Review: Shake Shack's New Korean-Inspired Menu Is A Spicy Winner

If you live in New York, Shake Shack has become one of the local businesses that you associate with the city (particularly the Madison Square Park location, where the original Shake Shack opened). Michelin star-awarded restaurateur Danny Meyer started Shake Shack as a simple hot dog cart, which has now expanded over the last twenty years into a worldwide, internationally known, thriving business.

One market that Shake Shack expanded into was South Korea. In 2016, when the culinary team visited Seoul, they were inspired by the crispy Korean fried chicken featured on menus across the country, and worked to integrate it into US Shake Shack menus in 2021 and again in 2024. After multiple rounds of Research and Development through trial, error, and lots of taste tests, the team settled on staple items for more adventurous eaters.

Launching this year for the third time, the K-Shack menu (with five Korean-inspired items) will feature returning favorites, the K-Shack BBQ Burger, K-Shack Spicy BBQ Fries, and the K-Shack Fried Chicken Sandwich, and introduce for the first time K-Shack Bites and the K-Shack Spicy Caramel Shake, to round out the menu.

We were invited to taste test the new Bites and Shake, and were pleasantly surprised by the flavor profiles of the new additions. Read on for more details, and where you can get your own!

I admit I had two competing pre-conceived notions when approaching the K-Shack Bites: I love chicken nuggets, and I'm a real baby when it comes to spice. I'm happy to report that these chicken bites really satisfied my nugget craving, and the heat was not so off-putting that I couldn't enjoy them.

The K-Shack Bites are white-meat chicken pieces breaded and fried with a "spicy-sweet sesame gochujang glaze" (the same sauce that's on the K-Shack Fried Chicken Sandwich), finished off with a sprinkling of scallions on top. I was familiar with gochujang as a Korean staple, and I knew that it traditionally had some kick to it as a paste made from chili flakes, but I'm not a frequent user. It was a delight to dip my culinary toe in that world here, as the glaze really added some unique flavor to the Bites. The sweetness in the sauce helps to cut the kick of the gochujang, and the breading itself is deliciously crispy in every bite. The scallions add crunchy texture, as well.

The K-Shack Bites are sold in six-piece servings for $6.49, meant to be eaten with your fingers, so make sure you have napkins handy! They are small enough to be bite-sized, but large enough that a six-piece order feels satisfying. In six pieces, you'll consume 490 calories with 19 grams of fat and 20 grams of protein.

The Bites are offered with a dipping sauce of your choice, but personally, I found the sesame gochujang sauce they're already coated in more than interesting enough — I wouldn't recommend diluting the Bites in anything too overpowering.

As someone who loves Mexican hot chocolate, I had a feeling this new dessert item on the K-Shack menu would be up my alley, and I was correct! While I'm not necessarily a savory shake drinker (no thank you to green juice smoothies), the K-Shack Spicy Caramel Shake on first taste hits the taste buds like a standard, sweet caramel custard would, before the added gochujang adds a surprising, warming kick.

I still don't know what Tyra Banks' hot ice cream is all about, but the phrase might apply here, as well. The frozen caramel custard is — in consistency and taste — almost like a spicy egg nog. This makes it perfect for the end of the holiday season, with just enough heat to make it a nice ending to a cold weather meal. The Shake is topped with whipped cream and another drizzle of gochujang caramel on top, for an added flourish.

The K-Shack Spicy Caramel Shake is available for $6.99, with 890 calories, 45 grams of fat, and 21 grams of protein. While it's a bit of an indulgence, it's certainly worth sampling, if only to taste a truly unique blend of savory and sweet in a frozen dessert.

Although I consider myself an adventurous eater (and have definitely enjoyed Shake Shack many times before over my dining career), I'm embarrassed to admit I'm just not as familiar with Korean flavors and spices. My recommendation is that these menu items, both the K-Shack Bites and K-Shack Spicy Caramel Shake, are easy entry points to trying something new, presented in an easy to understand and enjoy package.

When I was invited to sample the Bites and the Shake, I was lucky enough to try the whole K-Shack menu for the first time, and I can happily recommend the BBQ Burger, Fried Chicken Sandwich, and Spicy BBQ Fries, as well, if you're looking for the full Korean-style menu experience. The differences from the normal menu offerings are just subtle enough that it doesn't feel like you have to completely change your palate, but excitingly different at the same time.

The K-Shack offerings are on the Shake Shack App as of January 6, and then available in-store starting January 9 for at least three months. All United States Shake Shacks will feature the menu, with the exception of Shake Shacks located in other buildings such as airports, stadiums, arenas, travel plazas, and museums. As these are potentially limited time offerings, go grab yours now, and travel the world in a single bite (or five)!