Five Guys Cheeseburger
Thank you Burger Gods — This burger is amazing — I love everything about it.
Timothy, FFC’s Editor/Founder, is a little upset with me. You see, we both wanted to review Five Guys but neither had confirmed a date, so it ended up being a free-for-all. Basically, it was a race to see who could get there first, and I won. Why is this a big deal? Because Five Guys has been getting publicity from major food magazines and websites, and is regarded as one of the best burgers in the biz. They are located mostly in the east and northeast, but have begun to expand nationwide. They still have a limited presence, and the average fast food eater has probably not had access to them. Tim’s homestate has only recently seen their first 5G locations appear.
If you’ve never been to a Five Guys Burgers and Fries before, their name pretty much sums up what you’ll find. It’s a simple menu, burgers and fries are obviously available, but you’ll also find hot dogs, and veggie or grilled cheese. As far as the burgers go, they’ve got the Hamburger, Cheeseburger, Bacon Burger and Bacon Cheeseburger. Each of those also comes in a “Little” version, which I soon learned means a single beef patty as opposed to the regular version’s double stacked meat. They offer a good selection of toppings which are all free, included with any burger purchase.
When you walk into Five Guys, huge bags of potatoes line the windows, and they have lots of awards and reviews plastered all over the walls. They’re definitely proud of their success, and their freshly cut fries. After eating there, I cannot argue with either. One off-note I have to mention, the first 5G location I visited, the cooks were quite loud and animated. They were shouting orders to each other and it was a bit distracting. Things at the second location were quieter and more laid back, which I appreciated.
With the amount of toppings they offer, I wasn’t quite sure how to dress my burgers. For consistency, both times I ended up getting the Cheeseburger (regular, not “little”) with fried onions, jalapeno peppers, and bbq sauce. After placing my order, the wait at the two locations averaged 5 -7 minutes. It’s definitely a longer wait than a typical fast-food place. Once I got my burger, I tore the wrapping open and was surprised at the size. It was big, and I hadn’t expected 2 beef patties. And they were delicious, cooked perfectly, with just a bit of char on the outside, plenty juicy inside, and a taste almost like homemade. Each patty looked different, the result of fresh beef that’s shaped by a human being, instead of a machine spitting out clones ready to be frozen.
Another surprise was fresh jalapenos. Most fast food places use jalapenos from a jar, which are less spicy. I was excited to get some real heat on my burger. The jalapenos were great, and with three or four slices per sandwich, had just the right amount of kick without being overwhelming. The Kraft American cheese was nicely melted, the onions were fried to perfection, and the Cattlemen’s bbq sauce added the finishing touch of flavor. Even the buns are worth mentioning, soft and squishy yet firm enough to hold everything together, and soaking in some of the juices from the meat.
As I said in the beginning, I was satisfied with everything about this burger. It’s one of the best I’ve eaten, regardless of the classification: fast-food, casual or quick-serve. This is one burger that lives up to the hype. If there’s a location near you, GO!
If there’s any complaint about my Five Guys experiences at all, I guess it would be the waiting time. I just wish they could make them faster. Then again, I’m not sure they’re technically considered “Fast Food”, and there’s a reason they don’t have a drive-thru. Burgers this good take time. If I’m in a rush, and don’t think to call ahead, my short lunch break will force me to swing into another fast food joint, but if I have those extra few minutes I’ll definitely be visiting Five Guys again. After getting a closer look at the nutrition facts, perhaps it’s best that 5G remain my special occasion burger.
Price: $4.99 / Website: FiveGuys.com
Fast Food Critic Score: A+
Click here for rating system details.
Nutrition Facts - Five Guys, Cheeseburger (onions, jalapenos, bbq sauce).
Calories - 1033
Calories from Fat - 520
Total Fat - 59 grams
Carbs - 61 grams
Saturated Fat - 26.5 grams
Trans Fat - 2 grams
Cholesterol - 195 milligrams
Sodium - 1735 milligrams
Protein - 67 gramsNOTE: The nutrition numbers above include the regular Cheeseburger with two beef patties, two slices of cheese, onions, jalapenos, bbq sauce and bun. Five Guys does a good job at breaking things down by individual ingredient. For the complete 5G nutrition information, visit this link. (.pdf file)
badluck on your part Tim.
This is a true burger, looks like some old fashion home cooking
I agree with James, that’s a REAL burger.
My mouth is watering.
I wish we had the five guys chain in my city but we don’t.
Are they coming to the west coast? I wonder if they’re better than IN-N-OUT?
Not really a fair fight to compare Five Guys with In-N-Out burger. As far as a true fast food burger, In-N-Out in my opinion makes one of the best….and sadly I’m no where near an INO. Anytime I’m out west I’ll grab some. INO and Five Guys are just very different places.
It’s good to see a place like Five Guys has a space here at FFC. I agree, not your typical “fast food” place but that’s fine. In recent years there has been a big upswing of “fast casual” establishments such as Five Guys, Panera, Chipotle etc…and they too deserve a spot on FFC.
I’ve had Five Guys only twice before. It really never was my style of burger but I will reconsider and give it another shot. If you are into a BIG, greasy real burger than Five Guys will satisfy you. 5G gives you your to-go order in a plain brown paper bag and you can see the grease stains develop on the bottom. Truly meant for a big appetite. Very tasty but I agree John, definitely a special occasion burger.
