Michael Y.
Yelp
At EWR preparing for a flight heading out of the Tri-State Area, I noticed a location of Shake Shake airside in the terminal as I was walking towards my gate early in the morning. And having been in the New York area, I had not had a visit to Shake Shack a single time. Having been to many of their locations in California, I figured I would try a location on the East Coast and see if we've been missing something on the opposite end of the US.
The menu items were just the same as any of your typical Shake Shack locations with the only difference being the availability of the "Red Eye Shake" which mixed coffee elements into the shake. For this visit, breakfast items were the most popular as I was ordering in the morning. But craving a burger, I decided on a Double Shack Burger ($11.69), an order of Fries ($5.69) and a Strawberry Shake with Whipped Cream ($7.64). With a large group of people waiting before me, my food was ready in about 10 minutes time. This particular location in the airport was special in that there were seats next to the large floor to ceiling windows which allowed me to look onto the runway while I consumed my food.
Looking at price for the amount of food given, everything was pretty similar to Shake Shack locations outside of the airport. Looking at the burger first, it was exactly as you would see elsewhere with two patties, a slice of cheese, a slice of tomato, and a piece of lettuce inside. I believe the tomato and lettuce were larger than what I've seen in other states which was definitely a plus. Moving to the fries next, the tray seemed to be larger in size which allowed for a larger portion of fries. And as for the strawberry shake last, the size seemed as normal. The quantity for all of this food was great in my eyes, especially in an airport where food prices tend to be inflated.
In contrast to the consistent quantity, the food items seemed of higher quality than the other locations I've been to. For one, the tomato and lettuce tasted as fresh as if they were just prepared. But of anything, the patties were crisp and glistening on the perimeter. Each patty was seasoned very well and was full of flavor from the angus beef. Adding the cheese in gave some extra moisture to the beef which made the ingredients melt in the mouth. Moving to try the fries next, they tasted more crispy than other Shake Shack locations which really surprised me. Furthermore, the fries were lightly salted which made them great as a stand-alone snack. For last, the strawberry shake was thick, so much so that it was thicker than the shakes I've had in other locations. The strawberry flavor was prominent in the ice cream put inside. And when stirred in with the whipped cream, I found the shake to taste lighter than otherwise which made the drink taste almost flurry-like. From a taste perspective, I don't think I've had a better experience at a Shake Shack anywhere else.
This certainly isn't my first time at a Shake Shack location. But from all of my previous experiences, none of them have compared to this location at New Jersey's own airport. The price was comparable to other Shake Shack locations, the quality of the food was on par if not better than many of the other locations I've visited, and the dining area was spacious and unique for the most part. If in New Jersey's EWR airport and are looking for a bite to eat, I'd highly recommend this particular Shake Shack location! Great work guys!
