I'm surprised I have never reviewed Shake Shack Princeton, since I have eaten there enough times to probably qualify as a very minor shareholder, at least in spirit. If we were being honest, we would call this location Lawrence Township, but honesty is not always the first ingredient in branding. Location, location, location, even for burgers. Getting there by car is an adventure best left to those with a flexible relationship to risk. The turn off Route 1 feels like a wager against fate, and the alternate path through the outer rings of Mercer Mall suggests a quiet exile. Fortunately, the Shake Shack app exists, sparing one from both traffic patterns and insurance claims. This is how I most recently enjoyed my meal, delivered neatly to my workplace for a coworker's birthday lunch, which felt appropriately celebratory. I usually order the Shack Stack, a dependable monument to excess where a burger and a breaded portobello mushroom coexist in harmony. This time, I strayed. I chose the "limited time" K-Shack Fried Chicken Sandwich, which arrived with promises of a spicy sweet sesame gochujang glaze, scallions, and kimchi slaw. The blueprint was sound. In execution, the flavors spoke in a whisper when they should have sung. The kimchi and the sauce both seemed to hold something back, as if saving themselves for another sandwich. I'm sure some focus group told them they liked it spicy, but just corporate spicy. Many people treat Shake Shack as the summit of elevated fast food. I remain a respectful observer rather than a true believer. Still, the food is consistently good, reliably satisfying, and, if you can avoid the drive, all the better. Four stars, because reliability is a virtue, even when geography is a nightmare. read more

Shake Shack Princeton - K-Shack Fried Chicken Sandwich - Fast Food Near Me - Lawrence Township, New Jersey

Really solid experience from start to finish You can tell the food is made fresh -- nothing felt like it was sitting around waiting. The dining area was spotless, from the tables to the condiment station, which I always appreciate. Lots of seating choices inside, plus outdoor options when the weather isn't freezing Parking was a breeze with plenty of space available. A great spot when you want good food, a clean space, and zero hassle. read more

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Stopped by SS today for lunch and decided to try their new Truffle Burger. Definitely tasted the truffle in the sauce they use, but the burger was severely under seasoned (no s&p at the minimum) which is not how I remember SS burgers being in the past, and wasn't really smashed and seared hard (also how I remembered them being.) The crispy onions were a nice touch and helped to give the burger some needed texture. In my opinion, a burger can't go wrong with using a potato bun, so that's a plus. Overall I'd give the burger a 3.8/5. SS hotdogs stack among some of the best out there. Split, grilled and charred on all sides. Reminds me of a summer time cookout. 4/5 The Strawberry Lemonade is refreshing, balanced and is the perfect compliment to anything you order on the menu. Not overly sweet and you can taste the freshness. Extra points for a free refill when you dine in! 4.8/5 read more

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The manager or some dude gave me the wrong burger in my order. I tried to go back and exchange it for the right burger. The idiot started arguing with me like I was trying to get free food. Saying he packed it and packed it right but the wrong burger was clearly in the bag. How do you give me a single cheese burger when i ordered a double bacon cheese burger. I Just wanted my burger remade correctly and i was not trying to keep the wrong burger. But the idiot was giving me a hard time. I feel like he was trying to be racist against me. read more

My companions salivate over this place like they reimagined the hamburger. My second visit since it opened left me just as bemused as the first. The burger's good, the fries are well prepared and my chocolate shake is of admirable quality but I'm not going non-verbal at the wonder of it all. It's a very decent lunch for a very princely sum. Ahhh, the magic of shake-down shack Three stars for quality. read more

I was not a fan , fries were cold with partially melted shredded cheese on top , Chicken was like cheap tasting frozen nuggets that you can heat at home with a small amount of glaze poured on top, shake was ok but overpriced with Chick-fil-A less than 2 miles down the road that costs much less . Thanks read more

My first visit to a Shake Shack in at least a couple of years, but I saw an ad for new shakes and had to try them. Came here after work around 4 on a Tuesday, the girl at the counter was pleasant and helpful... read more

