Review - U.S. Burger Chain Shake Shack now has first Thailand location open at CentralWorld

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

 

 

The first Thailand outpost of the U.S. burger chain Shake Shack opened at Bangkok's CentralWorld about a month ago, to much fanfare and long lines, as often occurs with many newbie import dining options offered here (Krispy Kreme and Taco Bell being past examples of the same). But I wasn't gonna go and stand in line for an hour or two to order a hamburger in Bangkok.

 

So the wife and I waited until today to head on over to CentralWorld to try Shake Shack here for the first time, and were pleasantly surprised to find that the long lines were gone by now, at least on this Sunday afternoon. The Shake Shack location at CentralWorld is on the ground floor at the far back end of the mall, in the general area where the former Japanese department store/grocery store used to be.

 

Although I'm a big fan of burgers, I've been here long enough to have never eaten at a Shake Shack in the United States, so I can't compare the Bangkok offering with those back in the U.S.  But I have eaten hamburgers from most if not all of the well-known burger places in Bangkok at one time or another, and with that as background, I came away from our first visit to Shake Shack here not displeased, but also not particularly excited or impressed.

 

 

Their main menu item is the Shack Burger for 230b as shown above. Not a bad burger at all. The bun was quite soft. The beef pattie itself was modest in size (they don't indicate the weight in grams) and tasted OK (with no funky Thai ground beef aftertaste). But it came with only few toppings, a slice of cheese, two small tomato slices and one lonely leaf of lettuce. Nothing wrong with it in particular, though personally I would have liked a bigger pattie (they do have a double pattie option for a higher price, 340b I think) and some onions or pickles and or some crisp, more robust lettuce. But none of the latter was on offer.

 

They had crinkle cut fries on offer for 110b per order, again, nothing special or much different than what you might cook at home from a grocery store freezer bag. The wife and I also each ordered one of their milk shakes for 190b each, mine coffee and hers chocolate, and for me, those were the best parts of the meal. Smooth and creamy, not too thick and not too thin, OK to drink thru a straw, nice taste and flavor. I'd come back for the shakes, but the wife and I agreed, not likely we'd be rushing to come back for the burgers or fries.

 

All in all, I had a hard time figuring out why Thais lined up out the door for this place when it first opened at the end of March. And I guess not surprisingly, most of the customers around us Sunday during our visit were either Thais or other Asians, with just a few farangs spotted. But for my farang burger palate, I continue to like the Prime Burger and Easy Burger offerings in Bangkok as superior choices to the burgers we had from Shake Shack today, not only for the burgers themselves, but also for the much wider and diverse range of burger offerings that the other two local burger purveyors offer on their menus.

 

I've got a trip back to the U.S. coming up soon, so perhaps I'll make a point to check out a Shake Shack back in the states to see how it compares with the one here. Or perhaps even more likely, I'll make a point of stopping by a local In-N-Out Burger to give them a try as an alternative, since it's been a few years since I've had a Double Double burger there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[still kicking]

Does the US have any decent food?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 minute ago, still kicking said:

Does the US have any decent food?

Depends on if you like hamburgers!  ????

 

But seriously, you don't know food in the U.S. if you need to ask that question.

 

[StayinThailand2much]

7 minutes ago, still kicking said:

Does the US have any decent food?

Steaks?

[tgw]

I hope they won't price themselves out of the market like Taco Bell

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 minute ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Steaks?

You can get very good (and expensive) steaks in the U.S.

 

But for me, the best thing about food in America (and I'm not talking about fast food, but rather, dining food) is the diversity and quality of what's on offer if you want it.

 

I grew up in the Los Angeles area, and because of its population diversity, you could find quality dining options from virtually every and any ethnicity in the world. Sushi as good or better than what you'd get in Japan (think Nobu-Matsuhisa), Southern Barbecue, Mexican, Korean, Thai, and many more, often from very cutting-edge chefs.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 minutes ago, tgw said:

I hope they won't price themselves out of the market like Taco Bell

The Taco Bell Thailand killers for me were...

