(Topic ID: 250952)
Fullerton, CA
Quoted from adol75:How White Castle doesn’t win this poll is beyond my comprehension.
Last time I went to Michigan I had me some of that. It was about midnight and we were driving by. Loaded up.
I also used to buy frozen ones for the house and my kids loved them.
5 Guys is a good burger but damn, they ought to be for those prices. Oh yeah. 1 order of fries will feed the whole table. All fast food here sucks, because the employees do. There is a Cook Out here, but the location is terrible unless you are a thug. No thanks. Wendy's used to be good. For now, Steak and Shake, and I have to travel a good bit to get to it. Good service gets my business everytime.
Five Guys is the best chain we have around were I live. I’ve tried Shake Shack and In and Out when I’ve traveled and prefer IN and out much more. I actually like the chicken sandwich at Shake Shack the most of any of there menu. Another good chain that is similar to IN and Out and is expanding throughout the country is Freddy’s. I had in Orlando and I see they now have a few locations in PA.
96B21DD5-4AB9-4BCD-8113-347B03A7C582 (resized).pngQuoted from whizz:Grilled at home with all the condiments.
This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Quoted from MrBally:I love how Five Guys has all the wall hangings saying stuff like "Voted Baltimore's best burger" etc. They had one that said "The best $5.00 burger there is". I got the manager and walked him to the sign. I told him I'd like to try the "Best $5.00 hamburger" where is it on the menu? He started with the old errr, ummmm, hmmm, Then he suggested the "Little Hamburger" on the menu. I asked why doesn't the wall hanging say "the Best $5.00 Little hamburger"? He had no answer.....
There burgers are good but they go down like a brick. Fries taste great but they are not for those on a diet. I recall a large has like 1600 calories.
I happen to eat the “little burger”, which I’ve read is 3.3 ounces. It’s enough for me. Its also less than $5 at my Five Guys. I’ve ordered the “normal sized”, which is really just a double, and it’s always more than I need. I no longer do “double-doubles” at In n Out for same reason.
For me, the best burgers have a proper ratio of meat to bun/cheese. Too much meat just spoils the balance that makes hamburgers so awesome in the first place.
I pined for In and Out for years, but with 5 Guys and Shake Shack around, I’m happy. I like the herbed fries at Smash Burger. And Zinburger, has some of the best, creative burgers around.
At 3am, White Castle is hard to beat!
Quoted from jeffspinballpalace:None of the burger chains offer a great burger. The best burgers start with the best ingredients. At a minimum it must be mixed with sirloin or ribeye, with bonus points for Wagyu and Kobe for the touchdown. Of course every truly good burger is tailored to the individual. You want to be asked if you want cheese or do you want to order half pepper jack and half Swiss? Do you like mushrooms and onions, but only if grilled? Doesn’t seem like any chains can give you a $25 burger that tastes like a million.
Huh? Lol.
30 years ago Carl’s Junior’s Bacon Double Western Cheeseburger (the one with the onion rings and bbq sauce) was my all time, late night drunk burger. Could have used one the other night! But there’s no Carl’s near me. The only one I knew of closed earlier this year.
If you are grilling at home, make the patty big enough to fit the bun when cooked and thick enough that you can get a decent medium or medium rare temp. Then, before you toss it on the grill, season both sides with Tony Chachere's, grill, flip, plate. That shit is the bomb on chicken, too.
Leduc, AB
My Doctor doesn't agree with me that a hamburger with lots of toppings qualifies as a food group.
Many of the vote selections are available here in the great white north. Here are the fast burger places locally, Five Guys, Fat Burger, McDs, Wendys, A&W, Burger King, Dairy Queen, and Harveys (Canadian company since 1959).
In & Out opened a pop up location for one day in Greater Vancouver, at a car show. They might enter the Greater Vancouver market in a year or so.
Quoted from Darcy:My Doctor doesn't agree with me that a hamburger with lots of toppings qualifies as a food group.
Many of the vote selections are available here in the great white north. Here are the fast burger places locally, Five Guys, Fat Burger, McDs, Wendys, A&W, Burger King, Dairy Queen, and Harveys (Canada company).
In & Out opened a pop up location for one day in Greater Vancouver, at a car show. They might enter the Greater Vancouver market in a year or so.
There's 5 guys in Edmonton now? Have you tried it? How is it?
I find location matters. When fatburger first came to Edmonton I had it downtown at edm centre and it was garbage. Tried it again in Leduc and it was substantially better. They opened one in Lloyd and I won't be back. Pricey and just average.
Tried Smashburger in St. Albert. Was good but thought the burgers were small. Maybe I'll try them again.
Harvey's is my my favorite chain in Canada. Too bad they're not in Saskatchewan. They were supposed to build one in Lloyd but went fatburger instead.
I rarely eat fries at fast food places. Just order a second burger 
Quoted from dirkdiggler:There's 5 guys in Edmonton now? Have you tried it? How is it?
