Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Multiple Locations around Northern VA and DC| Location | Address | Telephone |
|---|---|---|
| McPherson Square | 1400 I St. NW | 202.450.3412 |
| International Square Food Court | 1825 I St. NW | 202.223.2737 |
| Chinatown-Verizon Center | 808 H St. NW | 202.223.2737 |
| Dupont Circle | 1645 Connecticut Ave. NW | 202.328.3483 |
| Georgetown | 1335 Wisconsin Ave NW | 202.337.0400 |
| ATF Building | 1300 Second St. NE | 202.408.1635 |
| Nationals Park | 1500 Capitol St. SE | N/A |
| Highland Park | 1400 Irving St NW | 202.332.8060 |
| Navy Yard/Federal Gateway | 1100 New Jersey Ave SE | 202.863.0570 |
| The Shops at National Place | 13th & F Streets NW | 202.393.2135 |
No set of restaurant reviews of the Washington Metro area would be complete without addressing Five Guys. Opened in the ‘90s, Five Guys has grown from having five local locations in 2002 to having hundreds of locations all over the country today, and more are always cropping up. The success and expansion, rather than being a function of money or corporate aspirations, is attributable to the simple fact that Five Guys makes some of the best burgers around. They consistently win "best burger" and "best fries" awards in just about every city they expand to.
The décor is sparse at best – often locations, especially the older ones, look like someone started cooking burgers in a factory and never bothered to upgrade. Walls in Five Guys are almost exclusively decorated with reviews and citations attesting to their greatness, and with a corkboard set up for happy patrons to leave index card notes of appreciation. So why all the hype? For starters, Five Guys burgers come standard as doubles; if you want a single patty you have to order a "little" burger. Then you can add things from a tremendous list of sauces and toppings. If you're at all a fan of mushrooms, I would recommend choosing those, as Five Guys's sautéed mushrooms are terrific. If you venture to order a side of fries, make sure you know what you're getting into. Five Guys fries are covered in peanut oil, and come in two sizes: large and epic. They call these sizes "regular" and "large," but a regular is more than enough for two people to share.
One note of warning: Five Guys is strictly a burger joint. The only options on their menu besides burgers are some hot dogs and grilled cheese (though I've never seen anyone come into Five Guys and order either of those). Also worth noting is that if you're picky about how your burger is cooked, you may not even want to bother with Five Guys. All their burgers come well done, though that shouldn't be prohibitive. Despite being brown all the way through, Five Guys burgers never lack in juiciness. Also a warning to those with peanut allergies, Five Guys locations are stocked with open barrels of peanuts for people to snack on while they wait for their food.
If you're a Northern VA resident who likes burgers even a little, and you haven't ever been to Five Guys, my recommendation is to run out and try them. You have no idea what you're missing.
-D.S. (07/30/08)
Five Guys Burgers and Fries