 

1. when they never offered refried beans / frijoles as any part of their Thai menu, and

 

2. sometime after opening, they ended up dropping the pulled pork option they originally had as a meat filling, leaving mostly only chicken offerings (and a few things with what I considered very lousy so-called "beef."

 

[Scott]

Trolling photos removed.  

 

 

[steven100]

There are several burger joints along Sukhumvit up past Asoke intersection heading outwards ....  there's a recent new one on the left just past Villa market where Subway use to be ....  and there's a couple further up.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 minutes ago, steven100 said:

There are several burger joints along Sukhumvit up past Asoke intersection heading outwards ....  there's a recent new one on the left just past Villa market where Subway use to be ....  and there's a couple further up.

 

I think one of those, the one close to Villa market, is either a new Prime Burger or Easy Burger location.  I saw it getting ready to open some weeks back.

 

[sqwakvfr]

On 4/30/2023 at 10:05 PM, tgw said:

I hope they won't price themselves out of the market like Taco Bell

Been there twice in the last 2 months and I live in Chiang Mai.  Cheeseburger, fires and a coke was 405 baht.  I think it is more in the US.  So far this has been the best burger I have had in LOS.  Thai beef just does not agree with me.  

[tgw]

8 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

Been there twice in the last 2 months and I live in Chiang Mai.  Cheeseburger, fires and a coke was 405 baht.  I think it is more in the US.  So far this has been the best burger I have had in LOS.

Domino's pizza has opened in Pattaya, I thought I'd give them a try.

 

They are currently selling their pizza at huge discounts, maybe 45% off or something, so I tried. It was meh, but for 260 baht including delivery I felt like at least I had not been robbed.

Then I saw that they intend to sell that same pizza for 499 baht later.

Cheeseburger fries and coke for 405 ... okay. if it's a good cheeseburger.

From the pictures above I'd say I do better in my own kitchen, and they can't beat my burger sauce ???? haha
 

[spidermike007]

On 4/30/2023 at 9:54 PM, still kicking said:

Does the US have any decent food?

Yes. The US has some astonishingly good food. World class Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and a myriad of other types of food. Very high quality, farm to table food, top quality wild caught seafood, great grilled meats, and food made with organic produce, and high end ingredients. Also world class wine lists, and somms who really know their wine, which is nearly impossible to find here, at any price.

 

The caveat is you have to pay for it. Restaurants in the US have skyrocketed in price, and the really good stuff is very expensive now. Friends of mine pay $85 for a steak. I know a guy who ordered a BLT from a local restaurant in Sonoma, and had it delivered. $64! And there is very little good Thai food in the US. Very little. Nearly all of it is mediocre, at best.

 

Lastly, America is one of the best places in the world to source great wine. You can find wine from all over the world, the duty is very low, and there are dozens of great wine auction sites to take advantage of.

 

Anyone asking if there is good food in the US has either never been there, or has not been there in the past 40 years or so, was on an extreme budget and ate in the wrong spots, with the wrong crowd.

[mikeymike100]

On 4/30/2023 at 10:07 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

You can get very good (and expensive) steaks in the U.S.

 

But for me, the best thing about food in America (and I'm not talking about fast food, but rather, dining food) is the diversity and quality of what's on offer if you want it.

 

I grew up in the Los Angeles area, and because of its population diversity, you could find quality dining options from virtually every and any ethnicity in the world. Sushi as good or better than what you'd get in Japan (think Nobu-Matsuhisa), Southern Barbecue, Mexican, Korean, Thai, and many more, often from very cutting-edge chefs.

 

You are absolutely correct, I have lived in LA and Chicago and its the choice of different kinds of food that make it so good!

[sqwakvfr]

21 minutes ago, tgw said:

Domino's pizza has opened in Pattaya, I thought I'd give them a try.

 

They are currently selling their pizza at huge discounts, maybe 45% off or something, so I tried. It was meh, but for 260 baht including delivery I felt like at least I had not been robbed.

Then I saw that they intend to sell that same pizza for 499 baht later.

Cheeseburger fries and coke for 405 ... okay. if it's a good cheeseburger.

