Brooklyn Wiseguys, Meet D.C.’s Five Guys
I’m always looking for ways to connect the New York and Washington branches of this blog, and the rapid expansion of D.C.-area burger chain Five Guys provides the perfect opportunity. A long-time beltway favorite, Five Guys already has a place way out in College Point, Queens, and just opened their second NYC location in Brooklyn Heights.
Five Guys don’t screw around with anything fancy. Burgers, fries, dogs; that’s it. Blessedly, everything can be topped with bacon and fried onions, as well as standard condiments. But look elsewhere if you like your burgers with blue cheese or wasabi mayonnaise. Their cheap, quality burger is a much-needed addition to the NY food scene – perfect for when you want to avoid McD’s, but don’t feel like taking out a second mortgage to eat at Old Homestead or standing in line for an hour and a half at Shake Shack.
One of NY’s best ‘hood pages, Brooklyn Heights Blog, took a trip to the new 5G last week and has a good write up of the hot burgers and even hotter waitresses. Down in the comments section, the foodie police have a bit of a problem with all the peanut shells on the floor. Personally, I can’t bring myself to criticize free peanuts, although that could be a symptom of too much time spent bar-hopping in Wisconsin.
Photo courtesy of Tarting it Up
They’ve brought their expansion south as well, to Durham, NC and although there are several very good burger joints around, they can compete.
love the beloit shout out
and there’s also a five guys in CHERRY HILL !
I just tried the place out. First off, they must have about 9 people behind the counter. It seemed like they were all training because the girl on the grill was the only one working and instructing the rest of the crew. There was an Asian guy who stood staring at 4 burgers for 2 minutes and 43 seconds (I timed him) without touching them. Mine was one of them and all it needed was BBQ sauce and to be wrapped up. OK, I understand they just opened so I will let this go. As far as the taste, the burger was OK (all burgers are cooked well), nothing to write home about. The fries were very good. I think that Henry Street Ale House has a better tasting burger (you can get it cooked the way you want it also), and their fries are almost as good but not as crispy as Five Guys. I will try them again. They seem like a clean operation.