Crystal Cove Shake Shack
Category: RestaurantsCategory: Travel
When you’re driving down the coast in the Crystal Cove area of Newport Beach, California, you might notice a little shack and a lot of cars. This is the famed Crystal Cove Shake Shack where locals and tourists love to come for the food, shakes, and view of the Pacific Ocean. And no, this is not part of the Shake Shack franchise of restaurants. It is its own burger/shake stand, and one of a kind.
So what makes this place so popular? It could be the food, the shakes, the view, or all of these. The burgers (they also offer an Impossible plant based burger) come with a decent amount of french fries. There is a variety of burger selections as well as several sandwiches. They have hot dogs, fish and chips, fish tacos, other seafood, and chili and clam chowder.
The Crystal Cove Shake Shack is also open for breakfast until 11 am. Pancakes, oatmeal, eggs, breakfast sandwiches, and more are available for the early birds.
Several coffee options as well as beer and wine are on the menu and yes, they do have a kids menu featuring a kids breakfast combo, a kids burger, peanut butter and jelly, and grilled cheese.
Now, let’s get to the heart of the menu – the Shakes. Orangesicle, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Cup, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Banana, Strawberry Banana, Banana, Oreo, Blackcherry, Chocolate Turtle, Salted Caramel, Banana Cream, Wintermint, and a few other flavors are on the menu and you can mix and match your favorite flavors. If this doesn’t get your mouth watering I don’t know what will.
Aside from the food, the view of the ocean is the next best part to this little place. There is no inside seating. Everyone sits outside on wooden benches and some chairs with the sound of the surf adding to the ambiance. The shack is on the bluff up from the ocean and usually gets a good breeze.
This is a little treasure for the Newport Coast. It has had several incarnations since it opened in the 1940s. Today it’s part of the Crystal Cove State Park. The only downside to this place is the parking. There are very few parking spaces and at several times during the day cars are lined up back onto PCH waiting for someone to finish their meal and exit the lot. People spend a long time sitting in their cars waiting for a spot to open up. Is it worth it? For many folks the answer is yes. Personally, I wouldn’t wait longer than 20 minutes, but many people do.
So, if you’re traveling down PCH on the Newport Coast and you see a small shack with a lot of folks outside, or a long line of cars on the highway waiting for their chance to park and eat, check out the Crystal Cove Shake Shack. Can you say “Yummmmm?”
About the Reviewer
Francine Brokaw writes about places, people, products and all aspects of entertainment for over 30 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County.