburger shake selection. It doesn’t do much to separate itself from the classic Chocolate, Vanilla, or Strawberry shakes, and certainly doesn’t feel like it will be more memorable than either the Root Beer shake or the Salted Caramel shake, both limited time offers.

In conclusion, Whataburger’s Dr. Pepper shake is about what you would expect: it has the creamy consistency of any other shake and the Dr. Pepper flavor that Texans have come to know and love. My rating: 6.2 out of 10. But don’t take my word for it, go try it for yourself!