Ordered smoke burger and shake shack burger well done but both burgers came out pinkish. We customized our burgers with lettuce, tomato and onions. The patties were really thin and tasted just ok. The portion of French fries were very small with additional charge of $4.49. The interior was very modern and nice and the food came out quickly after ordering thru the kiosk. read more

Shake Shack Princeton - Smoked burger - Fast Food Near Me - Lawrence Township, New Jersey

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At shake shack in Princeton I had ordered a burger and fries for my drive home. The burger had a piece of bone inside the patty. I was worried I might have broken a tooth . For the prices charged I find this not acceptable and don't recommend or go back. read more

Shake Shack Princeton - Bone from inside my burger. - Fast Food Near Me - Lawrence Township, New Jersey

What's not to love about Shake Shack? It's newer, clean and well staffed here. It wasn't that busy here. The wait to order was fast and food came out timely. The entrance and exit are definitely a challenge. Main entrance is a one way off the holiday. Don't miss it, it comes up fast. Exit through the shopping plaza. Just be ready for the challenge before and after. read more

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5 star shake and service, but burger was small, thin and nothing special. I'm disappointed by the burger, but the shake was delish.

We we're starving after running some curbside errands. I hate to risk eating in doors these days but being diabetic when you need to eat you need to eat. We asked for water at the register but the cashier who was so focused on the order he didn't notice we really needed water. We asked the guy at the drink area but he too told us to wait. The place wasn't but with people but lots of delivery orders and pick ups. Still, if someone states they need water now it would be great to be able to get that quickly. Would have made ordering much easier as we were so parched. Burgers were delicious and super fresh. Pricing wasn't cheap but I guess this is a step up from fast food. Tables were socially distanced and refills on drinks were provided if you got a cup. Also condiments were all individual packets to avoid more spaces to keep disinfected. There wasn't a combo option which would have been easier to order. The ala carte items added up but so was our hunger. We didn't care. I may go back but I also might suck with more budget minded burger joints that also cook fresh to order. $36 for burgers seemed high for too but maybe that's just my covid minded budget. read more

Shake Shack Princeton - Burger and fries, hot and made to order. - Fast Food Near Me - Lawrence Township, New Jersey

I was a Shack virgin before my recent visit to this location. I'm not embarrassed to admit that, the burgers I can make in my own kitchen are usually far superior than any fast casual places. And as good as any found in hoitey toitey spots. I rarely seek out burgers. But I'll admit to being curious about this chain since hearing about them in financial news outlets. Now that Mercer county has one I figured it would be a good time to experience what the buzz was all about. I could see the construction progressing and felt the same things a few of the negative reviews mentioned. Like why on earth would a shrewd company pick this very congested area and at one of the worst points on this road. Even with road construction on going, including random lane closures, my visit there was NOT marred by traffic snarls. I can't comment on other days or times( like rush hour?!?) but so far so good for me. I brought my 90 some year old uncle for his perspective too. The line to order was short, not even enough time to fully assess the menu. I placed our order and was handed a pager that would alert us to when the order was ready. We scored the last open table( there were some community table options) and then I went back to counter. The wait was very short, I'd say 5 minutes from when I entered to when I had tray in hand, not bad. We both liked our burgers a lot. These are thin compared to what I make myself or occasionally order( meaning I'll probably opt for a double next time) but nicely seasoned and seared, still slightly pink inside too. The meat blend was a step above the rivals as well. The soft and fresh bun was very good, and all toppings were fresh and appealing. I tried the bacon cheese fries too, another hit. Real bacon, real cheese on crinkle cuts that were fried perfectly. I liked the industrial and sparse decor, and that the TVs were tuned to various channels. But I didn't enjoy the music choice on this day. Small criticism in an otherwise nice burger lunch that we both agreed would be worthy of a return trip. I'm thinking about chicken and a shake for my next stop. read more

