Burger Battle: In-N-Out Vs Five Guys
Fries. Five Guys treats its fries like some sort of rare earth mineral, announcing which state and farm today’s fries came from with genuine reverence. Five Guys cooks its fries in peanut oil, brags about that, and even offers boxes and boxes of free peanuts scattered around the restaurant to drive home the point. This is bad if you have a peanut allergy, but if you don’t, then Five Guys’ fries deliver a rare nutty/salty taste on top of the fresh potato goodness. In-N-Out’s fries didn’t have any special feature or taste. They were fresh and fine, but not anything to goose the senses. So the fries edge clearly goes to Five Guys.
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.
That’s two points for each, with a draw in the middle, right? Should that be a tie? Not so fast. Overall taste is the king, so let it be entered into the record that Five Guys still delivers the best burger on the planet.
See Bridget Johnson’s rebuttal here.
Updated: See David Swindle’s response here for Round 3 of Burger Battle
Related at PJ Lifestyle:
You forgot the “secret menu” my friend:
http://www.in-n-out.com/menu/not-so-secret-menu.aspx
Go ‘animal style’. You’ll thank me later.
Animal style fries!
My son has a terrible peanut allergy and I can tell you that 5 Guys is by far is favorite burger joint. Apparently, peanut oil is the non-allergenic portion of the nut. We live in California and will go to In N Out when we have to, but hands-down, I agree with the review.
You forgot to mention the single best thing about the In-N-Out at LAX. It sits right at the end of the runway. Great Food and an all day Air Show. What’s not to like?
Meh. I have had Five Guys. It’s pretty good…for fast food. Definitely better than McDonalds or Burger King.
I’m damning it with faint praise, in case you can’t tell. Fast food is fast food. Comparing them only makes distinctinos between varying degrees of second-rate.
The really great burgers are made in non-chain restaurants that few outside their immediate locale have ever heard of…or in people’s back yards. I’d rather eat the burgers I make on my own grill than some half-assed, assembly-line burger patty from Five Guys.
I have eaten at one Five Guys. I didnt think it was bad, but I didn’t think it was all that fantastic either. One thing that caught my eye was that every flat space in the place was covered with signs telling me how great the food was at Five Guys. My rather cynical view is “The food should speak for itself, you shouldn’t have to beat me over the head – after I’m already in the place – telling me how great it is!”.
I didn’t see any reason to go back. It seemed to me to be a poor impression of In-n-out, and since I have both, why take the substitute when you have the real thing available.
“The food should speak for itself” is Jerry Murrell’s philosophy, too. That’s why you don’t see national advertising. Franchise owners are encouraged to limit advertising to “public service”-type venues (purchasing space on little league outfield walls, or “the foundation thanks Five Guys for providing tonight’s hamburgers and peanuts” on programs.
Best burger I ever had was at a mom-and-pop in El Paso, decades ago: “Gardo the Clown, Giant Hamburgers.” So good, I wanted the couple who ran the place to adopt me.
Gardo the Clown! I miss my days in El Paso. I loved Rosco’s too, and any green chile burger from a number of places in New Mexico.
Obviously we are missing something at both places…
.in n out….dry blah burgers…
5 guys.. greasy fries, burgers..mediocre, at best…
What are we missing > until we find out , we’re not wasting out money there.
When 5 Guys is good, it’s almost equal to In-and-Out. It’s worth going back, and back, and back.
It’s good. Really good.
When it’s good.
Which is …. sometimes.
Other times… not.
5 Guys won’t get 5 stars until they get a handle on QUALITY CONTROL.
They don’t have it.
You were doing so well with your correct use of “its” until the second to last paragraph: “It’s burger is simply juicer and tastier than In-N-Out.”
LOL – we recently spent a week drilling the difference between “they’re,” “their,” and “there” into my nine-year old’s head. I made sure to cover “it’s” and “its,” too.
I still wonder if there were Five Guys intimidating Bryan into his tie breaking decision?
I call balls and strikes and bow to no pressure!
lol, I’m slightly acquainted with one of the Five Guys, and he isn’t intimidating at all.
Sorry, man, but you’re way off. I grew up on the Left coast, and I live on the East Coast, and there simply is no comparison- In-n-Out is miles better.
You clearly didn’t do thorough research, as you fail to mention In-n-Out’s secret menu, and the Bible verses on the drink cups. As far as the fries are concerned, I prefer In-n-Out’s style (thicker cut, no skin) to 5 Guys’ (thinner cut, usually some skin).
You also didn’t go into drinks- the shakes at In-n-Out round out the meal, while 5 Guys…. doesn’t have shakes at all!?!
You need to go back and do a thorough comparison.
In-n-Out Secret Menu Item: Neapolitan Shake ( Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry).
Enjoy.
Have to respectfully disagree. The first time I had In-N-Out, I thought nothing would ever surpass it as an American style burger. However, recently I’ve started really breaking down and critiquing burgers, and In-N-Out is not as good as I had thought when my burger palate was less refined.
Order a plain cheeseburger from Five Guys (meat, cheese, bun, and NOTHING else), then order the same from In-N-Out. It’s not a contest. While Five Guys does not raise their own cattle like In-N-Out does, they are very selective when it comes to their meat purveyors, so the quality of beef is pretty close at worst. When it comes to preparation, Five Guys is the clear winner. It is juicy and well-seasoned, where the In-N-Out burger is dry and salty.
I still do like In-N-Out quite a bit, but the ingredients do not stand well on their own. Quality beef is ruined by overcooking and overseasoning, and typically the only people who disagree with that notion are Californians.
You clearly regret living on the East Coast. I can’t blame you. I have lived on both coasts for many years but now live in Wisconsin. I’d gladly take either coast!
Sorry but the fries at Five Guys is just awful. I’ve never had a decent order of fries at Five Guys no matter where I’ve gone and I doubt I ever will. Frankly I just get the double cheeseburger and leave it at that.