From the pictures above I'd say I do better in my own kitchen, and they can't beat my burger sauce ???? haha
 

499?  Last trip to LA I ordered a medium pepperoni from the local Dominos and it was $7.99 for the carry out special.  

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

Been there twice in the last 2 months and I live in Chiang Mai.  Cheeseburger, fires and a coke was 405 baht.  I think it is more in the US.  So far this has been the best burger I have had in LOS.  Thai beef just does not agree with me.  

 

The burger I had a Shake Shack at CW in BKK ranks nowhere close to any of the best burgers I've had in Bangkok or in the U.S. IMHO, it was an OK but otherwise unexceptional offering.

 

Will Shake Shack end up fizzling out the way fellow U.S. import ventures IHOP, Outback Steakhouse, Tony Roma's, and Carl's Jr. did? Or will it end up struggling on like Taco Bell and Krispy Kreme have?

 

Shake Shack announced pretty ambitious expansion plans for Thailand in the years ahead. But frankly, for numerous reasons, I just don't see that as very likely.

 

 

 

[sqwakvfr]

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

The burger I had a Shake Shack at CW in BKK ranks nowhere close to any of the best burgers I've had in Bangkok or in the U.S. IMHO, it was an OK but otherwise unexceptional offering.

 

Will Shake Shack end up fizzling out the way fellow U.S. import ventures IHOP, Outback Steakhouse, Tony Roma's, and Carl's Jr. did? Or will it end up struggling on like Taco Bell and Krispy Kreme have?

 

Shake Shack announced pretty ambitious expansion plans for Thailand in the years ahead. But frankly, for numerous reasons, I just don't see that as very likely.

 

 

 

I have also had Shake Shack in Kuwait and Seoul.  They announced big plans but as I far I know Kuwait still has the single location that opened over 10 years ago and in S. Korea they have 25.  S. Korea historically has embraced most American Food Chains. I am pretty sure BKK will have one Shake Shack.  Shake Shack plans on opening in Kuala Lumpur in 2024.  I have always been an In N Out guy and I will have another Double Double in a few months.  For my taste the burger patties in Thailand have never been to my liking. I can tell the beef at McDonalds in Thailand is imported.  Not a McD fan but I can tolerate the meat at the Golden Arches.  

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, sqwakvfr said:

For my taste the burger patties in Thailand have never been to my liking. I can tell the beef at McDonalds in Thailand is imported.  Not a McD fan but I can tolerate the meat at the Golden Arches.  

 

As an American, I too have often found that general Thai ground beef often seems to have some kind of funky odd taste to it that I don't care for.

 

That said, there also are various places here that use either Thai French beef or their own custom grounds of other Thai beef that to my taste have been very good and without the funky odd taste found elsewhere.

 

Curiously, I was looking earlier today just to make sure that Carl's Jr. had totally exited Thailand, which they indeed have. And one of the reasons the Thai franchisee gave for their exit was the requirement by the master franchise holder that the Thai operation had to use imported beef, which was more expensive than locally available options.

 

That said, I believe the Thai branches of Burger King claim to use ground beef imported from Australia. I've never found the taste of their beef patties to be antything special, but at least, it doesn't seem to have any odd taste like some Thai offerings do.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, sqwakvfr said:

I have also had Shake Shack in Kuwait and Seoul.

How did the SS's there compare to the one in BKK in terms of taste and the food offerings themselves...?

 

I had thought about trying a SS in the U.S. for the first time during a recent trip back, just to have a basis for comparison to BKK.... but didn't get around to it, with other dining priorities winning out... including a chili burger from an OK imitation of the original Tommy's burgers in L.A.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just as a beef-related aside, there's an Argentinian steakhouse near EmQuartier in Bangkok called El Toro that offers some pretty expensive Churrascaria (a kind of all you want meats buffet sliced to order).

 

However, they also have a pretty broad menu of both U.S. and Australian steaks available as standard dinners. And right now and for some time now, meals ordered from them via FoodPanda by PandaPro members get an extra 20% off their regular FP delivery prices, which seem to be less than their regular dine-in prices.

