ShackBurger
The burger that taught a generation of home cooks what a smash burger is supposed to taste like. The patty is pressed thin on the griddle, so you get a crackling brown crust and a juicy middle, then cheese, lettuce, tomato and the tangy ShackSauce on a pillowy potato bun. Order the single first. The double is great, but the single is the one that is perfectly balanced.
The story
The ShackBurger arrived with the permanent kiosk in Madison Square Park in 2004. For years the line to order one stretched across the park at lunchtime, and a webcam let office workers check the queue before walking over. That line is a large part of how a single park stand turned into a company that went public in 2015.
What’s inside
Make it at home
There is no copycat of the ShackBurger yet. Until there is, these recipes on the site come closest to it, judged by what goes into the bun.
- Shares beef, a special sauce and cheese
McDonald's Big Mac (Copycat) - Shares beef and cheese
The Burger Ball Pit - Shares beef and cheese
Zachariah's Shack Burger - Shares beef and cheese
The Krusty Burger
The ShackBurger on YouTube
Everyone who has cooked, copied or taste-tested it on camera.
Similar burgers at other chains
Built around the same things as the ShackBurger.- Ruby's Diner · beef, a special sauce and cheese
SignatureThe Classic - Fatburger · beef, a special sauce and cheese
1000 Island Burger - Peter Pane · beef, a special sauce and cheese
Feige Ziege - Carl's Jr. · beef, a special sauce and cheese
SignatureFamous Star with Cheese
More from Shake Shack
About Shake Shack
Shake Shack began as a hot dog cart in New York’s Madison Square Park in 2001, run by restaurateur Danny Meyer to support an art project in the park. The lines got so long that a permanent kiosk opened there in 2004, and the ShackBurger it sold became one of the most imitated burgers in America.
Hundreds of Shacks across the US, plus locations in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Not affiliated with Shake Shack. Trademarks belong to their owners.