Vampire Penguin

A great place to go… especially to cool down on a hot day! All of the flavors are great, however make sure to try the Mexican candy at least once… it’s delicious!
Pros:
Great location (next to a stores so you can shop afterward if you’re in the mood)
Clean place with lots of seating inside and tables outside which is perfect for a nice day
Lots of parking
Many different options for shaved snow and toppings
Flavors are light and refreshing
Cons:
It gets packed in the summer so seating is not always available
Staff aren’t the friendliest — they aren’t rude just not very personable

They lost our order, waited one hour to finally get our items made. A least got a refund… But seriously one hour for shaved iced?

My daughter and i stopped here today i have never been here even though we only live a couple blacks away, i ordered a PMS (peach, mango, strawberry) its a snoball with flavoring added, i added white chocolate topping and that really enhanced the flavor, this will be a perfect treat come summertime and looking for something different, cold and refreshing, u have to give this a try!

Just tried this place for the first time yesterday. The snow is soooooooo good. It’s fluffy and tasted amazing… I loved it. I had the tuxedo. My daughter had the Mexican candy and that was delicious too. I took home the strawberry cheesecake for my husband and he agreed. It’s yummy. I tried all 3 and they were all good.
When I walked in I was greeted right away. Staff is very friendly. Great customer service. I will definitely be returning.

Have eaten at the original on Stockton Blvd exclusively for years. When they opened the one in Davis, I didn’t go as much (and it has since closed). I’ve been to the one on K Street once just because it was across the street from Coin-​Op. Finally came in to this Elk Grove location by invitation from Philip R. Shared a large order of the halo-​halo shaved snow on a Sunday afternoon. My fave is the Mexican Candy flavor, and Strawberry Cheesecake. They also have macarons and penguin puffs (waffles like eggettes), not sure if they have the macaron ice cream sandwiches anymore? Also tried the milk tea, which was ok.

Meh. The shaved ice with Taro flavor was good though.
Only one there on a 96 degree day? Hadn’t been there before but passed by a few times. Training a new girl, otherwise quiet and the décor was pretty nice. Upbeat music.
Took 10 – 15 minutes to get the treat, another 5 minutes or so for what I thought would be a red velvet small pastry. And who doesn’t like that sweet mix?
Kind of a surprise though because it was basically red velvet cake mix spread on a waffle maker. Weirdest thing ever… haha.

I have had Halo Halo many times but Vampire Penguin has taken this dessert up another level. Ohmygoodness! Delish!

The place is awesome and customer friendly… one staff person needs an adjustment… asking his co-​worker in the middle of my order to take over because he was off… as the other guy was finishing an order for someone else…
He did apologize for walking off, but it was really not sincere. I told the guy who took over to finish the other 4 orders he was working on saying «no worries, I’ve had jobs before», but I never would have kept one like that…

Accidentally went to the one on Stockton 65^th street and it was all bad then I turned around and came to this w Stockton location, much better neighborhood, nice staff. And the dolce de leche was so good!

I’ve never had a bad experience here and I’ve been to this location at least 6 times. Today my date and I ordered two items, once they came to the table I noticed that my Halo Halo did not have flan. Which is the only reason I got it. I asked what happen. she said, «oh, we don’t have none» turned around and walked away never slowing her stride… She didnt wait or care to hear what my opinion was on the subject, which would have been to select another option at the time of order.
The music gets turned up pretty loud, and it’s Drakes, «legend» where I, as an African American woman, have to hear the «N» word repeated over and over and over again, «F» bombs and various other curse words. It plays the entire song! As caucasion patrons enter, the next cursing rap song is skipped. As they leave, you guessed it, the music is turned back on. It would appear that the color or my skin made someone assume that id appreciate such music.
Why are there no adults working in this establishment? Is this really the vision of Vampire Penguin? This experience was disheartning and disappointing! I left feeling totally disgusted, disrespected, unappreciated as a customer and will likely not return to this location.

Vampire penguin this and vampire penguin that, l’ve heard bout this place and read reviews bout it, but still never really had an urge to try it, simply because i’m a Merlinos freeze and Hagans freeze, man. I worked at merlinos for 6 years and was a production manager so i know how to make the stuff and the only thing that comes close to a Merlinos is Hagans freeze.
With that said i was kinda intrigued that people were saying «its like eating snow». Its intriguing to me because the slogan for Merlinos was «its like eating flavored snow». Thats the only thing that would make me wonder bout trying this place but never wanted to go out my way to do so. I came to the BestBuy next door my homegirl hooked me up with a discount so i wanted to show her my gratitude and treated her to one these things, sadly i wouldn’t even know what to call their concoctions. Maybe calling it a (penguin dump)?
Ok ok so lets get down to business, when we walked in it was 9:03pm the doors were unlocked there was 3 people waiting so we walked in but didn’t get greeted instead we were told «Were closed sorry» my friend asked if we can just get it to go and they said yes, we got in line then the door opens up and a girl walks in and stands behind us, but they never tell her that they were closed. That alone bugged me and rubbed me the wrong way. So not knowing what to order my friend suggested the Mexican candy flavored penguin dump. I ordered it didn’t really care for it i thought it just tasted like ice and watered down Mexican candy which i don’t really care for Mexican candy. Luckily it was in a to go cup and i have a Mexican candy loving woman at home that i thought she would devour it, but she her self didn’t like it and threw it away. It did have watermelon but my friend said it was supposed to have mangos. My friend loved it she ate it all up and was all excited about it lol to bad this is my review and not hers lol i didn’t care for it i wouldn’t come back, but i guess some people do like it just like her. At the end of the day i rate this place 2 stars, one because my friend liked it and two because the little penguin looks pretty koo, try it out and see if u like it im sticking to to Hagans freeze.

