First Bites Reviews: Shake Shack

SHAKE SHACK, BATTERY PARK CITY: 215 Murray Street, NY, NY

This is basically New York's version of In-N-Out... except it is not. Shake Shack is a bit more urban and it stands apart in the burger arena by using a proprietary burger that’s vegetarian fed and humanely raised. Cooked-to-order burgers are topped with fresh ingredients and served on a non-GMO roll. They also make their own custard ice cream that is full of REAL sugar and the most important part of this chain....they serve ALCOHOL. Uh huh. So go ahead and order your kid cocaine that comes in the form of a brownie, custard concrete...it doesn't matter, because you will be sipping on your wine and all will be right in the world. 

How disruptive will my kids be?
They won't be! At least at this particular location. There are 14 total all over the city.  There were kids EVERYWHERE and you had to try really hard to NOT bump into a stroller. They also sell a boat load of ice cream and blizzard-like concoctions. All this means is that you get a lot of sugared up lunatics under 4 feet tall running around. And no one bats an eye. 

Can I bring a stroller into the restaurant?
Yes and no. We pulled ours up to the outside table as you can see in the video and it wasn't impeding anything or anyone. The inside is a bit more cramped, so during busy times (basically all the time) it might be hard to wedge up your stroller to a table. That being said, I did just that when Jenson was three months old and it did create a bit of a blockage in the aisle. But I must've had that brand new mom look (read: I looked like four semis pummeled into me) that noone dared tell me to fold it down. This time around, I noticed most families left the stroller outside the restaurant in the makeshift stroller parking garage. 

Does the restaurant cater to kids in any way?
Yes. The entire menu is basically based off of what an 8-year-old would want to eat daily. There are no kid options though....which is a bit of a bummer, because they probably won't finish the burger. Granted, what I like about this spot is that the portions are not ginormous but I am talking from an adult perspective. They have changing stations in the coed bathrooms. A really fun vibe and the place is a fast, casual spot....so you and your impatient toddler will get the food quickly and be on your merry way.  

How early does the restaurant start serving dinner? 
This particular location opens at 11AM and goes strong until 11:00PM

Are there food options for allergic kids?
Shake Shack links to an allergen sheet on its website. It has symbols for every item of food and what potential allergies could be triggered. It is pretty freaking awesome. 

Rating? 4.5 Bites
Why? Shake Shack ticks a lot of kid-friendly boxes. And even better, it ticks a lot of adult-friendly boxes. This is not your typical burger joint. It feels more sophisticated and the food is really good. If I were a kid, I would really want to eat here every.single.day. I mean, I'm an adult and I won't tell you how often I crave Shake Shack. My biggest complaint is that there is no kid menu or no opportunity to order mini versions of popular items. The food is not the cheapest and there is nothing worse than looking at your kid's burger with two bites in it and willing yourself not to finish it. But in the end you must....because what a waste of a perfectly good burger that would be.