Here’s a Sneak Peek At Shake Shack Shanghai

American burger joint Shake Shack has launched their first China branch in Shanghai, joining other major US restaurant chains that are using the city as a launchpad into the mainland.

The popular fast food brand is set to open in Xintiandi on January 24 with their signature burgers, shakes, and desserts, along with some items exclusive to the city.

Fans of the chain can look forward to the signature ShackBurger, Shake Shack’s take on the classic cheese burger. It can be ordered either with one or two thin, deeply charred beef patties, and topped with lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce, which food website Serious Eatsfound out is “mostly mayo, with some ketchup, mustard, a few spices, and pickles blended in.”

Other options include the the vegetarian ‘Shroom Burger with a breaded, cheese-filled portobello mushroom, and the Shack-cago Dog, a Chicago-style hot dog that pays tribute to the restaurant’s origins as a hot dog cart in New York.

Dessert is where the restaurant plays up its links to the city. There’s the Strawberry Yu(zu) Garden, a Shanghai-only shake that blends frozen vanilla custard with strawberry, yuzu, matcha, and whipped cream. Shake Shack also has three frozen custards they call Concretes, and they feature ingredients from local food companies such as brownies and cheesecakes from Al’s Baking Co. and sea salt caramel from Taobao-based candy maker Sweet Teeth. Local brewer Boxing Cat also makes an appearance with two beers on tap.

According to Shake Shack, they use grain-fed Australian Angus beef or imported European pork for their meat. Buns are made non-genetically modified potato while the desserts use milk without artificial growth hormones and sweetened with sugar.

Shake Shack plans to have 28 stores in China by 2028, but the burger spot is not the only American restaurant targeting mainland diners. In December last year, seafood chain Red Lobster introduced its first China store in Shanghai with more branches in the pipeline, while barbecue restaurant Texas Roadhouse opened an outlet in Pudong. Taco Bell and The Cheesecake Factory also have a presence here.

Since starting in 2004, Shake Shack has grown to more than 200 locations in the US and over 70 overseas branches including Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, London, and Moscow. The first outlet in Singapore is slated to open soon.