Vampire Penguin

First time trying Vampire Penguin and it was awesome! Staff was incredibly friendly, patient, and professional. Can’t wait to go back!

This place is adorable. I’ve been dying to try them for a long time but was never in Elk Grove. Really happy they opened one in Natomas.
Basically it’s frozen shaved ice sliced so thin it takes the form of ice cream. Lots of toppings to choose from. I love the fact that I can have dessert without feeling bad about it.
They have great topping including condensed milk… Omg I love that stuff. I want to try their fruit flavors next time. My brother liked the brownie toppings.
The place is decorated perfectly. They even have a ice cream bar. It’s a good mix of retro and modern design. Can’t wait to go back and try more!

Mixture between ice cream and a snow cone. Tasted more like ice cream flavored air. The dessert literally dissolved on your tongue with all the flavors smashing together in perfect harmony. Just had my first visit and I will definitely be back for more. I had the Twix since I have a chocolate tooth but the Mexican Candy and Strawberry Shortcake I hear are amazing!

It was our first time there. We loved it!
Service was great. The store is a cute little shop. Who doesn’t love penguins?!?
My husband and I shared a large Twix. When we saw it on the menu, we already knew we wanted it. We’re big time eaters when I comes to the candy bar Twix… Mmmm, chocolate, caramel and crackers… What’s not to love about that?!
It was good. It wasn’t too sweet… Just the perfect amount and it tasted like ice cream, but is it ice cream? Hahaha. I don’t think so. I can’t wait to go back and try more flavors. I really want to try the green tea flavor.

Fun little space.
Awesome attentive staff
yummy cold treats for hot summer afternoons.
what more could you want?

First time we tried this VP location! Good location in Natomas!
Inside is pretty good sized with a good number of tables… Plus it has outdoor seating too!
Ordered the mango and strawberry snow! We ordered them in large since it was a hot day! We got all mochi toppings!
Everything was good until we found a hair in the mango snow! I brought it up to an employee and he appointed me to another employee… I explained the situation and he offered to make a new one… We actually wanted store credit for next time… The hair was on the side but still, that’s NOT an excuse for having a hair in a customers food! NO WAY!
They gave us a $ 10 credit next time we come in which was cool!
We’ll be back… BUT gotta step up the game and make sure there is NO hairs getting into the customers food… That’s how you loose customers!

I was drawn in by the name and decided to check their website. After seeing taro as a flavor, I had to try it.
I had the Halo-​Halo, pronounced (hahlo-​hahlo). It’s excellent. The super-​fine texture of the ice dissolves in the mouth near-​instantly.
The taro flavor, combined with the various accompaniments — red bean paste, white beans, mango, mung beans — enhance the flavor profile in happy ways.
I recommend everyone try this place. It is a unique and delectable treat!
And did I mention that it’s vegan?! Just ask them to hold the condensed milk.

For all the times I’ve been to Umai, it took me forever to finally go to VP Natomas. I go to the Stockton Blvd one the most, midtown and EG sometimes… also probably because VP closes at 8pm and Umai closes at 9pm… anyway, stopped in on a Monday evening, where they had a Music Monday performance (local young musicians/​bands) either setting up or just finishing.
My usual is either a halo-​halo, strawberry cheesecake, or Mexican candy, but decided to try their dulce de leche flavor shaved snow this time (small, since I was dining solo). Presentation was okay, whipped cream, banana slices and caramel drizzles, could have used more flan… the snow itself didn’t have too strong of a flavor (vanilla?) so I probably won’t order that specific one again, or sub the snow flavor for chocolate or something — that also goes great with bananas, whipped cream, and caramel, amirite?
They also have the penguin puffs here (waffles) you can order alone or underneath your snow order. Self-​serve water station toward the back of the bar counter. It may be raining now, but when those triple digits come back for summer, VP will be busy I’m sure!

The people here are so welcoming and awesome! I never really know what to get here and my son loves coming here. The unique delicious desserts… so many options to choose from! Anyhow I always love their recommendations! It’s very clean in here. This time coming around we just got the egg puffs with strawberry, whip cream, and chocolate drizzle! Yum! Thanks guys for being so awesome!

