While we do try to avoid mega national chains when writing these reviews, it would be remiss of us to ignore the massive presence of Shake Shack. It still doesn’t have the uber-corporate vibe of a McDonalds or Burger King – rather, Shake Shack carries the air of a discerning burger chain a la In-N-Out or Five guys.
That mentality is certainly how it all got started – Shake Shack began as a hotdog cart in New York, as a means to raise funds for a public art project.
“As we grew into a global business, our mission to Stand For Something Good expanded to include taking care of our team, sourcing premium ingredients from partners with the same dedication to quality, designing our Shacks responsibly, supporting our communities through donations, events, and volunteering—and much more,” they say online. “Doing good is in our roots, a part of our DNA since day one. 20 years later, we’re still continuing to expand and evolve our mission to Stand For Something Good in everything we do.”
Our last visit to Shake Shack was the Downtown Culver City location that, since our review, has closed. We take no responsibility, though it is a terrible shame. This time though, we went to the other location at Westfield.
Whereas last time we had the limited-availability Korean BBQ Burger, on this occasion we wanted to try something a little more year-round. With that in mind, we opted for the Avocado Bacon Chicken Sandwich, but we switched the bread for a lettuce wrap because all of that bread sounded way too heavy for a super-hot Saturday afternoon.
“??Crispy chicken breast with freshly sliced avocado, applewood-smoked bacon, shredded lettuce, pickles, buttermilk herb mayo,” is how the sandwich is described on the menu and that’s factually correct but it doesn’t do the combo of flavors justice.
It needs pointing out that, minus the bread bun, the sandwich is a bit of a mess to hold. A logistical nightmare, if you will. But that’s hardly their fault. There’s no way a leaf can replace bread in the sturdiness stakes.
Taste-wise, it’s a roaring success. The chicken is juicy and succulent, and breaded to crisp perfection. The bacon is salty and full of pork flavor. The avocado offers a rich, soft element, and the mayo brings all of the flavors together.
The Shake Shack hasn’t let us down yet, and we wager that it never will.
Shake Shack is located at 6000 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City 90230. Visit shakeshack.com.