Shake Shack Chicago

First one at Ohio/Rush opening today. I'm not going to deal with the crowds today, but would be interested in hearing a comparison to the Red Hot Ranch burger.

66 E. Ohio St.
Chicago, IL 60611

I had a shake at one in NYC. Not as good as the shakes at Edzo's. Not even close.

nsxtasy wrote:I had a shake at one in NYC. Not as good as the shakes at Edzo's. Not even close.

That does it! I will pass.

I've been to the one in NY. The flavor is excellent, but they are guilty of one of my cardinal burger sins: the bun is far too flimsy to stand up to the juicy burger. A toasted pretzel bun remains my favorite beef conveyance unit for this exact reason.

nsxtasy wrote:I had a shake at one in NYC. Not as good as the shakes at Edzo's. Not even close.

Wholeheartedly agree.

I was underwhelmed after eating at two different locations in NY. I do not understand people's obsession with this chain. Burgers, drinks, and fries are better at Edzo's.

pacent wrote:

nsxtasy wrote:I had a shake at one in NYC. Not as good as the shakes at Edzo's. Not even close.

Wholeheartedly agree.

I was underwhelmed after eating at two different locations in NY. I do not understand people's obsession with this chain. Burgers, drinks, and fries are better at Edzo's.

Agreed. Been to the one in DC, and I'd take Edzo's any day.

Edzo's is good and so is Shake Shack. I'm not going to wait in line for an hour for shake shack but it's still a very good burger.

nsxtasy wrote:I had a shake at one in NYC. Not as good as the shakes at Edzo's. Not even close.

Ummmmm.....They're not standing in line for the shake.

Ummmmm.....They're not standing in line for the shake.

Why and for what are they standing in line? (It's also not for the pedestrian Sysco-quality fries.)

The hamburgers.

The fried mushroom veg burger that is stuffed with cheese is really good.

bnowell724 wrote:The fried mushroom veg burger that is stuffed with cheese is really good.

The Shack Stack. It's incredible!

Lerdawg wrote:

bnowell724 wrote:The fried mushroom veg burger that is stuffed with cheese is really good.

The Shack Stack. It's incredible!

I thought the Shack Stack was one regular patty and one cheese stuffed mushroom cap?

I walked by in a feeble effort to grab a bite to eat before an appointment last night. Got off the train at about 6:30 and the line was a block long, a good 75-100 people deep. Needless to say I'm considering the Hot Doug's style line dead just as the restaurant itself is (ha!). Ended up walking over to Billy Goat and revisiting that childhood favorite.

Hopefully it eases up a bit and becomes a bit easier to access. Looking forward to trying Shake Shack Chicago.

Royal Lichter wrote:Ended up walking over to Billy Goat and revisiting that childhood favorite.

Those finding the lines too long at Shake Shack don't need to walk that far for a good burger. You can get a mighty fine burger (or "burker", as they call it) at the bar at David Burke's Primehouse, right around the corner from Shake Shack. They offer a thin cheeseburger with fries for $13, and a 40-day dry-aged prime burger with spinach, caramelized onion, bacon, black pepper aioli, fries, and choice of cheese for $16; the latter was named the best burger in the country by Food & Wine magazine.

nsxtasy wrote:

Royal Lichter wrote:Ended up walking over to Billy Goat and revisiting that childhood favorite.

Those finding the lines too long at Shake Shack don't need to walk that far for a good burger. You can get a mighty fine burger (or "burker", as they call it) at the bar at David Burke's Primehouse, right around the corner from Shake Shack. They offer a thin cheeseburger with fries for $13, and a 40-day dry-aged prime burger with spinach, caramelized onion, bacon, black pepper aioli, fries, and choice of cheese for $16; the latter was named the best burger in the country by Food & Wine magazine.

Actually thought of that, and heard of that, but didn't have enough time. Next time!

Almost zero line when I went after 10pm, although the wait for the food took a while.

I like that they stay open until 11pm every night of the week!

Lerdawg wrote:Almost zero line when I went after 10pm, although the wait for the food took a while.

I like that they stay open until 11pm every night of the week!

I stopped to check around ~9:45. There was definitely a line outside going down Ohio. It's good, but not waiting in line at night good.

I think someday we're going to look back on this whole "waiting in long lines in the cold for food" thing as a craze akin to the dance marathons of the thirties.

At Madison Square Park they have (had, till they reopen after remodeling) the Shack Cam where you could go online and see how long the line was, then decide if you wanted to go or not. I liked that!

DutchMuse wrote:At Madison Square Park they have (had, till they reopen after remodeling) the Shack Cam where you could go online and see how long the line was, then decide if you wanted to go or not. I liked that!

That location was probably the longest I've ever waited in line for food. I'm a fan of their burgers, I'll always go at least once every time I'm in NYC. As for here, I'm sure the enormous lines will eventually die down, but I imagine there will always be somewhat of a line during busy hours. Same as in all of the NYC locations I've visited. I usually skip the fries, though.

St. Louis kid raised on Drewes and Carl's Drive-in introduces NY to hamburgers, frozen custard and milkshakes, brings the "concept" back to the Midwest. The next coals to Newcastle move has to be LA, right?

Max wrote:That location was probably the longest I've ever waited in line for food.

90 minutes for Hot Doug's shortly after he announced he was closing is my longest. I really can't fathom waiting any longer anywhere for food. But once I bit into the foie gras topped duck sausage....... oh my..... those 90 minutes were well worth it. No regrets at all.

Max wrote:

DutchMuse wrote:At Madison Square Park they have (had, till they reopen after remodeling) the Shack Cam where you could go online and see how long the line was, then decide if you wanted to go or not. I liked that!

That location was probably the longest I've ever waited in line for food. I'm a fan of their burgers, I'll always go at least once every time I'm in NYC. As for here, I'm sure the enormous lines will eventually die down, but I imagine there will always be somewhat of a line during busy hours. Same as in all of the NYC locations I've visited. I usually skip the fries, though.

Same here, Max. I've never been a big fan of the fries at all, but the burger is great. I called yesterday and the wait was 45 minutes. Just couldn't bring myself to wait in line 45 minutes for a Shack Burger, good as it is. That said, other than once or so, wouldn't wait in line for Hot Doug's either...just not a fan of standing standing standing....

Any update on the lines?

I went last night around 8 and there were about 40 people in front of us. Took about 30 minutes to get our orders taken, then another minute or two waiting for a table to open up.

I actually want to give this a shot on 11/24 at exactly 11 when they open. Hopefully it's not too crazy then!

Penny Pollack of Chicago Magazine is not a fan. The (or her) case against Shake Shack. . .

Probably not entirely fair to compare them to RJ Grunts. How do they stack up against M Burger?