Five Guys Burger

Eight years ago, I willingly stood in the long lines in Covent Garden to try Five Guys when it first came to the UK.  Friends in North America had highly recommended it and it was worth the wait.  I hoped that maybe we would end up with a couple of dozen franchises across the country, but the UK has taken to it and at last check they were at 113.  But as they didn’t do DIY, lockdowns caused this review to be a year in waiting.  Read on to see if this was worth the wait…

What we have in store

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The Bun: 18/20

A very good brioche style bun, topped with sesame seeds and lightly toasted.  It is just the right size for the patties so a very good meat to bun ratio.   What makes it a little unique is the packaging of the burgers as they are wrapped in tinfoil when done.  This means all the steam coming off the patties and cheese are soaked up by the bun making it more flavourful and softer.  Sometimes it does result in the buns looking like they have been abused, although I have never had a soggy bun that I can recall.   

The Toppings: 10/10

This is a pretty easy one to score as you get to pick exactly the toppings you want: lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions (raw or fried), jalapeños, green peppers or grilled mushrooms.  That alone leads to a high score, but it is the quality of each that makes it the 10/10.  There is a freshness to everything, and the quantities seem about right.  The pickles are American style so more crisp and dill than the soggy and sweet variety you get many other places.  The tomatoes are freshly cut so not slimy.  The raw onions add a nice tang but are piled on so that they overpower the other flavours. And so on.  It allows you to mix up your burger and indulge a palette a little.  On a mild day, I might add fried onions and BBQ sauce.  Or jalapeños on a cold day.  In this review, I have not gone for the bacon cheeseburger option so I have another excuse to go back.

The Condiments: 10/10

It is the same story with condiments where your choices are: ketchup, mayo, mustard, BBQ sauce, HP sauce, hot sauce or relish.   The quality of each is excellent and the amount of each is usually just about right so that you can taste a little of each in every bite.  I am a mustard/mayo/ketchup/relish guy typically and find that the balance of sweet and savoury is ideal.  Do keep in mind these are American condiments.  

The Cheese: 19/20

Two nice slices of a decent American cheese, one for each patty.  As I wrote above, the wrapping of the cheeseburger in tinfoil serves to steam the whole thing and this ensures the cheese is melted perfectly to add that delicious creamy texture to each and every bite.  The flavour of the cheese is mild, but not artificial like some American cheeses.   In some burgers I’ve had there, it actually melts a little too much and starts to slide off, making the burger a little messier to eat but that is getting very picky with the scoring.

The Patty: 19/20

If, like me, you grew up with pre-made fast food that is precooked and just warmed up upon ordering (at best) then walking into a Five Guys for the first time and seeing your patty put on the grill when you order is a real treat.  The beef is fresh and comes in a ball shape before being pressed (hard) onto to the grill to give it that crispy and flavourful dark brown patina.  It is cooked to American standard which means no pink, but it also means the fat is melted out of the beef to create a delicious, juicy patty.  This is “grain finished” Scottish beef which means it doesn’t have the grass fed gamy flavour and also means the beef is more marbled for juicier cooking.   For me the double patty format is ideal as you get more surface area for more flavour and yet the beef remains a little understated in the final product thanks to the quality of the toppings and condiments.  

Our Verdict: 96/100

When Five Guys is at its best, it is the best.  The food is prepared quickly so makes for a delicious grab and go, or great pre-concert/match meal if your train is late and you are in a hurry. Coming from a restaurant background, I have to add that I am always impressed with how well trained their staff are, something that is not always the case with “fast food”.   The shakes and fries are excellent too, and my son is a huge fan of their hot dogs.  Kids LOVE the self-serve pop machine, as they can mix and match flavours to their heart’s content.   For me, every other cheeseburger I try is compared back to Five Guys.   There is a reason its grown from 1 location to over 110 in just a few years.  The only thing you should be doing now is checking for the Five Guys location near you, well, we have done the leg work, check out their site here