I first featured burger restaurant, ShakeShack (based in St David’s Shopping Centre, Cardiff) on my blog back in January of this year, shortly after the launch of their first restaurant outside of London in the Welsh capital (see my previous post on ShakeShack here).
Known best for their juicy, American-style burgers and crunchy, crinkle-cut fries, ShakeShack Cardiff appears to be just as popular today as it was when it first launched in December 2015 – and that’s something that I don’t think can be said for many of Cardiff’s numerous burger bars (the recent news that Burger and Lobster is moving to smaller premises springs to mind). If I was asked to choose the best place in Cardiff for a burger, ShakeShack would definitely be among my top five suggestions; along with the likes of Got Beef and The Grazing Shed.
So, being a big ShakeShack fan, you can imagine my excitement when they invited me back a few weeks ago to try out their new take on the traditional Yard Burger, which has been given a makeover just in time for summer.
The revamped, limited edition Yard Burger consists of a 100% Aberdeen Angus beef patty, topped with Neal’s Yard Colton Basset Stilton, tangy, house-made pickled red onions, crisp green lettuce and sliced tomato, all wedged between a soft burger bun. The burger was meaty and well-seasoned and I loved the addition of the pungent, creamy Stilton cheese, which I had never tried in a burger until now. However, the cheese did become a little overpowering towards the end and so I wouldn’t have minded there being a little less of this in the burger.
We ordered two portions of ShakeShack’s crinkle-cut fries to accompany our burgers, one with cheese (£4) and one without (£3), so that we could compare the two. As soon as we saw the fries, we knew we had a clear winner. The cheesy fries looked absolutely irresistible. In fact, holding back from scoffing them while I took this photo was absolute torture. The cheese wasn’t just your average, run-of-the-mill grated cheddar simply left to melt over the fries; it was authentic American cheese sauce, the kind you get on American nachos. We began to kick ourselves for not ordering two portions of cheesy fries!
ShakeShack’s regular crinkle-cut fries were a warm, golden brown in colour and the crinkle-cut effect definitely added texture and crunch compared to your average fries. However, they just weren’t the same without the cheese sauce; I can’t imagine ordering ShakeShack’s fries without said sauce ever again!
To wash down our burgers and fries, we slurped on frozen custard milkshakes (£5.25 each); a concoction of dense, creamy custard cream blended at high speeds. I ordered a peanut butter milkshake, while my guest went for chocolate (both pictured below).
These were the thickest, creamiest milkshakes we have ever tasted and the flavourings were very subtle – not too obvious, or too sweet – the perfect balance.
If you’re searching for a decent burger in Cardiff, ShakeShack is a great bet. The food tastes fantastic and you can tell that the ingredients are fresh and of a high quality. The only downside is that you do need to be prepared to splash out somewhat; £3 for regular crinkle-cut fries is pretty steep, and when you add on the cost of a burger and a milkshake, you’re looking at a minimum of around £14 per head.
ShakeShack Cardiff
St. David’s Dewi Sant
Upper Grand Arcade
Cardiff CF10 2EF
01923 555173
I was invited to ShakeShack as a guest and our food and drinks were provided complimentary; however, I was not obliged to write a positive review.
Have you ever been to your local ShakeShack? What’s your favourite burger?
The food looks delcious I’ve never been to a shakeshack but would love to.
Ooh, it’s well worth a visit. If you like burgers and fries, you’re bound to love it here!
The crinkle-cut fries look so good right now especially with the sauce. Got me hungry x
Me too, my stomach rumbles just reading back over my review hehe.
Shake Shack is so popular in Los Angeles, but I still haven’t been. There is always a 2 hour wait in line! I must go soon. Your pictures are making me so hungry! haha
xoxo, Candice
Wow, a 2 hour wait?! That’s crazy. I’ve never seen the queue that big here in Cardiff.
Shake shack is my favourite, I love their burgers. And I am so glad you had the cheese fries as they’re the best x
I can’t get over how good the cheesy fries are – I would go back just for those! 😀
Those cheese sauce fries look amazing – what a tasty dish!
That cheese sauce really made these fries – I couldn’t get enough of it!
Wow the food looks delicious. I like the fact look of the milkshakes.
I know what you mean, cheese and chips is so comforting!
Oh my gosh, this all sounds amazing! I would pretty much kill for those cheesy fries right now <3
They are delicious!
It all looks so delicious, real comfort food, would love to try those chips.
I really want to go here, as the fries look amazing! I just wish they had one in Manchester!
Aww, the fries are really good, especially with that cheesy sauce all over them!
I’ve been meaning to try the Shake Shack in London for ages as I don’t think we have one anywhere near here yet. This looks LUSH!
I love Shake Shack – highly recommend a visit to your local branch 🙂
Looks like amazing food and those milkshakes look very nice too 🙂
Thanks. They tasted just as good 😉
We have one in Stratford near me! To be honest I would go just for the cheesy chips and peanut butter milkshake! Yum x
oh, you should definitely pay them a visit for a treat! They sound like good choices. If you’re not too hungry, skipping on the burger will save you a fair few pounds!
WOW, I wish there was one of those near me, those chips look insanely good and I love milkshake so I am totally down 😀 x
Hehe, you’d love it here then. Fries and milkshake to die for!
My friends have told me about Shake Shack, I’d love to pay them a visit.
I’m sure you’d love it!
I have always wanted to go to Shake Shack – always hear good things!
I am sure you’d love it, you should go check them out 😀 And make sure you order those cheesy fries – they are essential, trust me!
I’ve always wanted to go to the Shake Shack! Those fries look delicious 🙂
You won’t be disappointed! Those cheesy fries are the highlight of my experience whenever I go.
Those shakes look amazing I love a good burger too x
The shakes are lovely – so filling, too. And of course, the burgers were delish as well 😀