Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries
138 Montague St, Brooklyn Heights, NY
(718) 797-9380
132-01 14th Ave, College Point, Queens NY
(718) 767-6500
450 Hackensack Avenue, Hackensack NJ
(201) 343-5GUYS
Web Site: http://www.fiveguys.com
Related Post: Matt Jacobs’ Five Guys review at New York Metromix
Click Here for Hi-Res Slide Show (with more photos)
Like many Americans, I’m in love with hamburgers, and whenever I see a new hamburger place I’m ready to pounce. This weekend, the DelMarVa/Washington DC chain Five Guys, which has 180 stores nationwide, opened up two new locations in the NY Metro area, one in Brooklyn and one in Hackensack, NJ. Five Guys is known for their simple, no-nonsense burger menu and excellent French Fries (sorry, no shakes or onion rings, folks.)
The Five Guys store, opening day on July 1, 2007, at the Home Depot/Pathmark/Staples Shopping Center in Hackensack.
Five Guys is pretty no-frills in terms of decor or branding — its a simple, old school, clean, what you see is what you get kind of a hamburger chain. Five Guys is also not in the practice of advertising whenever they enter a new market, its success as a chain has been almost entirely by word of mouth.
Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more 5 Guys Burgers and Fries.
The Five Guys menu is decidedly minimalist.
One of the main hallmarks of the franchises is that roasted peanuts are provided all over the store for patrons to munch on while they are waiting for their burgers, which take an average of about 7 minutes to cook.
A regular order of Five Guys fries, which are twice cooked in high quality peanut oil, Ocean City Boardwalk style. The potatoes (huge 50lb sacks of which are strewn about the restaurant) are sourced from all across the US, and the Potato variety currently being used is posted for everyone’s reference.
A Bacon Cheeseburger, ordered with cooked onions, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, mustard. All the burgers are served wrapped in aluminum foil and packed in brown paper bags, irregardless if they are ordered to go or to eat-in. The paper bags are ripped open and used as placemats on the tables to eat on.
Here’s another bacon cheeseburger, with barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato and raw onion. Note that the sesame seed buns are a proprietary recipe baked exclusively for Five Guys.
A bacon cheeseburger with hot sauce on the side.
The “Regular” burger by default is made with twin 3.3 oz burger patties, which are composed of 80 percent lean ground beef which has never been frozen. While they don’t ground the meat onsite, they get deliveries of fresh meat every day. All the burgers are cooked “Well Done” according to the signage, but I would characterize them more as “cooked through” than cooked to death — they are still plenty juicy and the burgers are delicious. It should be noted that the ground beef is also not seasoned prior to cooking, unless you order it “Cajun” style.
Bacon Cheeseburger with Raw Onion, Fresh Jalapenos and A1 Sauce.
June 30, 2007 at 11:07 pm |
I had to stop watching the slide show. It made so friggin’ hungry. They make a helluva burger. I gotta get back there and soon!
June 30, 2007 at 11:15 pm |
I enjoyed their burgers at the original in Virginia. I am anxious to see how the branches are true to the original concept. The photos sure make me want to try soon!
July 1, 2007 at 12:58 am |
I mean this kindly: The word is “regardless.” The suffix “less” means without, so regardless is without regard. “Ir” as a prefix also means without, so irregardless is a double negative.
Or, you could just say disirregardless, and at least come back around to the meaning you intended. ;)
And, yes, I also tell my friends if they have something stuck in their teeth…because no one else will.
July 1, 2007 at 1:52 am |
At first, I thought five guys was a good burger joint, but the more I ate there, the more I was disappointed with the bun. Even in the pictures you can see the buns are always smushed up, and leaves a bad texture in your mouth. proprietary recipe or not, I’d rather have a better bun.
Otherwise, I love the topings that you can get on the burger and the fries are always good.
July 1, 2007 at 8:53 am |
Five Guys in the Maryland/VA are okay. However, I have heard complaints from friends about the burgers being overcooked. Perhaps the complainers, like me, prefer our burgers “medium rare” and are not happy unless they are REALLY pink in the center.
Red Robin (a strong competitor with the Guys in this area), on the other hand will cook a burger to order. In fact, the servers usually ask if you would prefer it “pink in the middle.”
Granted, Five Guys and Red Robin are very different concepts. but our opinions are that the Robin’s burgers are far superior.
By the way, the photographs were, once again, outstanding.
July 1, 2007 at 9:05 am |
Jordan: It’s a jocular form of “regardless”.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/irregardless
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/irregardless
It is a real word despite the fact many people hate it. Which is why I continue to use it. :)
July 1, 2007 at 9:48 am |
French fries are great there
- Freshly cut
- Well drained, not greasy
- Came to me red hot direct from the fryolator.
