We have had 5 Guys around here for some time but I have never warmed up to them. The are almost as expensive as burgers at a great bar and grill. Their fries are very expensive. The first time I had one I was looking at the article posted on the walls where they claimed the copious toppings were part of their success. I sort of agreed. The topping were so thick I couldn’t taste the meat. The double cheeseburger is $10.99
Luckily, within the past 6 months 3 excellent brands have moved in to Westlake and North Olmsted, Ohio. Shake Shack, two Freddy’s and a Culver’s. They are feature the “smash burger” style. The patties are large and fairly thin and the edges cook to a crisp. Damn they are all excellent. It is hard to rank them on just the burgers alone.
Shake Shack. Original double $8.99 I know they have been around in other states. I think, by a very slight edge, their burgers taste the best. But it’s s slim edge and their fries are nothing special. They have some other nice sandwiches. The Korean inspired hot chicken is great.
Culver’s. Deluxe double $5.69 Best selection by far and the best buy. In addition to the burgers they have nice cod sandwiches and dinners, meat loaf and pot roast. The burger is excellent.
Freddy’s. Original Double - $6.99 The best fries. Ever. The thin cuts are a touch thicker then Steak N Shake and easily beat MacDonalds. We stop there just to buy fries sometimes. The burgers are awesome but the star of the show is their patty melt. Served on toasted rye with grilled onions and Swiss cheese it is the best patty melt I have ever had. They even have a snappy, Vienna all beef hot dog for $4.99 that is as good as Nathan’s.
I am familiar with Culver’s from where I used to live, but that’s been 10 years now. I thought of them as useless fast-food mediocrity that could only survive, not even thrive, in the food wastelands of the smalltown Midwest. Certainly not a burger you would go out to eat, but one you could inhale if they were the only fast food place at the top of the offramp as you’re driving through. Worse than Burger King, on a par with McDonalds and none of the mega-chain familiarity. Culver’s might have changed in the 10 years since I last ate one. But I doubt it.
We have Shake Shack around here. I’ve eaten in several of their local outlets. Overpriced New York vibe, nasty fries, and a perfectly adequate midrange burger like you’d find at an average Joe’s bar and grille. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing special about it either.
I’m not a rabid fan of 5 Guys, but they beat the tar out of Culver’s, and solidly beat Shake Shack.
Wow, first time I’ve ever heard such negativity around Culver’s. I’ve always loved it, and whenever it gets brought up with people I encounter, it’s largely universal love. Cheese curds, butter burgers smashed to crispy perfection, amazing frozen custard with a nice variety of toppings, nice pot roast and chicken. An absolute treat and surprisingly affordable in the modern world of fast food.
You sure you’re not thinking of Sonic or Rally’s? Those places (especially Sonic) are what I think of when I hear “food wastelands of smalltown Midwest.” I spent many a work trip in sad Midwestern towns where Sonic was the best (or only) food option, but not Culver’s.
Huh, I LOVE the fries at Shake Shack. We don’t have Culver’s or Freddys around here, but the fries at Shake Shack are much better than the ones at Five Guys, for example.
As far as the burgers are concerned, I like both Shake Shack and Five Guys equally. What I really like about Five Guys is that they have an optional addition of chopped bell peppers, which I love. No other major chain has this, as far as I know.
I’ve only been to Culver’s once, but I wasn’t that impressed with them. I mean, they were fine, but I didn’t think it was anything particularly special.
My personal favorite fast casual burger chain is The Habit. They started in California but have expanded to the East Coast now. But looking at their locations they’re not in the middle of the country yet.
I’ve tried most of the chains mentioned here. Better than all of them is a small chain around Boston called Tasty Burger. A couple of their locations are open late, and I even know where one of them has reserved parking, which is a definite plus around here.
8 posts in and no mention of Red Robin? I had a mushroom-Swiss burger at a Red Robin years ago that was a thing of delicious, sublime beauty. Or maybe I was just really hungry. In any case, as chain burgers go, I’d say Red Robin is up there.
I’s not clear to me where the OP draws the line between what I’d describe as almost-fast food, such as their choices of 5 Guys, Culver’s, Freddy’s and Shake Shack.
Versus Red Robin which is a full bore sit-down restaurant chain not much different from e.g. TGIF, Ruby Tuesday, Olive Garden, etc. Albeit a burger-oriented sit-down restaurant.
I don’t think it’s sensible to try to compare the products across those two categories. But that may just be me.
5 Guys has gone downhill since those halcyon days in the 90s when there were only two of them, both in the WDC area. Those were some killer burgers back then. Now, with the franchise model, it’s hit or miss (a miss, at the one in our neighborhood) and way overpriced. I’ve yet to find a really top-notch burger here in MSP. We’ve been to Culvers, but I was unimpressed. We were spoiled in Portland, as there were two outstanding burger joints right in our neighborhood: a Killerburger and a place called PDX Sliders. I’ve yet to try the local “Juicy Lucy” (basically a burger wrapped around cheese, then fried), but I don’t care for gimmicks. I’ve had a decent pub burger here, but those thicker patties don’t hit my sweet spot.
Culver’s is awesome!!! And they have the best fish sandwiches, too. During Lent, in addition to their Atlantic cod, they have walleye. So freaking good—had it this past Friday.
No one shall besmirch the name of Culver’s! Their burgers are not quite Five Guys or In N Out, but way better than any of the Big Three. I’d take them over Smashburger and Red Robin, as well. (Though that’s because the Red Robin near me is abysmal.)
We used to love Red Robin, but the quality of food and service has absolutely plummeted, at least at our local location. Fortunately there a The Habit close to it.
Burgers, like almost every other food type, seem to top out at “decent” near me. We have to take a ferry or cross a toll bridge 40 minutes away before it gets better.
I’ve been disappointed the 3 or 4 times I’ve been to Five Guys; there’s nothing exceptional about it but the price. I got dragged to a Shake Shack in LA by my friend’s teenagers and I think it might be the best burger I’ve had in years.
That was my favorite as well, but the one left here is slowly dying. Also having moved, I find it eight miles away which is a ways to go for a hamburger. If I’m doing something nearby I’ll stop there for a meal.
Five Guys: Besides the cost the one by me (at least) has the music on too loud.
Culvers: Tried it a couple times and while I like the pot roast sandwich as a change of pace, for the burgers I prefer …
Freddy’s: Always a double since they are so thin, one slice of cheese, and just onions – I am a burger minimalist. And, preferring the shoestring-style over fluffier fries, like the OP I find Freddy’s the best, but you have to eat them quick before they cool off.
Oh, Shake Shack is S-tier fast food (OK, “fast casual”) burgers (but you also pay for it.) That said, their chicken sandwich is what I’ve been getting there lately. It is da bomb!
I’ve always wanted to try Shake Shack, but the closest one is 12 miles away according to their website. That’s too far to go for a burger, especially when I have Habit, Five Guys, and In-N-Out nearby.
I’m usually on the lookout for Shake Shack locations when I’m traveling, but so far no luck. Last year I had a stopover at MSP, and there apparently is one in the airport. I was planning on going there – I had a a couple hours between flights. But my inbound flight was delayed just enough so that I still had time to make my connection, but not enough time to make it to Shake Shack.
