Good news for commuters and Hill denizens: Shake Shack opens its fourth Washington location in Union Station on Monday. The New York burger chain with a cult-like following already draws crowds in Dupont Circle, Penn Quarter, and at Nationals Park.
While the design is meant to meld with the historic station’s interior, the new location was built with recycled materials, has tables fashioned from reclaimed bowling alley lanes, and boasts energy-efficient kitchen equipment and lighting. The menu of all-natural Shackburgers, dogs, frozen custards, and fresh-cut fries remains mostly the same. Like at other branches, the two-story spot in Union Station’s West Hall will offer a few location-specific items made in collaboration with local producers. Look for a vanilla custard concrete mixed with strawberries, almonds, and Baked & Wired “bee sting” bars, as well as another swirled with caramel, bananas, and Pollystyle graham crackers (5 percent of sales from the latter will be donated to the DC nonprofit Casey Trees).
Though opening day doesn’t bring any specials—besides especially long lines, perhaps—World Cup fans can snag a free custard at any DC Shack location by wearing a soccer jersey.
Shake Shack Union Station. 50 Massachussetts Ave., NE.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
