Shake Express is a lively dessert-and-drinks stop in Braintree town centre, best known for its huge milkshake list alongside waffles, crepes, bubble tea and iced coffees. It’s a handy pick for a quick treat in town, or an easy delivery order when you fancy something sweet.

Shake Express sits on Braintree’s High Street and leans fully into the “choose-your-own” dessert experience. The whole concept is built around cold drinks and sweet comfort food, with plenty of scope to customise sizes, add extras, and pick flavours that match whatever you’re craving that day. It’s not a restaurant in the traditional sense. Think more dessert bar meets takeaway counter, where most people are popping in for a shake, grabbing a waffle to go, or ordering in through delivery platforms.

What makes it stand out is the sheer range. The menu isn’t limited to milkshakes, although they’re clearly the star. Alongside shakes you’ll find smoothies, slushies (including bubble slush), iced teas, bubble tea with popping boba, hot drinks, iced coffees, frappes, and a full waffle-and-crepe section. On the Where To Eat in Essex listing, Shake Express also notes that it caters for dietary requirements with a selection of vegan and gluten-free options, and that it’s dog friendly with a dog menu. It also mentions a chosen charity, Danaher Animal Home.

If you’re visiting for the first time, it helps to approach the menu in a “pick your lane” way.

Milkshakes are grouped in a way that makes ordering easy. Start with a size, then choose a flavour family. Standard shake sizes are listed as small, medium and large, and there are optional add-ons such as extra ingredients, protein, and syrup/coffee. There are also “hot shakes” in medium and large, which is a nice option when you want the milkshake vibe but the weather is doing its usual Essex thing.

The flavour list is where Shake Express really earns its name. You’ve got the familiar classics (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and banana), but it quickly expands into proper “treat shake” territory. Chocolate-bar style shakes include options like Aero, Aero Mint and After Eight, and then you’re into a long list of chocolate favourites that covers a lot of big-name choices (for example, Ferrero Rocher, Kinder Bueno and several Cadbury classics are listed among the chocolate shake options). Beyond chocolate bars, there are also fruit shakes (with choices like blueberry, mango and raspberry), sweet-inspired shakes (including Skittles and sour variations, plus nostalgic sweets like Parma Violets), and biscuit-based shakes such as Lotus Biscoff and Oreo. There’s also a section for “other” shake flavours (including things like pistachio, cherry bakewell, peanut butter, and salted caramel), plus a protein shake section that includes chocolate, vanilla, and a vegan chocolate protein option. Limited-edition specials appear on the menu too, so if you like trying something new, it’s worth checking what’s currently listed as a special.

If you’re more of a “fresh and fruity” person than a milkshake person, the smoothie and slush menu is straightforward. Smoothies come in standard or large, with an option to add extra fruits. Flavours include Berry Blast (assorted summer fruits), Strawberry Split (strawberry and banana), Tropical Twist (mango, papaya and pineapple), and Green Glow (spinach, pineapple, kiwi and lime). There’s also a “make your own” smoothie option, where you choose up to four fruits and blend them with either apple or cranberry juice. Slushies come in small, medium or large, and there’s also a bubble slush size list, plus specific options like strawberry slush and strawberry bubble slush.

For something lighter and more refreshing, the iced tea and boba menu covers classic iced tea flavours (including peach, raspberry, and a watermelon green tea option). Bubble tea is listed by size too, and you can add popping boba to cold drinks (including iced teas, smoothies, juice and lemonade). Popping boba flavours listed include lychee, mango, passionfruit, strawberry and peach, which makes it easy to tailor a drink without it being overly sweet or heavy.

Coffee drinkers aren’t left out either. The hot drinks menu lists espresso plus medium and large coffees, along with tea sizes. Hot chocolate has multiple flavour options, including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, salted caramel, marshmallow, and some more “dessert-y” profiles like black forest and dark orange. There’s also a cinnamon hot chocolate listed as a winter special (milk hot chocolate with cinnamon syrup). For standard coffee shop style drinks, options listed include americano, cappuccino, flat white, latte, chai latte and vanilla chai latte.

