Five Guys

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

In one simple word: delectable.

This burger joint is comparable to the West Coast's In-N-Out Burger which is also a delicious burger joint.  Many claim that the burgers at Five Guys are "better" than those of In-N-Out, so naturally, when Five Guys opened in Tucson, our curious foodie palates had to make the judgment for themselves!

And away we went!

So the picture to the left is the burger heaven I entered upon.  A simple order: Bacon Cheeseburger All the Way.  A double-patty cheeseburger with bacon, sauteed onions and mushrooms, mayo, pickles, tomato, lettuce, ketchup and mustard.

This is perhaps what sets their burgers aside from In-N-Out, being the offer of so many toppings.  And the best part?  All toppings are FREE.  That's right.  You don't have to pay a dollar per extra topping like some other burger joints. 

Down to the nitty gritty:  What sets this burger apart from their competitor?  Toppings.  That's it.  I stand decided that if you were to take all of the extra toppings (such as bacon, mushrooms, etc.) out of the picture and serve this burger with the exact same toppings of In-N-Out, you would end up with two incredibly similar burgers.  Hence, I will not say that one is better than the other based solely on the burger factor, but rather on the toppings factor.  Yes, Five Guys beats In-N-Out on Variety. 

 Now for the fry-factor.  There is a huge difference in the french fries of both places.  Is one better than the other?  Once again, I may have to come to a stand still at this point.

As I chomped down on some fries with Heather, we decided that we liked the cut (much thicker than the competitor fries), but that perhaps the potato quality was not on par.  We had quite a few fries left-over simply because they were black and fried beyond eatability.  Also, we had a allergy-infested man with us at the time and since they fry all of their fries in 100% peanut oil, he was unable to partake in the fry-adventure with us (so he scored Five Guys as a zero in this category).

 The overall atmosphere was enjoyable and inviting (much like In-N-Out).  Very busy with a constant line almost out the door, but fun.  I did like that they used 50lb bags of potatoes as a barricade to keep the line in check so it doesn't spill into the sitting area.  They also offer free peanuts in the line to snack while waiting.  So I guess they win the line category.  Food categories?  I guess each have their pros and cons.  I might give Five Guys the upper-hand simply for variety's sake (I mean, they even sell hot dogs), but for the burger fiend, I think each place offers a quality experience for your palate.