📍Japan, Osaka Namba
An American street burger restaurant from New York 🍔🍟

Shake Shack is a must-try fast-food chain whenever I travel abroad; I've had great experiences at Shake Shacks in Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Osaka, and it's truly one of my favorite burgers.

I didn’t expect to have a bad experience in Osaka, and it was even my first meal in Japan this time 🥹. Plus, I visited this Shake Shack on the first floor of the Daimaru department store last June and had an amazing experience then. I can’t believe that a year later, the quality of this place has significantly declined.

The indoor space is relatively spacious, and if it’s full, you’ll have to wait a little while for a seat. This time, I used the self-service ordering machine, and even though there were plenty of seats available, I waited over 10 minutes for my burger to be made.

🥘
Ordered items:
🍔 Smoke Shake Double (¥1,639):
Smoked bacon with double burger patties.

I don’t know what happened with the seasoning this time, but the burger patties were extremely salty! They didn’t have the usual level of juicy tenderness that the whole burger normally has. Plus, with the cheese and bacon, it turned into an incredibly salty burger with high oiliness 😮.

🥑 Avocado Bacon Chicken (¥1,430):
A burger with avocado and fried chicken thigh.

The chicken thigh I used to have was fresh and juicy, and the crispiness of the bacon would enhance the burger's layers; the avocado flavor also blended well.

However, the chicken thigh I had this time was somewhat dry, and the fried coating was too thick and heavy, making every bite feel like just the fried coating, and it was very salty. I struggled to finish the entire burger.

🥤 Classic Shakes - Black Sesame Small (¥649):
A Japan-exclusive flavor of milkshake.
The milkshake's texture resembled just-melted ice cream, and the sesame flavor gave it a smoothness that made it less sweet (though it was still quite sweet), making it very satisfying to drink!

🍄
Would I revisit? Maybe 🤔
This experience was quite disappointing; it probably won't be a place I’d want to eat at when traveling abroad in the future.

✏️
Note:
🔸 Supports various payment methods

Osaka Shinsaibashi - Shake Shack is claimed to be the best hamburger chain in New York, but there are no branches in Taiwan yet. I happened to have the chance to try it while I was in Osaka! After eating, I honestly felt it was just okay, and since I’m not a fan of fast food, I think it’s overhyped, haha! It seems like the higher the expectations, the bigger the disappointment (?).

📍ShackBurger ¥1012
🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑
The ingredients include a beef patty, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sauce. The bread is spread with something similar to butter, making it slightly sweet and a bit greasy in texture. The beef patty is decent and not too dry, balancing the overall flavor when paired with lettuce and tomato. The portion of the burger is relatively small, costing about 220 NT dollars, which is quite expensive XD.
🔻Critique: The paper bag containing the burger is too thin, and the oil seeps through, leaving my hand all greasy.

Additionally, there’s a sauce station where you can get ketchup and yellow mustard. I made a special sauce to try. I found the yellow mustard a bit salty and not very tasty. The ketchup is just the regular kind.

▶️ Ambiance
🔹The store space is huge, with outdoor and indoor seating, accommodating about 80 people.
🔹You can order using a machine or directly at the counter. After ordering and paying, you’ll get a call number.
🔹After dining, you need to place your tray at the recycling area yourself.

▶️ Overall Evaluation
🔹Some friends in the group ordered fries and milkshakes. The fries are crinkle-cut and quite good, comparable to McDonald's. I took a sip of the milkshake, and it was extremely sweet, way too much for one cup. In short, even if Shake Shack were to open in Taiwan, I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat there since Taiwan has many unique American burger shops, and McDonald's or Burger King's burgers are pretty good too. They really wouldn’t lose to Shake Shack!