I'm surprised I have never reviewed Shake Shack Princeton, since I have eaten there enough times to…read moreprobably 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.