Having heard quite a bit about Five Guys Burgers, and how they are “even better than In-N-Out,” I decided I needed to see for myself. I was in the DC area this week, staying at the Gaylord National in Prince George’s Maryland, so I was hopeful. Unfortunately it was a business Conference, so my “slip out for a burger” time was pretty limited. I did make it to Georgetown on Thursday night – but it was restaurant week and I was with some other people and blah blah blah yadda yadda no burger for Joe. I did have some time to kill before my flight today, but a huge lightning storm blew away any desire I had to wander around the city eating burgers… even REALLY GOOD burgers.
I could have hung out at the hotel – but the wifi was crappy and the place was just FULL of those Red Hat Society women – so I decided to just head out to the airport early. I was resigned to crappy airport food and a few quiet hours reading work documentation, but then the fates smiled on me… There was a Five Guys right by my gate! And one of my very good friends was stuck at the airport and looking for company! SCORE!
So – first of all – no offense if you are a Five Guys person. The burger was awesome. Really. Also, I recognize that the Airport Five Guys may not quite meet the standards of a full Five Guys franchise. THAT BEING SAID… Five Guys Burgers was a respectable second place to In-N-Out Burger. The bun was anemic, and the whole thing was a little too … tame. The pickles were good, the tomato was ripe … there is a sense of abandon with an In-n-Out burger – where you know you will be covered in the special burger spread (even if you don’t go Animal Style) and accept the fact that you will lick the leftover cheese off the wrapper… I was able to use the touchscreen on my phone while I ate. ‘Nuff Said.
Anyway – high quality product – absolutely will eat again. For me, though, In-N-Out continues to reign supreme.