 

In short, the wife and I recently ordered 250g steaks from them, mine a New Zealand ribeye and the wife's an Australian sirloin, that both were excellent. Hers came with rice and fried onions as sides. Mine came with a full-sized baked potato with butter and sour cream. We ordered a third steak as an extra, and our total bill for the three steak meals came to under 2,000 baht total, which was great.

 

 

https://eltoroasia.com/

 

That averages out to about $20 U.S. per steak dinner at 250 grams / about 9 ounces.

 

By comparison, on my recent U.S. trip, I had a 12 ounce prime rib dinner from Stuart Anderson's Black Angus that ran about $34 U.S. (PS, in the photo below, I asked for them to cook it "blackened" on the exterior with Cajun spices.)

 

 

  Between the two, although I very much like prime rib, I'd say the New Zealand ribeye from El Toro was a better steak.

 

[sqwakvfr]

9 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

How did the SS's there compare to the one in BKK in terms of taste and the food offerings themselves...?

 

I had thought about trying a SS in the U.S. for the first time during a recent trip back, just to have a basis for comparison to BKK.... but didn't get around to it, with other dining priorities winning out... including a chili burger from an OK imitation of the original Tommy's burgers in L.A.

 

In both Kuwait and in Seoul the taste was the same.  I do recall in both Kwuait and Seoul a  cheeseburger,fries and a coke were over $15.  

[HappyExpat57]

Best burger in Thailand is at The No Name Bar in Kanchanaburi.

[KhunLA]

13 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Best burger in Thailand is at The No Name Bar in Kanchanaburi.

Have a link for it, as I happen to be in the area.  Search and can't find anything...EXCEPT ... No Name Bar, changed to Triple B Bar, and now 'closed permanently'

TIA

[save the frogs]

It's not that hard to cook a good steak at home.

 

the only reason to be hanging out in ridiculously over-priced steak houses would be to show off your wealth. 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

22 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

It's not that hard to cook a good steak at home.

 

the only reason to be hanging out in ridiculously over-priced steak houses would be to show off your wealth. 

 

 

The only thing that's ridiculous is your comment above...

 

1. No one was talking about "hanging out in ridiculously over-priced steak houses." My comment above was about a discounted rate for home delivery of their food.

 

2. The FoodPanda prices being charged for their steaks are not overpriced, considering that the same kind and size of imported ribeye steak is going to sell for 350b or more in the supermarket, just for the beef alone. Whereas the full meal cooked and delivered price was averaging out at around 700 baht per steak entree.

 

  

 

Then add in a large baked Russet potato, which isn't even available for sale in most supermarkets in Thailand.

 

3. And then when it comes to the alternative of cooking at home... How many folks have a fire grill for properly cooking steaks (as opposed to a gas stove or frying pan) in their condo or apartment?

 

 

[save the frogs]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

1. No one was talking about "hanging out in ridiculously over-priced steak houses." My comment above was about a discounted rate for home delivery of their food.

someone else commented that steakhouses in US are expensive.

 

 

[save the frogs]

3 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

3. And then when it comes to the alternative of cooking at home... How many folks have a fire grill for properly cooking steaks (as opposed to a gas stove or frying pan) in their condo or apartment?

you can get a pretty good steak on a frying pan.

it's not the best way to cook it, but high heat on a frying pan will give it a nice sear. 

 

I eat a lot of meat. I can't afford to go to steakhouses. I don't bother because eating meat is a regular thing for me.

I can't even afford steaks at home daily, so I do mostly ground beef (or chicken). 

 

To each his own. Whatever gets you thru the night. 

 

[3NUMBAS]

whoa more fat locals coming to you soon 

[3NUMBAS]

9 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

someone else commented that steakhouses in US are expensive.

 

 

but you get a  humogous slab of   meat you cant finish

[save the frogs]

2 minutes ago, 3NUMBAS said:

but you get a  humogous slab of   meat you cant finish

you tryin' to get my blood pressure up or what?

 

this mult-millionaire ahole invited me out to a fancy steakhouse once.

 

and he took a few bites and just left the rest of that steak on his plate.

 

that drives me nuts man. an animal sacrificed its life and people take 2 bites and leave the rest.