Shake Shack’s New Menu Includes an Item Customers Have Wanted Forever
And it’s so, so good.
Photo courtesy of Shake Shack
In the panoply of comfort foods, French onion soup — with its layers of rich and flavorful broth and caramelized onions, bread and gooey Gruyere cheese — stands alone. Savory yet sweet, slurpable yet chewable, warm and fragrant, it also offers a super-satisfying pull of cheese. And that signature, homey-looking ceramic crock it comes in? Cozy in the extreme. This fall, Shake Shack is leaning into the soup in a big way with its new French Onion menu, which includes five new items, and the return of one beloved drink.
What’s on Shake Shack’s new French Onion menu?
- French Onion Soup Burger
- French Onion ‘Shroom Burger
- French Onion Shack Stack
- Parmesan Garlic Fries
- Onion Rings
- Coffee Shake (returning item)
“With our French Onion menu, we set out to capture the depth of the classic soup in a way only Shake Shack can. We built flavor in layers, from slow-cooked caramelized onions and roasted garlic to melted Gruyère and crispy sweet onions — bringing this rich, indulgent soup to life in our favorite way: a delicious burger,” says John Karangis, Shake Shack’s executive chef and vice president of culinary innovation. “We’re also excited to debut our new Onion Rings, our most requested side from fans.”
Photo courtesy of Shake Shack
When can you try Shake Shack’s French Onion menu and returning Coffee Shake?
The new and returning menu items will be available exclusively on the Shack app on September 9 and nationwide at all Shake Shack locations on September 12 for a limited time.
What does Shake Shack’s French Onion menu taste like?
I got an early taste of Shake Shake’s new onion-forward fall menu, and they were: crazy delicious. Each item hit the spot, but perhaps not recommended for a first date.
Amy Reiter
French Onion Soup Burger
Karangis says Shake Shack considers this item to be “the star of the show” and I’d have to agree. It starts with a seared quarter-pound Angus beef patty and tops it with melty Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, crispy sweet onions and a roasted garlic parmesan aioli, all tucked between two halves of a toasted potato bun. I especially loved the mix of textures — the not-too-drippy caramelized onions, the gooey cheese and the crunchy, crispy onions on top. I also enjoyed the combination of flavors — the way a bit of lemon in the aioli balances the sweetness and richness of the almost jam-like condensed caramelized onions. It’s basically retro comfort in a bun, and I couldn’t stop eating it, even though I knew I had so many more things to taste.
French Onion ‘Shroom Burger
This French Onion twist on Shake Shack’s classic mushroom Burger — a portobello mushroom filled with melted Muenster and cheddar cheeses that’s fried until crispy — is topped with the aforementioned sweet caramelized onions and roasted garlic parmesan aioli. It also comes on a toasted potato bun. Because the mushroom is already crispy, the culinary team opted not to feature the crispy onions on this one. I didn’t miss the crispy onions, but I did miss the meat. Still, it’s a great, umami-rich option for vegetarians or people who want to eat less meat. And the cheese pull on this one is unreal. Karangis calls the French Onion ‘Shroom Burger “kind of a sleeper.”
French Onion Shack Stack
This one is for maximalists. It basically includes all of the above: a made-to-order quarter-pound Angus beef patty, topped with Gruyere cheese, a ‘Shroom Burger, caramelized onions and roasted garlic parmesan aioli — all on a toasted potato bun. On the one hand, this mammoth meal may be too much for some people. On the other hand, maybe there’s no such thing as too much with something this tasty.
Parmesan Garlic Fries
Is adding an ample dusting of fresh parmesan to Shake Shack fries and serving them with a side of the same roasted garlic parmesan aioli featured on the French Onion Burgers, with its sunny tang of lemon, a good idea? Yes, it sure is. Yum.
Amy Reiter
Onion Rings
Although Shake Shack fans have been asking for onion rings to be added to the menus for years, the brand hasn’t introduced them — until now, in this onion-embracing moment. The Shake Shack culinary team has been playing around with recipes and logistics for a long time, and they definitely got it right with this final version. Beer-battered, crisp-fried and featuring sliced sweet Spanish onions, Shake Shack Onion Rings are served with your choice of sauce. They are sweet, salty and subtle. Officially, they’re a limited-time-only option, but Karangis says the chain will gauge reaction and “see how it goes.” Consequently, Onion Ring fans won’t want to be shy if they want these things to stick around.
Coffee Shake
Fans of Shake Shack’s Coffee Shake, which went away in a COVID-era menu consolidation, will be thrilled to know it’s coming back in response to popular demand. Made with the chain’s vanilla frozen custard “hand-spun” with its dark-roast cold-brew coffee, it’s as creamy and mochalicious as ever. Shake Shack’s senior manager of culinary innovation, Nick Wuest, says it’s his favorite shake — and founder Danny Meyer’s fave, too. “I’m thrilled it’s back,” Wuest says. He allows that, because it’s caffeinated, the coffee shake might not be for everyone, but those who love it are devoted and vocal. “It’s such a good treat for when you really crave one,” he says. I definitely agree.
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