This place is very clean and has cute stylish details which created a nice ambiance. Definitely perfect for hanging out with friends and chilling on a hot day.
My husband and I went a few days after I had my oral surgery and the texture of the shaved ice was perfection. I’m glad they opened the location in Natomas.
I had the strawberry cheese cake and my husband had the twix, it was so delicious that I finished the Large all by myself, that’s how great it was ;)

wow! what an amzing experience! I ordered the vampire penquin’s strawberry cheesecake and destroyed it! it was delish! wish they have this in Seattle. will def come back next time im in town!
Place is packed but it’s all worth the wait! I def prefer shave snow than shave ice!!! great décor! great snow! great sevice!

New dessert place in Natomas! I tried their other place in Sacramento but excited they opened one closer to where I am!
Their shaved snow is sooooo good. The place is pretty big and cutely decorated! When my bf and I came in, there was a line to order and the place was pretty packed with people waiting for their order. We ordered and got our dessert in like 5 min, so fast!
We ordered the deluxe strawberry cheesecake flavor shaved snow. This is $ 9, and deluxe has cheesecake pieces in the shaved snow. The large was $ 7, without the cheesecake pieces.
Will definitely be back to try the different flavored shaved snows and desserts they have!

I was very excited to try VP for the first time, but unfortunately I was let down. Maybe my expectations were too high or just totally different from my experience, but I left VP feeling unsatisfied. The shaved ice seems like astronaut food to me… very fluffy and no consistency.
If you’re looking for a light healthier dessert this is for you… less dense and less calories.

We were so excited that one of these open in natomas! So we had to try it out to see if it is the same as the other locations. This one is much cuter and bigger compared to the other ones we been to. They also have cookies and cakes that is on the menu. There is a special menu or you could customize your own.
We ordered a small halo halo to share. The shaved ice was delicious. The sweetness was perfect. It also makes for a good dessert. The presentation was very cute with all the different fruits and bean. They also have a small fill your own water with Little cups next to it.

I was hoping to be amazed by this location that opened up just near my workplace. I’ve been to their two other locations in downtown and south sac and this one is by far the most prettiest location. I mean. just look at all the pink interior! I noticed they had new desserts serving at this location, but just to my luck, they didn’t have any in stock. I was not very happy with the customer service here. I’m not sure if they were lack proper training or if the worker had a bad day, but I didn’t receive any greetings nor any smile while I was ordering. It just made my end of the work-​day mood not that bright when I have to see frowning faces taking my order.
I do love the long booth here, I hope on my next visit, they will have the red velvet cake available. Hopefully customer service will improve by then too.

I’ve heard they have a few locations spread out across Sacramento and the Bay Area but this has been the first one I’ve visited. Of the three times I’ve visited, the desserts and employees have been great. The place itself is super cutely decorated. The Mexican Candy– my mouth waters just thinking about it– is the bomb.
1^st visit: The Soft Opening
My friend and I came in and tried the Mexican candy and the Strawberry Cheesecake. Both were delicious! The employees that I came across were friendly.
2^nd visit: The Grand Opening
Hoping to snag a free t-​shirt, my sister and I decided to get there «early». Turns out, 30 minutes before the grand opening isn’t enough. There had already been a line extending from the front of the door to the sidewalk heading towards the parking lot. So about 20 parties (40ish people) ahead of us. After an hour or so, we tried a bunch of the snows. Aside from the obvious Mexican Candy favorite, we both really liked the Dulce de Leche. We were probably there for more than two hours, but given that it was both my sister and I’s first grand opening, we just sat back and took in the experience. Overall, very satisfied. Oh and we both scored the free shirts!
3^rd visit: Two weeks post– G. Opening follow up
Desserts were still amazing. I also had the opportunity to briefly talk to the owner of the joint. Super friendly and easy-​going.
Now I’m not sure about other reviews I’ve seen but I’ve had a great experience all throughout. No place will ever be perfect so just chill out. Maybe some people just haven’t have had enough of Vampire Penguin’s snows to take the excess heat off their heads. I got your back VP, I’ll be back for more.