I’ve had both and was least impressed with Five Guys.
You forgot to evaluate price and value. My bucks mean something to me.
In-N-Out wins on value by a landslide!
I grew up CA and now live in NY. Some thoughts
1) which will win has been decided already since five guys are already all over California. They reached the goal firsNdola coast to coast expansion and are aggressively competing. In-n-out is slow moving. Hopefully the fallout of this war simply eliminates Carl’s jr. and allows them both to conquer the land. They’re both great. We could do worse than have America peppered with these two fine establishments.
2) I do think in-n-out has a slight edge on taste, but it also defaults to putting thousand island on the burger which I always have to request to have left off. The secret menu does add some complexity to the decision.
3) agree on the fries.
I have a hard time deciding. A double double animal style, no sauce, is really hard to compete with.
4) no price comparison? Because if price is no object, beware of Japan’s Mos Burger storming the USA
But
5) as a Christian company, all the wrapping and cups and fry trays and bags have small bible passages hidden on them. For me that’s the tie breaker, and in-n-out wins for infuriating many atheist liberals (I find conservative atheists to be more tolerant generally). And because I’m Christian.
One thing everyone has missed is value pricing – at 2.99 for a burger the in and out is still the best burger for the price!! Now there are soem great 8 10 and 12.00 burgers in Dallas, but in and out is the best value and best tasting burger from TX to anywhere.
A reminder; there are no freezers at In-n-Out. All food at each store is shipped fresh daily. This means the hamburger is not flash frozen, nor has it oxidized. As many have also noted, the buns at In-n-Out are also fresh as they were prepared earlier that day. It makes a difference.
This is why all In-N-Out stores are within 100 miles of the distribution hub and why nationwide expansion will probably take longer than you would wish.
(BP: Texas has three In-n-Outs, all in the greater Dalls Metroplex).
Well, I know two of them. There’s one in Hurst just off the Airport Freeway and there’s one on the north side of I-20 in Arlington along the side of one of the major malls there (Arlington Lakes?). Amusingly, there’s a Five Guys a little farther west along the I-20 access road (I-20 and Cooper if anyone’s looking). I quite enjoy both but admit that living in California in the 80′s and 90′s gave me a strong taste for In-and-Out. For those living in New England, there’s a very nice local burger chain there that I enjoyed when I was exiled to Connecticut for 2-1/2 years (you go where the job is). I could take you right to the one in Stratford, CT but I can’t, at this time, remember the chain’s name (Bummer!).
There’s an In-n-Out in Rockwall on I-30, and another on West Seventh St. (IIRC) in Fort Worth. I think there’s one in Southlake.
Frankly, I can’t see what all the fuss is about. We stopped at the one in Rockwall a few months ago and, given what we’d heard about how great In-n-Out burgers were, frankly, we were underwhelmed. I’d much rather have a Whataburger. I was discussing this with my best friend, a native Texan who’s been in California for 15 years, and he concurred, saying he simply can’t understand why Californians are so high on what to him is an average burger.
All you In-N-Out fans… Riddle me this please.
Longtime fan of In-N-Out since I got to LA in 87. The were the goto burger place. Always got 2 Double-Doubles (their fries suck, might as well be shoestring potatoes). But in the last five years or so, In-N-Out burgers have picked up a noticeable salty taste. Anyone else notice this change?
Consequently, I prefer 5 Guys meaty meat taste of their burgers.
Been eating So Cal In-n-Out since ’68. Seems the same to me.
Huh? Must be me.
Hi Kevin
I have not noticed that, but you can ask them for no salt on the burger (they add some while it is on the grill).
best
Steve in OC
Yes, absolutely. Been eating INO since forever, but not so many fast food burgers from anyone the last few years. Finally dragged into an INO down in the OC a couple of years ago and – ich. Burgers seemed smaller, greasier, and saltier. Now, that’s not necessarily bad taste-wise, but it’s probably bad for you. As to Five Guys, I walked into one, looked around, and walked out.
Carls Six-Dollar angus burgers are far, far better – that is, when they are produced to spec. Unfortunately the quality of service in the chain has fallen off terrifically the last few years, or maybe I just grew up. The quality of the food often seems compromised, anyway, and I think it’s the prep, not the ingredients.
But look folks, I’ve had MUCH better burgers than these at neighborhood barbeques, and even off my own stove. Best burgers in town have to do a LOT better. A few years ago the Wolfgang Puck cafes offered an unbelievably good burger – though who would go to a Puck cafe for a *burger*? Well, me! Then he got divorced, wife got the cafes, she was banned from using his recipes, and that was that. Burger lunch was about $12, but it was SERIOUSLY better than anything you will ever get at INO or FG. And so are various other still available six dollar and up burgers at sit-down places.
Or even Tommy’s chili burgers, if you ask me.
I agree 100% about Carl’s Jr. When put together right, they beat both Five Guys (not a hard thing, in my opinion) and In-n-Out. You just have to go to the right store. I think it has to do with how busy they are. The closest one to me is relatively busy, and the quality suffers. There are some other ones further away, but less busy, and the quality just goes up, and so does the taste.
Heck, I would put up the cheaper burgers at Carl’s against the best from other chains.
In case anyone is interested, Five Guys is also spreading into Canada, where I live. There aren’t many outlets yet and the one in my town may not even be open yet – it was hard to tell as I drove by it the other night – but Five Guys fans who happen to be in Canada may get a chance to have their favourite burger here if they’re in the right area….
As for In-N-Out, I can’t find anything to indicate that there are any Canadian outlets yet, although I did find a blog entry wishing the chain would come to Canada. However, the store locator at the official (US) website showed no Canadian locations.
That may be just as well. The name of the chain would cause a little confusion. In Ontario, “In-and-out” is what some people call the provincially-owned liquor stores. For example, “I’ve got to go the In-and-Out store for some beer before the big party.”
