Tokyo Ebisu Shake Shack review

photo credits: Shake Shack

People have been raving over Shake Shack for... for a long time, it seems to be the pride of New York among New Yorkers especially when they talk to Californians about In and Out. There are numerous Shake Shack vs In and Out on Youtube. Even in Tokyo, there is a rave over Shake Shack, there are 3 in Tokyo. My friends told me there was a 1-2 hour wait during their first few months in Tokyo.

After hearing so much about Shake Shack and finding it in Tokyo, I couldn't help but go and give it a try. I went on a Sunday night, around 8:00pm, to my surprise, there was no line.

menu

A quick glance at the menu suggests that this place isn't cheap. While burger prices are reasonable, shakes and drinks are extremely overpriced. 

receipt and buzzer to notify you when your food is ready to pick up

restaurant atmosphere:

simple, quiet and food court style. I wasn't impressed with the service here. Unlike most places in Tokyo, their service was extremely minimal. Other than doing what they were supposed to (e.g. finding you a seat, giving you your order and taking your order at the cashier, etc) they did not make any extra effort (e.g. smile) to make your dining experience more enjoyable. 

Other than that, the place was clean, well lit, and enjoyable to hang out with friends and doing work. 

Shack Burger ¥680 (tax not included)

After contemplating I decided on the Shack Burger.

Here is the description: CheeseBurger with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce

Shack Burger ¥680 (tax not included)

(waiting time: 10 mins)

first impressions:

• very small... 
• cheese /shack sauce is really delicious
• patty was a bit dry
• it was very considerate of them to provide a cup of water for each customer

I had mixed feelings about this Shack Burger. Honestly, other than the Cheese / Shack sauce element I wasn't impressed with the burger. One, it is really small... for ¥680, it was far from being close to filling. Two, the patty was dry, for a 10 minute waiting time, I would have expected the burger to fresh... but it didn't feel fresh, just normal... it was hot but not fresh (like out of the pan fresh).

I appreciated their cup of water, it was necessary... the burger was dry. The patty was so dry that none of the tomato "water" leaked... but was soaked by the patty.

I tried my friend's sesame shake (price: ¥480 for Small size). It was extremely thick and filling. The black sesame taste was really strong.

conclusion

While Shake Shack's Shack sauce (try saying that 10 times XD) was extremely tasty (it was the highlight of the burger), I thought that the burger was overpriced. It was on the expensive side yet it did not deliver the quality. I would probably not return for more burgers... unless if they change the quantity and quality. I was not impressed with their service either.

score: 6/10
website: https://www.shakeshack.com/


please check out my personal blog and follow me around Tokyo :)