I had the opportunity to check out the soft opening of Shake Shack in I-Drive 360 (if you haven’t been there yet, check out my review). Free food, yay!

The Shake Shack is a popular chain that originated as a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park to support the Park Conservancy’s first art installation. It was so popular they opened a permanent kiosk and Shake Shack was born. This modern “roadside” burger stand has hot dogs, burgers, custard, shakes, beer and wine. They even had a menu for your dog!

The restaurant features a fun modern vibe and the company is big on being green and giving to charity. The tables are made from reclaimed bowling alley lanes! How cool is that? Certain menu items give percentages to local charities. And they even have a table shuffleboard game you can play.

I ordered the ‘Shroom Burger: Crisp-fried Portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheeses, topped with lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce. The bun is a Martin’s potato roll and was soft and perfect with the crunch of the mushroom. The fried mushroom was stuffed with melted cheese and the cheese started oozing out with each bite.  A great change from the normal vegetarian burger that is offered at most restaurants. Top it off with lettuce, tomato and a creamy ShackSauce (a mayo, ketchup and mustard combo) and you get happiness in your mouth. So good!

Honestly, we thought our burgers were pretty small when they came out, but I was stuffed when I finished it. Mind you I had some fries and a little bit of a delicious chocolate malted milkshake but still I was really full and happy. The sandwich did lean on the greasy side so if your reason for ordering the vegetarian option is to be healthy, this choice isn’t for you.

The meat eaters I went with had burgers that both looked great. My friend ordered the Shack Stack burger, which is a cheeseburger and has the fried mushroom from the veggie option stacked on top. He really enjoyed it.

The price of the burger isn’t bad until you realize it doesn’t come with fries, and everyone wants fries. Because of the touristy location this price level is a little understandable.

You should go check it out. I’ve heard that Shake Shack is know for having a line out the door. That happened during the soft opening, but I assumed it was because they were giving away free food. We will see if the having a line out the door is a normal thing when I go back to get that ‘Shroom Burger again!

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Melissa P.