Shake Shack (Chiyoda): Tokyo 2017

Okay, it might seem strange that our first visit to Shake Shack is in Japan. This New York based hamburger chain started out as a simple food cart back in 2004 but has expanded to over 100 locations around the world (and yet none in Vancouver).

Located in the Tokyo International Forum, close to Tokyo Station and Ginza, we really shouldn’t have had much trouble finding this spot… but we’re a bit navigationally-challenged even with GPS. We decided to come here for an early lunch and we were surprised at how large this burger spot is (considering most Japanese restaurants are on the small size). The burgers take a while to come out so they give you a pager so you can sit down while you wait for your order.

We ordered a SmokeShack (880円) which is a cheeseburger topped with applewood smoked bacon, spicy chopped cherry peppers, and shacksauce. We also picked up a ShackBurger (680円) topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and shacksauce. If that wasn’t enough saucy goodness, we also got the Cheese Fries (400円 for small or 600円 for regular).

The burgers were quite meaty and filling (made from 100% ground Angus beef). I wouldn’t say that these were the best burgers that I’ve had before but they are pretty good. Although I’ve always been a fan of crinkle-cut fries, I’d say these were just average (the fries were crisp but a bit hard and fell apart too easily) and the cheese sauce really didn’t do much for me.

We couldn’t come here without ordering a shake so we picked the Strawberry Shake (480円) and paired it with a Blood Orange Lemonade (380円). Overall, I’m happy we tried Shake Shack and this would appeal to people who miss large, fatty, western food.

Tōkyō-to, Chiyoda-ku, Marunouchi, 3 Chome−5−1,
Tokyo International Forum

www.shakeshack.jp