The name also reminds me of an old joke. The people in our province of Newfoundland and Labrador are typically called Newfies and there is a whole vein of humour about Newfies. Or at least there was when ethnic humour was not a grave offense against political correctness. One Newfie one-liner that I heard many years ago was “So, have you heard about the Newfie sex manual? It only has one line: ‘In and out, repeat if necessary.’” Not very consistent with a Christian establishment….
The name is a bug and a feature. Kids laugh, parents wince. Company bumper stickers that say “In-n-out Burger” are routinely changed by the Southern Cal hip kids to say “In-n-out Urge”.
Again, the kids laugh and parents wince, but the brand name gets out there.
I think it will be a long time before Canada sees an In-n-Out. As of now, I think the one closest to the border are in Salt Lake City, which puts it closer to Canada but at the exact part of the border where there are the fewest Canadians.
..Although the idea of Canadian In-n-Outs that will naturally serve Poutine on the “Secret menu” does make me drool just a bit…
Haven’t seen one of those in a loooooong time. Once that fad started, they redesigned the bumper sticker to make it pretty difficult.
“Not very consistent with a Christian establishment”. ?? The name derived from the new drive-thru culture that popped up in Los Angeles in the early 1950′s when the company was established. As a matter of fact, In N Out only had drive thru locations (with no inside seating) for many years.
Given the Canadian appreciation of hockey, it’s highly appropriate for Five Guys to be there.
If you’re talking about chains, Steak & Shake beats both of these options handily.
That said, fries suck at all chain resturants. You don’t cook fries in vegetable oil (or peanut oil). You cook them in beef suet. Preferably twice.
Steak and shake? Give me a break….I’d rather eat at Micky D’s.
I grew up in Los Angeles, and live in Ontario, Canada now. There is a 5-guys in Kanata (Ottawa) and it’s horrible. Greasy burgers, undercooked fries, which they then dump into a paper bag to steam a bit more before you can eat them.
5-guys is a cure for constipation, not much else. For a Canadian burger, I’d rather go to the Works (a local Ottawa chain) and eat a decent burger at about the same cost. At least I can get a beer with it there.
In-n-Out is the better tasting burger (and fries), and I schedule my arrivals and departures from LAX to coincide with the hours at In-N-Out. In my last trip to LA (last April) in an 8 day trip we ate at In-N-Out 6 times, including lunch the day we arrived and dinner the night we left.
I’d rather spend $7 on a pack of Marlboro Reds, smoke ever single one of them, or as many as it took to kill my appetite, than waste my money at Steak & Suck.
5 Guys is a good burger, but spendy. In-N-Out is definitely an fan-food. Me, I put them on the bottom of my fast food burger list. Yes, even below McDonald’s, right there in the basement with White Castle.
To my mind, of all the chains that are, or have aspirations of becoming, national, Carl’s Jr has the best burgers. There’s something “just right” about a char-broiled burger. Steak&Shake is really good as well. A regional chain that has pretty good burgers and incredible fries is Smash Burger, out of Colorado.
One more thing: it’s not quite kosher to compare 5 Guys against In-N-Out. They occupy two different market segments. In-N-Out is fast food. 5 Guys is Quick Food. Yes, there is a difference, just like there’s a difference between Taco Bell and Chipotle’s.
First time I had In-N-Out I thought it tasted like a bigger version of a White Castle burger. Which isn’t as mich of a negative for me, as long as I only had one burger at a time. When I had two on my next trip there, the White Castle comparison became more apt, and that definitely was a negative.
No similar problems at Five Guys, though you need to stock up on napkins for the regular sized burgers, and the fries can be wildly inconsistent from store to store.
Couldn’t agree more Bikerdad. Nothing beats a charbroiled burger. NOTHING. And Carl’s Jr. is the only mainstream chain fast food restaurant that does it. Never really understood the hype about In-N-out. It’s ok, but nothing special IMO.
Carl’s? They call it Hardee’s out here in the SE.
– ‘less it make you spit blue fire.
I don’t like over-toasted bread, so Five Guys’ buns are fine by me. They also give you such a big serving of fries that everybody at the table gets enough to eat. (If you’re alone, the fries are even good as leftovers!)
And then, there’s the peanuts. Five Guys lets you have all the peanuts you want while you wait for your order. Yum!
Everyone has their preferences, based on what you ate first, or grew up on. When I was a boy, hamburgers were the best at Bob’s Big Boy, and Russell’s, a long-defunct lunch counter in Bixby Knolls, a neighborhood in Long Beach CA. Russell’s was a kick. You could get a serious hamburger there for not much money, and the guy fried it right in front of you. They didn’t have a deep fryer, so you ate hash-browns that he grilled on the flattop, covered in either chopped onions or a slice of cheddar cheese, or both. The waitresses wouldn’t let you order dessert if you didn’t finish your meal, and didn’t want to take the rest home as leftovers. It was a really cool place. Closed about 15-20 years ago. It turned into a chain before it closed, had half a dozen stores, and one of the outliers (in Pasadena CA) is still open, last I looked. And the legendary Pie-N-Burger was founded by a short order cook who worked at Russell’s first, and it’s still there, just to the West of CalTech.
In-N-Out didn’t get big enough to get down to Lakewood, where I grew up, until after I was an adult, but when it first arrived and I tried it, it beat all other fast food places hands-down. I’ve never changed my opinion since. The closest anyone has come is a little non-chain lunch counter near my current house in Van Nuys, CA, called Bill & Hiroko’s. It’s old school, and the burgers are pretty similar to Bob’s, but cheaper. The guy who runs the place is in his mid-80s, and has been flipping burgers there since (seriously) 1965. If you go there like as not he’ll be the one manning the flattop.
Small world!
Willow Elementary School – 68-74.
