A while back a reader of the site mentioned the opening of 5 Guys Burgers and Fries. Over on the ChowHound forums, is the first write-up I have seen for the place so far. Anyone else been out there yet?
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I am a Maryland native and have had 5 Guys several times before they exploded into chain o’rama. Their burgers are decent much better than any “fast food” yet nothing amazing. They do use fresh beef, not frozen and the topping selection is tasty. The FRIES are EXCELLENT and a sizeable portion. I hope they haven’t haven’t screwed up a DC/MD/VA favorite by shipping it across the country.
Just got out to the one by South Towne on Monday night. It was near closing but service was good. I had the double bacon cheeseburger, fries and a drink. I had the burger with fried mushrooms, fried onions and hot sauce. Bacon was a medium-thin cut and crispy but not crumble-crisp. The mushrooms and onions were nicely cooked and not wet…fresh mushrooms not from a can. Fries…great…they are medium-thick cut (not shoestring) but very crispy and they held their crispness for the whole meal…30 minutes. Beef was as per alex, fresh…well done but still juciy. Typically at a resto I’d go for a medium/med-rare burger but this was still juciy enough for me. Dollar for dollar I’d much rather do a 5guys over some of the ‘special’ burgers at other fast food chains.
In comparison to the couple 5guys I have been out east it seemed like the grill/flattop wasn’t quite seasoned yet. The grill flavour wasn’t as robust here.
My observation on a common comparison (In-n-Out vs 5Guys)…I-O is the epitome of a fast food burger. Albeit with great/fresh ingredients.
I’d describe 5Guys more in the class of a diner burger. The other big plus is the plethora of choices for toppings.