On the cold coffee side, the iced coffee and frappuccino menu has a clear set of flavours. Original, caramel, salted caramel, pistachio, cinnamon and vanilla iced coffees. The menu notes these can be made as an iced americano or iced latte, which is a useful detail if you prefer one style over the other. There’s also an iced chai latte and iced vanilla chai latte, plus an iced pumpkin spice latte listed as a winter special. If you’re after something more blended and dessert-like, the frappe list includes original, brownie, chocolate, Biscoff, Oreo, vanilla, salted caramel and caramel.

Then there’s the dessert menu, waffles and crepes, which is the “come in for one thing, leave with two” section. Waffles are priced as classic, premium or preset menu, with optional extras like whipped cream and ice cream. Crepes follow the same structure (classic, premium, preset), again with whipped cream and ice cream add-ons. You can build your own with sauces and toppings such as toffee sauce, chocolate sauce, strawberry sauce, Biscoff sauce, white chocolate sauce, Nutella, golden syrup, lemon and sugar, plus toppings like Biscoff crumbs, Oreo crumbs, strawberries, sliced banana, brownie and Kinder Bueno. If you don’t want to customise from scratch, there’s a preset menu with named combinations including:

Smores (a winter special with marshmallows, cookie crumbs and chocolate sauce)

Cookies and Cream (Oreo crumbs with white and milk chocolate sauce)

Loaded Biscoff (Biscoff crumbs with Biscoff sauce)

Banoffee (sliced banana with toffee sauce)

Nutella Brownie (Nutella with chocolate sauce)

Millionaires (cookie crumbs, chocolate flakes and caramel sauce)

Dietary options are mentioned on the Where To Eat in Essex listing, which states a selection of vegan and gluten-free options. The milkshake menu also includes a vegan-labelled shake option (Vegan Lindt Chocolate) and a vegan chocolate protein shake. Beyond that, detailed allergen guidance and exactly which items are gluten free are not stated on the menus shown, so anyone with allergies or strict requirements will want to check directly before ordering.

Location-wise, Shake Express is right on the High Street in Braintree, with the address listed as 112 High Street, Braintree, CM7 1JZ. It’s a town-centre stop, so it suits a quick treat while you’re out shopping or passing through. Parking is noted as not onsite, with the closest parking listed as George Yard Car Park. Customer toilets are listed as “No” on the Where To Eat in Essex key info, which is worth knowing in advance if you’re visiting with children.

For who it’s best for, this is a strong match for:

Milkshake lovers who enjoy trying different flavours and special editions

Dessert fans who want waffles/crepes with lots of topping choices

Groups where everyone wants something different (shake, smoothie, bubble tea, hot chocolate, iced coffee)

Anyone wanting a treat delivered at home, not just a sit-in stop

Dog owners (the listing notes it’s dog friendly and has a dog menu)

Handy practical info is mostly clear. Contact is stated as Facebook Messenger, and an email address is listed. Payment methods are listed as cash, card, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Opening times can vary depending on where you look. The Where To Eat in Essex listing shows 11:00am – 5:00pm daily with an added note that times may vary seasonally, while the Shake Express website shows weekday and weekend variations (with a note that hours may vary for half terms and bank holidays). Takeaway and delivery are supported via Just Eat and Uber Eats (stated on the Shake Express website), but if you’re checking availability for delivery at a specific time, it’s best to confirm on the ordering platform as coverage and hours can vary by area.

Overall, Shake Express does exactly what it sets out to do. It’s a dessert-and-drinks destination with a genuinely big menu, lots of flavour choice, and enough variety that you can come back repeatedly without ordering the same thing twice. If you’re in Braintree and fancy a sweet pick-me-up, or you want something fun delivered for a movie night, it’s a reliable local option that caters to classic tastes and more adventurous “try it once” flavours alike.

Food Types: Dessert Bar; Café; Coffee Shop

Dining Type: Dine In; Takeaway; Delivery

Area: Braintree, Braintree