Oh Russel’s!!! What a great burger! And the chili there was excellent too. Are they really all gone…the Russel’s restaurants that is? about 12 years ago i knew of 3 different locations.
Ex-Russell’s now E.J. Malloy’s
I lived on the next block for years but didn’t eat there more than very occassionally, guess that was the problem.
Everyone has their preferences, based on what you ate first, or grew up on. When I was a boy, hamburgers were the best at Bob’s Big Boy
Yes, I still have fond memories of Frisch’s Big Boy from when I was a kid in Cincinnati in the 60s. My family moved away but I had occasion to drive through the area in 1986, and I made a point of stopping there. It was just as good as I remembered it. Of course, that was a long time ago, so I don’t know what they’re like today.
Frisch learned the ropes from Bob, by the way.
In-N-Out hands down is the best.
One note: no fresh food can stand too much time before being eaten. In-N-Out always tastes best when eaten immediately. For drive thru eaters In-N-Out makes provisions for eating messy burgers in the car, they even ask.
Animal style is the way to go for me!
You can get a burger sans bun wrapped in lettuce (protein style) if you choose. So while California has a lot problems, burgers isn’t one of them.
Cars, burgers, swimming pools and weather. California still leads the world in a few good things.
Bryan
I am kind of mystified as to why you would have to look outside the Lone Star State for hamburgers. I have eaten at both In-N-Out Burgers and 5 Guys and they were both pretty good. About as good as you can get at any Braum’s. Braum’s burgers are marginally better than Sonic but if you are in a hurry and are going to eat in your car, Sonic is not bad and at some of them the car hops roll out on roller skates so there is that. You can also get tater tots along with your burger and cherry limeade.
The best burgers I have ever eaten are at Kincaid’s which are located around the DFW Metroplex. If you live elsewhere, you are out of luck.
If you have Braum’s, why waste money on a Sonic limeade? Braum’s sqeezes lots of big limes into theirs. Sonic lime wedges are just a garnish.
Because Sonic are ubiquitous. If I am near a Kincaid’s at lunch time that is where I will eat. If I need to grab a meal or eat in my truck I’ll go to Sonic. Braum’s is for when I am not near a Kincaid’s.
The 1st time I bit into a Five Guys burger I immediately said, “Oh it tastes like Wendy’s.”
I’ve had both but it’s been too long since leaving the West Coast to compare the two. Both are excellent for FAST FOOD burgers.
I can name a half dozen local places here in NJ that are far better than either. Any given episode of Guy Fieri’s show will have a better burger joint too.
Five Guys cooks its fries in peanut oil, brags about that
I hate to sound like a Eurosnob but they are supposed to be double fried (that’s the most important thing) and preferably in beef fat. (Though even in Belgium and France American food puritanism is now so common that vegetable oils are catching on). Needless to say mayonaise or even better andalouse should be pured on top, though ketchup’s not bad either.
My local Five Guys will give you mayo for the fries on request.
That Five Guys burger looks like it was thrown together by an epileptic monkey.
“In-N-Out’s fries didn’t have any special feature or taste.”
Pffft, In-n-out fries are awesome. They’re made from fresh potatoes, on the spot. That’s what they taste like. That’s what they are supposed to taste like! Potatoes!
Fatburger. Fatburger. Fatburger. In-n-out is overrated, and while decent and certainly better than McD or BK, it pales to the majesty of the King Burger at Fatburger. Savages…
Fatburger? Dry, tasteless (except for mustard, which they can not seem to leave off)? I’m surprised they’re still in business…..
The only thing going for them is there was never a line.
Haven’t eaten at In-and-Out, but I have eaten at Five Guys and they’re nothing to write home about.
Truth is, the best burger you can get is probably Fudruckers. Dunno if that counts, though.
Meh. You want flame wars? Gold Star vs. Skyline.
Wawa vs. Sheetz.
I have tried the In-and-Out burger. I have tried the Five Guys burger. Without a doubt the best burger on this planet is the Smashburger.
Agreed.
When Five Guys came into the Syracuse area, we drove to the other side of town. For an overcooked burger and inedible fries. I’d rather have a quarter pounder, hold the cheese. Terrible, and they won’t ever get another shot at me.
Smashburger in Lexington, KY was great and I’d go back again. It’s a little pricey, and worth it.
Smashburger does make a better hamburger than 5-guys, but I hated their fries.
Wendy’s in the mid-80s [at least in the bay area] had a great combination of fries and burgers. It didn’t last.
A hamburger, coke, and fries should not cost $11.65.
You can get two meals for that at In N Out.
Who would pay that much for fast food?
A Chinese buffet, with a great salad bar too, in my area is $5.75 for all you can eat.
Nope. Sorry. Neither one can compare to Phil’s Continental Lounge and Diner, Richmond, Virginia.
Neither critic provided any beef tasting expertise other than burgers, so I have to be skeptical of the results.
I’ve experienced burgers from all four “coasts”, and In-N-Out are a top contender in flavor. My opinion is seconded by an Italian relative from Chicago whom never passes up the chance to get an In-N-Out when out west. My better half likes Five Guys, but, I think they are “juicy” because they have more fat than In-N-Out. I don’t think that juice is peanut oil.
One of my most memorable (but, not notable) burgers was from a place in Chicago that steams their burgers with onions. Very similar in taste to Five Guys, but if you don’t eat them fresh, they get a repulsive aroma. As juicy as Five Guys, though.
Many restaurants we go to will only cook a burger medium to well. They don’t trust their purveyors, I guess.
The bottom line for burgers, I believe, is that there are enough burger joints and options to satisfy the most discriminating burger aficionado, especially in large metropolitan areas.
When In-N-Out opens next to my local Five Guys, you’ll find me at In-N-Out, and my spouse at Five Guys. We’ll do rock, paper, scissors, for desert.
Hey, we’re talking chains here, not one-offs.
Portability matters. Five Guys’ burger looks structurally challenged, and not unlike what precedes my cat’s hairballs — but I will keep an open mind.
