Five Guys vs. Meatheads

This weekend I went to Five Guys and Meatheads. I was a first timer at each. I consider both fast food type places. Given that I thought both were very good. I had a burger, fries and shake at Meatheads and a burger and fry at Five Guys, no shakes at Five Guys.

I assume from each that they do everything fresh even fresh-cut fries. I thought the burger at Five Guys had a better flavor, while the fries tasted better at Meatheads.

However, in both cases I think there are a lot of Chicago area hot dog stands that do better fries.

The fries at Meatheads were a little too thin for my taste while at Five Guys they were limp. I prefer the size at Five Guys, but crispier. There was more bits of waste fries at the bottom of my bag at Meatheads, than at Five Guys.

The shake at Meatheads was good. Meatheads has more toppings for the burger, e.g. fried egg, pineapple, roasted red peppers. I can’t remember any others. For anyone who is not been, both are self serve, but at Five Guys I had to wait to pick-up my food, while at Meatheads they gave me a number and brought it to me.

I don’t think either are worth a special trip. I guess the flavor of the burger and the size of the fries gives me a slight preference for Five Guys.

Oh, small thing I found a small something in my Five Guys burger that was very hard. I assume a piece of bone.

D

The fires at Five Guys are much better ordered well done. I believe they only cook them once and at a lower temp to get the inside done. The double fry method is far superior.

i've only had 5 guys once and meatheads several times, but i prefer meatheads. five guys seemed kinda bland... this was before some other members suggested adding salt to the burger patty in another thread.

geographically meatheads works out better for us as well, which is fine with me.

Here were my issues with Five Guys. From what I recall, Meatheads didn't have any of the problems Five Guys had, plus they had good shakes. I need to pay a second visit to Meatheads to confirm that, though.

Abe – I agree with your pros on Five Guys. My burger had a slight hint of pink which I also like. It seemed like there was a couple of guys walking around while I was there sweeping the floor and wiping down tables. I didn’t notice any unclean areas. Of course I was at their Libertyville location, which opened on the 3rd. So maybe that had something to do with it.

I can’t remember the bun. I just had cheese, pickles, raw onion, and tomato on my burger. I thought these toppings were fresh and tasted good. I was disappointed that they only had American cheese. Next time I will ask for well done fries to see if they are crispier.

Meatheads has a much wider choice of cheeses. There I had their Hawaiian burger: pepper jack cheese, bacon, bbq sauce, pineapple, and fresh jalapeños. I found this interesting. It was a nice balance of a lot of flavors.

At both places I sampled the meat by itself without any topping. Oh, a personal preference, I never put ketchup, mustard, or mayo on my burgers (or try). Normally I would have not gotten the bbq sauce at Meatheads, but as a first timer I wanted to go with the menu.

As I said both were very good as fast food places go, but I give a slight edge to Five Guys.

I prefer Five Guys over Meatheads. The burger is better (but I still say you have to get a double burger for a beefier taste and with minimal toppings to avoid bun disintegration) but the fries at both are about even - both excellent when cooked properly. But you must order the fries well done at Five Guys to be safe and you'll be glad you did. The last couple of visits to Meatheads just didn't do it for me and I'm probably done with them for a long time.

I'm glad this was posted. I've been wondering which one I enjoy better as well.

I must say the pompous decor at FIVE GUYS is just laughable.

orangejeans wrote:I must say the pompous decor at FIVE GUYS is just laughable.

I'd consider "so pompous it's laughable" to be quite the hyperbole:



Compared to the color scheme of In-N-Out, or the self-promotion-based decor of Fatburger, I'd go so far as to call Five Guys' interiors downright subdued.

I'm guessing he means the big placards on the walls hyping their "best burger" wins in various magazines/surveys/etc.

I just don't get the Five Guys hype.

Yeah I don't get the praise these slightly upscale fast food places get, you could probably get a better burger at most local bars or one of the hundreds of small hotdog/hamburger places. It's not like there is a shortage of these type of places in the Chicago area.

I don't know. It's a different type of burger. I've always preferred the thinner, griddled, fast-food type hamburgers to the thicker pub-style hamburgers (and they really should be separate categories like thin crust pizza and deep dish.) I personally don't think the typical small Chicago hot dog/hamburger stand makes a good burger. (There are a few exceptions, but I don't know of any in my neck of the woods. I have to go to Top Notch if I want that thin style of burger I like.) I just don't think Chicago is a good fast-food-style burger town. Pub burgers, on the other hand, are much better represented here.

