Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Burger 365 asks "You're joking, right?" Nope. I think the Maui is truly excellent and beats In N' Out by a mile. Great beef taste, bun to meat ratio is perfect, toppings fresh and perfectly proportioned and the endless fries are great. They are freshly cut, they use a double dipped cooking method...first to blanch, the second to crisp and the overall dining experience is excellent. Different strokes for different folks.

sticky wicket says "try "Islands"...great burgers, excellent fries. In n' Out is good, Islands is better."

You're joking, right?

Never having eaten at Shake Shack but having seen the name mentioned a thousand times in foodie circles, I had no idea that it was even remotely on the same playing field as In-N-Out, with which I am very familiar. To me, In-N-Out is where you grab a burger when you need a quick meat fix on the road but would rather starve than stoop to the McDonalds / BK / Wendys / CarlsJr / JackInTheBox / etc. level of fast food mass crappiness. There is no magic to an In-N-Out burger. I guess this means I'd find nothing special about Shake Shack's either. Oh well. Thanks for enlightening me.

lol@the level of violence behind a much beloved burger spot! he has an opinion, its ok to express it folks, we all dont have to agree! lol lol@jeffsayyes wow,....

What's that saying? "Opinions are like @$$holes, we all have one"?

But seriously, to each their own. You like what you like for whatever reason. I happen to like Shake Shack. I've eaten burgers all over and I still come back to the Shack when that craving hits. Line or no line. It is one of very few places I would line up at.

I do like the In-n-Out burger but I like Shake Shack more. It's a juicier, tastier blend of meat. I wish I could pay In-n-Out prices but then the line would be even longer. I love a nice juicy burger with lots of flavor. Its almost like complaining your steak leaves juices on the plate.

The long wait is a pain I grant you that but Shack fans learn the best times to go. And of course the Shack cam helps if you're in the neighborhood. Personally I love to go when there's a snowstorm. Enjoy my burger and shake with fellow Shack fans.

I dont know how many places he went to as NYC has plenty of substance when it comes to food. If he only went to foofoo hyped up places then sure, but that's the same for any city.

Who gets 90mins for lunch,plus getting there and back??

Wish I could get to the Shack...the pics and stories make my mouth go into water mode.....

A person from California saying that NYC is all style and no substance....wow. Is this like a New Yorker going to Miami when it's 70 degrees and saying "boy, its cold here"? Or maybe a New Yorker going to Chicago and complaining about the "huge crowds and mobs of tourists"?
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

1) you had it once
2) you waited 90 minutes

i can't take anyone who factors the wait into their evaluation seriously, it tells me their opinion is biased by elements of the experience that have nothing to do with the food.

Funny...

You know the old saying: "everyone is entitled to their own opinion". I haven't tried Shake Shack (haven't made it back that far east lately) although its on my list and I AM A CALIFORNIA GIRL originally and have an admoration for In-N-Out (as well as some others). For this "round" I'd say there isnt a clear cut winner - but again opinions are opinions, we all have one!

I've had in-out, regular style, animal style, along with most of the NY places in the same price range as SS in NYC....and some more expensive places as well (DB Bistro Fois Gras Short Rib burger for example). None hold a candle to the decadence that SS's Shack Stack offers. Even the Double Stack, or the Double Burger are delicious. Texture-wise, it's perfect for me. Amount of cheese....perfect. Amount of salt, perfect. Amount of butter on the bun, probably too much for some, but perfect for me. I love how this blog, if it's a slow day, will post reader comments to stimulate conversations. It's essentially promoting a troll/flame war...which is a great way to get hits/reads without any new content. It's like Slashdot posting a story about a reader things that Windows Vista is secure. But it works.

"5. Hour wait to order.
6. 30 min wait to pick up."

I do so love being smart enough to go off peak when there is not much of a line or a wait. anyone who waits an hour and a half, or an hour... or arguably a half IS a sucker. The rest of us will continue to out fox the lines and waits (not to difficult).

sidenote: best chance of getting the best representation of the product when the servers are not slammed makes that strategy even smarter.

1. Mushy
2. Soggy.
3. Juice collects in wax baggy and hands are covered.
4. Oversalted.
5. Hour wait to order.
6. 30 min wait to pick up.

Does it taste good? yes. Does it taste amazing? no. Is it worth the money and the wait? no.