This turnpike shake shack went crazy with the spread on both our burgers, though the meat was cooked perfectly, as expected for Shake Shack's burgers. Service wasn't particularly fast given the short line, but not too bad. I wasn't a fan of the location--which appears to be managed by the AppleGreen company. I've come to associate the rest stops with their name with slower service, higher prices, and limited overall selection. read more

Thanks to Casey for explaining in detail the precautions taken for a person with allergies. I felt comfortable and reassured that my meal would be prepared, handled with special TLC. I enjoyed the cheeseburger and the milk shake. I eat my burger very well done and it was perfect for me. The brand of your gluten free bun was very good. Thanks again Casey for making my first Shake Shack meal a good experience. Will look forward to coming again. read more

Service here is good, food is hot and correct (I make several substitutions as a vegan). Staff is polite. Building is clean. This applies to both takeout and dine in. At the end of the day it is a Shake Shack. It is a good Shake Shack. (FYI any fellow vegans, the VeggieShack with no cheese, no shack sauce, and lettuce wrap instead of a bun. I also highly recommend the non-dairy chocolate custard and shake. Expensive, but what other option do we have? It tastes great at least.) read more

Shake Shack Princeton - , Veggie Shack-, veggie shack modified to be vegan, Fries - Fast Food Near Me - Lawrence Township, New Jersey

First time going to this shake shack location. We normally go to The rest stop location. They had a parking space in the back of the building. They had indoor and outdoor outdoor seating. Once you walk in it look like a regular fast food restaurant. On the right it was a whole menu some that we haven't seen before. They had cool milkshakes like popping candy included. There was not many people inside, many were sitting outside. Ordered and then we chose where to sit. We were given a number tag and set it on top of the table. And they delivered your food to your table. Staff was friendly and had fast service. Food was really good as always. We ordered two double shack burgers, bacon cheese fries, chicken bites 10 count and for the drinks we got piña punch and watermelon mint Mojito. read more

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Stopped here after along drive...the staff was incredibly polite, friendly and helpful. First time I've had the cashier wipe my credit card down with a Clorox wipe after handling it (with gloves no less). Everyone was wearing masks, the store was setup very efficiently to allow pickups as well as waiting for orders placed in person. The food was standard Shake Shack food...two Shake burgers disappeared in about 90 seconds ("In my belly" to quote Austin Powers) and the chocolate shake washed it all down! read more

Very good food! I had bacon cheese burger, cheese fries, and a cookies and cream milkshake.. Burger was great, the bacon was crispy and really good. Cheese fries were crispy and cheese was amazing! And now of course the cookies and cream milkshake. It was so creamy and cookies were great... The service was also amazing, I went to the kiosk and ordered my stuff and it was such a quick and easy process. I sat down and 5 minutes later my food was there! The place was overall pretty clean and sanitary. It was really nice and modern inside. Definately coming back again!! read more

Gave this Shake Shack another try! I picked up my food in person this time and ate it in the parking lot, so it was definitely fresher than the last time I tried it. I will definitely give the place props for preparing our food pretty much on time - we requested our meal for ~5:45 PM and I think they got it to us before 5:50 PM, so that's not bad at all. The curbside pickup process went flawlessly as well. However, the food is the most important part of any restaurant experience, and it just wasn't that amazing! My stomach is still feeling a little uncomfortable from the amount of grease on the chicken sandwich bun and hot dog bun, and while my food tasted fine, it didn't blow me away. My wife also rated her food as "3 stars," and it's kind of a rarity that we actually agree on something food-wise since she's normally more optimistic than I am :) Anyway, the service was excellent, for sure, but I guess I'm just not a huge Shake Shack fan. There are a bunch of similar restaurants that I would choose over Shake Shack at this point. read more

