Harlem Shake, a retro-style burger and shake restaurant on the corner of 124th St. and Malcolm X Blvd., does it right by keeping it simple. Attention to detail, a focus on high-quality ingredients and a tightly-crafted menu have earned it a loyal following. With a new location open in East Harlem, owner Jelena Pasic and Co. are winning over eaters across Harlem by offering damn fine burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, fries and shakes.
Recently, Harlem Shake added a new menu item to their offerings, The Hot Honey Chick sandwich, a dark meat, fried chicken sandwich topped with pickled jalapeños, honey mayo and a drizzle of Mike's Hot Honey. This we needed to try.
Upon our arrival at the 124th St. location, we were greeted by Executive Chef Pedro Ramirez, who invited us into the kitchen and served up a couple Hot Honey Chick sandwiches along with the restaurant's signature red velvet milkshake.
The savory crunch of the fried chicken, tang from the pickled jalapeños, creaminess of the mayo and sweet heat from the finishing drizzle of Mike's Hot Honey make this sandwich deeply satisfying. And the shake? Yes, it's as delicious as it sounds.
We'll be back again soon to try the Harlem Classic, a smashed burger made with Pat LaFrieda beef, American cheese, onions, pickles and special sauce (created by Serious Eats Managing Culinary Director, cookbook author and all-around recipe guru J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, who helped develop the restaurant's menu).
Harlem Shake has locations at 100 W 124th St, New York, NY 10027 and 2162 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10029. For more info visit harlemshakenyc.com.