James A.
Yelp
Continues to be a great place for burgers, fries, and shakes, all with a monumental view of the pacific ocean. It is right off the pacific coast highway, with an easy entrance into their one lane parking lot going south. It probably has enough spots for 15 cars or so, and you really shouldn't wait blocking traffic while waiting for spot to open up. In the past, we've gone in hoping for a spot, and if not, we move onto somewhere else.
On this Wednesday afternoon, while visiting the nearby Marriott Newport Coast Villas, we wanted to show our future in-laws this burger shack that my family has enjoyed. Luckily, my wife found a parking spot.
It is a walk-up, where you order and pay first. Your number then gets called out over the intercom, at which point, you pick up your food from the beverage window or the nearby food window. I ended up ordering two shakes (one strawberry and one vanilla, each $8.99) and two baskets of french fries ($5.99).
The shakes were ready almost immediately. Both were topped with a maraschino cherry and real whipped cream. The strawberry one was excellent. The fries came later: shoestring and deep fried well. It was a large amount and our group of four couldn't even finish one of them. There is a condiment bar around the corner from the windows, as well as a cold water jug to get complementary ice water.
We managed to get some bar-type seating overlooking the Crystal Cove Beach and the Pacific Ocean. Even though it looks like it, you can't take any trails or stairs to go down there....the entrance to the beach is via the entrance to the state park further north.
Crystal Cove Shake Shack really is a place to stop-in for a burger and shake if near the area. The views make it worthwhile.