Five Guys Burgers and Fries Opening in Thousand Oaks

[creamfinger]

I just saw a sign in a storefront on Moorpark Rd. in Thousand Oaks for a new Five Guys Burgers and Fries that would be opening soon.

Is this something to be excited about?

[OCAnn]

There's a FG in Orange too now. I went to see what the hype was about and didn't get it. FG & InO are two different types of burgers; I prefer the latter. I didn't care for the FG fries either.

[reality check]

Tustin Twin mention the Orange location.

But a Five Guys did open in Huntington Beach, today.

Five Guys isn't worth the higher prices. Their double cheeseburger is about $5.50 and while it is a bit bigger than In N Out, it's not as good.

Never get the bacon, it's always burnt or been sitting around in warmers for too long.

[TustinTwin]

I had never heard of Five Guys. Than last week I was in Orange when I drove into a stripmall and saw a long queue that went around the corner. I thought they were giving away free food. I didn't go in because I was doing errands. Reading all the posts about Five Guys, I will definitely make it a point to go try their fries. It's on the corner of Katella Ave. and Tustin Ave. in Orange.

[mopeyboy]

Been to the Carson one a number of times in the past. Meat is good. Fries are better. The buns are too soft. I have even had them hold the foil wrapping so the bun wouldn't steam. Didn't make much difference. I don't go anymore.

My choice for a new burger chain is Smashburger. Tried them in Denver and love it. There are two in the San Diego area but none in LA. If you are familiar with Steak n Shake, Smashburgers tastes like Steak n Shake in the glorious olden days.

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Five Guys Burgers
20700 Avalon Blvd, Carson, CA 90746

[jindomommy]

In and Out is a much better burger. Five Guys grills a stack of bread ahead of time. It's not freshly toasted like In and Out. Most toppings are free, but I believe it's also $4 a burger (feel free to correct me on this). You can get mushrooms, onions, barbeque sauce, etc. The fries are much better than In and Out. They only use peanut oil.

[ltseligman]

Five Guys is a great alternative to In N Out. I like FG better. My wife thinks it's almost as good as In N Out. My friends are pretty evenly split.
Their fries are awesome though. I love to eat them with the malt vinegar they provide. Peanuts are a great touch and you can customize your burger way more than In N Out.
If you are just talking a burger and bun comparison, they both are pretty comprable.
Five Guys just offers more options. In N Out's shakes are the one thing FG lacks.

[liu]

You're too kind, Itseligman!
If I may -- We found the fries to be very soggy and gross in their size, the noise level is a real negative for me, and the place was quite dirty when we tried it.

Yes, as you mentioned, the peanuts are a lot of fun and Five Guys does have options; still, I found it to be just another fast food place with nothing to call me back.

[monkuboy]

I've only eaten at a Five Guys in Utah when back there on a business trip. I spied it and just had to check it out after hearing so many good things. Personally, I like In-N-Out much better. The actual burger patty at Five Guys is very good. But that's about it. The french fries leave much to be desired. The portions are huge, way more than I feel any ordinary person could eat, and the fries are blah and limp. The food is also very expensive. Their normal burger, which is a double, is over $5 and the small one is over $3. If you get a regular burger, fries and drinks, that's about ten bucks right there which to me is too much for "fast food" especially since it is way more food than necessary.

Anyway, it is nice to have some competition and to have a choice but my vote goes to In-N-Out. Five Guys is to be excited about in the sense of something new on the scene but I wasn't wowed at all by their food.

[wutzizname]

Did this Thousand Oaks Five Guys in fact open on the 12th? Anybody been yet? Reports?

[pikawicca]

I just ate at the one that opened in my town today. Limp fries. Lots of gristly bits in the meat. Excellent toppings, though, and good service. I hear that their veggie burger is very good.

[Shadow]

I am anxious to try Five Guys...however, I love the Habit (Oxnard, Ventura-two locations there) and Santa Barbara (where it started). I can't stand In and Out..and yes, the fries are a joke..never "got" what its all about. So, since I am moving to Ventura Country, will try Five Guys.

[snapjoy]

This is definitely something to be excited about!!! Not comparable to In-N-Out; they are two very different burger restaurants. The Five Guys in Thousand Oaks opens tomorrow - July 12!!! They have one opening in Huntington Beach in September.

[A5 KOBE]

I prefer The Habit and In N Out to Five Guys. The burger I had was disgusting. They had a decent quality of beef but it was over shadowed by the lack of attention to little things such as over saucing the bun, not grilling the bun, too much lettuce. Don't get me started about the fries, I thought In N Out fries were bad, piff.

[Davwud]

From what I've been able to ascertain from reading on here there is really two 5 Guys chains out there. The good one and the bad one.
More so than any other franchise it seems, 5G has consistency problems. I go to the one in Huntsville, Al. (West). Great burger every time and often with just a little tinge of pink. Juicy, tasty and the bun stays together.
The fries are fresh cut and fantastic. One word to the wise, get the fries out of the bag asap. They'll steam and get soggy. There's a ton of them too, a small is easily enough for two people.

This is a diner style burger done on a flat top. IMHO it's the best way to do it.
I don't get the bun problems. It's a hamburger bun.

Lots of people agree with me. Just as many have had just the opposite experience.

DT

[wutzizname]

I don't think anyone should consider Five Guys a "knock-off" of In -N-Out. Totally different kind of burger, and totally different kind of fries. The frequent comparison of the two, I'd venture, has more to do with the sparseness of their menus (basically just burgers and fries, though Five Guys does also offer hot dogs) and the similar type of devotion that both chain's engender from their fans.

