Construction on Shake Shack’s new burger hub in Rice Village — next door to the coming Rice University clothing boutique on Amherst — looks about medium well now that the brick building has been blackened, stripped of its awnings, and shielded by a metal frame bearing all-caps signage. La Madeleine restaurant left the building last March ahead of renovations planned for the entire Village Arcade structure between Kirby and Kelvin.
A Rice Village property manager announced in 2016 that the born-in-Manhattan chain with current locations as far-flung as Bahrain was on its way to Kirby. Back then, Houston was completely Shack-less, but that changed when a debut location opened in a Galleria parking lot later that year. Since then, one other Shake Shack has cropped up in the city — behind center field in Minute Maid Park.
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- Previously on Swamplot: Rice U. Apparel Store Preparing To Nest Next to Coming Rice Village Shake Shack; Rice Village La Madeleine Will Shut Down Sunday for Shake Shack-ification; Parking Meters Sprout in Rice Village for February Switchup; Owls, Giant Aluminum Owl Origami Now Stationed Watchfully by Rice Village Parking Garage Entrance; Leafy Galleria Shake Shack Spot To Open Next Friday, Serve Other Houston Restaurants’ Food; Before-ish and After Views of the Rice Village Design Overhaul Now Underway on University Blvd.; Shake Shack Will Take Over La Madeleine’s Rice Village Space; Bricks Turn White in the Rice Village as Arcade Makeover Unfolds; Galleria Shake Shake To Be Served With a Side of Leafy Greens; Simon Says: Shake Shack Is Definitely Coming to the Galleria
Photos: Swamplot inbox
Omg, that looks HORRIBLE
What is so special about Shake Shack?
Montrose rumor spreading around that Shake Shack is replacing the shutdown Burger King on Westheimer at Montrose.
I dunno but the charred exterior doesn’t make me want to come in for a cool shake.
Horrible. It’s just a slightly better fast food chain. Food is still corporate food, just overpriced.
@Gisgo: The burgers are OK and it’s from New York.
@Gisgo: Try and see for yourself. Burger preference is a highly subjective thing. They’re not my favorite burger but they’re pretty good in my opinion. YMMV.
I’m reassured by everyone noting just how terrible this looks.
As for the food, I’ve eaten at one of these that was a standalone restaurant at a mall in King of Prussia. As such the exterior the aesthetics weren’t so jarring. That said, the burger I had was very good as was the accompanying fries and shake. As already noted, tastes differ but I would put this nearer to the top of the heap of fast food burgers.
Hopdaddy and Shake Shack in same Shopping Center? 2 burgers enter, 1 burger leave.
Hopdaddy getting monster crowds with park outside seems to be in the lead .. for now.
Looks fine to me and it doesn’t have some half ass arch awning or a mortar board cap. Just pretend some overrated and dead local architect designed it and all will look well.
It’s kinda from New York. The owner is from St. Louis and “borrowed” the frozen custard concept from locally legendary Ted Drewes,
Hay Merchant has the best burger in town, easily!
I second Young Creative on the new facade…so tired of wannabe architecture and poorly proportioned arches. Looks fresh and fun to me.
The Rice Village area is dead to me now since they charge for parking. There are better places to eat and shop all over Houston without paying for parking. including the excellent Shake Shack in the Galleria.
Poor poor Jack(y), he like so many other motorists in this beloved city, are all too often treated so unfairly. We really need to start treating our fellow motorists with respect and stop making them pay to park their hulking hunks of steel and rubber! Free parking for all death machines!
In other news, the build-out of Shake Shack looks great. Jonathan, care to share with us your last Pritzker Prize winning design?
This has been mentioned before, but Rice Village has free parking in the garages.