- I love hot French fries with ketchup and salt.
- Their ketchup is high quality
I had a small burger with bacon, cheese, sautéed onion and mushroom. Didn’t eat it all on premises and it tasted great even hours later
The free peanuts is a v nice touch!
July 1, 2007 at 10:55 am |
In the second photo – the one with the kid waving – are those bags of potatoes?
July 1, 2007 at 12:39 pm |
Coming soon to the old Syd’s location in the Millburn Mall, according to the sign in the window.
July 1, 2007 at 4:59 pm |
Peanuts, I think.
July 1, 2007 at 6:30 pm |
Huge giant freaking bags of potatoes, Nina.
July 1, 2007 at 8:25 pm |
I was anxious to visit Five Guys. From reading posts on other sites, it seems that there is a wide variety of opinions on this place. A lot has to do with the individual location. I went to one on rt1 in Edison, N.J. Everything was excellent. Fries are one of the best I’ve had. Better than any other fast food fry by far. The burger was top notch. Well done, but juicy. Not dried out like Cheeburger Cheeburger. And better, in my opinion than Red Robin. I hope the one in Union will be good. I live in Union and won’t have to travel far, although I wish we had Syd’s back.
July 1, 2007 at 9:57 pm |
The College Point, Queens, outpost has been around for a few months now. Have been there twice, really like the burger, the crisp texture of the meat, the soft bun, the way the cheese is glopped on. It’s far less what you would expect from a fast food joint; much more like a burger you’d expect to find off the side of the road somewhere, some small shack or carhop. The paper bag, the tin foil, it smacks of simple, fun nostalgia. The fries are crisp, but a tad too salty for me on the second visit.
P.
July 2, 2007 at 12:20 am |
I just went to the Brooklyn Heights Five Guys, the staff was great and the food was very good. Highly recommended! Personally I like the bun a lot, I thought the food was a little expensive, but considering that its not just another hamburger chain I would much rather spend my money there.
July 2, 2007 at 8:13 am |
I interviewed this guy, who was in the middle of expanding his bakery to make bread for all the Five Guys.
http://www.readexpress.com/read_freeride/2006/12/eating_around_gold_crusts_hot_stuff_1.php
July 2, 2007 at 1:55 pm |
Damn, damn, damn. There are Five Guys restaurants in INDIANA, but not in Illinois. I desperately want to try those fries, but it’s not worth a drive…
…not without milkshakes, anyway. Honestly, isn’t that a burger joint staple?
July 2, 2007 at 4:05 pm |
DocChuck, Red Robin also exists in the NY/NJ market. I don’t know if Jason has been there, but I have been.
As you say its quite different. The burgers are thick and meaty, not thin and “crispy style”. They are into exotic toppings (fried eggs, bbq sauces, etc) whereas Five Guys seems pretty basic. I’ve yet to go to this local Five Guys, but the photos alone are enough to confirm my basic assumptions on this.
Red Robin, ain’t bad, but for me it seems too much of an apples to oranges comparison–a place which produces the same product but with radically different methods. It would be like comparing White Castle to Fuddruckers.
July 2, 2007 at 4:39 pm |
Yep, John, I agree with you . . . which is why I stated ” . . . Five Guys and Red Robin are very different concepts . . .”.
The point I guess that I was trying to make was the “degree of doneness”.
My wife and I like our burgers medium rare (which means pink in the center, WARM pink).
Of course, everyone does not like their burgers cooked that way, so many folks may be perfectly happy at the Five Guys.
We have enjoyed burgers at both the Guys and at the Robin.
Given a choice, I would personally prefer the “pink center” of RR’s burgers.
More importantly, I appreciate the fact that the RR allows me a choice. Five Guys does NOT allow me a choice.
So, where we will spend our hard-earned cash when we have a hankerin’ for a good burger???
You guessed it!
When I plunk down my bucks, I REALLY appreciate a “CHOICE” on how my food is prepared.
p.s. But, HEY, the Guy’s peanuts are said to be great! Unfortunately, I don’t like peanuts.
July 2, 2007 at 6:38 pm |
Typical Jersey and NE response to Red Robin. Go ahead and eat your frozen meat that is BK ‘whopper’ meat just so you get it Medrare. I am Medrare as well but ‘Five Guys’ (not guys) prepares so the juice is dripping! Personally, I’d also rather eat my burger hot off the grill than wait for a server to deliver 20-30 minutes later. Don’t see RR being ‘Zagat’ rated but you probably don’t know what that means. As far as the bread, give me fresh from the bakery, not Wonder from a bag. Definitely not fast food.