The new Shake Shack on southbound Route 1 in Lawrenceville, NJ, is a very nice looking building; gunmetal gray, lots of glass, and basic tables and chairs. The wood tabletops are repurposed bowling lanes from Brooklyn. Cool touch. The operation is the same as you've seen at other Shacks - lines at the cashier for taking orders and payments, radio frequency handheld buzzers to alert you when your food is ready, and staff that circulates in the dining area with broad smiles asking how your experience is going. Again, a little flair and commercial warmth is a good thing. The Shake Burger, fries and Pie-O-My frozen custard 'Concrete,' were all pretty good. The crisp fries stood out the most for holding its crunch until the end, and the custard dessert was cold enjoyment with chunks of local bakery Gingered Peach pie crust and sweet topping mixed throughout. Only the burger was somewhat underwhelming. Pounded into a thin crepe-like beef pancake, it was over grilled to a well done finish, greasy and lacked much taste. All the flavor came from the sliced tomato, bibb lettuce and ShackSauce (spiced mayo). Seemed weird that the signature product was the weakest link, and little different than Five Guys variant. @$15 for my lunch tray I was less than totally impressed with the Shake Shack experience. read more

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Note that this review is for only one location. We've had very good experiences at other Shake Shacks. I was so excited when Shake Shack opened a new location not far from my house. I've been visiting Shake Shake since the first one opened in Bryant Park in NYC many years ago. As several in my family gave up meat this was a place we missed until they launched the "veggie shack" burger made from black beans, brown rice and roasted beets. One taste and we were hooked! The drawback is that it is only available at select locations. In fact, most locations only have a single vegetarian option which is the "shroom burger" and that is not very good. Basically, it's a breaded and deep fried mushroom on a bun. Now...I realize Shake Shack is a burger and shake joint and not focused on vegetarians but even White Castle, Red Robin, Burger King, and most other burger joints are serving up Impossible or Beyond burgers and have been very successful selling them as well. So, when we saw the new location open near a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Chipotle, and several other health conscious places that seem to always be busy in this area I had high hopes that the veggie shack would be on the menu and so we decided to stop in. The parking lot was nearly full on a weeknight but we managed to find a spot pretty far back. We opened the door to go in and immediately landed on a long line that was backed up to the entrance. This was puzzling since the restaurant had a lot of room and it could have been configured better so the line stayed inside the restaurant. Also, this location didn't have the touch order screens that the other newer locations had. I took a glance at the menu and saw no sign of the veggie shack. Did we want to wait on line for the greasy shroom burger? Not a chance, especially since we were standing in one place for 5 minutes and the line didn't move. We walked out feeling deflated :( read more

Shake Shack Princeton - Inside order line - Fast Food Near Me - Lawrence Township, New Jersey

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Nothing negative at all to say. I was very excited that a Shake Shack was coming to the area. Been many a times in the city and they've opened up other locations in Jersey but none in reasonable driving distance. Because the location is still so new, parking was difficult and the line to order was out the door. But that'll die down eventually. Service was really friendly and the establishment was well kept. Expensive meal ($16 for a small burger, fries and shake) but I am already familiar with Shake Shack's prices and expected this. Food was tasty. Will be back again to try more from the menu. So thankful this is nearby! read more

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This place is just ok. The food is not that good and you don't get much of it either. Fries are bland and so are their burgers. I got their mushroom burger that is filled with cheese and my boyfriend got some burger with peppers on it. Both just ok, but I think Burger King does better. read more

Shake Shack Princeton - Fast Food Near Me - Lawrence Township, New Jersey

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Korean-Style Korean Fried Chicken 3/5 Okay Korean Chick'n Bites (6) 1/5 Way too salty and oily Korean Fries 3/5 Okay Black Sugar Vanilla Shake 1/5 Way too sweet Pro: the order preparation is fast. using Uber Eats I got my order delivered free. read more

Shake Shack Princeton - Korean-Style Korean Fried Chicken Korean Chick'n Bites (6) Korean Fries Black Sugar Vanilla Shake - Fast Food Near Me - Lawrence Township, New Jersey