In-N-Out: highly portable. And certainly wins the coveted health-nutrition category. Why, if I want a balanced meal, I just stick a double in each hand. Easy.
I’m echoing a couple of things that were already said- Try animal style or it didn’t happen. Sooo much better than In-N-Out’s basic burger. And a Neapolitan shake is both delicious and dangerously addictive. Gotta love it!
I’m biased here as I remember my first In-N-Out in the mid-90s in No. CA. Drive thru lines were long then as they are still most days. I’ve been to DC many times and have eaten several times at Five Guys. I’m not really impressed of its burgers. In-N-Out is one thing I’m going to miss in California when I take my family to a saner state.
You ate at In N Out and ddn’t try the secret menu?
For me a Double Double Animal Style is perfection. It is one of only two things I miss about living in LA.
Now if I could only explain my addiction to Weinerschnitzel.
I know which burgers are the worst – White Castle. Maybe it’s the sawdust.
What about Fuddruckers®, World’s Greatest Hamburgers®
You want “suggestive names”?
I have fond memories of my favorite post Davis Double repast: a Nations double cheese with everything. This was a juicy, run-down-your-arm-and drip-off-your-elbow piece of heaven for a body that had just burned over 10,000 calories riding 200 miles in 13 hours.
Definitely NOT what I would eat today. But so good then.
Mmmmmmmmmm… Nations…
Anybody remember Shoney’s? Bob’s Big Boy?
I went out of my way to go to Five Guys burger joint. I never went back….not out of any negative repulsion, it just isnt good enough to seek out.
Cant wait for an In and Out around these parts!
In the fast-food category, Five Guys wins. I know there are better burgers in the world; my grandmother makes them with locally grown, grass-fed beef. Her toppings are lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise—nothing else is allowed.
The fries and the peanuts are the only reason I’d stop at Five Guys.
The Dagwood special at Mr.J’s across the street from Loyola Law School in Chicago remains my favorite. Back in the days when I was really minding my pennies Mr. J’s offered a juicy 1/2 cheeseburger with all the fixing and a larger order of fries for less than the price of the Quarterpounder meal at the MacDonalds around the corner.
If wait times (both drive-thru and counter) are any indication of who’s winning this burger war, In-N-Out smashes the competition. I learned long ago never to curse a long wait there. Just go with the flow. I love counter-ordering, filling my drink and taking a seat to watch the well-oiled machine that is the young crew of an In-N-Out. It’s pure fast-food magic.
I’m a California guy forced to escape my native state (thank you leftist lunatics) to beautiful North Carolina (loving it here, btw). We visit family in So Cal once or twice a year. The first stop after John Wayne baggage claim is the In-N-Out three miles away at MacArthur and Bristol. I dream about it all year and it never disappoints. I’m usually 10 minutes max away from the red, palm tree cups at any given time and my last stop before getting groped by TSA again is you-know-where.
That said, Five Guys is good. I like all the toppings you can get. But I’ve never felt like I HAVE to have it. It’s pricey too. There’s one just five minutes from my house and I’ve probably been there just fifteen times in five years. If it was an In-N-Out that number would be in the few hundreds.
Some unsolicited advice for both:
- ALWAYS get a milkshake at In-N-Out.
- Experiment with the Not-So-Secret menu at In-N-Out.
- Know that the “Little” at Five Guys is plenty of burger and one order of fries there will feed 3-4 people…especially after you’ve tanked up on the free peanuts.
Y’all need to visit Grover’s in Clarence {Buffalo}, NY. End of discussion.
Why no cost information? How much do these things cost? A huge premium for a “gourmet” burger would give me severe indigestion before I handed over any cash; so I wouldn’t.
I’ve had both.
Five Guys sucks. Their beef was not aged long enough hand tasted of liver. The beef was dry and if not for the liver taste, would have tasted of cardboard. McDonald’s beef is better than Five Guys.
Bullan in Reykjavik is my favorite. Makes Five Guys taste like Alpo.
It doesn’t take Bullans.
Bullan is a small hamburger restaurant chain in Iceland. They even make whale burgers in the summertime.
Whale burger? Now that’s got to be some juicy meat.
wow. who said juicy makes a good burger? not in my book. i throw away bloody burgers.
in-and-out has been in business since the 40′s. in-and-out is also a God-fearing, privately owned company.there ingredients are fresh. they told gov’t inspectors to take a hike when they tried to make them change their method of cooking their food. they have not compromised their quality in the 40+ years i’ve been going there. they define the ca burger drive thru and have been going head to head with mcDonalds (also a ca started chain) for decades. 5 guys? i’ve tried 5-guys and it was not even in the same league. it’s obvious the’re trying to copy in-and-out though.
Though I’ve never eaten at In ‘n Out (not in my area), they win hands down. My brother lived in southern Cal and had a bumper sticker. The first line was “In ‘n Out” and the second line was “Burger,” but with the first and last letters removed. Can 5 Guys do that?
OK, I’m going to weigh in on a tangential issue. Can we all stop using the term “veggies”? It’s an old, tired cutesie term, and it sounds like baby talk, not something a grown-up human being should use.
Otherwise, since I live in Indiana and never had either of the two burgers in question, I have no comment (except that it is an interesting, readable story which I enjoyed, with one quibble).
In an Out is way better than 5 guys. Not even close.
Burgers are great but I am still waiting for Taco Time to spread east.
Nothing like a deep-fried burrito with Taco Time hot sauce!
Yikes! There are better things to wish for!
I lived in LA for 12 years, so I know all about (and love) In-N-Out.
OK you have convinced me to try 5 Guys now. I’m on the east coast, but haven’t tried them.
Beware, Phil. Quality control is random. Sometimes ALMOST as good as I&O.
Often not. VERY not.
My family is done with them.
