Review of Steak N Shake Restaurant Batavia, Illinois

Just a short drive southbound on Randall Road venturing through the tri cities area of Kane County Illinois, one will stumble upon the burger and dessert stop known as Steak N Shake. The restaurant is located at 1901 McKee Street which is just off Randall Road at the south west end of Batavia. This restaurant is part of the larger chain originally founded in Bloomington, Illinois. For the past several years, I have made about a dozen stops to this location since I live only about five miles away not to mention this establishment is conveniently located right next to Menards home improvement center. I figured a review was well overdue as I have frequented Steak N Shake in Batavia many times.

The Main Meal

This Steak N Shake establishment like all the others is a hybrid of fast food carryout combined with old school diner. The burgers which consist of ground steak are cooked on a grill top and permeate a decent aroma throughout the restaurant. The burgers can be prepared as several different combinations whether you prefer them with the works, with different cheeses, mushrooms, guacamole, etc.. The burger selections also offer different stacker combinations whether the customer wants a single or a triple. The burgers are also sold as $4.00 value sizes which are a great deal as this includes combinations with double stackers or includes bacon on top of the patty. I usually go with this double burger which is accompanied by the "works". The burger patties are pretty thin, so if you go in with a large appetite, you may want to elect for a triple or plan on staying for dessert to satisfy the hunger.

If burgers are not your thing, the restaurant also sells its often touted chili Mac which I have not tried. The chili can also be sold as a side dish or served on top of the fries as an option. Ah yes, the fries. The French fries at Steak N Shake are cut to shoe string size and are tasty but very lean. I find I have to cram several fries in my mouth to begin to taste potatoes. Aside from French fries, there are other side dishes available, but alas no baked potatoes which is a decent alternative to fries.

Salads are available for those not coming out for burgers. Salad options include taco salad, chef salad, garden salad and salads topped with fried or grilled chicken breast. If I am out on the prowl for a salad, I would probably most likely skip this joint as I will be undoubtedly tempted to stay for dessert which would knock calorie counts off the charts.

The kid meal options are plentiful. Children have the option to choose mini burgers, a regular size burger, macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers, corn dogs, hot dogs, The meal include the entr©e, fries and a drink. The chicken fingers are actually some of the tastiest I have ever tried as I sampled one of my son's leftovers as I was still hungry from my double burger.

Desserts

The signature shakes and malts are what make Steak N Shake worth the trip. I don't ever recall making a trek out to this joint without succumbing to a dessert order. The restaurant usually advertises monthly special flavors as well as carries the regular tasty standbys such as vanilla, chocolate, mocha, strawberry, banana and many others such as Oreo and mint chocolate chip. They will even serve you a half and half shake where you get two flavors separated within one cup.

The malts served up at Steak N Shake are absolutely divine. I rank their malts as one of the best I have had. They run a second place on my malt ranking list. The malts and shakes are all served with the classic cherry and whipped cream topping which gives the dessert that old time fountain appearance.

Service

The Steak N Shake location in Batavia Illinois always seems to be consistent with good quality service from the wait staff, counter service, and drive through attendant. I like the friendly hospitality at this location that seems to be lacking at some of the local fast food chain competition. The food is always served at the right temperature and the children's needs are attended to. I never feel the need to hold back or reduce the tip as the service is excellent.

Ambience

There is a definite comfort feeling to dining in the Steak N Shake in Batavia. From the black and white checkered floors, the red booths, colorful neon displays and the paper hats worn by the grillers, one gets a cool retro feeling sitting down to a burger and malt.

Price

The cost of dining at Steak N Shake is an unbelievable value for those bringing kids on the weekends. Children's meals are considered free for every adult spending at least eight bucks which is quite easy to do if planning on ordering a shake to follow up the meal. The kids eat free special is only available for customers dining in. Aside from the weekend kids eat free special, I give the price of Steak N Shake a fair grade as it is higher priced than the big chain burger locations when ordering drive through or just for adults. It would also be nice to see the carry out menu include a value size order for small sides or kid's size chicken sandwich or burgers.

Overall I give the Steak N Shake grade as above average. The burgers are so-so as I have had far better at many other comparable locations such as Portillo's, Red Robin or even Five Guys. The uber thin fries are a novelty at best as they are almost too thin. The saving grace of this restaurant seems to be the shakes, malts and fast friendly service.