Fast Casual Review: Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Fresh off President Obama’s trip to Five Guys, let’s show off a couple of their staples. When it comes to burgers, there are plenty of options. McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s are the most well known, but for my money none of them can touch the burgers at Five Guys Burgers and Fries.
Five Guys currently offers 4 different burgers, the hamburger, cheeseburger, bacon burger and bacon cheeseburger. Each of these choices are also offered in a “little” version which has one hamburger patty instead of the two patties found on the standard versions. Five Guys offers a good number of free toppings for their burgers. In addition to burgers, Five Guys also serves french fries, hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches.
On my latest visit to Five Guys, I ordered the bacon cheeseburger topped with mushrooms, jalapeños and A1 sauce. The burgers here aren’t those paper thin patties you find at many other fast food burger spots. You receive 2 rather thick and juicy patties. The patties are smothered in American cheese and enveloped in a soft bun. You would expect such a large burger to fall apart and become sloppy. Surprisingly the bun stays in tact and keeps the burger manageable. By the time you unwrap your burger the cheese has melted to perfection, mixing with the other toppings to create a medley of flavor. The bacon is crisp and tasty, but nothing extra special. The A1 sauce adds the perfect kick that could not be achieved by plain old ketchup. The fresh jalapeños add a crunch and a nice amount of spice to the burger. Five Guys Cheeseburger - GrubGrade: 9.25/10 (Exceptional)
Since the place is called Five Guys Burgers and Fries, I assume you cannot have one without the other. I decided to go with a regular order of fries. The size of the order is anything but “regular’. Any room in the brown paper bag that is not taken up by the burger is filled with fries. The fries are fresh cut daily. On the whiteboard next to the register was a sign stating that today’s potatoes were from Teton, Idaho. The fresh cut potatoes with the skin on are lightly salted, wonderfully crispy and delicious. Topped with malt vinegar and a little ketchup these are some of the best fries around. If you like your spuds with a little kick, you can order cajun fries, which come with seasoning salt. Five Guys Fries – GrubGrade: 9.50/10 (GrubGrade Hall of Fame)
Five Guys is one of those places that isn’t shy about what it offers. Big, thick, greasy burgers. Every brown paper take-out bag from Five Guys I’ve ever had did little to hide the evidence of grease spots. This is an award winning burger spot born out of the Washington Metro Area and it’s a growing chain that proves the customers know what they like.
- Pros- I really don’t know where to begin. The burger is juicy, delicious and perfectly cooked. Large variety of toppings. Soft bun keeps everything where it’s supposed to be. The fresh cut fries are crisp and tasty. When combined with the malt vinegar they provide the perfect complement to the burger.
- Cons- Taste wise there are no cons. Nutritionally there are plenty, but we won’t talk about those.
Taste: 9.25/10
Value: 7.50/10
Grubbing on the Go: 7.50/10
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Five Guys Cheeseburger – GrubGrade: 9.25/10 (Exceptional)
Five Guys Fries – GrubGrade: 9.50/10 (GrubGrade Hall of Fame)
(Overall GrubGrade is not an average)
Price: $5.39 (Bacon Cheeseburger) - $2.59 (Regular Size Fries)
Nutrition Information:
Bacon Cheeseburger has 920 calories, 62 grams of fat 180 mg of cholesterol, 1310 mg of sodium, 40 grams of carbs 2 grams of dietary fiber and 51 grams of protein.
A regular order of fries has 620 calories, 30 grams of fat, 90 mg of sodium, 78 grams of carbs, 6 grams of dietary fiber and 10 grams of protein.