I figured after eating at Five Guys Burgers & Fries several times in one week, I would give them a review on this here web log. Finding a good burger joint is not incredibly difficult in the Sacramento area. Not to mention the fact that defining a good burger joint is like trying to describe the taste of a banana. That is, it’s subjective. For example, many of the folks on Yelp are lukewarm about this place.
The Good
- The toppings: Mayo, Relish, Onions, Lettuce, Pickles, Tomatoes, Grilled Onions, Grilled Mushrooms, Ketchup, Mustard, Jalapeno Peppers, Green Peppers, A-1 Sauce, Bar-B-Q Sauce, and Hot Sauce are all included at no additional charge. Mmm, mushrooms.
- The fries: Regular or Cajun Style, these fries are hearty and crispy, great for ketchup dipping
- The peanuts: Help yourself peanuts while you wait for your food. Think that’s lame? Don’t have them, but stop judging me already!
- The soda: It’s a Coke shop and they have Coke Zero. Done and done.
The Bad
- The price: if you are trying to get out of here for fewer than five dollars (that is, a burger, fries, and a drink) you’ve come to the wrong place. Granted, I did learn quickly that the “little hamburger” is actually the regular (one patty) while the “hamburger” is the large (two patties).
- No combo pricing: sure, some/most combos are shortcut ways of ordering 1 + 2 + 3, with no real discount, but it is an easy way to go at a fast food place.
- The fries: if you have a party of 3 or 4, you can order the large fries and everyone should get a fair amount of fries with their burger. But if you’re flying solo or with a friend, the regular order of fries can get pricey and may be too much food for you or not enough. Plus, you have to fight it out in the parking lot when one person picks up the cost of the order of fries and the other person(s) casually forget to chip in a buck or two. Then, of course, you harbor resentment and it eats at you for days and you can’t sleep until you get your two bucks…oh, sorry, the fries, right, the fries are good.
The Verdict
It’s a burger joint. They make a good burger. Don’t over think it, people. Should you drive from Auburn to Natomas for this meal? No. If you’re on your way to Arco Arena to catch a Monarchs (oh, they don’t exist anymore? when did this happen? oh great, next thing you’ll tell me is that the Knights indoor soccer league is no more) game and the line at In-n-Out is too long, hit this place up.
You anti-green-efforganic-igotyourfreerangerighthere types will love this frequently asked question:
Q: Does Five Guys serve organic or free range beef?
A: While our beef is neither organic nor are the cattle free range, our distributor purchases raw materials from the major meat suppliers in the US and they treat the cattle humanely and follow all the procedures set forth by the USDA.
Five Guys Burgers & Fries
4630 Natomas Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95835
www.fiveguys.com
The Sac Rag 