Five Guys isn’t as good as before they expanded. Still, DC is so bereft of good honest food (except for ethnic restaurants in strip malls in the burbs) they’d probably line up around the block for In-N Out.
Local chain. They are the place transplanted Californians jones for when they aren’t in the throes of In-N-Out withdrawal.
Whataburger also puts out quality product, I must admit.
I’d take Five Guy’s burgers over Fuddrucker’s any day. But I’m not a burger lover in general.
Be sure to try a Five Guys hot dog though, because even I - an admitted detester of the idea of ground meat of any sort - occasionally give in to the craving for a Five Guys hot dog.
Besides . . . Peanuts!
Speaking of burger joints invading the Chicago market, they opened a Smashburger near here which (according to the webbernetz) originated in Denver. Anyone have an opinion on it? I haven’t been yet.
That’s the first place in this thread (besides McDonald’s and Wendy’s) that I’ve eaten at. It’s good, but not great. We have had some local places that are better, but all but one went out of business. And that one is a gas station–three dollars with fries and I got the best tasting plain burger, if a little small And they are even reheated. I don’t have to understand it–they are just incredibly good.
I haven’t had it in a while, though. Hopefully it isn’t gone, too. I about cried when the burger shop closest to us got bought out and turned into a liquor store. It also had the best fries I’d ever eaten. And that’s not hyperbole.
They’re solid burgers, in the same general league as the burgers on my list. I have no way of predicting whether you’ll like them or not, as I think Five Guys is a fantastic burger, and you don’t seem to like it. It would help to know what your top five list is. I prefer Five Guys. Some prefer Smashburger.
I’ll give it a shot. I don’t really have a Top 5 list because most of my burgers come from independent joints. I have no problem with the mega-chains because my expectations are basically “will put food in me”. Five Guys just isn’t worth the significant price jump in my estimation versus what I can get elsewhere.
I’ve been to the one in Batavia. It’s a decent burger but the fries were lacking in my opinion. It’s a better burger than Tom and Eddie’s (which is right up the road) but T&E has better fries. Five Guys is my favorite and I’m waiting for the one in Geneva to open so I don’t have to deal with traffic in Naperville to get my fix.
Speaking of Naperville I’ve been told to check out Meatheads by a guy who prefers Smashburger over Five Guys. It’s not in the downtown area–maybe I’ll get there this weekend.
I’m not gonna list five,but my top one is Whataburger.
Meatheads in Naperville is at 75th St & Rt 59, near the Fox Valley mall. I’ve been there a few times and it’s pretty good, just not on my regular travel routes.
I can agree with you on the pricing, especially when the superior In-N-Out double-double is something like just a bit over $3. Except, unfortunately, they don’t have those here. Hell, to be honest, my favorite fast food burger value is the double cheeseburger (or I guess the McDouble now, with one less slice of cheese) on the dollar menu at McDonalds.
Smashburger isn’t much cheaper than Five Guys, though. The 1/3 pounder is $4.99 and the 1/2 pounder is $5.99. Specialty burgers are a buck more. The Five Guys little cheeseburger is $4.29 and the regular cheeseburger is $5.79. (The little cheeseburger is all I ever order there, anyway.) Fatburger is also in the same general price range. It seems like most of the better fast food hamburger joints are around this price range, even the good independent ones. Go to Edzo’s (a superior burger to all these) and you’re spending over $5 for a double cheeseburger.
You know, for all the grease that Pittsburghers love to inhale, there’s not a single local burger joint. Oh, there are places where a burger is $10 and you can choose blue cheese or fromage and you can get milkshakes spiked with booze but there’s not a single place where is very-clean-but-still-fast-food-oriented where you can get a burger under $5. The only place that fits the bill is Five Guys.
Somebody should really get on that.
I’ve only ever had Five Guys while visiting the east coast, but I have to admit, I liked them better than In N Out (and I say that as a guy who likes In N Out quite a bit). And, has been mentioned, there’s really no contest as far as fries go - Five Guys wins that battle easily. The closest Five Guys to me that’s now open in L.A. is about a half hour away. I will be in that area tomorrow for a meeting, so I will probably give it a try for lunch. We’ll see how it stacks up to the east coast version.
Several years ago, I would have put Fuddrucker’s at or towards the top of the chain burger list. But the last several times I’ve been there, I’ve noticed a sharp decrease in quality. I’m not sure I’d even really choose to go back there again.
As far as smaller (non-fast food) burger chains, Umami is good, but I actually like The Counter better.
BurgerBar in Vegas is still my favorite burger, though.
A bit surprised at the dislike of In n Out’s fries–I love them. I honestly can’t stand McDonald’s anymore and Burger King’s taste like peanuts.
And here I was, thinking you knew a thing or two about food. 
I’ve tried to like them, I really have. Even ordered them “well done” per some folks suggestion. They just don’t do it for me. Five Guys fries, on the other hand, are the perfect example of what a great fast food French fry should be. (McDonald’s fries are in their own category for me.) Freshly cut, chock full of potato flavor, crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, and the skins are a huge bonus for me. To me, that contributes enormously to the potato flavor of those guys. My perfect chain fast-food meal would be an In-N-Out Double-double with maybe 1/3 of an order of Five Guys fries. (Jumping Jesus, they give you a lot of fries there.)
They really are amazingly good. Boardwalk has nothing on these guys. They have perfected the thickness to oil temperature ratio, that’s the key. So you get actual seared* potato starch on the outside, and it’s just heated through enough, but never burned. Also, their potatoes seem to go in wetter, which keeps the inside soft but not mushy. . .
::Considers the possibility of leaving work early today::
:: Decides to stay employed.::
- Or caramelized? What term works for that if it’s deep-fried? Where it’s just barely past brown but not burnt. . .
Message to In-N-Out:
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Fries should not be limp.
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Fries should contain more potato than grease.
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Well-done fries should not be limp.
Any love for Red Robin around here? One just opened up recently near my home and I thought the burger was delicious. All you can eat steak fries are a nice touch as well.