Five Guys Burgers & Fries Opens in Cerritos
I just learned that Five Guys Burgers & Fries has opened in Cerritos on South St. near the 605 Frwy. Their other location opened not long ago in Carson. I've heard that besides the burgers, their fries and hot dogs are terrific too. Five Guys is supposed to be to the east coast what In-Out Burgers are out here. I would love to hear some comments from anybody who has been to either location.
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Any one interested I did a video review on the Cerritos location a while back. It's was my first time trying 5g's.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kKfK1BCrfQ
And if you've never seen a Big Mike's burger I have a video on that too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK-eZl...
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Big Mike's
17845 Clark Ave, Bellflower, CA 90706 -
When I first arrived in the L.A. Area, there were only a few InO's around. All the locations were printed on the bag that goes on the burger . In those days, in my opinion, the fries were fatter (like 5 guys) and better than today's offering. They also served Pepsi, which I prefer to Coke. THe burgers have remained consistently good. I order mine with grilled onions and mustard & ketchup instead of the sauce. I order my bun extra toasted and my fries extra crispy. A satisfying meal. Five guys fries, both times I tried them were nicely browned but many were undercooked. I am a fan of Malt vinegar on fries. The first time I went to Five guys, I found that by wrapping my burger in foil, the bun was so thoroughly steamed that it began to fall apart almost immediately. My second visit, I asked that they not wrap the burger. The result was that I was able to get half way through the burger before the bottom of the bun began to fall apart. If they were side by side, I'd much prefer to eat at InO than 5 Guys. Another new-ish burger place is The Habit, a Santa Barbara transplant. The burgers and fries are good and they also have grilled Tuna and a couple of other choices for sandwiches. They'll give you half and half rings and fries, if you wish. It's pretty good value vs. 5 Guys. Haven't been to Fatburger in a long time, but remember liking their quality.
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I went to the Cerritos location last Weds. My first time to Five Guys. My wife and I both liked it more than In-N-Out. My wife love's In-N-Out fries, but hates the buns. She like the buns at Five Guys, which I thought was amusing, considering that judging by the bags under the work station, they use Smart and Final's First Street crap!
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5 Guys? Really good burgers, great toppings! Is it as good as In 'N Out? No..... In 'N Out has such a high standard for quality and freshness, you can't expect other chains to beat them in this area.
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I went today for the first time and I loved it! One of the best burgers I have ever had (mainly because I come from Orange County). Unlike other chains, you can actually taste the freshness of the beef patty and when all the ingredients meshed together, it was like a perfect harmony. One of the things that makes this joint better than INO in my opinion is that the fries compliment the burger perfectly. INO's fries don't compliment their burgers like they should.
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PommeDeGuerre
Jun 22, 2010 03:55 AM
Old post, but comparing Five Guys to INO is inappropriate. Much closer to Fatburger in size and price.
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re: huaqiao
PommeDeGuerre
Jun 23, 2010 02:43 AM
Actually, a cheseburger, regular fries and a Coke is just over $10 at Five Guys, and Fatburger and Five Guys are defnitely both fast food, so this is a fairly apt comparison.
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I had a couple of Five Guys burgers when we lived in Atlanta. My takeaway was: very fresh; huge, tasty burgers; and VERY expensive for a freakin' burger joint. Unless they've changed their pricing, I can't justify paying that much for a burger, fries and shake.
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re: batfink23
McDonalds, KFC, Carl's, you name it. Any french fry is better than the ones at INO. The weakness of INO fries is a weakness inherent in it's philosophy of made-to-order. The fries at INO just aren't correctly made. Fries CANNOT be made to order. They have to be blanched in oil, cooled and rested before going into oil again at a higher temp.
You can't just cut a potato and deep fry it. That's wrong. The result is cardboard tasting fries.
The burger on the other hand is unbeatable. I get mine as a double double with grilled onions and 4 slices of cheese.
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re: david t.
David,
its all a game of opinions, but I can't agree with you on the In N Out fries, they are the best in the fast food market.
your claim that fries cannot be made to order is just not true; what you are claiming is that frozen, mass produced fries are better and that is one thing, and for you maybe they are; however the flipside that handcut, fresh fries are somehow flawed is highly questionable at best.
every serious restaurant and steak house hand cuts and makes their fries to order, fresh.
its also obvious you've never tried Heston Blumenthal's triple cooked chips! lol.
Ps. good to see you've edited your post regarding making them to order... ;o)
Pps. the type of potato and starch content is major factor on how blanching is required.
Pps. the blanching and pre-frying affects texture, not so much taste.oh and do you have any evidence that In n Out just cuts the fries and dumps them in the oil?
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you guys are insane. :)
the burger is brilliant, juicy and full flavoured. the bun is fine.the fries are a clear weakness. In n Out's fries are much better, crisper fresher flavour, but the burgers not at the same level.
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re: casualcat
sbritchky
Dec 10, 2008 01:47 PM
I don't get the craze over INO either. They've been around since the Forties, but I never tried one until I moved back to California seven years ago. The burgers are boring, and the french fries should be sold as mystery-vegetable fries, guaranteed not to startle anyone with something as offensive as flavor.
Ten years ago I lived in the Washington, DC, area and thought Five Guys had great, juicy hamburgers and excellent fries. After they expanded from a handful of locations to millions and millions, the quality slipped, although the burger is still decent and the fries are much better than most. I'd say that the hamburgers beat INO just as INO beats the average corpo-burger.
Fatburger has also expanded greatly but still has a fine product. I stopped by the one at Ventura and Beverly Glen around 2:00 a.m. recently and had an excellent, well-seasoned baby cheeseburger with a can of Dr. Pepper from a neighborhood gas station. Sadly, the onion rings I ordered on the side were as tasteless as INO fries, with the added disadvantage of being shackled in a dense batter only slightly tastier than virgin styrofoam.