Beyond that, I think the style and quality of their actual food is probably more comparable to Fat Burger, locally. And my one visit to the Cerritos Five Guys was definitely superior to any recent Fat Burger experiences.

[darrenk]

IMHO Fat Burger has nothing to worry about either based on my meal at Five Guys.

Carl's Jr. would be a better comparison....

I just hope that INO expansion plans don't eventually ruin the whole chain (they are expanding but not franchising).

[huaqiao]

For people who dislike Five Guys fries, which fast food fries do you think are better?

I like the beefiness of the burger, but the bun tends to fall apart and my friend always complains that the patties are unseasoned. We go back there because he loves their fries(as do I).

Sometimes I'm in the mood for In-N-Out, sometimes I'm in the mood for Five Guys.

[taiwanesesmalleats]

I think my ideal fast food burger place would have the burgers from In N Out, Five Guys fries, and a dessert selection that included the banana cream pie from Apple Pan.

[reality check]

I wouldn't call Apple Pan, fast food, I was classify them as diner style. But I've never liked any of their pies. For pies, I prefer Pie & Burger. If you could combine the Apple Pan burger and a Pie & Burger, pie, that would be a great diner style burger meal.

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Apple Pan
10801 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064

[taiwanesesmalleats]

I actually have yet to try Pie & Burger. :X

[Jordan]

Those are exactly my problems with Five Guys. If they'd use a more robust bun (or grill it so that it holds together better) and just sprinkle a bit of salt on the burger before cooking it, they'd go from a C- to an A in my book. Unfortunately, loads of toppings and mountains of fries can't make up for a tasteless burger at the heart of the meal.

[mucho gordo]

That's exactly why all these places put a whole bunch of crap on their burgers in order to cover up the fact that the small amount of meat they do give you won't pass the taste test.

[hnsbmg]

I couldn't agree more, mucho gordo. Since I usually have only cheese and raw onion as toppings, I've been tremendously disappointed in most Southern California burgers since coming home five years ago. I suppose that people who really want a salad with tomato ketchup or trendy sauces on a bun might like any clean place with fresh ingredients, but my question is, where's the juicy, flavorful beef? I should have added "properly seasoned," because not only Five Guys but many places seem to have run out of NaCl. As anyone who cooks knows, adding salt at the table doesn't do the job, unless you're mixing a gargle.

[mucho gordo]

Thanks for the support. If you haven't already done so, I suggest you try Boulevard Burger in Woodland Hills. They'll fix it exactly the way you want it, including 'damn near raw', and just dripping cholesterol. Messy but outta sight.

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Boulevard Burgers
21718 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364

[hnsbmg]

Thanks for the suggestion -- I'll try the place.

[mucho gordo]

When you do, please let me know what you think.

[darrenk]

I've tried the one in Cerritos, In N Out has nothing to worry about. Based on all of the hype this chain gets I assume that they were really good at one point (before they started franchising across the country?).

[hnsbmg]

That's right, darrenk. When there were just a few Five Guys locations near Washington, DC, the burgers were juicy and tasty, and the fries were great. The fries are still far better than at INO (faint praise, as Ogawak says), but nowadays the burgers are only a little better, to my taste, although still better. I see on the Five Guys Web site that: they have 550 restaurants and plan to open 200 more this year; seven are currently located in or "coming soon" to Southern California; and they brag that all burgers are cooked both "juicy and well-done." Uh-huh.

[sel]

I went to the Carson store after all the hoopla about Barak Obama having eaten at Five Guys. I figured that a fast food burger good enough for the prez was good enough for me. WRONG! When I ordered mine "rare" the order taker drew my attention to the "We Cook Our Burgers Juicy and Well-Done" sign. Normally when a place that cooks to order refuses to cook to the temp that I enjoy I walk out. But I had driven a long way, about 75 miles, had skipped breakfast and was really hungry. I should have walked. It arrived well-done as promised but NOT JUICY. The french fries were ok. I won't be back, at any of their new locations!

[SIMIHOUND]

Sel,
Looks like an In and Out wannabe. You cant duplicate things like that most times. If I am in Thousand Oaks I may try it once it has been open a while.

[sel]

If you're ok with well-done then I'd say go for it.

[huaqiao]

Are there any fast food places that will actually cook a burger rare?

[sel]

Absolutely!

[mucho gordo]

Boulevard Burger on Ventura Blvd. in Woodland Hills. Tell them you want it "damn near raw" and you'll get it. Messy but delicious.

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Boulevard Burgers
21718 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364

[granadafan]

Hmmm, Juicy and Well Done is a contradiction.

[Tripeler]

Well Done is the opposite of done well.

[wienermobile]

It's a very good fast food burger and even better fries.

[Ogawak]

Five Guys is extremely popular back east. I have only tried the one in Carson and really don't know what the excitement is all about. Their fries are better than InNOut (but who doesn't have better fries?), but their price points are also higher, and InNOut DD still comes out better IMHO. FG does serve peanuts while you wait, but the bun is too scrawny for the burger. For the price point, I like Fatburger better. A lot of people do like them, though.

[A5 KOBE]

I don't get the hype either. I did not care for it at all and found the fries to an even bigger disappointment than the burger. The bun of the burger was very mushy. The only stand out was the quality of the meat. Everything else was just meh.

[wutzizname]

Excited may be a relative term, but yes, as burger chains go, Five Guys is one to look forward to. They originated in Virginia and now have over 500 locations, but their crawl west has been a long time coming. The chain has a cult following among its fans that's very akin to In 'n Out, though the product is fairly different. Full-size single burgers cooked to order with a large choice of customized toppings. And thicker cut fries.

There are currently 2 in the L.A. area, one in Cerritos and one in Carson. Good stuff.
http://www.fiveguys.com/menu.aspx