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Shake Shack Review
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Shake Shack currently has three Chicagoland restaurants: one in Skokie, another on Michigan Ave. in the Loop, and the one I’m reviewing, at 66 E Ohio St. in River North. The skinny? Good, crowded, expensive-ish.
Have you heard that they serve beer and wine? Their beer is brewed specifically for them, and their wine is bottled especially for them. The menu of this New-York based joint has several, significant Chicagoan adaptations: they serve a Chicago-style dog, a Vienna dog, as well as one made with Publican sausage. Some of the “concretes” are made with ingredients from Glazed and Infused, Vosges chocolate, and Bang Bang Pie. They donate to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. You gotta like that.
What I had:
- ShackBurger: Cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce. Single: $5.19
- Crinkle Cut Fries: Yukon potatoes. No artificial ingredients. $2.95
- Shake: Handspun black & white. $5.25
The ShackBurger’s something along the lines of Five Guys, but smaller (although you can upsell to a second patty) and comes standard with fewer condiments. Shack’s fries, on the other hand … well, crinkle fries always suck, right? No. These are exceptional. Surprisingly crispy with light, soft potato-y centers.
Shack uses natural ingredients. No hormones. No antibiotics. That costs money. You can’t expect to pay Wendy’s prices for it. But have you seen the lines that build up for Shake Shack? They’re incredible. Why put yourself through that? To avoid GMOs? No, I think the River North non-GMO fan supply is smaller than that line. Is it taste? There are lots of good burgers (Five Guys, Epic Burger, not to mention some of the less ordinary, like Butcher & The Burger, BopNGrill, and Spritzburger) and shakes (Steak’n’Shake, Sonic) in The Windy City. I think it’s the combination of quality, good taste, and ambiance. Shake Shack has – in addition to good food – the feel of a real, casual restaurant. You easily could imagine yourself hanging out there for a while, enjoying your food – quite unlike the fluorescent glare of a Five Guys.
Shake Shack
The verdict: a good burger in a city full of good burger options. A smart concept, worth supporting. Unbelievable hype may build your expectations up too high to make a long wait in line seem worthwhile.
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I totally agree with you – at least I think I do. It’s a cool place, but it’s hyped up so much that it can’t live up to the hype.
That’s a good way to put it.
Love Shake Shack! There’s a bunch here in NY… they are actually opening one up just down the road from me in the spring. Very dangerous HAHA. I’ll be there way too frequently. You gotta try a concrete next time you are there. The shakes are mediocre, but the concretes are really legit. I love the special flavors they rotate through. In December, I always make it a point to grab their candy cane crunch custard in a concrete (it’s only one week in December!).
Chris @ Shared Appetite recently posted…Vegan and Dairy Free Chocolate Salted Caramel Pudding
Oh yeah? I’ll have to check it out. I do like peppermint. Thanks!