Shake Shack Philippines is finally open and I've been hearing so many horror stories of crazy long queues just for people to get their hands on some burgers, fries, and maybe a milkshake. I'm not in Manila while everyone's going crazy about Shake Shack but, after seeing Shake Shack all over my social media and feed all the coverage from local news outlets about the Shake Shack craze over the past few days, I finally gave in.
Luckily for me, Shake Shack opened in London way back in 2013 and currently has multiple stores scattered around the city - which means NO LINES!
While it's not entirely the same thing as the store in Manila, here are my thoughts on Shake Shack...
The counter absolutely had no lines when I visited earlier today. There were a few people in the store enjoying a meal, but it's definitely not as busy as Shake Shack in Manila. On the other hand, Jollibee is said to still have very long lines even though it's been open for months.
The restaurant was very clean and spacious. I love the high ceilings and the relaxing atmosphere. A great place to enjoy a good burger.
I got the Double ShackBurger (£8.75) and it was cooked well-done and served with tomatoes, lettuce and delicious, oozing Shacksauce. If you have the appetite for it I would always recommend the double cheeseburger because it's double the fun. The burgers were moist and the flavor was spot on, not too salty but not bland either (even though the food in London has been called bland on many occasions).
Overall, it's a pretty good burger and for double the price of Burger King's Whopper (£4.89) you really are paying for quality. I would keep coming back for it despite the it being a bit on the pricey end.
The reason why I can't really compare it with Shake Shack Manila is that the burgers in London stores as made with 100% Aberdeen Angus Beef, which is grass-fed on UK and Irish pastures and are local to the UK. This is one reason why Shake shack might taste a bit different across stores in different countries (unless the Manila store also secretly uses Aberdeen Angus Beef shipped from the UK).
I can't wait to be back in Manila to give a solid comparison, but until then I would say Shake Shack is known for quality throughout the world so Manila you are in good hands.
The Cheese Crinkle-Cut Fries (£4.00) is a solid side to every Shake Shack meal. The fries were cooked nicely and I loved the oozing cheese sauce on top. It was so rich that I had a hard time eating it all by myself. I did finish it, and I would only order it again if I had someone else to share it with. I do recommend it!
I got the Black and White Classic Hand-Spun Shake (£4.95) and to be honest it's too thick for my liking. I asked what it was and they said it was a mix of Vanilla with Chocolate fudge - true enough it was very thick and rich. It's said to be ranked among the best in New York City. I thought it was pretty tasty, but I probably won't order it again with a side of cheesy fries.
Here's a copy of the menu from Shake Shack in London just so you get a comparison. Exchange rate is roughly at PHP 70 per GBP 1.
Overall, I spent around £17.70 on Shake Shack because I kept seeing it on my social media feed and suddenly craved for some burger and fries. That would be around Php 1,240 for a meal which would only cost Php 770 in the Philippines.
Honestly, that's quite steep for a burger especially in the Philippines where you can already enjoy a buffet at that price point or even a Wagyu burger at Raging Bull Burgers that's slightly less expensive and arguably better (I'll write more about that later on). I did read that Shake Shack Philippines is already the third cheapest Shake Shack in the world, so at least we're getting a good deal for quality burgers.
How about you, have you tried Shake Shack yet? Let me know in the comments below.
Further reading you might like:
- Morganfield's Philippines: The Biggest, Juiciest, Fall-Off-The-Bone Pork Ribs Has Arrived!
- Applebee's Grill & Bar: There's Always A Reason To Celebrate
- Gringo: Terrific Mexican and Latin American Flavors That's Taking Metro Manila by Storm
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Cheers,
Chef Jay
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