Shake Shack Just Launched the Big Shack Burger—but Is It Better Than the Big Mac?

Allow me to emphasize the word “big.” This handheld comes with two quarter-pound Angus beef patties, green leaf lettuce, two slices of American cheese, thick-cut pickles, onions, Roma tomatoes and secret sauce. An homage to the Big Mac, it comes with three buttered, toasted potato buns. It’s now available nationwide for a limited time for $10.

This fast food sandwich was invented in 1967, so its reputation long precedes Shake Shack’s larger dupe. The O.G. features two beef patties, one slice of American cheese, finely chopped onion, shredded lettuce, pickles and Big Mac Sauce on a sesame seed bun. Of course, there’s a bonus third bun in the center. Where I live, it costs about half as much as the Big Shack at $5 and change for just the sandwich. (For what it’s worth, you can make it a combo with fries and a drink for about $9, which is still cheaper than Shake Shack’s alternative.)

The Big Shack is certainly larger, better quality and more substantial, even just from looking at it. The beef looked and tasted freshly grilled (it was also lightly frizzled at the edges, like a smash burger). I appreciated the second slice of cheese that the Big Mac lacked, which added creamy richness to every bite. Most impressive to me was that the bun on the inside tasted notably buttered and toasted; it wasn’t just there to bulk up the sandwich with a low-cost ingredient. I also preferred the sharpness of the sliced raw onions to the minced onion bits from McD’s. That said, I could’ve done without the slippery tomatoes…but that’s a me problem.

The only areas where I’ll give the Big Mac the crown are price and sauce. I thought the Mac Sauce was delectably tangy with notes of mustard and ketchup. It was zingy, complex, balanced and ridiculously creamy. Shake Shack’s was similar, but thinner, not as robust and more mayo-ey in flavor. Although the Big Mac was much saucier, Shake Shack’s burger was still messier to tackle, since the buns were hanging on for dear life with all those toppings and heavy beef.

The TLDR

Shake Shack’s Big Shack is significantly tastier and fresher than the McDonald’s Big Mac. If you want fresher tasting beef from Mickey D’s, I suggest going with the Quarter Pounder with Cheese (it’s $5 near me for the sandwich alone), for which the meat is prepared to order. The Big Mac gets regular hamburger patties, which are thinner, drier and simply not as good.

That said, does the center bun really elevate the experience beyond the deliciousness of a Double Shack Burger? It’s hard to say—I lean no, although I appreciated its pillowy-soft texture, surprising durability and buttery flavor. Way to start a rivalry, Shake Shack!