Shake Shack Beirut: A burgerlicious experience

Shake Shack opened its first branch in Lebanon at Beirut City Center on September 14th, and given our interest in delicious burgers, we were one of the first to try it out.

The wait is over, Shake Shack has finally made it to Beirut and Lebanon can now enjoy its delicious authentic American burgers.

To those of you who have no idea what we are talking about, here’s what you need to know about Shake Shack: it’s a restaurant chain that serves hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, milkshakes, frozen custard and similar foods.
The chain currently has twenty restaurants in the United States, eight of them in New York City. Additionally, there are ten international locations, including London and Beirut.

On September 20th, the BelleBeirut team was invited to Shake Shack’s housewarming party at Beirut City Center’s terrace.

The place was packed, the mood was great and the food was delicious.

Needless to say, the setup of Shake Shack Beirut sticks to the chain’s international standards. If you’ve ever been to Shake Shack NYC you’ll be happy to know it’s not that different from the one that just opened in Beirut.
The epic waiting queue (the food is well worth the wait), the wooden table with the Shake Shack logo, the themed concretes, the Shake Shack anthem (sang by the staff) and the wonderful mood.

Atmosphere and setup ♦♦♦♦♦
The four place bench tables are made out of wood and are very comfortable for a two hour relaxing lunch or dinner. The rest of the tables are equally comfortable (an assumption we made based on the amount of time people spent on their tables).

The setup is quite spacious, you can move back and forth from the counter to your table very easily even when the place is packed.

The table we sat on was very clean, and we were immediately greeted by a staff member who asked us if we needed any extra chairs.

The atmosphere inside the restaurant was amazing, and what distinguishes Shake Shack from most similar food chains is the staff’s motivation and omnipresence. This brings the whole place alive and makes you feel really welcome.

The food♦♦♦♦♦
We were served the ShackBurger (Cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato and Shacksauce), ShroomBurger (Veggie burger), the ShackBurger (ShroomBurger with Cheese), and a regular Hamburger.

The meat in each burger (except the Veggie one of course) were cooked to perfection, the beef was not frozen, and the fries were deliciously crunchy. The buns were fresh, soft and tasty, which made the burgers burgerlicious!

We also split a cheese hot dog, which wasn’t my favorite (I’m no fan of hot dogs :-)), and for desert we enjoyed vanilla and chocolate cones.

Our meals (for 5, including soft drinks) were on the table in under 7 minutes, and the waiter immediately told us which ingredients were in each of the plates (so yes they know their food).

The presentation was very neat, the burgers were wrapped in branded paper and the fries were served in medium sized carton plates.

The Service ♦♦♦♦♦
Shake Shack Beirut’s service was amazing. BelleBeirut’s table was visited by no less than five waiters all of whom were constantly making sure we had everything we need.

The manager was super friendly and made sure he granted the eccentric fantasies and wishes of every single member of the BelleBeirut team.

Value ♦♦♦♦♦
Shake Shack Beirut’s prices are reasonable compared to the sizes of the meals and the pricing of other restaurant chains with similar food already in Lebanon.

So basically it is great value for the quality and quantity of food. We recommend it for a night out with friends or family or a delicious quick lunch every day of the week.