As a West Coaster, I am a loyal In and Out supporter and have never tasted Shake Shack. I have many memories of playing with In and Out sticker books with my sister when I was little and attending tennis team and late night dinners at In and Out. With no Shake Shack anywhere nearby, I never considered it–until Tuesday. After being invited to Shake Shack’s friends and family soft opening on Tuesday (shoutout Claire), I figured I had to try the famous burger. Since everything was free, I decided to try the classic shackburger, french fries, and a concrete (frozen custard blended with toppings), and was a converted Shake Shack fan after my meal. Here are my thoughts:
Picture of my meal:
Shackburger → I would give the Shakeburger a 8/10, as I enjoyed the sauce, perfectly soft bun, and delicious burger, but the practically raw onions lacked the flavor of In and Out’s perfectly caramelized onions and the lack of delicious add-ons (like avocado) made the burger a basic one. If you are looking for a standard but delicious burger, the shackburger is perfect.
French Fries → I would rate Shake Shack’s french fries as a 7/10, due to their delicious crispy outside and soft interior. While these fries were exponentially better than In and Out’s flavorless, stiff fries, they lacked the seasoning and flavor to make them as delicious as McDonalds’s fries.
Milkshake → While I didn’t order a milkshake, my friend rated her strawberry milkshake 9.5/10. It was incredibly thick, creamy, and tasted just like strawberry ice cream and is undoubtedly her favorite milkshake she’s ever had. However, she was unable to drink it at first because it was so thick!
Concrete → I ordered the Chocolate Thayer Cake Concrete, which was chocolate custard blended with pieces of chocolate PVD donut, fudge, and toffee. This was the star of my meal and a solid 10/10. I loved the custom Providence flavor, creamy and delicious custard, and look forward to trying the other flavors in the future.
I highly recommend that you try Shake Shack, and look forward to going back soon (once the seemingly permanent line dies down)!