Houston welcomes "The Shake Shack"

On  November 4th 2016, Houston welcomed it's very first Shake Shack.

I was very excited and pleased to see that Houston was opening its very first Shake Shack. Now I haven’t been to a Shake Shack in another city, but I have heard different people talk about how good the burgers and shakes were. A local food blog I follow called: Urban Swank, posted about their soft opening the night before the grand opening, which was on November 4^th, and that’s when I knew I had to be there for the grand opening. Being the foodie that I am I changed my plans for the day to accommodate going to this new Houston establishment, and boy oh boy, I wasn’t the only one who made some plans to attend.  

I knew this was going to be big, when I arrived at The Galleria Mall, to find a roped entrance to get into line to get into the restaurant. I was maybe #50 in line, but I politely and patiently waited for my turn. As I was waiting, crew members came around and brought everyone menus and also a sample of their “Shake of the Day” which this day it was Custard. There was a high energy buzzing around in the atmosphere and everyone seemed very excited to be there, both employees and customers alike. In line with me was the likes of the Houston Fire Dept, Corporate America workers, people working in the mall on their lunch breaks, foodies, and passer byers. All waiting in line to see what the hype is about. Finally after about 45 minutes I was at the front of the line ordering my food.

As I waited, I stopped and took time to enjoy the ambiance that The Shack had to offer. The atmosphere of The Shack invites a congregational conversation with its galley style tables and chairs and open floor plan. In the air is the sounds of chitter chatter amongst the patrons, but not too loud of a noise to disturb you if you are eating alone.  The architectural structure of the lighting in the restaurant gives the feel of a swanky downtown hotel restaurant feel  with a casual and inviting ease at the same time.

Now for the important part: The Food!!! After about 5-7 minutes after placing my order my buzzer was going off and my food was ready. The food was amazing, I had the Shack Burger, with their cheese fries, their house made lemonade and of course……..A Shake (strawberry to be exact).  I was very well pleased with all of the items that I received. The Shack Burger was very juicy and holstered between 2 pieces of lightly buttered soft but crispy Ciabatta Buns. The cheese fries were like none that I have ever tasted before,  at first sight of it, I didn’t think that it would be that great, but oh man, when I tasted it, I was hooked instantly. Their house made lemonade was de-li-cous! The shake that I had was very top of the line, premium cream used, fresh strawberries, and a consistency that just seemed to evaporate in my mouth.

All of the items here are a la carte, and they do not come as combos. I spent close to $20 for lunch (which was well worth it), you may not be able to lunch/dinner here all of the time, but you can definitely treat yourself once a month. Hope to see you there!!!

The Shake Shack is located inside of the Galleria Mall on the 2^nd floor across from The Cheesecake Factory.