Shake Shack Valley Fair

Location: Beautiful space at Valley Fair Mall.. where you hope to not have to pay for parking, but parking is always chaotic. There is plenty of seating but I rarely see anyone sitting. We also take our food to go, bc it's just so crazy at the mall.Pricing: Thankfully Shake Shack is very generous and loves to have BOGO specials! We came for a Smoke Shack Special.. but we ended up modifying the burger a bit, so definitely worth the price! Service: There's little to no communication with any of the workers in the restaurant as there are kiosks to order food and buzzers to alert you when your order is ready. Service was pretty smooth but I prefer human contact for a better experience. Ambiance: The outdoor seating is always my favorite. A fun vibe on a sunny day! Feels like you're not in San Jose.Food: Both burgers were on the oily side, the wrappers were pretty drenched at the bottom. The buns were very soft however smushy.. I appreciate having the option to add pickles, lettuce, etc. The fries were super salty :( After eating this meal, I felt like I needed a nap while we were still there.. lol Pretty heavy.

I got a chance to try some different burgers because of their BOGO offer.Black Truffle Burger: 100% Angus burger topped with Gruyere cheese and black truffle sauce made with real black truffle oil and our crispy sweet onions on a toasted potato bun (4/5). This was so flavorful and rich. Though, I wish I ate it when it first came off the grill. Avocado Bacon Burger: Angus beef cheeseburger topped with freshly sliced avocado, applewood-smoked bacon, and ShackSauce on a toasted potato bun (4/5). My wife really enjoyed her burger.

This is probably my second time coming to this shake shack location and I haven't had any issues. To order, it's a self order kiosk which is very convenient. And the inside of the restaurant has some seating options with outdoor seating too. I got a single patty in the truffle burger and it looks sad, but the burger was pretty tasty. Nothing too heavy and the truffle flavor was there. Overall, this is just a good place to grab a quick bite while you're shopping at the mall.

I can't say I've had a bad experience here! It's fair to say I'm a regular to this location due to my AMEX Gold Credit Card... IYKYK. I come by at least once a month for a quick lunch. Quality of food is always great! Soft potato buns, fresh veggies, and a flavorful burger patties. The shack sauce always hits the spot! I love the fries here too. My go-to orders: ShackStack, 'Shroom Burger, and Chicken Shack. If I'm being picky - they are pretty inconsistent with timing. Sometimes it will take 5-10 minutes for my food to come out. Other times, it will take 20-30 minutes! It really varies. Staff are always friendly though.

This location is located at the side of Valley Fair and is probably my least favorite location. You order on the multiple kiosks that they have in the front. They have plenty of seating. Service was okay.The quality here isn't as good as other locations. When I received my shack burger, one side of the bun was cold. The size of the burger isn't that big either.The fries were nothing special, but at least the cheese helped it taste better. For it's price, the quality could definitely be better. I like Shake Shack but just not at this location.

Overall, I would say the food was kinda average. I ordered a regular burger with pickles and was very disappointed first with how the burger looked (Overall just a little squished). Also I felt like I couldn't really taste the pickles or the Shacksauce, making the burger just a little bland. But the bread buns were soft and toasted, which helped a little bit and I liked the cook of the patty.We also got a Cookies and Cream milkshake which was decent. Not too thick or sweet, so a few sips were a nice round off for the small meal. (I did end up splitting the shake with a friend)Staff were friendly, and ordering process was very simple with the kiosk. Took about 15 min for our food to come out, and the outdoor seating area was peaceful and really pretty.

I mean... it's Shake Shack. Of course it's good. I feel like you'd have to run into some pretty questionable employees at a Shake Shack to actually have a bad time.This location is pretty spacious, and the food was great. My only (minor) complaints were that it was tricky to park and then find my way to the restaurant, and it took them a little bit longer than I was hoping to prepare it. That said, it was still very much an enjoyable meal.

Ordered online for pickup and got the avocado bacon chicken sandwich and some chicken bites. Both tasted fine, though nothing to write home about. The burger filling was good, but the bun really doesn't compare to the toasted ones like at In n Out. The chicken bites were good as well, kind of like an elevated chicken nuggets, and I thought were comparable to Chick Fil A. You can choose one sauce to go with and I got the Shack Sauce. Haven't tried the other sauces to know which goes best with it. It's a decent burger place, but can be a tad more on the expensive side.Overall, service was super fast and I got texts reminding me to pick up. Staff member helped me find my order right after I walked in. It's too bad they do not have a curbside pick up option here, because parking at Valley Fair is super annoying if you're not sticking around to hang out in the mall. But if you do park in the garages, it is free for first 2 hours, so works for picking up food as well.

tl;dr So far only the standard burger has been good. The shroom burger and chicken nuggets were big no nos. Service and ambiance are nice, but they do not make up for the food quality. I've been here a few times and try something different each time, but unfortunately I can't give the food a very high rating. Standard beef burger: bit on the oilier side with the bun, but the flavor profile is tasty. The burger isn't very large, so I have left feeling barely filled if I don't also get fries.Fries: Nothing to write home about. They were a bit plain but not soggy at least. Shroom Burger: Sounded good on paper, but the sauce that it came with was very weird. The mushroom patty itself was fine, but I wasn't a fan of the overall taste. Chicken nuggets 10 piece: Oil city. The box it comes in was already showing oil transfer, so I put a napkin under the nuggets as I ate them. The napkin was SOAKED after several minutes. The batter also did not taste good, as it had a heavy and oily taste. I would not get this again.

I'm glad that they finally have a dining area in the restaurant. The last time I went, we only had to order online. From the inside, it's hard to find available seats, which is why I waited a bit long to get seats.The food is good. I like how everything about the burger is soft, but feels a bit overpriced based on its small size. The fries as well, and has a bit too much salt. This is pretty much what I ordered today and also the last time I went, but I should try other options.