I am very late to hop on the Shake Shack train. In fact, I had my very first Shake Shack experience last summer, in Chicago, a long way from home. I was completely spoiled because there was a Shack on the ground floor of my hotel.
It’s a sad thing that there are no Shake Shacks in New Hampshire. The closest one is in the Burlington Mall in Massachusetts, a good hour’s drive away. It’s not a fun drive, either, which means if you want it you really gonna have to work for it. Update: There is now a Shack in New Hampshire!!
Shake Shack: Burlington Mall
For Christmas, Dave gave me a coupon book of visits to my favorite restaurants, and Shake Shack was the first one in there. On January 3rd, we hit the road! I smashed that order button in the app just as soon as they opened.
We had a hard time actually finding the restaurant within the mall. I knew our order would be ready in 15 minutes, and it took us that whole time just to find the place. It ended up being in an empty far end of the mall where there are no stores, and everything is under construction. I’m sure it will be a nice end of the mall once it’s done, but it was not where I would go looking to find a restaurant. They do have an exterior mall entrance right outside their door, which we didn’t know when we parked the car.
But no matter! Our order was ready and waiting for us and I was thrilled. I decided to be a piglet and get the double Shack Burger because I love that beef so much.
The cheese fries were awesome as well (although the ones I had in Chicago were better). The cheese sauce was a little coagulated but maybe it’s because they had just opened. Still tasted good! I couldn’t find any of those cute wooden forks so I just kind of had to make a mess with my hand.
Downtown Crossing, Boston
I’ve been to this location a couple of times and it’s always mobbed. Probably for this reason, it’s always been the sloppiest Shack I’ve been to, but it still tastes good.
Shake Shack: Chicago Athletic Association
I stayed at the Chicago Athletic Association during my trip to Chicago and it was amazing because there is a Shake Shack right on the ground floor!! It’s apparently the only place in the world where you can get Shake Shack room service. This was actually my very first Shack experience and most memorable. What a beautiful core memory.
Shake Shack: Woburn MA
Recently I got to check out the Shack location in Woburn MA. It’s pretty easy to get there with a nice straight drive down 93. They have a beautiful outdoor patio that would be fantastic in the summer. It was definitely not summer when I went, so the patio was cold and deserted.
Salem NH: Tuscan Village
As of October 2023, New Hampshire now has a Shake Shack!! This brand new location in Tuscan Village is signifcantly closer to me than the ones in Massachusetts. I was first in line on opening day (of course I was), but you can read about that here.
New York: Madison Square Park
No Shack fan would be satisfied until they’ve made the pilgrimage to the OG location in New York’s Madison Square Park. I visited on a beautiful April day in 2023 and got the full experience.
So that makes seven Shake Shack locations I have been to:
- Burlington Mall
- Boston Downtown Crossing
- Woburn MA
- Chicago Athletic Association
- New York-Madison Square Park (the OG)
- Salem NH Tuscan Village
- JFK Airport
My goal is to hit up more! I still haven’t had one of their shakes, so clearly I have important work left to do.
MORE GREAT BURGERS AND SHAKE SHACK
