I ask because there is a Five Guys restaurant opening up here in June and some people are positively giddy with joy at the prospect. I never heard of it and wondered if I should be giddy with joy, too. Good, just OK, or what?
I’ve been to one, but seriously - unless you are in a tragic backwater, you have an as good, or better, burger place in your home town already. The big boxes of peanuts are a nice touch, but unpeeled fries suck.
Some people love the place. I think it’s overrated. Biggest sin, at least here, is that they will only cook the burgers well done. Fries are alright, if you like thick fries, and portions are large but prices are not cheap. Main gimmick is all the toppings are included in the price. I think that they also have free peanuts. So if volume and decent quality is your thing, you’ll be happy. Look to spend about $8-10 for one person, a little less if you have more people and share fries (or just skip the fries).
I’m a fan. Wouldn’t go out of my way to eat there, but there happen to be a lot of them around my way so I go at least a few times a year.
The burgers are big. Like 1/2lb. big. They have hot dogs too, but I’ve never had one. Free in-shell peanuts while you wait (and you will wait; they don’t cook until you order). Better quality food than McD’s or Burger King or other fast food places, but the prices are 30-50% higher.
Worth stopping in at least once.
A little pricey, but the burgers are good (cooked specifically for you, so fresh and with exactly the toppings you want – since I like my burgers medium, the “only one level of doneness” isn’t a prob for me), and the fries are killer. (Huge portions, too – one order of fries is enough for two people.)
Very overrated in my opinion. There must be a name for this category of burger place, but of the ones I’ve tried Five Guys is my least favorite. Everything is sort of so-so, and it seems very overpriced to me compared to its competition, especially the fries which were something like $2.50 or $3.00 for an order.
In this category, I think In n Out remains king of the hill.
I walk past one every day. Never went in. The prices on the menu dissuade me from giving it a try…TRM (cheap bastard deluxe)
It’s a decent burger, and the free peanuts make me happy, but I wouldn’t be especially excited over one opening. Course, I have my burger needs satisfied regularly by Whataburger and Red Robin, so another premium burger joint rates a solid meh.
I hear people rave aabout this place, and I absolutely don’t get it. Really, I just think it’s a herd mentality. Seems like a pretty standard fast food burger to me.
Best burgers anywhere. Fresh, with any toppings you want included in the price. I have never had a better burger anywhere, and I love hamburgers.*
And they have the best french fries in the world. One order will easily feed three people.
*I haven’t been to an In and Out, but looking at the menu, they seem pretty uninspired. Lettuce and tomato and maybe onions? No mushrooms? No relish? No mayo? No pickles? And they cook their fries in vegetable oil – not peanut oil, like Five Guys.
I couldn’t disagree more. Any decent sized town is going to have a dozen locally-owned restaurants that will make you a better burger.
I love it. I seriously dislike eating red meat, especially ground meat, but I occasionally succumb to the call of Five Guys. Fantastic burgers (but then, I prefer well done, so that may explain the delta) and the hot dogs are incredible. They are huge, and they split them open and grill the inside, then put them in a fantastic bun with whatever toppings you want.
And if you like boardwalk fries you’ll love Five Guys. I’m not a french fry fan in general, but I love theirs. Big, thick slices cooked dark golden with the peel still on. And all Five Guys have good malt vinegar and excellent tomato ketchup. Mix the two, dip a fry in, and heaven!
My friends who love burgers prefer Red Robin’s burgers, but end up at FG because of the fries.
Average at best.
[ul]
[li]The burger is on par with a national chain diner like Denny’s[/li][li]You’ll wait about the same amount of time as at Denny’s to get your burger and no that’s not just because it’s fresh, there are plenty of grills that make a fresh burger much faster [/li][li]The burgers are pretty big but I’d rather have a smaller burger that tastes really good than a big burger thats just - meh[/li][li]You do get a large amount of fries and they are pretty good but they do NOT travel well - eat them at the shop while they’re fresh 'cause by the time you get them home or back to your office they’ll be rubbery and greasy[/li][li]It’s not cheap, the whole experinece leaves me feeling like I’ve gotten better burgers for less money many many times[/ul][/li]
As others have said (and it bears repeating), if you’re willing to try a couple local places you’ll eventually find one that’ll take care of you better for less cash.
Denny’s… are you kidding me? I’d put a Denny’s burger at about a 1 on a scale of 1-10 and Five Guys at about an 8. I much prefer them to In and Out. Fries are wonderful and don’t be put off by the price… it isn’t a single serving.
When has a Denny’s burger ever been mentioned in a thread of the best fast food (or otherwise) burgers? Five Guys is almost always one of the first mentioned.
Sorry - didn’t mean to offend, but the 2 are about the same
The burgers are pretty good, I think. They’re not very good for you nutritionally, so it’s certainly a “sometimes food” (the hamburger has about 700 calories and a regular order of fries, 620), but I think they’re pretty good.
Good, fresh burgers. Badly cooked fries. I used to go all the time in Virginia, but those charred fries really put me off.
I don’t eat beef, but I like Five Guys because of their grilled cheese sandwiches. These are actually cheeseburgers without the meat – they’re served on a (grilled) burger bun and you can get any of the toppings you like. I think it’s fun to be able to have a “fancy” grilled cheese sandwich. I usually get mustard, grilled onions, pickle, and sometimes hot peppers – smelly but delicious! This is all for $2.50-$3, the burgers are more expensive.
Five Guys also has my favorite fast food sweet tea (unsweetened is also available), although that’s only in the South. I once visited a Five Guys in the Midwest and was disappointed to learn they didn’t have iced tea there.
The fries are served in HUGE portions, so I never get them unless I’m with someone else. The “regular” size is easily enough for 2-3 people, and I wouldn’t buy the large unless I were with a BIG group. Looking at the price of the fries they seem expensive, but you really get a lot. I like their fries but they’re not the usual fast food fries and I guess they’re not what some people prefer. Five Guys fries are cut very large and still have some peel on them.
I can’t comment on the quality of the burgers because I’ve never had them, but for anyone planning to get one for the first time, the “little” burgers are actually normal burgers. If you order a burger and don’t specify that you want the “little” one, you get two beef patties.
ETA: Oh, it’s also important to know that Five Guys serves burgers, (beef) hot dogs, grilled cheese/veggie sandwiches, and fries. There are also loose peanuts available for free. That’s it. There are no salads, chicken sandwiches, ice cream, etc.
For my love of In-N-Out in other posts, I have to admit that Five Guys makes a better burger. Which makes them the best of the fast food offerings I’ve been too. For fast food, they’re awesome. For an honest burger joint, there are probably better offerings in your town. Nirvana for me, is a smoked patty Cheeseburger with everything from Guy’s Meat Market near OST and 288 in Houston. Or, a burger from Casino El Camino in Austin. But Five Guys isn’t bad at all.
The fries are ginormous, but tasty. Still, get the normal size.
I wonder what the definition of a “decent sized town” is.
Five guys just sells a couple of items. It has to make them so that a big segment of the population likes them. The burgers are really good and the toppings fresh. And the fries! Unpeeled fries are great, of course. And when you order a large fries they fill a large cup with them and stick them in a paper bag. And then they pour all the fries left in the basket on top. They last me four or fives meals. How is that not a bargain?
Yes, the bag is soaked with grease, so I’m careful only to have them once every couple of months.
I’m in the northeast so I’ve never even see a Whataburger or In-and-Out. Maybe they’re better, but they’re not even options. Five Guys meets or beats everything else I’ve seen in that category. (And no grilled cheese/veggie in the local stores either.)
And I wouldn’t walk into a Denny’s. Ever. For anything.