southerndoc

If ever in the Atlanta area, make sure you try Cheeseburger Bobby's. You'll think Five Guys is like McDonald's after that visit. (Be sure to take your aspirin before you eat. The food is so greasy don't want anyone having a coronary!)

Cholula

"According to the latest Fast Food Survey by Zagat, the best burger in America comes from Virginia-based chain Five Guys. But while the regional chain edged out national players in the hamburger category, Dairy Queen rules the Best Milkshakes category, while the best fries still come from McDonald�s.

The results of the survey were revealed live on TODAY Monday. The survey covered 136 fast-food and full-service chains nationwide. Voting on zagat.com, 6,518 voters weighed in on everything from chicken and cheeseburgers to smoothies and seafood. Full survey results are available at zagat.com/fastfood.

�I think the headline is Five Guys,� Zagat Survey CEO Tim Zagat told TODAY�s Ann Curry. �It�s a chain that has 500 outlets, but that�s small. But it�s growing.�

Link here.

Jimgotkp

Personally, I'm not a fan of Five Guys... The buns were soggy and the fries were salted like crazy. If I recall my meal for a double cheeseburger with fries and coke was $13 or something? I'd save a few bucks and go to Wendy's instead and get a half-pound Baconator meal...

jackal

They need 501: one in ANC.

I have always found it insane that McD's keeps getting, year over year, the win on "best fries." I can't stand McD's fries--thin and anemic, soggy and not crispy, and WAY too salty (oh, and they don't decompose...c.f. the DVD extras on Super Size Me). Give me Wendy's or even BK's any day (well, if I have to choose a fast-food fry).

My Five Guys experience is only limited to about three dines, but I don't recall a soggy bun at all. Also, I'm not a fan of salty foods (I NEVER add salt to any dish I eat--ever) and find even McDonald's fries to be overly salted, but I don't recall thinking the same of Five Guys'. I might suggest trying the Cajun fries next time at Five Guys--those are the bomb!

Cholula

My Five Guys experience is limited to four or five visits as the closest one is an 80 mile RT on clogged LA freeways.

But, you know, we do it every so often as we love Five Guys.

And we pass a gazillion In 'N Out joints on the way to Five Guys but we have zero interest in their burgers. Been there, done that too many times and always walk out wondering about the attraction.

I can't think of one thing I would change about Five Guys. Love their burgers, love their fries, love their choice of a bazillion toppings and like the way they grill the buns.

deubster

We have 2 Five Guys in our town. Decent burger, much better than average fries. Fairly costly for a burger joint. Sure, you get anything you want on it at no extra cost, but by the time you have a large burger, regular fries, and a soft drink, you are approaching $10 - not so much in LA or NY, maybe, but more than most want to spend in our town for a burger meal.

A month or two ago, these guys opened a Lubbock store, and boy do they have Five Guys beat. Great burgers, outstanding fries, and these wonderful breaded fried pepper strips (with ranch dressing for dipping - heavenly). Great shakes also.

SomeGuy

I'm amazed at the variety of responses in this thread.

Personally, I think it's a good burger (would rather have this than McDonald's, but would go to In n Out first). However, the fries do absolutely nothing for me. I usually order a bigger burger, because I know I'm not ordering the fries.

ILuvParis

My problem is that I never met a French fry that I didn't like (never met a potato I didn't like! ). They all start out at a 5 on a 1-10 scale and just get better - soggy, greasy, crisp, thin, thick. Doesn't matter. There are now at least 3 Five Guys within easy driving distance from my home, so I try to avoid it since a small order easily feeds a family of six (and I don't like to waste).

ElmhurstNick

I don't eat the fries at Five Guys because the peanut oil gives me a slight allergic reaction - normally peanut oil in small quantities doesn't bother me, but the fries just soak it in.

There is now an outlet less than two miles from my home. I find that the newer Five Guys across the country (not just the couple I've been to in Chicagoland but also in upstate NY and other places) are not as good as the NoVa/DC outlets. I think it might be in the meat sourcing. The full cheeseburger is still good, but not extremely better than a $5 cheeseburger from Culver's (which would be a triple with some money left over).

The other thing I've noticed: the Chicago suburban Five Guys are relatively empty. The Bolingbrook location had four people in it at 12:45pm on a Wednesday, and two people in it at 7pm on a Saturday. Multiple Sunday afternoon trips to the Orland Park store rarely have more than seven or eight diners.

Contrast that to a Chicagoland chain like Portillo's, where sometimes the drive-in line alone will be 10-12 deep. It makes me wonder if Five Guys is going to have the flame out factor (pun intended) that Krispy Kreme suffered here after three or four years.

stevechin

Yes, so much in LA (well, Orange County anyways.)

The first one in OC opened up in Orange, near where I live. So I gave it a try. It's still quite new, as it opened up 2 weeks ago, so there were 30+ people in line. I like the any topping on the burger options, but I was shocked at the price of a meal. It was around $5.59 for a bacon cheeseburger, and with a cup of Cajun fries and drink, it's around $10.75-ish.

The burger is good, slightly better than any of the large chains, but I still think In-N-Out (although they don't have bacon) makes a better tasting burger. My bacon cheese burger's cheese slices weren't melted, so I wasn't happy about that. Five Guys has better fries, but the Cajun fries are extremely messy, the seasoning gets all over everything.

I'm probably not going back for quite a while due to the price and until the novelty wears off and the lines get shorter.

jackal

I don't find the fries to taste/feel particularly oily, but when I walk out of the restaurant, I feel like I've just been taken through an oil bath. Not sure if it's suspended globules of oil in the air or the oil eeking through my pores, but I definitely need a shower after a dine at Five Guys.

See, that's why Five Guys needs to open an outlet in ANC! To us, $10.75 for a burger, fries, and drink would be a steal!

I don't know. I think Five Guys has a better raw product--meatier, juicer patties, thicker buns, etc. For me, the choice of which one to go to would boil down to my mood--if I'm in the mood for a thick, juicy burger, it's 5G; if I'm looking for something a little lighter, INO is probably the better choice. What makes INO shiine is the secret menu--Animal Style really adds a bit of a kick and a tang.

ScottC

Sounds like a lousy branch. I've never had a soggy bun, and I always have to add my own salt (and vinegar).

Only way I can make my bun soggy is when I add hot sauce.

GuyverII

We've had great burgers in Ocala, FL (SR 200) and in Beavercreek, OH. Those are the only two so far. Also had a Smashburger a few days ago outside of Cincinnati. Was on par with 5 Guys.

Cholula

That brings this thread to a whole new level.

GuyverII

So sorry. My bad. I don't know what I was thinking. Or maybe...just forget it.