Shake Shack is really a shack.

Run by the same owner who is famous for Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Cafe, Shake Shack is pretty much a small tin box in the south east corner of Madison Square Park which serves fancy burgers and ice cream from their windows (this isn’t your average fast food). After picking up your food, you can seat yourself at one of the many small tables beneath trees lit up by strings of lights like fireflies at night.

Orders are taken at one window, and food is served through another window around the corner.

There aren’t many people in this photo, but I took this after I ate. When I arrived at 8:50pm that Tuesday, it was crowded with people waiting for their orders! I had to wait hungrily in a long line, and it took 40 minutes before I got my food. Don’t come too hungry, and be ready to wait! You can check out the line beforehand on their webcam.

Tray (cardboard box) of what I ordered.

A regular sized vanilla shake, one Shack Burger, one ‘Shroom Burger, and an order of cheese fries. The burgers are on the small side, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing (for your health)!

‘Shroom Burger $4.50- crisp-fried portobello filled with melted cheese and onions, topped with lettuce, tomato and shack sauce

This burger oozes with melted cheese. The thick patty is made with almost entirely cheese (a white cheese, maybe mozarella or american?), sandwiched between 2 large thin mushrooms, and then breaded and fried until crispy golden brown. I couldn’t really taste the shack sauce with all that gooey melted cheese, but it added a creamy texture to the burger, like an extra layer of cheese. The bun was a soft doughy potato bun.

The gooey insides.

If you love melted cheese and want your mouth overflowing with it, the ‘Shroom Burger does the job. Personally, I prefer a bit more texture in a burger, something that I can chew on.

Shack Burger $4.75-American cheese, lettuce, tomato and shack sauce

A thick juicy burger with a strong cheese. I could tell the shack sauce was creamy and mayo based, but it was hard to tell exactly what it was! It was very lightly seasoned.

Cheese Fries $2.75

These fries were surprisingly really crispy and under a good amount of creamy and thick melted cheese which they spooned out of a big heated pot. The cheese actually tasted real, kind of like cheddar, and not like a processed liquid cheese topping. Pretty good.

Regular (size) Vanilla Shake $4.25
The vanilla shake was extremely smooth and creamy, it seriously went down like velvet: it had the perfect thickness to easily drink up a straw, and not a trace of grainy ice. It tasted like a homemade vanilla ice cream made of just vanilla, sugar, and heavy cream. Simple and delicious!

Overall, the food was simple but good, but I wouldn’t want to wait 40 minutes for it again. I’d definitely come during off hours though! They also have an express line, which should be faster, if you only want ice cream or drinks.

Also, it’s a good thing that they have now passed a health inspection, which they should have never failed!

Shake Shack also serves hotdogs (including a smoked chicken one), frozen custard with lots of various toppings, and even wine. The custard is supposedly really good, so I’ll definitely have to go back to try it!

total+tax= $16.25 (dinner for 2)

This entry was posted by chicken on Thursday, September 7th, 2006 at 5:52 am and is filed under New York City, NY, Union Square & Flatiron, American. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.