When the world-famous burger joint Shake Shack first opened in Saudi Arabia, it aptly chose Jeddah as its entry point to the Kingdom, as it was greeted by hordes of hungry and excited Shack fans who didnt mind waiting for hours in the queue for a burger! (Yes, there are YouTube videos available online as a testimony to that!)

Shake Shack is an American pop culture icon, famous for its classic burgers along with its frozen custard concretes. The restaurant started out as a food cart inside Madison Square Park in 2000, and its popularity steadily grew. It eventually moved to a stand within the park, expanding its menu from New York-style hamburgers to one with hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and its namesake milkshakes. Shake Shack has outlets in a number of international cities including London, Istanbul, Moscow and Dubai.

Located in Le Mall on the Tahlia Street, the KSA Shack comprises expansive glass walls, multiple levels and a winding interior stair case, all done up stylishly.

Ordering food shouldn’t take much time because the menu is a. single page, and b. available online and Shack lovers are likely to be familiar with it.

A look at the menu and I realize this place is for hard-core burger fans who love meat and fat. Not everyone likes beef so the absence of chicken or lamb meat burger options was disappointing. Moreover, a mushroom burger is not a good idea as the only vegetarian burger on the menu, because not all vegetarians eat mushroom.

We chose Double Shack Cheeseburgers (SR 40 while singles are SR 25), normal fries (SR 13) and soft drinks. I realized it was silly of me to ask for fresh juice as this was a burger joint, not a breakfast place!

Ordering takes a couple of minutes and we were told the food would be ready in seven minutes and so it was.

All their burgers are made from Angus beef, except the Shroom Burger, which is crisp fried portobello mushroom filled with melted muenstar and cheddar cheeses, topped with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce. We did not try it but I have heard quite a few good things about this burger.

Fresh, juicy and perfectly cooked, that’s how i would describe my burger. I could feel the flavors oozing out of each bite of the patty. However, there is one another way of describing the burger patty — a greasy mass of meat. It is topped with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce, and comes with ketchup and mustard. The bun was perfectly toasted and the burger to bun ratio was just perfect.

The crinky fries are decent and certainly my more favorite part of the meal. The menu claims the fries are 100 percent free of artificial trans fat and contain 25 percent less fat than average fries.

After such a heavy meal, we didn’t feel like trying out their concretes, which are dense frozen custard blended shakes. These included varieties such as Shack Attack (chocolate), Strawberry Banana Trifle, and the locally customized Tahlia Treat (chocolate and peanut butter), and Arabian Coffee Crunch, each for SR 21. You can also design your own concretes with a wide range of sauces and purees.

The Shake Shack burger’s less famous cousin is its hot dog. There is the Shack-cago Hot Dog, which is an all-beef hot dog served with Ricks’ Picks Shack relish, onion, cucumber, pickle, tomato, sport pepper, celery salt and mustard. The New York Style Hot Dog and Cheese Hot Dog are two other options for hot dog lovers.

The restaurant is neat and clean and I would give full points to the staff, who are both cheerful as well as helpful.

It’s not a place that I would visit frequently or anytime soon again as, let’s admit it, this is artery-clogging food, and I would rather stay away. Also, the menu doesn’t boost of much variety — only two burger options of beef and mushroom, limited toppings and not many sauces.

But if you’re a true burger fan and like to stick to the basics, then Shake Shack is worth a try.

Hours

Sat –Wed, from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.

Thurs, from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.

Fri, from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.

Location: Le Mall, Tahlia Street

Expect to pay: SR 100-150 for two persons.

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