Posted on 07/05/2012 2:02:47 PM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie
That was a good question, but I didn’t have an answer. I could only shrug. I grew up on Whataburgers so I could authoritatively rule them great but Five Guys better. Ditto for Sonic, despite its unstoppable cherry limeade. We all have our local haunts that can’t be topped. Around Austin, that’s Mighty Fine. Up in Baltimore, Burger Bros. is amazing and I cannot recommend them highly enough. Every town has its own best burger. But among the big chains that inspire fanatic loyalty, which is the best?
Overall Taste. Let me note for the record that both In-N-Out and Five Guys offer exceptionally great burgers and both deserve their cult status. Having tasted both, I understand the fierce loyalty that both inspire. In-N-Out is a fine homestyle burger that can be augmented with sauces and veggies and stacked a zillion ways to make it your burger. Five Guys can bring the heat or whatever taste suits you. In-N-Out is the cleaner burger and its wrap makes it the obvious choice if you’re eating on the go. But Five Guys brings a burger that is juicy to the extreme, so much so that you need half a dozen napkins at hand just to keep yourself clean as you bite through it. I prefer the juicier approach, so for me, the east coast approach is the way to go and Five Guys wins on taste. Its burger is simply juicer and tastier than In-N-Out.
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In’N Out 3x3 with pickles and well done fries FTW!!! :-d)
+1 for Beck’s Prime in Houston. Might be the best burger ever. Spendy, though. In-n-Out was good, now just okay. Love me some 5 Guys (all the way), but they do tend to messy. Best fries IMO. Steakburger from Freddy’s is pretty good, also, but their fries are not the best. My all time favorite: Del Taco’s Double Del Cheeseburger....I know, I know....
Your mileage may vary.
Agreed, I enjoy burgers from all the major chains, and think they are all very good, but there was nothing like Fudruckers. Unfortunately, they seem to have closed down, at least here in southern florida.
42 posts as I post this, and not a single mention of Red Robin. Disappointing.
We recently had In-N-Out’s come to the DFW area, and after waiting in a long line ordered an animal style burger. It wasn’t bad, but I felt cheated because it certainly didn’t live up to the hype.
Ate at a 5 guys in Flagstaff recently, and again, it was a decent burger that didn’t live up to the hype.
I’ve never seen a Whataburger or a 5 Guys. My daughter and I don’t get fast food often, but we do argue whether to get Sonic or In-And-Out. I love I-A-O’s protein style, lettuce wrapped burger (and knowing about their secret menu.) We discovered Sonic on a road trip. We loved the flavor, and a Jr. Delux for $1 is perfect for me. Sadly, I’ve found there is quite a bit of variation between stores as to quality. My local Sonic never seems to be able to serve an at least semi warm burger. It’s very disappointing. The one we used to be near we could barely ignore the temptation to pull in when we passed it.
In B’ham there’s a burger joint called Hamburger Heaven. There are a couple here and I know they franchaised for a time but I’ve never seen them anywhere else. Great burgers, shakes and fries.
As far as Five Guys I’ve been a couple of times. Liked them but I about stroked out at the cost. There “default” order to a cheeseburger and fries is apparently enough fries to feed the 1st battalion. You have to ask for a half order or some such and that’s like 2 dollars less.
What do ya’ll think about Johnny Rockets?
Fast food burgers? Yuck. Personally, I can’t tell them apart. They’re all bad.
You could always go to a five-star restaurant and order a burger. You’d be sure to get something that would knock your socks off. But ordering a burger at a five-star restaurant is a waste of a good night out. Who would do it when you can order other things on the menu that are ten times better than any burger, no matter how well it’s made?
No, homemade is the best way to go when it comes to burgers, imo. Just Google “award winning hamburger recipes” and use the best, freshest ingredients money can buy and your burger cravings will be satisfied.
I am Pavlov's dog.
Five Guys is good, but very expensive for what you get. OTOH, their regular order of fries is enough for two.
In-N-Out has been great every time I’ve had it, and NOBODY can beat their french fries! I occasionally sample items off the “secret” menu, which is possibly the worst-kept secret in the restaurant biz.
“42 posts as I post this, and not a single mention of Red Robin. Disappointing.”
After seeing their commercials, I had no desire to try them. Their burgers look bigger than what I could possibly eat, expensive, and I could probably make one at home I’d like better.
I might have to give Smashburger a try as we have a knew one. I didn’t realize it was a chain. I’ve heard good things about it before about being a really good burger.
I then saute jalapenos in olive oil while grilling the burgers and use that as a condiment as opposed to ketchup, relish, etc., which I think are nasty to have on burgers. I also add a slab of good quality swiss cheese and when I'm feeling particularly hungry, a slab of bacon as well. Forgot about the tomato slice and lettuce - they detract from the burger - unless it's August-September and you pulled the tomato fresh out of a garden.
Five Guys was ‘okay’ but wasn’t as good as I thought it’d be. Average size burger, good greasy salthy fries. The price took me aback. It was twice as expensive as In N Out.
In N Out had great, reasonably priced hamburgers. The fries left a lot to be desired. I believe my batch were under cooked.
WhataBurger is better than both. But, it depends on the location. The food at the ones in the inner city is what you’d expect from the ‘people’ who work there.
Years ago when I was still living in Rochester, NY, they had Don & Bob's...one on Monroe Avenue (Pittsford), and the other at the amusement park at Sea Breeze. They were along the same line at Bill Gray's, but closed. There's another restaurant out in Pittsford called "Don's Original," which is supposed to be similar to the original Don & Bob's, but I've eaten there and don't think it's the same. The hot sauce is different, so I make my own from a Don & Bob's recipe I got from a friend.
I also liked Lum's roast beef sandwiches. Tastiest beef sandwich I've ever had...melted in your mouth. We also had other chains that have been out of business for a long time. Anybody remember The Red Barn? Arrow's?
Unexpected places often surprise you. Years ago on a business trip we used the company cafeteria where the menu had “Super Burger” and “Super Burger With”. I asked what the difference was and the cook said “With” means I don’t take out all the juice and grease. We each ordered a “With”... one of the best I’ve ever had.
I had an In and Out for lunch. Never tried 5 Guys, but I think there is one around here somewhere.
Red Robin’s not bad but a $10 burger is hard to compare to a $6.99 Double meat double cheese / Fries /w/ Fancy Ketchup and a large drink at Whatabuger.
Healthy dieter’s may leave this thread.
I ate many In-N-Out Double Doubles in my SoCal days of the early 80s, and loved them! Five Guys is OK, but I like Cheeburger Cheeburger better. They have a wide variety of toppings and cheeses, and I’ve never been disappointed there. They take your picture if you eat one of their 20 ounce burgers, which is not hard to do. The first time I went there I asked how many I had to eat to get my picture taken.
“What do ya’ll think about Johnny Rockets?”
Took a look while killing time once. I just laughed at the prices. No thanks. I don’t care how good their burger is. I’ll go another block for an I-A-O or a Sonic, or make one at home. A hamburger is fast food and I refuse to pay more than a few dollars for one. I’m not going to pay what I could cook a perfect steak at home for to eat a crappy burger.
Ate at a 5 guys in Flagstaff recently, and again, it was a decent burger that didn’t live up to the hype.
They're both over-hyped, but Five Guys can at least cook up some decent fries. The In-N-Out fries remind me of something from a public school cafeteria.
I prefer Smashburger to both of 'em. And if I want a *really* serious burger, I fire up my own grill.
IMO 5 Guys burgers are overrated, however their fries are tops.
Smash Burger here is St. Charles MO are the best I’ve ever had.
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