I was excited VampirePenguin opened a location here in Natomas! I have been to the location in south Sacramento and loved it, but this location is closer and more convenient for me.
I have visited a few times since they opened and they are still pretty busy, expected though. There is plenty of parking in this complex and when you walk in the décor and ambience is great! The diner style bar table is nice and they cram a lot of seats in a small area but finding seating can be challenging when coming at peak times. Sitting outside during warmer weather would be nice.
I have ordered their strawberry cheesecake, halo halo, smoreos, and snow thaiger, all delicious! I love all the different shaved snow creations! Great addition to the neighborhood.

Passed by the new Vampire Penguin on their grand opening day when we went next door to eat at Umai… the line out the door was not worth the wait for us. Luckily there was no line when we came here tonight after eating dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. And I was happy to see egg puffs on the menu! Pandan and Red Velvet. how could I resist?! I’ve seen their egg puffs in photos for their downtown location but never got to try them. Order your snow on top of egg puffs and you won’t regret it! It’s warm and delicious and heavenly! We ordered the Dulce de Leche snow on top of the pandan egg puff and it was warm and cold and everything in between. They definitely need to add these egg puffs to all of their locations!

I love the décor in this place. I’m so happy it made its way to Natomas. Now I don’t have to travel so far to get some VP goodness. Believe it or not, we’ve been here twice this week. It’s that addicting.
We’ve made our own (actually my boys did) with what they call their chocolate overload (or madness) made with cookies and cream snow, chocolate syrup and oreo crumbles; my son’s own strawberry creation of strawberry snow with fresh strawberry topping. My other son and I have tried the tuxedo and the S’moreos. Both are equally delicious with chocolate snow on the tuxedo and condensed milk topped with almonds and surround by marshmallows and fresh strawberries and the S’moreos with the cookies and cream snow, chocolate syrup, marshmallows and strawberries. Everything was amazing and not overly sweet.
They have other desserts available while supplies last. We went last night and the only other dessert they had available was the red velvet cheesecake. It looked delicious as well.
The décor is amazing as well. I love the chandeliers and the wallpaper, along with the tables and chairs. It all goes together well.
The desserts are delicious and the workers are pretty patient since people really don’t know what to order once you step in there unless you’ve been to one before. The cashiers also have suggestions if you really don’t know what to order. Be forewarned though, they do run out of items. Last night they ran out of strawberries which was a big womp womp womp because most of their desserts offer fresh strawberries with them.

My 15^th Grand Opening review, and my 2^nd Soft Opening review!
On February 17, 2016, I decided to come to this new place after the original location (South Sacramento) has opened to the public few years ago. Vampire Penguin brings the customers to taste their delicious shaved snow creations all day long! After the Rocklin location has opened this year, there’s an another location located at north side of Natomas, and I was excited to have an another V.P. location here. As I entered their doors, the atmosphere is quite calm and relaxing as I welcomed there due to the soft opening. The concept is much similar to previous V.P. locations, and for the first time, they have a diner-​styled bar table which you can sit there to meet your employees there!
The employees as I mentioned earlier are doing a great job for making the customers like me a satisfaction service. No cons at all!
I ordered the Vampire Penguin’s signature shaved snow creations: the Strawberry Cheesecake in a large sized format. As I ate it, it tasted irresistibly delicious. The flavors of the strawberry cheesecake is top notch which I can feel the strawberry syrup, diced strawberries, sprinkled graham crackers, and raspberries. Very fresh and elegant!
There’s plenty of parking spaces available, so you can park anywhere you want near or far.
In the end, Vampire Penguin at North Natomas is a great addition spot for this neighborhood to taste their remarkable shaved snow creations and desserts. I hope this location will thrive in the future, and I can’t wait to come back for more! Perfect for friends and family gatherings! A worthy visit! My rating: 5 solid stars.