I'm gonna have to go with 'Team Meatheads' on this one! First things First: SHAKES vs No SHAKES?! Is that even a competition? I don't think so.
But-- this is a burger joint, not a shake shop, so I must be fair:

Meatheads wins my vote all the way because their burgers and burger options are quite simply; BETTER. There are a variety of toppings to choose from at Meatheads, fun things like Avocado and Pineapple. They also have a great Cheese selection, and let's face it- Cheese is important. Not to mention they have like, 8 different sorts of dipping sauces that can be added to your burger, or served alongside their fries. Now that I've mentioned their fries, WAY better than 5 Guys. They have two options, Regular or Cajun. I prefer Cajun myself, but even their Regular Fries way surpass 5 Guys. Like many above me stated, 5 Guys has somewhat 'soggy' fries. I don't want to have to be told to order my fries a certain way- I just want my fries!

Last but not least, service at Meatheads is a lot better/faster/quicker/nicer than my experience at 5 Guys, and to me that's key.

Binko wrote:I don't know. It's a different type of burger. I've always preferred the thinner, griddled, fast-food type hamburgers to the thicker pub-style hamburgers (and they really should be separate categories like thin crust pizza and deep dish.) I personally don't think the typical small Chicago hot dog/hamburger stand makes a good burger. (There are a few exceptions, but I don't know of any in my neck of the woods. I have to go to Top Notch if I want that thin style of burger I like.) I just don't think Chicago is a good fast-food-style burger town. Pub burgers, on the other hand, are much better represented here.

The pub burgers, maybe they should be another category, not sure though.

I guess I'm lucky with the local small burger/hotdog joints. Off the top off my head I can think of Wiener & Still Champion, Edzo's Burger Shop and Poochies that are close by for me.

I want a chocolate shake with my fast food burger.

EvanstonFoodGuy wrote:I guess I'm lucky with the local small burger/hotdog joints. Off the top off my head I can think of Wiener & Still Champion, Edzo's Burger Shop and Poochies that are close by for me.

For the purposes of this thread, you should pick two of these places and arbitrarily compare & contrast them.

Khaopaat wrote:

EvanstonFoodGuy wrote:I guess I'm lucky with the local small burger/hotdog joints. Off the top off my head I can think of Wiener & Still Champion, Edzo's Burger Shop and Poochies that are close by for me.

For the purposes of this thread, you should pick two of these places and arbitrarily compare & contrast them.

I made my point, I should just stop commenting in this thread since this is about 5 Guys and Meatheads.

Noodle wrote:I'm gonna have to go with 'Team Meatheads' on this one! First things First: SHAKES vs No SHAKES?! Is that even a competition? I don't think so.
But-- this is a burger joint, not a shake shop, so I must be fair:

Meatheads wins my vote all the way because their burgers and burger options are quite simply; BETTER. There are a variety of toppings to choose from at Meatheads, fun things like Avocado and Pineapple. They also have a great Cheese selection, and let's face it- Cheese is important. Not to mention they have like, 8 different sorts of dipping sauces that can be added to your burger, or served alongside their fries. Now that I've mentioned their fries, WAY better than 5 Guys. They have two options, Regular or Cajun. I prefer Cajun myself, but even their Regular Fries way surpass 5 Guys. Like many above me stated, 5 Guys has somewhat 'soggy' fries. I don't want to have to be told to order my fries a certain way- I just want my fries!

Last but not least, service at Meatheads is a lot better/faster/quicker/nicer than my experience at 5 Guys, and to me that's key.

Which Meat Heads do you work at again?

I've had the shakes at Meatheads, nothing special and I normally don't want a shake with my meal so the playing field is even for me.

As far as having to order fries a certain way, the last time I went to Meatheads, I got lukewarm fries. Not hot, crispy and fresh, but warm at best. At least I know at Five Guys if I ask for fries well done, they'll be hot, crisp and fresh and that's fine with me. But I tend to do that at most places I go to for fries, so that's life. I'd rather wait for fries the way I want them than roll the dice. So thanks Meatheads for letting me down.

Let us also remember that Meatheads is basically a copycat of Five Guys right down to calling a single burger a little hamburger and having both regular and cajun fries. Everyone I personally know preferred Five Guys over Meatheads. It's a better burger. That being said, NEITHER of them are even close to being a top level burger and can't hold a candle to the best around. P.S. - Bring on Smashburger next!

At Five Guy's prices, It's completely fair to bring up pub burgers as a comparison. Five Guys is not only expensive, it's a poor value if you are eating it solo.

EvanstonFoodGuy wrote:

Binko wrote:I don't know. It's a different type of burger. I've always preferred the thinner, griddled, fast-food type hamburgers to the thicker pub-style hamburgers (and they really should be separate categories like thin crust pizza and deep dish.) I personally don't think the typical small Chicago hot dog/hamburger stand makes a good burger. (There are a few exceptions, but I don't know of any in my neck of the woods. I have to go to Top Notch if I want that thin style of burger I like.) I just don't think Chicago is a good fast-food-style burger town. Pub burgers, on the other hand, are much better represented here.

