I've seen the Instagrams, the tweets, and read the articles about hours-long lines to get a sweet taste of Shake Shack. So when I found out that one recently opened in Chestnut Hill, I knew I had to get me some.
It's inevitable that I'll compare pretty much any fast food-ish burger place to my current favorite, D.C.-based Five Guys. I've simply never found a tastier burger at a better price.
Shake Shack definitely wins for ambiance, clever branding, menu selection, and of course, the shakes. All burgers just taste better when consumed with a strawberry milkshake. It's science.
But the burger itself? Five Guys still wins in my book. There's just something about their thin, juicy patties, buttery buns, and all of the toppings you can pile on. Shake Shack doesn't even put lettuce and tomato unless you ask (we learned the hard way). And then there's the price. Todd's double burger cost almost $8 without fries. Speaking of fries, Shake Shack serves a smallish portion of crinkle-cut fries in comparison to Five Guys' ridiculously overflowing brown bag of greasy goodness. Do I need an entire greasy bag of fries? No, but it's a nice gesture.
That said, I really liked Shake Shack and I will return. The food was good, it has a cool atmosphere, and the prices were still pretty reasonable. I just didn't experience the same level of fervid devotion as so many others apparently have.