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re: casualcat
It's not so much a craze, as it is a loyalty to the company/product. Many have seen INO grow from a few sparsely located stores (e.g. Van Nuys, Carson, etc) to what it is today. We sorta feel a connection to their dedication to quality, consistency & price.
In relation to this thread, was just natural to compare 5G with INO, as the food/decor are so similar. That's all.
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re: pharmnerd
Tried the Cerritos one today. Exactly as Ogawak and pass me another mentioned. Bland. Wimpy bun. Nice extras. Better fries than In-n-out. Was ok, not great. Johnny Rockets is better, but is more expensive. For me, definitely give the nod to In-n-Out, a simpler tastier burger, but would visit 5 Gs again.
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Yes, a consensus! Short review: Skipped past the In-N-Out in Long Beach as I was returning from a Costa Mesa conference and exited South Street to try out the Cerritos Five Guys. Agree with everyone here: patty is bland bland - you need those toppings to compensate, especially the bacon (wish I got that instead of a non-bacon cheeseburger); fries very good, although I am on the wagon that doesn't think the In-N-Out fries taste like cardboard and would prefer those over to Five Guys. I could definitely understand the appeal though.
My guess is that this joint is so popular on the East Coast either because the region has no In-N-Out and/or it's just one of those places that only locals love and appreciate.
Fuller review with photos, plus a short rundown of two quirky Cerritos ordinances - ah, I have such a love/hate relationship with that city.
http://whatyouseeiswhatyoueat.wordpre...qq.
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Went to the Carson location last nite for my first visit. The burger was very fresh, but, as others have pointed out, was rather bland. I liked the format -- free toppings including grilled onions and mushrooms (I passed on the latter). No problem with the bun.
The fries were of the type I like. Lots of skin, but could have been crisper. They were underseasoned (next time I'll try the Old Bay laden "cajun" variety) so I doused them in malt vinegar (an East Coast thing?)
The decor was reminiscent of In N' Out. Service was fine...it took a while to cook the burger --no assembly line here. Their signature gimmick is stale peanuts to munch on while you wait. Prices were okay.
Overall, I was pleased and would definitely return but I won't be running back. I'm growing weary of In N' Out (there--I said it) and Five Guys is a suitable alternative considering their superior fries.
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re: Adsvino
LOL, adsvino.
Anyone hear anything about a 5 Guys in the works closer to the westside?
In my opinion, the strength of the In-N-Out burger is not the thin meat patties. For me, their superiority starts with the bun, which is fresh, soft on top, but nicely toasted with a crisp rim inside. Their cheese slices are thicker, better, and more melty than most. The lettuce, tomato, and onion are cold and crisp and make for a crunchy contrast. (I went through a phase with the grilled onions melted into the cheese but now that tastes burnt to me.) I get light sauce, or ketchup instead. Add pickles. I've gotten over my addiction years ago when they moved within sight of my window in Westwood Village and OD'd badly, so now its once a month or so. But the double-double for barely over $3 is a stupendous amazing value. Fries? I admire the attempt to do fresh-cut. They fry them crisp when ordered welldone. But the characterization above is right-on -- when crispy they are like those old potato stix.
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I don't understand all the hoopla. I went to the Five Guys in Carson. The bun was so thin, I was holding burger meat by the time I finished. The fries are better than INO, but then I hate INO's limp fries. Maybe this was a weak franchise. iNO has strong quality control. Since I work in the area, I may give them a second chance, given how much people like them back East.
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re: ns1
Fries were better than IN N Out.. Very good fries, better than most. the burger patty tasted cheap, and overall pretty bland. I think you need to get the right combination of toppings/sauces.. If they open one in South OC, I will go at least for the fries. They are kind of like Island fries.
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re: ns1
Peripatetic
Nov 26, 2008 04:43 PM
I tried asking for well-done fries once. The result was nearly indistinguishable from Potato Stix!
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re: Dommy
Peripatetic
Dec 11, 2008 10:58 PM
Dommy, you're right, it would be more accurate to describe the well-done fries I had from In-N-Out as having the consistency of frozen french fries (though they were warm). Potato Stix are much better. Apologies to any Potato Stix lovers for unlawfully maligning their beloved snack!
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re: Cinnabon
sbritchky
Nov 26, 2008 04:07 PM
Crunchy, well-done cardboard is still cardboard.
Five Guys fries are much better than at INO, IMO, but the hamburger I had at the Carson branch was only marginally better, which is a shame, because ten years ago in the original Washington, DC-area locations, they served outstanding juicy burgers. I'll try the new one in Cerritos to see if it's the same.
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re: Ogawak
Went back to give Five Guys Carson another shot, since I had to run an errand at the Carson Mall. I was pleasantly surprised. The burger was juicier but the bun was still too small for the burger. I liked all the extras that came with the burger, including mushrooms. You could add peppers, jalapeno, hot sauce at no extra cost.
The fried were still pretty good. The atmosphere was festive, maybe because it was early in the day (11:15 AM).
Overall, though, Fatburger is better at the same price. I'm amazed at how cheaply INO can churn out their double doubles, in comparison with the competition.
Haven't been back to INO yet to try the fries well done.
5G's isn't my favorite, but a good to decent option.
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Been. Burgers NOT as good as in n out, and more expensive. Fries excellent (after you add salt, mine were way underseasoned) More like skin on chips than in n out's fries. Decor sucks, a bland rip off of in n out without the charm or spirit. Didn't try the dog.
All this is not to say its bad, the food was very good, a solid B effort. Just not gonna damage the market leaders rep.
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