Dick’s in Seattle. Or if they do it, you’ll wait awhile.
I’m not sure about all the other places people have been talking about here. I know that many places screw it up now and then if you don’t want something conventional like ketchup.
Really. I custom order at McDonalds if they aren’t busy. I don’t know anyplace that has a semi-complex burger that can’t be improved by some customization.
Pretty much everywhere allows custom ordering, but at Five Guys you have to list every topping you want. If you don’t ask for it you don’t get it. Whereas virtually everywhere else a burger comes with some standard set of toppings, and if you forget to say “hold the mayo” (perhaps because you’re not aware they put mayo on their burgers by default) you’re getting mayo on your burger.
I love that system.
And that’s one reason why.
The Shake Shack near me (and therefore, probably all of them) has crinkle-cut fries. Just out of curiousity, what’s wrong with crinkle-cut fries?
I had an idea for some place to try making triangular-cut french fries. I don’t know if it’s been done, but I thought it might improve the crispiness.
The frequency with which I get cheese on my hamburgers is truly shocking.
I think Five Guys make a tasty burger. There was a newspaper article complaining about their high prices. But it was slightly misleading as it included a tip, and because their fry portions are enormous.
I like Harvey’s better, an omnipresent Canadian chain. (Burger’s Priest is a good Toronto chain). I’ve never tried Culver’s. I tried Shake Shack in Tokyo and was underwhelmed given how hyped it was at the time. I don’t know how this compares to American restaurants. But I am pleased you have more options. Maybe Bobby’s Burger Palace could open up a local Canadian store, that would be exciting.
My experience with Five Guys is definitely middling at best and giving me a ton of cheap (to them) potatoes doesn’t make up for the overpriced mediocre burgers. Plus, by the time I stopped going, the amount of fries was getting to be less and less anyway. Too many strip mall beef & dog places with better burgers and more fried for less money.
I like Culver’s, both the fish sandwiches and the Mushroom & Swiss burger. Wouldn’t say they’re the best burger ever but I’m always content with what I got when I go.
I try not to order fries very often. If I do, I prefer the small size. So I skip the fries at Five Guys; happy enough eating peanuts anyway. The article complained a burger, fries and pop was somewhat over twenty bucks. But the writer threw in a $2 tip and counted that too.
I’m on Team Hamburger Habit. Love both their burgers and their fries. The trouble is, my very favorite fries in the world are at 5 Guys.
The last two times I’ve gone to a nearby Mr. Pickles sandwich shop, I call 5 Guys on the phone just as I’m exiting the sandwich place, and put in an order for fries. I pop in to 5 Guys on the way home, and bring home a meatball sandwich with a side of 5 Guys fries. It’s a winning combination!
The food without tax was $20.50 (give or take some pennies). Another $2.xx in tax and a $2.xx tip for $25 and change. $20 is ridiculous for that order, with or without the tip.
[Edit: It was $1.34 in tax and the total was $24.xx but the point about the $20+ meal remains]
Dick’s has exactly the following burgers on their menu;
- Plain
- Plain with cheese
- Ketchup and mustard
- Ketchup and mustard with cheese
- Tartar sauce and shredded lettuce (Special)
- Double patty, tartar sauce, shredded lettuce, and cheese (Dick’s Deluxe)
You want onions? They come in a side cup for 20 cents. The only customization you’re allowed to make is that you can order a Dick’s Deluxe without cheese.
As someone who dislikes cheese on burgers, I learned long ago not to walk away from the counter or pull away from the drive-thru without taking my burger out of the bag and opening the wrapper to inspect it.
I like hamburgers, and enjoy reading threads like this. But will any of the places everyone is talking about make you a rare or even medium rare burger?
Chip’s (local chain) in Dallas will.
Thanks. Good to know. I guess it has been 25 years since I had one, so perhaps they’ve changed or I had a poor memory. I
@mixdenny have you ever been to Swensons? It’s an Akron thing but there are more of them in the greater Cleveland area now than there are Culver’s. Prices are from $4.80 (double cheeseburger) to $7 (triple cheeseburger)
I’m not a fan (I don’t really like burgers in particular) but people go gaga for them.
I’m beginning to run into burger troubles around here (New Jersey).
I recently was at an Outback, where I used to always get their Outbacker burger or their grass fed burger. Whatever I ordered this time came with a serious lack of spices and a very plain bun (like a fast food bun). I had asked for mayo on the side and it came but looked like some really cheap mayo, kind of jiggly and translucent. Ugh!
I’m willing to accept that maybe that particular Outback is a franchisee and is running into trouble, so they are starting to use cheaper ingredients–my family agreed that their meals were pretty “meh” as well. Sad.
There is an amazing small chain in Central Jersey called PJs Pancake House that had what I considered the gold standard burger. When I went there to have lunch with my dad a month or two back we were disappointed to see they had stricken their burgers from the menu.
Now I’ll have to go and see if Red Robin is holding up their end. I certainly hope so!
The major places? Absolutely not. Also, the parties tend to be really thin, so it’s hard to do and get the proper Maillard reaction going with crispy edges without cooking to at least medium well. I find medium rare burgers only worthwhile to order at a place where the patty is at least 1/3 lb.
Thanks! Will continue making my own.
Sorry. Red Robin will, if I remember right, but they also have thicker patties. Red Robin is also more of a sit-down place. I don’t know if takeaway orders are typical there.
But, yeah, if you want 6-to-1 to 10-to-1 fast food style patties, you’re just not going to be able to get anything cooked less than well anywhere. Hell, even at home I can’t do it unless I don’t care about browning the outside. But if I wanted tartare, I would have ordered tartare. 4-to-1, or 1/4 pounders, is where it starts becoming possible, but I’ve been at restaurants where they said they couldn’t cook a 1/4 pounder to medium rare, only to medium, because of the thickness. They’d be happy to serve me the bigger 1/2 pound burger at medium rare, though (and I prefer medium-rare for anything bigger than a 1/4 pounder.) There is a trick for the thin patties of starting from frozen, so it’s not 100% impossible, but if using room-temp meat, I don’t think it’s possible to get the lovely sear and medium-rare interior on anything thinner than a 1/4 lber. I suppose I could try the blowtorch.
I sous vide to rare, then use a torch.
I was in a sit-down place having a beer. I looked at the menu and ordered a burger, medium rare. The server told me they didn’t do any burgers except medium well. I ordered another beer and canceled food.
A few minutes later a guy came out of the kitchen and told me he’d make me a great medium rare burger. I was happy! It was delicious. When I was leaving I wanted to leave a separate tip for him. He came out but told me to chill the burger talk. He had run some steak through a grinder to make my burger and his boss would be pissed off to find that out.