Five Guys Burgers and Fries

So as promised I am bringing you my first burger joint review starting with Five Guys Burgers and Fries located in Mississauga on Erin Mills Pkwy.

First off I want to explain the reason I chose Five Guys for my first review:

This man’s perfectly auto-tuned review of Five Guys has made me look forward to this day for a long time now.  I couldn`t wait for that oozing cheese and bite-back fries served in grocery bags as promised by the video.

When you walk in everything looks clean and sharp.  The menu is free from clutter above the cashier but this is where the first problems arise.   The menu is simple, yet unclear.  A Cheeseburger is actually a double-cheeseburger, and a junior burger is a normal burger.  I haven`t been to Five Guys in years and had no idea what the difference would have been.  I assumed a junior burger was for babies or cowards so I obviously ordered a normal cheeseburger.  Now that I`ve blindly chosen my burger it is time for the toppings.  They have quite a few toppings and you pick every single thing that goes on your burger such as ketchup or grilled mushrooms.  This is problem #2, you have to pick your toppings when you order, unlike somewhere like Harvey’s where you can see them and choose afterwards.  There is no additional cost for any topping so I don’t understand why it is done beforehand.  I panicked with people behind me and could not make an informed topping choice.  I ended up with ketchup, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and grilled mushrooms.  Not a bad choice but I feel I could have done better.

Five Guys doesn’t have combos, you have to order fries and a drink as separate items, and this is problem #3.  The lack of combos means that an order of a cheeseburger, large fries (medium was the only other choice) and a medium drink came to $18.21!!!!  Now this is a reasonable price for a sit-down restaurant, but this is a low service fast food joint.

Now on to the food itself, after waiting 10 minutes for my burger I must say it tasted amazing!!  The cheese was oozing perfectly, the meat was moist and tender, and the mushrooms were perfect. The only complaint was the size.  The burger was no larger than a double-quarter pounder from McDonalds, but that being said, in terms of flavour I don’t expect any burger to top this one! The fries, as promised, came in a very large cup inside of an enormous paper bag.  The fries overflowed the cup and there were so many in the bag that it could have fit into another cup.  I ordered Cajun fries over regular but they were nothing worth singing a song about.  At least they have large ketchup containers so you have enough on hand to cover up the bland taste.

My last issue with Five Guys is that the walls are covered in awards and articles, mainly from Zagat awarding Five Guys with Best Value.  My biggest issue with Five Guys is the price, and these awards posted all around seemed to mock me as I ate.

Pros:

·         Great Taste!

·         Large portion of fries.

·         Very clean.

Cons:

·         Price!!

·         Fries are forgettable.

·         Deceiving menu.

To summarize you have to give Five Guys a try, maybe skip the fries and just get the burger to cut down on the cost.  8/10 – the burger is unreal.   DAYUM!!!