One irrelevant decision point not mentioned: I&O is a drive-up, 5Bros is a walk-in.
Gotta go on record here, thpough. Beat burger I ever had was LUCKYBURGER in Delray Beach, Florida. BUT I was a teenager then, and Luckyburger, 5″ wide, ⅓ lb and ALL THE WAY, yielded to 50 years of time.
When I did consulting work in Va a few years ago, I was told about this “great burger place” named Five Guys. So I tried it. Big disappointment! In N Out has them beat by a mile! Now before you get all bent out of shape I’m from NYC where food is something we never took lightly. The fries @ 5 guys were greasy, the burger was nearly tasteless and in short, I tried it twice and never again! When I got back to my home in So CA I found that Five Guys opened a place in Thousand Oaks, very near my home. I tried it one day! As expected, overpriced, same tired taste as in Va and I figure I must be right because I don’t see the parking lot flooded like I do at In N Out!
I have been to 5 Guys. I love the food. Haven’t had the pleasure of in and out, but will consider them when available. One thing about 5Guys, they are expensive.
Used to do Bill Grey’s in Western NY. Very good.
Burger King now has better fries than Wendy’s. Went to a BK for the first time in a long time recently.
Chick-Fil-A is run by a good company and has a good a milkshake as I have ever had. The breakfast chicken biscuit melts in your mouth for breakfast.
I also love Firehouse Subs. ( Not the best Philly cheese there tho )
Last time I checked, In-n-out is not a franchise but a family owned operation. If that’s changed, my apologies. Franchises must have an extremely high level of QC to maintain consistant quality from one store to another since they are owned independently. If nothing else McD’s is a master at this. Both are great burgers but INNO is hands down winner to me.
I’ve been to Five Guys – decent burger, exhorbitant price.
Double the price of a flame broiled burger at Burger King, but not twice as good.
It is not even as good. The Burger King Whopper beats Five Guys every day of the week. The Wendy’s Burger beats Five Guys, too.
I love burgers. Five Guys is very good but not great.
Five Guys better than In-N-Out? What is the author smokin’? In-N-Out is the only great burger chain out there. Five Guys? Meh.
Really, 5 Guys at its best is in the same league as I&O. It’s ALMOST as good.
Their problem is, they are usually not at their best.
Out of about 8 trips to 5G, I’ve been delighted with two, satisfied with 3, and the rest have made me decide not to go back.
If they ever manage to do something about quality CONTROL, they will do well.
Um… you forgot the “meat” comparison.
I’ve never had a Five Guys, but whenever I head to California I make a point of getting an In-and-Out burger (animal style).
We have a local chain in the Seattle area – Kidd Valley. They used to have the best fast food burgers bar none. But 25 years ago Jack-in-the-Box gave a bunch of people in the Seattle area E-coli food poisoning (killed several). Ever since, ALL fast food burger places around Seattle overcook their burgers and none of the fast food burgers are very good anymore.
At least some sit-down places such as Red Robin allow you to order a pink middle in your burger (you nearly need to sign a release to get it though). They are the only places you can still get a good burger around Seattle.
This is absolute tomfoolery.
I don’t know much about burgers but I challenge anyone who thinks Sonic produces anything good.
You are correct in stating that you don’t know much about burgers.
You can’t judge In-N-Out burgers without trying them Animal Style.
As to the fries, you can have them Animal Style as well… no other way to go, IMHO.
Smashburger squashes these competitors.
Haven’t been to the left coast in ages so I don’t remember what In & Out burgers tasted like. A thumbs up though for them having sponsored Melanie Troxel in NHRA Pro Mod.
My cardiologist gave me a pat on th eback when I swore off Five Guys.
You want a great burger?, try a Bison burger at a Ruby Tuesday with the “new” menu or make one yourself at home. Less guilt, more taste.
Dude. What are you smoking? Five Guys Burgers suck: it’s like eating shoe leather. In and Out Burgers and Whataburger beat them on taste by a mile. How much did they pay you to slant this their way?
I disagree…and although I am not a vegetarian, the only time I eat any meat is at In-N-Out. I do not live close to In-N-Out, and with the family have planned trips just for the burger. To me it is THAT good!
Oh and Five Guys, you really don’t lose, as I do love your fries!!!
I’ve had both smashburger and fatburger. Both are OK, and the ability to add eggs and such is nice. But neither burger really stands out. Same thing with Five Guys: it’s a good burger, but I’ve had others like it.
A In-n-Out cheeseburger done animal style is satisfying in a way that those others aren’t. It’s gooey and juicy. If you haven’t had it “Animal Style” then you really haven’t had it. I usually don’t stop at a double-double, and get a 3 X 3 instead. Heck, there is no limit to the number of patties/slices of cheese, so a 100 X 100 is possible and has been done.
As for the fries, try them animal style as well. Better then Five Guys fries (I just don’t order fries there… just not that good).
Spread East, spread West, who cares, Culvers Butter burgers rule the Midwest!
Neither burger place near us is that great.
On the other hand, the Five Guys at Dulles Airport near the American Airlines gates produces some of the best burgers and most especially french fries in the world. I wish the one near my house was as good.
I live near Sacramento, CA, which is sort of the southern edge of Northern California. In-n-Out was, for decades, only in SOUTHERN California. When the chain started expanding north and east, it was a license to print money.
Most of their restaurants up here are ALWAYS busy. There’s ALWAYS a line at the drive-through, from opening time to closing. That’s the only bad thing about it; it ain’t “in and out”, it’s drive in, wait, and THEN out. But the burgers are worth it. They are the best I’ve ever tasted.
They specialize in burgers. They do nothing else. Drinks, and OK, the fries, but the fries are sort of ordinary and the drinks are the same as anybody elses’.
Sonic? Been there, done that. Once. Meh. Wendy’s is good, and I’ll go there when I’m not near an In-n-Out. Burger King? I once thought they were good….
