Schnipper's 23rd Street

Located at 23 East 23rd Street, the Flatiron branch of Schnipper's Quality Kitchen is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. The nearest competition for the original Shake Shack's popular burgers, shakes and fries, Schnipper's appears to be on track as a working crowd favorite while the Shack Shake remains a must-see destination for out-of-towners willing to wait in a line that wraps around Madison Square Park.

The line at Madison Square Park's Shake Shack

On a sunny October weekday, I walked past a Shake Shack line about 50 people deep and met friends to sample the lunchtime fare at Schnipper's. The lunch/dinner menu is divided into 9 categories- burgers (hamburger, cheeseburger, etc.), specialty burgers (hickory bacon blue burger, green chile turkey burger, etc.), fries & sides (sloppy fries, fresh side salad, etc.), mac & joe (baked mac & cheese, cheesy joe, etc.), crispy (the only 2 options in this category are chicken fingers & fries and fried shrimp & fries), sandwiches (Schnipper's tuna salad, grilled smoked ham & white cheddar, etc.), salads (fig & blue, chipotle caesar, etc.), shakes (classics like vanilla, malts, specialty shakes like salted caramel, and ice cream floats), and finally beverages (lemonade, unsweetened ice tea, etc.).

After a slightly disorganized, somewhat chaotic turn at the register, we found seats and waited for our order to arrive. The mac & joe (half mac & cheese, half sloppy joe, no bun) came out first. Loaded with four cheeses and sprinkled with homemade breadcrumbs, the mac part of the mac & joe was a bit too dry. However, when combined with its joe counterpart, a meaty-tomatoey concoction, it found the moisture it was lacking and was actually quite good.

Customers order at the register and waiters/waitresses bring food in exchange food for laminated order numbers

The mac & joe, not great alone, but shines when combined

The grilled chicken sandwich was up next, with a side of outstanding, crunchy thick cut onion rings and chipotle ranch dipping sauce (add an extra $.50). A hearty, club-like sandwich served on country wheat bread with brie, plum tomatoes, red onion, baby arugula and herb mayo, it makes satisfying lunch at $8.99, but is not outstanding or otherwise memorable (like a Shack Shack sandwich, perhaps?).

While the $3.99 onion rings were golden fried rings of deliciousness, I found it annoying that the chipotle ranch dipping sauce costs an extra $.50
Half of the packed to the brim grilled chicken sandwich

The final piece in our lunchtime puzzle- the Asian chop chop salad and a side of crisp sweet potato fries with a slightly runny, overly sweet maple dipping sauce. At $8.50, the fresh, crunchy salad is big enough to make a complete meal for two. It comes loaded with napa cabbage, tofu, edamame, snow peas, bell peppers, crispy noodles, scallions, radish sprouts, and homemade croutons, and is topped with a thick made-from-scratch Asian peanut dressing.

Hot, crunchy sweet potato fries- unlike the chipotle ranch dipping sauce, the maple dipping sauce is including in the $3.99 price
The veggie packed Asian chop chop salad with the Asian peanut dressing on the side

With so much food, and little room left for an after lunch sweetener, I'll have to find my way back another time for what I hear is an exceptional chocolate peanut butter shake. According to the menu, each shake comes extra thick and is made with super premium ice cream from Schnipper's favorite family run ice cream company in New England.