Came here just after 4pm on a Sunday afternoon with no one in line, surprisingly - we ordered 4 burgers and two fries to-go and waited 15+ minutes. Good thing they were showing football games on its 3 TVs to keep customers entertained while waiting - but that's also a bad thing since 2-3 workers were also glued to the games from behind the counter. Maybe that's why our food was prepped so slowly, or maybe it's because employees were casually chatting with each other and hanging out with their arms around each other, or maybe it's because they hired so many people and had a few just standing there not doing anything. To put the speed of service to perspective, if you've seen the movie Zootopia - the sloth scene is a pretty good example of what you might experience. I won't post any pictures of employees since that would be mean, but you get the idea. Advice to franchise owner(s) - go to any In N Out and learn from their employees how to work efficiently. Maybe they're paid more, but it's a day and night difference to customers. I think I counted over 15 people in the kitchen - how is the efficiency so low? Reduce food prep and serving time to customers by half, hire a GM that can train staff and hold people accountable to service and speed. If customers are paying $10 for a fast food burger, make sure they have a good experience and would want to come back again. When our buzzer finally vibrated, our meals were presented on a tray for us to eat in. I overheard the person delivering our food to another worker "their food is supposed to be to-go" but no one acknowledged him, and yet he still tried to give us the tray even knowing the food was clearly marked to-go. When we brought it up to him he sighed and took out two bags to move our food into, clearly not something he wanted to do. Anyhow, I know this place is still new but it desperately needs a GM (or better GM). Otherwise I wouldn't be surprised yelp reviews average 3 stars or below with no lines once the hype dies down (looks like it already has). read more

UPDATE: I stopped by this location again after doing a little shopping at QB mall across the street. Wow what a difference in cleanliness. Every table and the floor was spotless, I observed an employee do a walk through every few minutes while I was there. I love it when an establishment will take feedback and make immediate changes for the better. The food was on point as usual but it seems like this location is definitely slow when it comes to putting out food. There are a TON of employees standing around in the kitchen but only a few seem to be working. I understand that everything is cooked to order and it takes time, but it definitely seems a bit excessive here. read more

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Very disgusting dirty place, their was food on the tables, chairs and floor. My shake shack burger had hair on the bun I returned it they gave me an sandwich with nothin on it and the meat was red inside when I asked for Well Done! The girl at the register was very rude and annoyed for me tellin her about the hair in my food and how red the meat was. Nobody has hair nets on. Very crowded/ talking, playing around and unprofessional. Never again will I ever get food or recommend anyone else to visit this location. In Lawrence Nj on rt1. Clean up and hire real professional ppl and wear hairnets on hair and face to take ur order and serve food. Shut this location down! Now! read more

Shake shack is new in town. Due to that the wait is beyond fast food time. The food and quality is good. The prices are a bit high in my opinion and for the price I would rather go to the habit right around the corner One unique thing about this place which definitely makes it unique Is the speciality milkshakes....FANTASTIC! For that I will return but prob not for the burger read more

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Had to try Shake Shack, as many people had raved about how delicious their burgers were. I guess I arrived with higher expectations, because I wasn't impressed. They serve crinkle cut fries, but unfortunately ours' were cold. The "smoke shack" burgers we ordered, were good but did not leave me thinking I need to come back and I probably wouldn't recommend my friends to choose this as a "go-to" burger joint. The burger itself was cooked well-done, and we weren't given the option to choose how we wanted it cooked. It was also topped with bacon and spicy chopped cherry peppers, which were very good. Right now, they have specialty items! Korean-inspired Chicken Sandwich, Gochujang fries, and Black Sugar Vanilla Shake. I didn't try these items, as I wanted to provide an honest review of their more well-known items. However, the advertisements of these specialty items was quite tempting. A cool thing I did like about the establishment is that they provide an area to "park" your pup when you're ordering. The seating is outdoor, so definitely pet friendly! read more

Shake Shack Princeton - Smoke Shack 8. - Fast Food Near Me - Lawrence Township, New Jersey

