Five Guys "Famous" Burgers and Fries (and Hotdogs)

Their Famous, but Mediocre Burgers

We all know what Five Guys is. It's the fast food place that serves below-average burgers, gives a tub full of fries that can feed a family of four, and offers free peanuts when you go in.

Just by watching them make their burgers, you can already tell it won't be good. They mash the burgers when they're cooking, which squeezes out all its juices. They cook it well done, but that's not their fault. With the kind of ground meat they're getting, they probably have to cook it well done to be safe. Their grilling technique makes their burgers dry and burnt.

Although, some people do enjoy their burgers, and I understand why. You can put all sorts of toppings on it. It adds a lot of  flavor that was lost in the grilling. If Five Guys didn't offer mushrooms, peppers, relish, onions, etc to their burgers, I bet most people wouldn't like the burgers as much. Besides, the star of the burger is the meat. Adding a ton of toppings to a crappy burger is just a coverup.

Another thing I don't like about their burgers is that they're expensive. It costs a lot compared to the other fast food burger places. Burger and fries cost around $8. They're pretty much charging "good burger" prices for a fast food style burger.

Enough Venting About Their Burgers, How are Their Hotdogs?

Besides their "famous" burgers, they serve hotdogs as well. I have heard that their dogs are pretty good. So I had to try them. But are they just overhyped like the burgers?

The Hot Dog

The dog tasted and looked like your average hotdog. They cut it down the middle and grill it on their griddle. They also toast the bun on their griddle.

I'm not sure why they cut the sausage down the middle. Maybe it makes it cook faster? Although I have heard that this makes the meat taste better. I don't know if it does though.

I do like some things about their hotdogs. I like how they grill the franks. That's my preferred way of cooking hotdogs—not boiling them. I also like how the franks are bigger than normal franks. Finally, you can add the same ingredients that you can get with the burger.  And those toppings can improve the taste.

The hotdog at Five Guys wasn't the best I've tasted, but it tasted decent. You also need to eat about 2 of these hotdogs to get nice and full.

I give Five Guys 2 paws up for their burger and 3.5 paws up for their hot dogs. So taking the average, Mr. Kitty gives Five Guys Burger and Fries 3 paws up.

Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries
www.fiveguys.com

Bocado or Bocadon't?

I forgot to take pictures again, so I'm going use pictures from Foodspotting.

The Burger

I tried their famous burger they copied from Holeman and Finch. They even used the same Holeman and Finch bun and the cuts of meat. Holeman and Finch's burgers taste awesome, does Bocado's compare? Kinda. Bocado's version seemed like a poor man's version of Holeman and Finch's burger. 

First, the burger wasn't very juicy; it seemed a bit dry. Also, they didn't have the red onions. I think the onions are essential since they add a lot of texture and flavor to the burger. So I felt like the burger was missing something. Their ketchup wasn't homemade like H&F's either. The patties seemed smaller too, perhaps about 3 oz each instead of 4 oz.

I dunno, I didn't get the OMG WTF, THIS IS AWESOME!!!11! feeling as when I first bit into a H&F burger. Maybe since I had the H&F so much I became jaded. They meat did taste decent and they seasoned it well with salt. It's not a bad burger, but not H&F quality in my opinion.

I also didn't care much about the fries either. They just felt too greasy to eat. 

A poor man's version of H&F burger

The Famous Lobster Roll

I also tried the lobster roll. It came with a small bowl of tomato bisque. This dish seemed special since they only serve it on Saturdays. The lobster rolls didn't live up to expectations to me. It tasted good, but not mind-blowingly good.

I think my problem was the lemon zest that I wasn't expecting. I was expecting more of a buttery lobster instead of a cold, lemony lobster. I never had lobster roll, so I didn't know what to expect. A lot of people I know loved it though. So maybe I'm just weird.

I did like the tomato bisque that it came with. It didn't seem heavy like regular tomato bisques. It tasted very light and refreshing. I don't think Bocado used heavy cream in the tomato bisque. I heard they used wine instead.

Overrated Lobster roll, underrated tomato bisque

The Real Star of Bocado

The highlight of my meal wasn't the famous burger or the lobster roll, it was the roasted pablano, pimento cheese, fried green tomato, and bacon sandwich. The combination of those ingredients made this sandwich into pure, Southern style magic. I would go back to Bocado just for that sandwich.

Forget the burger, just get this.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I wasn't too impressed with Bocado. I guess I got caught up with the hype of the burger and the lobster roll. I should come back and try their other stuff, maybe there's some hidden gem in their menu–like their pimento cheese sandwich.

I did learn that H&F makes good bread. The lobster rolls and the burgers used H&F bread. And the bread seemed high quality and had a good taste to it. I need to find some of these H&F breads for my own burgers and sandwiches. Mr. Kitty gives this place 3 paws up.

Bocado Atlanta
887 Howell Mill Road
Atlanta, GA 30318
http://www.bocadoatlanta.com/