Haven’t seen a Five Guys, but they’ll have to go a LONG way.
No mention of Culver’s? I’d rather have a Butterburger than Five Guys’ burger, and I’m right fond of Five Guys. Also, I don’t care how good people say the shakes at In & Out are, they can’t beat soft serve frozen custard.
In-N-Out has to be among the world’s worst burger. Basically tasteless, even animal style. 5 Guys not far ahead. Much better choices in almost any city.
There is room enough, while stationed n California, our family enjoyed In-and-Out Burgers and the natural fries. Now on the opposite coast, we are enjoying Five Guys and their unique take on the “best meal.”
Frankly, the best hands down are the ones we make at home on the grill, but… when you have to have a fast meal, which of the two is closest is where we would go first.
As to waiting… both chains have waits, and both have locations that it’s easier to park else-where and walk in to order than to drive and park or attempt their drive through.
In my one visit to In-n-Out, I was left wondering why people thought this place was so great. The burger was average. Five Guys is juicy and tasty. In-n-Out, based on my experience, lives on hype.
In-n-Out is it’s own think – a tasty, semi-unique drive through burger that is tasty and a bargain, but it must be eaten immediately. Esepcially the fries, they have an expiration of about 3 minutes.
Animal style is so gauchely overrated – really, smothering fries with a mixture of ketchup, relish, and mayonnaise isn’t hip, cool, or tasty, it’s just something people do because they think it makes them hip, or cool. Nope. Just a little douchey…
Five Guys is good, better fries (both are fresh cut but they are thicker and as a result much better at Five Guys). Five Guys allows you to load up with grilled onions and mushrooms FOR FREE. Sorry, that gets the win. Both lose points for not being able to be served medium rare, as a good burger should be.
Both of these are good fast food burgers – but just that. A decent Fuddrucker’s burger kills them both, much less say the mushroom and brie burger at Kenny’s Burgers, or any number of places where the meet is fresh, grass fed, or otherwise exceptional. If you can get it medium rare, it’s likely in the running.
Dear God, the homophonic errors… I am typing too fast for this hour of the night. Where the meet is fresh. God almighty!
Hey Beavis. heh heh heh, He said “Homophonic”, heh heh heh.
We lived in Dallas for awhile in the early 80′s and had many Whataburgers—good for the $, but not great. Visited our daughter in DC a 6-7 years ago and she said I’d love the 5 Guys burger—I did—altho noticeably more expensive. Fries were definitely a cut above too. Started visiting the same daughter in San Diego a couple of years ago and found a new 5 Guys—definitely not impressed—the taste and presentation didn’t travel west very well. Gave them 2 more tries—same result. Being raised in So Cal I’ve eaten many In-N-Out burgers. Considering the price, I’d say it can’t be beat for quality and taste. Their shortcoming is the fries—the good ones are good, but too many of them are crispy critters and for me not edible. Burgers=In-N-Out/Fries=5 Guys
The fries at 5 Guys are really good – but to take them to the next level: Take the half-filled bag of fries you couldn’t eat (’cause there were so many) and throw that bag in the freezer. Next day, take that bag of fries and scatter them over a cookie sheet and stick them in a 400 degree oven for 15 – 20 minutes. Twice cooked and 10 times better.
In N Out is a family-owned business that doesn’t franchise, they expand organically out of revenue vs. through financing, and they won’t open a store that is more than a day from their food sources (Central Valley, CA). They are fundamentally a different company and business model than the Five Guys franchises (who, by the way, stole the white and red checker decor from In N Out).
For burgers, if you want a burger with quality and freshness that you can fit in your hand and wolf down while driving, only In N Out will do. In N Out also wins out on price / value. If you like big, fat, greasy burgers with quality and freshness, Five Guys will probably be more your style.
Similarly, if you like thin-cut fries a la McDonalds, but with better ingredients, crunch, and freshness, In N Out will have you hooked. But if you grew up on the East Coast and like thicker, steak-cut style fries with malt vinegar, Five Guys will hit the spot.
You can gorge on peanuts while you wait for your burger at Five Guys, or you can enjoy a milkshake at In N Out and soak in the laid-back California vibe. Each has its selling point for me.
Still, when it comes right down to it, I am a Californian living in NOVA, and In N Out is my first stop on the way from LAX every time I go back to my home state. I thought Five Guys was good, but honestly I haven’t been back there in the last few years since I discovered Foster’s Grille (fresh char-broiled burgers and similar quality to Five Guys and In N Out).
Im a So Cal native living in Chicago. I recently had my first 5 Guys and liked it very much, but it is still second to In-N-Out. The thinner patty allows the cooked beef flavor to stand out over the thicker 5 guys patty. I personally like the In-N-Out fries better as well. The simple character is more like a fast food fry is supposed to be.
If you are in the L.A. Area try a Fatburger.
5 guys was the worst hamburger I’ve had it years. A greasy sloppy mess that fell apart in my hands. There were enough fries to choke a moose but they were all overcooked. I’ll never go back.
Good burger chains both, but even good chain burgers never transcend their limitations. There is always a local outfit that does it better. In Arizona, it is Chuckbox, in Tempe. I can only hope, for your sake, that your own city has a burger like THAT!
Went to 5 Guys once – that was enough. Grew up in SoCal, In-N-Out is v good, Carl’s is the best (char-broiled goodness) of the chains but Knollwood is best of all!
From one Texan to another: WHATABURGER! Five Guys is good, but WHATABURGER wins!
There are two 5 Guys within easy reach of my house in Columbia, MD. Both are OK, nothing to write home about. I almost stopped at In-N-Out last time I was in CA, but I didn’t want to wait behind a dozen cars, so I skipped it.