July 2, 2007 at 11:24 pm |
stopped at the Five Guys in Dixon City, just off Rt. 81, north of Scranton a few weeks ago. I was kind of in a hurry and at the time, a bit pissed that I had to wait for my burger….but it was worth the wait, and I liked the peanuts. The fries were the best I’ve had and remind me of the Wildwood Boardwalk.
July 2, 2007 at 11:37 pm |
“Five Guys and Red Robin are very different concepts”
I got that part.. but then I felt you went ahead and compared them anyway. My point was that AT LEAST FROM MY PERSPECTIVE I can’t even comfortably discuss the two products in any related fashion. They are SO different in taste, I tend to think of them as two different foods who happen to share some common ingredients. The best example I can give is that to me it would be like debating a preference between Meatloaf and meatballs. You can do it, but its more an exercise in discussing a general taste than something you can easily compare restaurants with. Saying “I like the Meatloaf at Boston Market more than the Meatballs at Olive Garden” is a perfectly valid observation, it just seems like an odd comparison to me. A bit of a aside more than a real comparison.
So when someone posts about thin cripsy basic griddled burgers and compares them to fat, meaty condiment heavy burgers, my reaction is not too different from reading that Meatloaf/Meatball comparison. A bit of… “um. So?”
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BTW: David… I’m not sure I totally understand your posting. Who’s response are you calling the “typical Jersey” one? Jason’s, mine, Chuck’s or yours? I’m confused.
July 2, 2007 at 11:38 pm |
went to 5 guys tonite in hackensack after reading about it on your blog and it was well worth it, even the grilled cheese that my vegetarian son had. cajun fries are great. it’s actually in the home depot shopping mall near riverside square.
July 3, 2007 at 6:36 am |
Speaking of vegetarians… They also have a “veggie” sandwich listed. This means you can get any or all of the toppings made into a sandwich on the regular hamburger bun. You could also skew than and get a BLT. You can also add toppings to your grilled cheese — for which they invert the bun, cut side out to the grill. I’m looking forward to getting a grilled cheese w/bacon & tomato next time.
July 3, 2007 at 3:21 pm |
For what it’s worth, Red Robin cooks their (frozen) burgers in a machine that is very similar to the ones at Burger King, with very similar results. The burgers at Five Guys are a different animal altogether. Five Guys cooks on a flat-top to get that Mallard browning that you just can’t get any other way.
From my posting on chowhound:
I used to be a burger snob… any burger that wasn’t done over real charcoal just wasn’t a burger for me. Now, I divide burgers into two categories: Backyard Burgers (the ones done over charcoal or at least done on a gas grill with direct heat beneath a grid, and Flat-top burgers (ala In-N-Out and Five Guys). Alot of the flavor you get from a Backyard Burger comes from fat dripping on the hot coals or lavarocks or whatever, vaporizing, and wafting back up to flavor the meat. With a good hot flat-top and good quality meat, the flavor comes from a good Maillard Reaction (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction ) . Both methods have their own flavors… I no longer have a preference, but it’s hard to find a good Flat-top burger these days. The ones I’ve had at Five Guys have passed the test. :-)
July 3, 2007 at 3:56 pm |
Okay, I have been “educated” about the differences in Five Guy’s and Red Robin’s burger patties (meat).
The information is very enlightening, and I frankly really appreciate it.
However, since “Five Guys” are more or less an established institution (NOT a new-comer) in the area in which I live, I still ponder two questions:
1. Why won’t the Guys (yeah, I know, it’s REALLY “Five Guys”, David), but we, who live here in the “Five Guys” home turf, tend to shorten that to the “Guys” . . . prepare my burger as I request (medium rare), and
2. Why is Five Guys avoided by so many folks who live in their own “home territory”?
Maybe the burger aficionados in the Baltimore area have too many really GOOD burger joints available . . . and we don’t have to stand in line for an hour or two, like the folks who patronize Shake Shack in NYC.
p.s. Yeah, David, I don’t mean to disappoint, but I REALLY do know what the Zagat’s (and their ZagatSurvey) are about.
July 3, 2007 at 4:19 pm |
To Cranrob:
I wanted to reply to your comment, ” . . . Flat-top burgers (ala In-N-Out and Five Guys). . . .”
Although I live in “Five Guys” home territory, and am quite familiar with their product, we DO NOT have the luxury of an “In-N-Out” restaurant to which you refer.
So, when my wife an I were in Tempe, Arizona, on 11/08/06, we patronized the local In-N-Out restaurant.
The burgers were VERY good (and the tab was only $11.31).
