While we do try to avoid mega national chains when writing these reviews, it would be remiss of us to ignore the massive presence of Shake Shack. It still doesn’t have the uber-corporate vibe of a McDonalds or Burger King – rather, Shake Shack carries the air of a discerning burger chain a la In-N-Out or Five guys.
That mentality is certainly how it all got started – Shake Shack began as a hotdog cart in New York, as a means to raise funds for a public art project.
“As we grew into a global business, our mission to Stand For Something Good expanded to include taking care of our team, sourcing premium ingredients from partners with the same dedication to quality, designing our Shacks responsibly, supporting our communities through donations, events, and volunteering—and much more,” they say online. “Doing good is in our roots, a part of our DNA since day one. 20 years later, we’re still continuing to expand and evolve our mission to Stand For Something Good in everything we do.”
We went into the one at Downtown Culver City, as opposed to the other location at Westfield, although the menus are standard.
We went for the Korean BBQ Burger, which is available for a limited time. We wanted to grab the chance to try that while we had it. The burger is described on the menu as, “100% Angus beef cheeseburger topped with crispy sweet onions, fresh scallions and a savory Korean BBQ sauce on a toasted potato bun.”
That Angus beef patty is great, especially for a fast food restaurant. Juicy and full of beefy flavor, with just the right amount of char. This isn’t the tasteless, factory-esque patty that you often get with fast food. This tastes like a real beef burger.
The crispy sweet onions and fresh scallions add the perfect level of caramelized tartness, and the Korean BBQ sauce is also a magnificent combination of sweet and sour.
The bun is exceptional. It’s actually weirdly good, considering that it’s a fast food burger bun. There’s potato flour in the dough, which makes for a sturdy bun with a wonderful, starchy flavor. The Korean sauce coats the bread beautifully, and the American cheese finishes it off perfectly.
The crinkle cut fries can be purchased with different sauces but we got them plain. Crispy and hot, they pair perfectly with the burger and Cookies & Cream shake that we tried.
Everything we tried was great. Little wonder Shake Shack is so popular in these parts.
Shake Shack is located at 9341 Culver Blvd., Culver City 90232. Contact 424-326-5058, or 6000 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City 90230, and visit shakeshack.com.