I am still in love love love with Vampire Penguin. I have now tried the Dulce de Leche, Mexican Candy, Strawberry Cheesecake and S’Moreos! All of them are fantastic though I am still partial to Dulce de Leche. The OG Puffs are always delicious, though I still need to try their other flavors.
My first trip to this location was about three weeks ago. at 8:05pm in the middle of a video game endeavor, I got a hankering for some dessert, and checked Unilocal!to see if they were still open. Unfortunately their hours said they closed at 8pm, and I thought no way, 8pm?! That can’t be right, so I gave them a call. Well, Unilocal!was correct, they closed at 8, HOWEVER they said they would stay open for me if I could get there ASAP. Damn straight I dropped my controller and hopped in my car! I got there about 15 minutes after 8pm, and sure enough there they were waiting for me. So incredibly sweet of them! At this time, they didn’t have the Puff maker yet, but was informed that it would be there and ready next week (yay!). Since they had stayed open for me, I called my roommate to see if she wanted one as she hadn’t tried them yet. She was at the gym, and also dropped what she was doing so she could get home for the dessert I was picking up for her! I ordered a Strawberry Cheesecake and a Dulche de Leche for her and I to share. When I got home they were still in good shape and absolutely delicious. The only downside to getting them to go is that you don’t get the gorgeous presentation that you get when you order in.
My last trip to this location was last Saturday. I had a friend visiting in town and just had to pop her shaved ice cherry, what better way than with Vampire Penguin! We arrived just after 8pm and man were they SLAMMED. I don’t think the location has yet prepared for late night dessert cravers when it’s been a nice warm day. I was sad that they were out of Puff mix and due to the amount of customers did not have time to make more, especially since they were closing in less than an hour. I’m hoping they prepare better in the future because I LOVE the puff and was pretty devastated to not be able to get one. I also heard many people after me ask for one and be unable to receive, lots of lost profits.
As usual, the employees were very friendly and helpful. We ordered our desserts to go because of how busy they were, and due to the amount of people I’d say it took about 20 – 30 minutes for our desserts to come out. Even though they are ice, they still last fairly well on the 10 minute drive home. If you haven’t com here yet… what the hell are you waiting for?! Do it!

SO GOOOD. I thought this would just be another run of the mill shaved snow/​ice spot… i mean really theyre all kinda the same… just add a bunch of fruits/​toppings and wutever… but this place is cool in that they have featured profiles u can get… like the strawberry cheesecake or the smore one…
I highly recommend the strawberry cheesecake. IT REALLY TASTES LIKE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE. The greentea one was good too. My least favorite is the chocolate.
If it wasnt so far id be back more often. I was honestly pleasantly surprised by how good it was.

Now that I’m practically a connoisseur when it comes to eating shaved snow, I can expertly state that Vampire Penguin is hands down one of the best places to eat this light and fluffy dessert! Although I have patronized the one on Stockton Blvd pretty often, it’s nice to see that there is one in Elk Grove too! Both are conveniently located to my neighborhood!
Joe K and I ordered both of our favorites: strawberry cheesecake and Mexican Candy to share! As expected, they were delicious and satisfying! I just love this flavored snowball stuff! What a nice change from the heavier treats of ice cream or yogurt. It’s sweet, it’s light, it’s fluffy, lower in fat, good for the lactose intolerant and gluten free. Shaved snow is not like the familiar shaved ice; a flavor is chosen, infused, and then frozen into a block of ice. Then in turn, they shave off the flavored ice and mold it into a large snowball. Fruit toppings can be added for 50 cents each. Some snow flavors may change daily, but I have seen mango, honeydew, lychee, Nutella, chocolate, taro root, green tea and coconut. Available toppings also vary. You can also have sweetened condensed milk drizzled on for additional sweetness.
The interior of the shop is clean, spacious and bright that went along well with the friendly employees that were eager to serve. Visiting here again is a no brainer! (But it might be more difficult to decide if you get brain freezes though)…

I like penguins. I always wanted one. Maybe one day I’ll have my very own pet penguin. You know what I like more than penguins? Shaved ice desserts! Ive tried a few different places around Elk Grove for this type of ice cream and Vampire Penguin beats them all! One reason I love this place so much, apart from the desserts, is because this same suite in this Best Buy shopping center use to be a Baskin Robbins and I use to work there many years ago. When I came to VP the layout of the store was still very similiar to the old Baskin Robbins and it brought back alot of good old memories.
Ok now for the important part of this review. Their shaved ice comes in two sizes. The Deluxe/​Large sizes can be shared between 2 people. But its so good you might want to get your own! Then theres the menu where you can make your own shaved ice mountain. We tried the Strawberry Cheesecake and S’moreos and both were very good. Our favorite was the strawberry cheesecake because it had small bites of cheese cake and it felt like dessert within a dessert. Im looking forward to our next visit to Vampire Penguin so I can try something different or make my own with my own toppings and flavors.