This location is hard to find since it's tucked off route 1 and tucked far back enough that you don't see it until you are passing it or almost passing it. Restaurant was clean and even at 12pm on a Wednesday had a decent amount of customers. We were promptly helped in the front to order. Waited maybe 10 minutes for our food. Burgers were hot and just like we ordered but the cheese fries were so underwhelming. No seasoning at all and the cheese sauce had no taste. Even with salt and pepper it was so bland. The buns are way smaller then the burger which is weird. The cran citrus punch was really good. It's expensive for a burger place in my opinion. I don't think I would come back unless I was in the area, I wouldn't make a special trip just to come here. Not worth the hype In my opinion. read more

Shake Shack Princeton - a tray of food and drink - Fast Food Near Me - Lawrence Township, New Jersey

I should have looked it up on Yelp before coming but I figured all shake shacks are relatively the same. We ordered a truffle burger, shroom burger and truffle fries. It smelled really good but everything was just disappointing. The truffle burger look much nicer in the photos, the fried shallots were barely there. And the fries looked half full. read more

I enjoy a good shackburger and the chick'n shake sandwich from shake shack. Shake shack is one of my favorite burger joints but it is overly price for what it is. That's why I don't get it too often. My go-to items as I mentioned above are the shack burger and the chicken sandwich. I also like their fries. I would say the chicken sandwich is not as good as popeyes. I ordered online and picked up the order. I didn't have to wait long for the pick up so customer service was good. Overall, a satisfying meal but sadly it's not something I go to often due to the price for what I get. read more

Shake Shack Princeton - Fast Food Near Me - Lawrence Township, New Jersey

Worst app ever. Wouldn't let me add/edit a order after I placed it. I called and they wouldn't take my order on phone. Told me to create a new order and the app wouldn't let me till my first one got delivered. Stone Age management read more

The burger was SO FRESH! The service was quick and so polite and kind. The burger and fries were a 10/10 and extra bonus points for seeing the staff cleaning tables with disposable sanitizing wipes. I can't wait to bring the rest of my family here so they can experience a real burger! I would post a picture but I ate way too fast to document lol read more

Came here on a Saturday for the first time. Loved the shack stack so much I came back the next day and had another one!!! I love the fried mushroom and Muenster+ cheddar cheeses. The shack sauce is tasty. The orange float was yummy too. The vanilla chocolate shake was good but I liked the float more (orange creamsicle is so comforting!) and I'm interested in trying more shakes next time, maybe cookies and cream! read more

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Unfortunately my husband's not in love with this place but if it were me I would frequent there often and the reason is is everything they have is biodegradable including their straws. It is extremely important to me that is they do everything possible for the environment. Their food is good and the service is fast and friendly, but We would use five guys because the actually moved to product is better. read more

We ordered our burgers well done and they were like charcoal. They were also small and skimpy. We also ordered cheese fries. They put a drop of cheese on the fries. Can you see the cheese? Neither could we. Two burgers and cheese fries came to $30 including the tip. Not worth it. read more

Shake Shack Princeton - Burned burger - Fast Food Near Me - Lawrence Township, New Jersey

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The fries were fantastic. The burger was great as was the sauce. The bill was over $11 and that was a little high. There wasn't a drive through but indoor and outdoor dining as well as take out. read more

Shake Shack Princeton - Inside - Fast Food Near Me - Lawrence Township, New Jersey

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I've always been a Shake Shack fan but my first visit to this location was specifically to try their new Korean inspired menu items. I was greeted by friendly staff when I walked in and my order was ready within minutes of my arrival which was great! Unfortunately, while the flavors of the chicken sandwich were great...the kimchi slaw was pretty much nonexistent. Taking a bite just isn't as satisfying without the crucial crunch. My order had a paltry few cabbage rinds and that was about it. I don't see why they can't be generous, let alone just fair when adding toppings and putting the sandwich together. Overall very disappointed because of that :( read more