The pub burgers, maybe they should be another category, not sure though.

I guess I'm lucky with the local small burger/hotdog joints. Off the top off my head I can think of Wiener & Still Champion, Edzo's Burger Shop and Poochies that are close by for me.

Don't forget about Paradise Pup

'kay, I'll stop making trouble now!

soltro79 wrote:At Five Guy's prices, It's completely fair to bring up pub burgers as a comparison. Five Guys is not only expensive, it's a poor value if you are eating it solo.

What I Had At Five Guys Last Night
by Santander

At Five Guys Last Night, I had a jumbo bacon hot dog, an order of french fries, and an iced tea.

The french fries were cut from potatoes at the store, and then fried just for me in their own basket. I was able to tell them "crispy!" and they cooked them extra long for me. They were sizzling hot when put into the bag, and they put about three orders worth of fries in my bag so I was able to share with a friend. These french fries cost $2.59.

The jumbo bacon hot dog was split down the middle and griddled until hot and the edges were charred. It was put on a yummy fresh bun with three strips of salty bacon, to which they added five evenly-spaced rings of fresh sliced jalapeno pepper and several knots of tasty grilled onions. This hot dog cost $3.69. The toppings came in the price.

The iced tea cost $1.59, and was Gold Peak Tea, brewed with actual leaves and sweetened with actual sugar. Fresh lemon wedges were included.

Together, this food cost me $8.65 after tax. I thought it was worth every penny. Bad fries, a simple hot dog, and a corn syrup fountain drink cost me at least $5 at an independent stand and a similar $8 at Portillo's. At Al's on Taylor, the sandwiches alone cost $3.69 for a big dog and $4.89 for a regular beef - I can't get out of the door of that place spending less than $10 to be full, and "old school" people seem to love it and not worry about the price.

I like Five Guys, and maybe I will share my fries with you if you're nice.

I've never been able to spend less than $10 on a meal at Five Guys.

$10 is the new $5.

Noticed the Willowbrook Meatheads has opened, didnt stop today as Portillo's draw was too strong. Looking @ Meatheads menu I can see stopping here sooner rather than later, prices look good.

Hoping they are better than the dreadfull, and expensive burger I had @ 5 Guys.

Meatheads - Willowbrook
7137 S. Kingery Hwy
WIllowbrook, IL.

Santander wrote:

soltro79 wrote:At Five Guy's prices, It's completely fair to bring up pub burgers as a comparison. Five Guys is not only expensive, it's a poor value if you are eating it solo.

What I Had At Five Guys Last Night
by Santander

At Five Guys Last Night, I had a jumbo bacon hot dog, an order of french fries, and an iced tea.


I like Five Guys, and maybe I will share my fries with you if you're nice.

I was at Edzo's yesterday. A hot dog is $2. Small fries are $1.50, a drink is $1.29. The fries are much better and I can control the portion size I wish to purchase. If I want a burger, I can customize size, preparation, even *kind and quality* of meat. I am trying to avoid carbs right now and they were able to serve me a half pound burger on one piece of toasted marble rye bread--MUCH better than a typical bun.

I think 5 guys is marketing fast-food quality at pub prices. It offends me, personally and for the global health crisis, that they refuse to sell a healthy sized fries order. For the $5+ for the burger, they ought to just toss in some fries, free---an amount equal to the freebie amount of cascading overflow of spud carbs in the bag.

Marco wrote: It offends me, personally and for the global health crisis, that they refuse to sell a healthy sized fries order.

You could always channel your rage into only eating half of the fries and then loudly throwing out the other half in front of the staff.

jesteinf wrote:

Marco wrote: It offends me, personally and for the global health crisis, that they refuse to sell a healthy sized fries order.

You could always channel your rage into only eating half of the fries and then loudly throwing out the other half in front of the staff.

Can I be *charged* half the price for half the amount, and donate the difference to the American Diabetic Association?

I love the idea of a "healthy size order of fries" but I'm not sure it can actually be executed

I much prefer Meatheads to Five Guys. I have been to both several times and I like the burgers better at Meatheads and the frys are much much better. I have always been served a hot from the grill meal at Meatheads each time and it is nice how your food is brought out to your table by a server at Meatheads.

jimswside wrote:Hoping they are better than the dreadfull, and expensive burger I had @ 5 Guys.

I'm looking forward to hearing your take on Meatheads. I found them pretty much interchangeable with 5 Guys. Approximately 1.25 steps up from the mega fast food chains, but not something I'd eat again given the plethora of much better Mom & Pop burger choices around here.