When we’re out for a burger, it’s Cheeburger Cheeburger with their half-n-half basket of onion rings and french fries and a real old-fashioned ice cream milk shake! Great meal and only Red Robin even comes close. I recommend the regular cheeseburger, cooked medium, with grilled onions and blue cheese. Amazing. Nice 1950′s surf-n-hot-rod decor, do-wop soundtrack and it’s clean as a pin to boot. Not cheap. Cooked to order.
http://cheeburger.com/home2/index.asp
Also, as far as I know, the whole cooking french fries in peanut oil thing started at Thrashers on the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD. Fresh cut potatoes, washed, fried dark brown and salted. Yum! Good with a sprinkle of malt vinegar too.
http://www.thrashersfrenchfries.com/ocean-city-md-gallery
As a Resident of the Seattle Area I’d like to lodge a protest.
Anyone from Seattle who has eaten a burger at Dick’s Drive In and In-n-Out Burger know one thing for sure;
In-n-Out Burger is Dick’s as a Franchise!
Come on up to Seattle and sample Dick’s sometime.
111 N.E. 45th St.
Seattle, WA 98105
And then try to tell me that In-n-Out isn’t Dick’s.
…except that Dick’s burgers are burnt and filled with chewy cartilage. Their fries are a greasy, limp disaster. Seattlites adore Dicks and I can’t figure it. The only explanation I’ve ever heard is “when you’re really drunk and Dicks is open at 2:00 AM, its great!” Not really a ringing endorsement of a discerning customer. Burgermaster is a far, far superior Seattle chain than Dicks.
As for 5 guys, I have to guess that they’re better on the east coast because they’d never get the reputation they have on the nastiness they serve in Seattle.
And having eaten an In-n-Out yesterday…oh hell yeah. In-n-Out is not Dicks. Thank god.
Mighty Fine is not a “local haunt(s)that can’t be topped” Mighty Fine is a late comer wantabe. Dan’s and Fran’s are the local haunt that can’t be topped. Heck Whataburger is better than Mighty Fine.
I recently drove from Minneapolis, MN, to Los Angeles and ate IN-N-OUT in Provo, UT, Las Vegas and here in CA. I just loved those burgers and bragged them up back home. I also have an INO apparel collection second to none. But on this trip, I noticed that the INO burgers in all locations were cooked overdone, and were dry. Very disappointed. Nevertheless, I purchased three hats and two T-shirts in the Las Vegas store!!
I just went to 5 Guys last week, they replaced the Fat Burger at our local foodcourt. What a disappointment it was… can’t believe this review, even Fat Burger was better. In-N-Out ALL the way!!!
I grew up a “university brat,” moving every few years as Dad climbed the academic ladder. Then I had a vigorous bicoastal career for two decades. Today I am a military wife who again must move every few years. In short, in 53 years of life on his Earth I have lived in every region of these United States…and have never heard of either of these burger chains!
I ask y’all (I picked up that useful pronoun in Atlanta
), only half-facetiously: Does this mean my family is lucky because they get home-cooked meals 360 or more days out of the 365 days/year? Or does it mean that I, and they, REALLY need to get out more?
So — can anybody compare the two leaders here to our new “Shake Shack?”
I dunno, but would like to hear it too, after reading a lot about Shake Shack.
I’ve gone to 5 guys 4 times at three different locations. They’ve gotten my order *correct* precisely 0 times. I’ve been to I&O dozens of times since they opened in AZ; they’ve gotten my order *wrong* precisely 0 times.
TOTAL HONESTY HERE:
The hamburger patties at both Sonic and Five Guys taste like dry elephant scabs. I can’t stand them, but I’ll eat either if that’s all there is. Sonic and Five Guys fans: To acknowledge you are in a cult–in deep–is very difficult. And to KNOW you are is even more difficult. That’s the fact, Jack.
I love Hamburgers and usually when I go to a restaurant I have never been to and burger are on the menu I get that because you really can’t screw up a hamburger and if a restaurant does then it is not worth eating there anyway.
Judging the best hamburger is like trying to determine the most beautiful woman or which blade of grass is growing the fastest it is impossible.
Been to both and both are really good. Five Guys in 3 states and In and Out in Vegas and California.
But one of the best hamburgers I ever had was in a Denny’s in San Jose, CA near the airport and another in Vegas. Was as good as both AND was cheaper!
There are great burger joints all over this country; it usually comes down to what the place personally means to you. I’m usually at the Denny’s in San Jose eating with my brother on the way out of town, or In and Out in Vegas visiting a good friend or Five Guys back in Virginia meeting old Air Force buddies.
So anyone favorite anything has more meaning than just the food. Just sayin’
five guys is like everything else that comes here from the East Coast, tacky, tasteless, unimpressive, unwanted and generally garbage.
Welcome to California: Now go home and take all your fans with you.
I’ve got an In-n-Out Urge.
Habit Burger (in California) beats them all. Nothing better than a Charburger!
Longtime I&O fan. After reading this, I thought I’d see what all the 5 Guys shouting was about and found one had opened recently a few miles from home. Pretty good burger. Not better than I&O, but pretty good, though the grilled onions are notably inferior. I agree about the bread and the fries. The 5G bun is heinous. The 5G fries are ambrosial. But the prices! Gawd! A 5G double cheeseburger was $5.89 – almost twice the $3.20 I pay for an I&O Double-Double. This may fly on the East Coast, but not in a state with 12% unemployment. I think I had some agreement on this as I was one of only three customers in the place. The two I&O stores I patronize are always at or near seating capacity pretty much regardless of when I stop by. Also, the 5G counter help were sullen, listless, mumbly and had visible piercings and tats. I&O staffers are clean cut, cheerful and on the bounce. They also average being quite a bit more attractive than the counter help in other fast food stores. I doubt anyone who looked like the 5G crew could even score an interview at I&O. I’ve seen plenty of California “invasions” by retailers from parts East who were reckoned to be “the next Big Thing” crash and burn and never be heard from again a year or two after setting up shop out here. I have a feeling I just saw another one. 5 Guys? I won’t be back.