I’ve written a review for the Vampire Penguin along Stockton Blvd, so it’ll pretty much be the same thing for this area as well. It’s conveniently closer to home in Elk Grove, which is a plus for me.
Pros:
— Right next to a few restaurants, as well as stores like Ulta, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and Old Navy, if you’re in the mood to walk around West Stockton Square.
— There are custom made flavors of shaved ice, or you can be creative and make your own creation.
— Accepts cash & card.
— Very quaint place with awesome art up on the wall.
— Not too busy on weekdays.
— Nice workers who are helpful if it’s your first time.
— Spacious and minimal interior with ample amount of seating.
— Sells macarons, drinks, and other desserts as well.
Cons:
— Sometimes toppings are not available.
— Custom made creations in comparison to their premade creations are probably cheaper. but sometimes you wanna splurge on that $ 7 mountain of strawberry snow, yah?
Definitely a fun place to take your kids, your family, your significant other, your friends, coworkers, etc :).

Came here on Labor Day evening after dinner (around 8:30) and the place wasn’t busy at all. Shared a large Twix ($ 7) with my sister, her choice!
For shaved snow, its pretty good! A light and sweet treat indeed. The Twix was pretty good but I think I prefer the tuxedo (sampled previously at the South Sacramento location) for the strawberry that accompanied it. The graham cracker/​cookie dust is a nice touch, but I think I prefer more solid toppings. Macarons are also available for purchase by the register.
Table edges and chairs looked a little beat up but I think its mainly just cheap Ikea furniture. Other than that the place looked pretty clean.

Why do I feel healthier, maybe even lighter after eating this? Ok not really, but I like this as a healthy (ok, I know… it’s still sugar… just bear with me) dessert option in Elk Grove!
Halo Halo shaved ice: you’d think this would taste watery, but with all the added toppings… it actually felt like eating a halo-​halo. It didn’t feel heavy and I didn’t feel gross after devouring a large with a friend. The dish was the right amount of sweet without me begging for water.
The plate actually came out quick. I know they had problems with wait times before, but this place was busy on a Friday afternoon and orders were coming out really quick.
You can actually create your own masterpiece or choose one of their options like the halo-​halo. They also sell macarons here, but only in a pre-​boxed of assorted.

After visiting the original Stockton Blvd location of Vampire Penguin, I decided to head down to Vampire Penguin at Elk Grove on 8÷28÷2015. Located next to Best Buy and Bed, Bath & Beyond, V.P. has the same menu ingredients, so you can satisfy your taste buds from the wildest creations like Halo-​Halo, Strawberry Shortcake, etc. As I come to this EG location, everything is quite in there after opening, so I decided to come back again 15 minutes later until there are some customers came by. The atmosphere is very good compared to the original location. Very contemporary made (i.e. lightning and wallpaper) with the same concept.
The employees are very friendly and approachable as I welcomed there. No problems or issues at all!
For my food ordering choice, I ordered the S’mores Frost in a large size format. So far, it tasted very good! Very s’mores made with the best ingredients as possible. The graham cracker crumbs including Oreo cookie crumbs matched this frost very well, and it tasted so remarkably good as my taste buds really appreciated my feelings! The marshmallows also tasted fresh and delish too. The chocolate syrup is mesmerizing! Very gooey and tasty.
There’s lots of parking spaces available, so you can park there without the hassles.
Overall, Vampire Penguin in Elk Grove is a great additional V.P. location where Elk Grove residents and farther south residents (ie. Stockton, Lodi, etc) will appreciate this little vampire penguin for making incredible treats all summer long! Highly recommend!

As we were visiting in the area we drove by and my niece pointed out the place. We Unilocaled the place and decided we definitely had to make a stop on the way back to the hotel. Luckily they closed at a later time that we made it an hour before they closed. Plus the line was long. They had many combinations to choose from which it made it difficult, but we had made our choices and joined in the long line. All of decided to go with the small size based of the look of everyone walking by with their order. Well, my niece ended up going back after finishing her small order.
My niece had the S’mores twice, needless to say, it was delicious, and I can vouch for that. My mom had the Dulce de Leche. She enjoyed hers as well. Of course I had to sample and found it very good. My aunt and I had the Halo-​Halo (Filipino inspired), my aunt minus the red and mung beans. This was very yummy too.
This is ice that is shaved very fine, that quickly melts in your mouth. No where near like the texture of a snow cone.
There is plenty of seating indoors and outdoors, but you will find most of the seatings filled. At least it was when we enjoyed our treats. It has a opend feel inside clean and simple décor and cool lighting above. Our visit here was in the month of August at around 7:30 in the evening.
If in the area you must try! I would love to return myself and try as many flavors as I can muster.