Tasti D-Lite

Not very tasty or delightful.

I have been extremely disappointed in the Downtown tunnel Tasti since about August 2011. The store frequently isn’t open by 11:30, the time I’m returning to work and would like to visit. Is it too much to have the place open to take advantage of the lunch crowd? Too often when I have the opportunity to visit, the second machine isn’t loaded and ready, leaving just vanilla and chocolate. I’m aware I can get any flavor mixed post-​machine, but the flavor is off (like if I order peppermint, I get harsh bitter peppermint extract flavor), too much air is introduced, and the ice cream is warmed by the additional mechanical processing. On top of that, today, I ordered a mint chocolate shake and the employee had to go into the back to get the mixer vessel, then dispensed the wrong flavor (red velvet cake, if you must ask), had to go back in the back again, and start all over.
Respectfully, I feel there is incompetence on the part of both the management and the staff. Today was your last chance… and you barely saved it be finally having a mint-​related offering on tap and in season… when just about every other nearby location serving an iced creamy treat (Wendy’s, Whataburger,. I won’t be so generous next time my combined experience amounts to this.
I could give you a star for opening at 11 AM.
I could give you another for staying on top of seasonals in your secondary machine, which always seems to be a miss, until today.
I could give you another star for coming up with a better way to post-​mix a flavor.

When 3pm rolls around, you begin to realize to there are still many more hours of work and your healthy lunch really wasn’t that satisfying…
That’s when Tasti D-​Lite comes in. I get to step away from work for 30 minutes and take a nice stroll down the tunnels (past Becks). It also helps that the curly-​haired employee is the funniest and most entertaining person in the world.
I’ve been here twice so far, and I’ll be the first to admit that:
1) Yes, $ 3.75 (custom flavor, no topping) for 4 oz. is steep
and 2) None of their flavors actually taste like its name.
PB Moose-​mellow tastes like chocolate peanut butter, no marshmallow
Rice pudding tastes like vanilla
Coffee cake tastes like coffee
But, at the end of the day, I’m tired and grumpy, and all I really want is something sweet that tastes good and doesn’t make me feel fat. So, yes, I will pay close to $ 4 for something that still leaves me hungry after an hour, and I’ll continue to try all their bazillion flavors because they sound cool. (So this review may be a little skewed, because pretty much anything is better than work on Mondays. But Tasti D-​Lite just makes me happy.)
And bonus: from now until the end of the year, happy hour from 11am-​12pm is buy one, get one free. And every Tuesday is free topping day. Plus, they have a coupon online for one free topping.

Tasti? I didn’t taste much of anything.
And for $ 4 for a tiny serving, I expect some taste.
Since it’s October, I’ve gone pumpkin crazy. I had their pumpkin pie option, which is pumpkin flavoring mixed into a plain base. But there was no flavor — in either the base or the added flavor. Not even a hint of cinnamon. Nada. No vanilla or anything.
After having a taste, my coworker got a big belly laugh over me paying $ 4 for this & we proceeded over to McDs so she could get $ 1 cone. A tasty cone.
Guess people go there since it’s low in calories (80 vs 150 at McD) — but if is has no taste, what’s the point?

Tasti D-​Lite has come to Houston!
And since my life seems to revolve around the office, better yet, Tasti D-​Lite has come to the Downtown Tunnels!
It’s good to note that unlike the other locations in Houston, this one opens from 7am — 4pm.
Just a short walk from my office, the downtown location is conveniently sandwiched (haha) between Subway and Becks Prime. It’s tucked away behind an escalator, but you can’t really miss the bright pink décor, and the wall sporting their mantra «Dessert Your Guilt.» I had been stealing multiple, already-​generous-​sized samples of their Carrot Walnut bread and Zucchini Almond bread for about a week, but still hadn’t actually ordered anything yet. By the way, their baked goods are made without butter or oil! And somehow they still taste good!
My co-​worker invites me to get food at 3pm. She hasn’t had lunch. I’m ready for dessert.
There is a REALLY long line at 3:30pm. And it’s slow going, because people are ordering smoothies. (Did I mention they have fruit smoothies!)
They have this mixing machine that mixes over 100 flavors. A small is $ 3.25, and they have all sorts of toppings for 50 cents. They advertise the low calories in everything they sell.
I don’t believe that Oreos ‘n’ cream only has 90 calories. But I order it anyways. They take the yogurt and blend the Oreos into it, so there are no chunks. The lady asks if I want an extra topping, and I say, yes, more Oreos. I ignore her incredulous stare. The chunks are the most important part, don’t you agree?
We came here for breakfast the next day. Hot granola, parfaits, muffins, etc. are available.
For the calories they claim, it’s totally heaven. For 150 calories more somewhere else, you can get tastier (sweeter) frozen yogurt that tastes more like ice cream. But like they say, some come here to dessert their guilt. And it works.
The only guilt remaining is now I have another place to waste my money other than Starbucks.