After a long night of socializing in Boston with my good friend Stasia, we decided to take the day on Saturday to try as many cheeseburgers (and fries) as we could in Harvard Square. Planned stops: Shake Shack, Flat Patties, and Tasty Burger. I’ve tried cheeseburgers from all of the above and enjoyed them, but this adventure wasn’t just about enjoying these cheesy beef patties, it was about critiquing the heck out of them until we found a true champion. Stasia was a noob to each of these establishments, so she brought a fresh perspective to the experience.Â
Shake Shack
Shake Shack has a nice ambiance, it was kind of crowded, but had a nice burger-y vibe. We waited about 10 minutes but didn’t really mind the wait because they were busy. The burger had a nice cheese melt, looked like it had “really good meat,” had a nice, flat but “condensed” bun, and the “shake sauce” really sealed the deal. Crinkle fries! The fries are good, not super salty, and have a good crisp-to-soft ratio.
Stasia’s say: The logo is cute, the wall-menu was different, and I like how they serve and arrange your food on the tray.
Price: $5.29 for burger & $2.99 for fries
Flat Patties
This burger joint is a lot smaller and wasn’t as busy around lunch time. We didn’t wait too long– it’s fast food, but looks like something you’d get at a restaurant. The fries were actually too soggy and not crispy, but they added salt to the top which made them a little better. The burger meat wasn’t super tasty, also wasn’t bad, but didn’t wow us with flavor. The burger was really messy to eat, mainly because the bread was too soft. It wasn’t meant to hold a flat patty, and they added shredded lettuce, so bread and lettuce kept flying everywhere. We liked the option to add our own pickles and onions, but even though the burger was bigger and cheaper, it did not have better flavor.
Price: $4.35 burger for the burger, and about $2 for the fries
Tasty Burger
I gotta admit, I love Tasty Burger, so I’m a little biased. This burger was the most expensive because we upgraded to the “big tasty,” and the most “fast food-y.” We waited a longgg time, 21 minutes to be exact, so they gave us a chocolate shake to make up for it. So yeah, this isn’t the classiest place. Employees were throwing burgers around, yelling, and it was really noisy. As for the burger, it was “well stacked” and tasted similar to Shake Shack, but this burger features pickles and onions and a special sauce… and it was greasier, which doesn’t make it better, but that’s just what you need sometimes. The fries and onion rings are da bomb; you gotta get those thin and crispy 50/50 bites, but you probably can’t finish it alone.Â
Price: $5.95 and 5.50 for burger and fries respectively.