Great review.
Looks delicious but with 1000 calories, 500 calories from fat, 1700 sodium, it better taste good. Those are high numbers for a single sandwich.
Pamela, great things in life are deadly
I’d love to eat this burger. It’s pretty cheap for the price, costs $7 here for an Australian burgers that’s know where near the size of this burger.
yum!!
Are you going to do a separate review of 5 Guys fries? Because they are fantastic - boardwalk-style, double cooked in peanut oil. Plus they always have vinegar as a condiment, which in MD is essential for an optimal boardwalk fry experience.
I was actually unhappy when a 5 Guys opened near me, because it meant that I had to resist temptation more often. When the closest one was 45 minutes it was much easier to stay away
One of my all-time favs. From the first bite of my first burger from Five Guys I turned into a lifelong obsessive.
I used to eat at the original Five Guys in Arlington, VA, it hasn’t changed much since they’ve been franchising them.
I eat at my local one once a month cause with the fries it is a huge meal. A small order of fries is easily enough for two people.
I’ve never had In-And-Out but I like Five Guys better than What A Burger or Fat Burger.
I love them. Washington/Dulles has a Five Guys in their terminal.
I actually think their fries are what make it an outstanding place to dine.
Also, Little Bacon Cheeseburger > Regular cheeseburger.
I need to find a car and make my way to Dedham MA. I’ve heard NOTHING but good things about 5 guys.
Pamela,
Understandable about the nutrition facts. Five guys will be an occasional burger for me though.
and melissa,
i saw that they also had cajun fries I believe. Something other than the regular ones. Have you had both?
John, glad you finally made it to a Five Guys!
I’ve been loving Five Guys ever since I moved to D.C. four years ago. I moved here just before they started rapidly expanding. For a long time Five Guys was a treat that only Virginia, Maryland and DC residents got to enjoy.
I’m a sucker for unlimited toppings, and I always load my burger up with as much stuff as possible. But no matter how much I pile on there, it never seems to take away from the quality taste of the meat.
If it wasn’t so unhealthy I’d probably eat Five Guys a few times a week.
[…] Fast Food Critic reviews Five Guys. […]
Yum, my favorite fast food burger, bar none. They make an amazing bacon cheese dog as well. As for calories, well, compare it to a footlong meatball grinder from Subway.. Less calories in the burger and it’s more filling in my opinion
Don’t forget the peanuts! Love the barrels of peanuts!
The Cajun fries are fries with Old Bay seasoning on them which is popular in the part of the country they started out in.
I always preferred regular myself.
Surprised there was no mention of fries. Did you order any? After the burger the fries are always the next thing mentioned in a fIve Guys discussion. There is a huge quantity of fries in a single order. It is always suprising to first timers at Five Guys. I love fries and the thought of leaving some behind is unthinkable to me but at Five Guys a single is way too many.
@Melissa and @drpep — I’m going to review the fries at Five Guys, since John (that bastard) already beat me to the burger.
Btw, too many Johns/Jons in this thread. It’s starting to feel like a brothel.
I’m trying to find a way to give everyone a unique ID when posting a comment, but all the options I’ve found so far will force people to ‘register’, and I’d rather not do that if I can avoid it. I’ll update the situation as soon as possible.
Oh yes, the fries are amazing and plentiful. Cajun flavor is not needed, just the plain fries and a few shots of the malt vinegar they happily provide. YUM again
Man, why do I have to be stuck on this silly little island known as the UK!
I want a burger like that =(
@John - I haven’t had the cajun fries because I don’t want to mess with perfection. Someone else said they were Old Bay fries, which I would not doubt since they’re an East Coast chain.
And as ratbuddy pointed out, it’s malt vinegar specifically that they offer as a condiment - I didn’t think to make the clarification, because what other kind of vinegar would you use, really?
I have only been to one 5 Guys, in Niskayuna, NY. The hamburgers are consistently overcooked, usually a little burned. Quite unpleasant.
I had to go 150 miles back to see my surgeon and, lo and behold, there was a FG two blocks away! Melissa is more than right! The burgers were merely great while the fires were Nirvana (not the rock group). Salted just right, they’re best with the available malt vinegar. Yum Yum!
1033 calories… oh my god…
I see a lot of talk about In N Out. Being born and raised in so. Cal In n Out is something if grown up on. i have to agree though, this burger can not be compared to in n out.
i look at in n out as the ultimate service line burger. fresh. consistant. much smaller.
this Five GUys burger looks awesome. it reminds me of a place we have called TK Burger down in Costa Mesa andHunnington Beach. Bun, meat, cheese, everything looks the same. (minus the jalepenos)
i would love to see one of these places around.
I just went here for the first time over the weekend, and it is an amazing place and the burgers are amazing.
I’m late to the party so I’ll make it short. Here in Jersey (River Edge location) the burgers are marginal at best, while the fries are quite good. The store is kind of plain and dumpy, the only decoration is their reviews touting how good they are and some sacks of potatoes.
5 guys burgers are not worth the price and I think Wendy’s has the best burgers.