As I said, the burgers were “VERY good”, but not nearly as good as the burger that my wife cooks for me at home.
Of course . . . whenever we use the term “tastes” . . . it invokes a SUBJECTIVE evaluation.
That means that YOUR taste may not be the same as MY taste.
Just wanted to let you know that I “have been there . .. have done that.”
Have a great holiday, Cranrob.
July 3, 2007 at 8:00 pm |
Hey — thanks for posting this! Five Guys sounded so good that I went to their site to see if one was nearby, and there was one just about 2 miles away. Took my husband and two kids there tonight, and we were all VERY happy with our food. The fries were the closest thing to boardwalk fries I’ve had off of the beach, and the burgers were perfect. My non-burgerloving son got the bacon cheese dog, and he said it was good too. Wouldn’t have found this without you!
July 5, 2007 at 6:43 am |
Our Five Guys in Avon, CT is a gem. My favorite is still In-N-Out or Tommy’s….but in Connecticut this one is one of the best.
July 8, 2007 at 7:44 pm |
Looks good.
I have to steal from Lloyd Bridges’ running joke line in the movie “Airplane”
and customize it to fit my predicament:
“Looks like I picked the wrong time to worry about my cholesterol.”
July 15, 2007 at 9:07 pm |
I just tried the place out. First off, they must have about 9 people behind the counter. It seemed like they were all training because the girl on the grill was the only one working and instructing the rest of the crew. There was an Asian guy who stood staring at 4 burgers for 2 minutes and 43 seconds (I timed him) without touching them. Mine was one of them and all it needed was BBQ sauce and to be wrapped up. OK, I understand they just opened so I will let this go. As far as the taste, the burger was OK (all burgers are cooked well), nothing to write home about. The fries were very good. I think that Henry Street Ale House has a better tasting burger (you can get it cooked the way you want it also), and their fries are almost as good but not as crispy as Five Guys. I will try them again. They seem like a clean operation.
August 14, 2007 at 9:44 am |
I tried “Five Guys” in the Atlanta area and they were pretty good. I’m not fond of the taste of the fries, though. Whatever oil they’re cooked it makes the fries taste very oily and gives the fries a queer taste. A friend and I pinpointed what their burgers need to match In-N-Out’s Double Double—thousand island dressing. Being a former Californian, I end up comparing every burger to In-N-Out, so I guess I’m biased. Don’t get me wrong, Five Guys tastes good, but they’re not a cat talking. I can’t fault their service, though. They were far more friendly and attentive than most of the In-N-Out’s I’ve been to.
I can’t figure out the peanuts connection (why peanuts are on tables in buckets).
To the ‘Zagat’ weenie…Zagat is by no means the apotheosis of restaurant critics. Climb down off that high horse and take your toffee-nosed Frasier Crane act elsewhere.
January 6, 2008 at 2:41 am |
The Levittown, NY store is great. Excellent burgers of fine quality meat. Beats any fast food place around; to my knownledge anyway. The fries are darker than one would expect,but flovorful and not greasy and always piping hot. They usually stuff in extra fries in your brown paoper dag..Bags of Potatoes and a sign indicating the origin of the days’ potatoes adds to this places’ uniqueness. Together with the free peanuts adds a nice touch that makes me a repeat customer !!JOB WELL DONE, 5 BROTHERS !!..I WANT TO OPEN ONE OF THESE PLACES HERE !!
July 7, 2008 at 1:09 pm |
We have 5 Guys here, and while they’re our favorite eatery, it’s only by default since In N Out Burger doesn’t exist on the East Coast (or anywhere other than the W. Coast). Admittedly, they’re a rip off from the original hamburger stand, In N Out. They’re close, the closest you can get, but the bun does make a difference where In N Out grills their bun so that the burger doesn’t become soggy. Nothing beats a double double animal style.
They’re prices are also double of what In N Out is… so I find it hard to justify going there more often knowing that they’re gouging consumers for their product.
March 15, 2009 at 7:06 pm |
[...] In other Jersey burger news, A FIVES GUYS is apparently opening in my hometown of Fort Lee, NJ. This is one of my favorite burgers, so the addition is welcoming, although terrifying because how will I not want to eat ten billion cajun fries and double cheeseburgers when they are only mere minutes from me? Seeing as I got the inside scoop from my Aunts manicurist, no signs or website news can back this up, so you’ll just have to take my word for it till I’m either proven wrong, or this actually becomes true. Its said to open in Sharon Plaza, next to a new Dunkin Donuts, mere seconds from the George Washington Bridge – and now the second location in Bergen County, the other being in Hackensack [...]