The one I have been to is in the South Common. Just south of IKEA. It has been there for a couple of years. The burgers are good to great, never had a bad one there. They are made to order so you have to wait. Warning! if you have a peanut allergy do not enter the restaurant, peanut shells are every where inside. They put the burger in a bag, if you order French fries the rest of the bag filled with fries, many many fries.
Quoted from o-din:We used to have a Teddy's burgers until recently which was an actual Hawaiian burger joint and it was absolutely the best. So good, you could order your burger rare and not have to worry about it. They are gone now though.
Yes Teddy’s is awesome!
When I lived in California it was Tommy's first and In & Out second. A heart attack and 3 stents later I no longer can participate in all the fun. 
how many of these places actually grill the burger on a grill? rather than cook it in a microwave or some other device...
Fast food prices are climbing. It’s not even worth doing unless your in a pinch. Especially if you have a family. I haven’t even true fast food like Burger King for the longest time until the other day. It cost me $10 for a small meal. So if I brought my family of four there it’s going to cost me forty plus dollars for a bunch of awful food when I can go and sit down at a restaurant for a little bit more money and actually eat good food. The cost of the food at these places is only going to increase as minimum wage increases as well. But that’s a whole different subject matter.
Quoted from JayDee:Has anybody mentioned wahlburgers? I’ve never eaten at one so have no idea if it’s garbage or not. Just curious if that’s why I haven’t seen it brought up here.
The Wahlber family is from the Boston area. They are using their name to draw a crowd for mediocre food. I don’t know how far they will expand but there are two here I think.
Quoted from GRUMPY:When I lived in California it was Tommy's first and In & Out second. A heart attack and 3 stents later I no longer can participate in all the fun.
I grew up in Southern California and there were two Tommy’s chains. The first was so successful that another chain opened also calling itself Tommy’s, slightly different name. Apparently the best burgers were at the original Tommy’s.
Quoted from bluespin:I grew up in Southern California and there were two Tommy’s chains. The first was so successful that another chain opened also calling itself Tommy’s, slightly different name. Apparently the best burgers were at the original Tommy’s.
Rampart and Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles
Quoted from adol75:How White Castle doesn’t win this poll is beyond my comprehension.
We only get the frozen ones so I aint votin' for them.
Quoted from Darcy:My Doctor doesn't agree with me that a hamburger with lots of toppings qualifies as a food group.
I don't need no doctor. 
Quoted from GRUMPY:Rampart and 2nd. St.
Los Angeles
Lakewood
Closest Tommy's is up Fullerton road near the 60 Freeway.
Nimblepin and myself would stop there on the way back from Don's in Beverly Hills, rest his soul, with a truck full of pinballs in the middle of the night and bring a chill cheese burger to Bob who would be waiting patiently in my garage.
If that place was closer, I would probably be fat.
Quoted from CNKay:Aren't there only like two white castles in the whole country?? I don't think they are a chain anymore, more like a link.
38 Blanc Chateau's in Southeast Michigan alone. over fifty in the Chicago area. Aboot 375 nationwide.
Quoted from kevmad:Yes Teddy’s is awesome!
Their pay by the ingredient was a bit pricy, but I could barely handle a single patty, let alone a triple.
Only fast food left that would cook your burger to your preferred level of doneness. You want nearly raw? You got it!
Quoted from Blitzburgh99:Checkers/Rally’s
I'd give them a vote just for their fries.
The 5 Guys in Savannah GA sells beer, and open container is OK in downtown Savannah (and Tybee). Cheers!
Quoted from CNKay:Aren't there only like two white castles in the whole country?? I don't think they are a chain anymore, more like a link.
There are two just in Las Vegas. One at Fremont Street and another at Casino Royale.
Hit a 5-Guys in Edinburgh (Scotland). Was rather surprised to see one there, had a pretty long line to get in. Went back in the middle of afternoon and things calmed down a bit but still quite busy and it was quite good. McDs was close by...no way.
Fatburger was good, we just don't have one by here anymore.
If we are going to drive where Fatburger is we go to Portillos instead.
I'm surprised 5 guys is winning this poll. If you're from a big city it's probably something out of the ordinary, but if you grew up in a small town it's the same burger that every single small town bar serves. First time I had it, I was like "this is just the local hole in the wall burger franchised".
Quoted from taylor34:I'm surprised 5 guys is winning this poll. If you're from a big city it's probably something out of the ordinary, but if you grew up in a small town it's the same burger that every single small town bar serves. First time I had it, I was like "this is just the local whole in the wall burger franchised".
But that's the point, this poll is regarding hamburger "chains". We all have other hamburger joints to hit that aren't chain and are better than chains (e.g. Stella's or Dairy Twist in Bellevue, Don & Millies, Sinful Burger - local).
Does anybody remember Chubbyville?
Malvern East
Back to Johnny Rockets. There are only a few locations I know of or have been to and all in amusement parks. There are at least a couple in Magic Mountain, and one in Knott's Berry Farm. They bring that old time malt shop diner back to life.
Old pic as that ride is long gone.
KnottsBerryFarm58 (resized).jpgQuoted from o-din:Back to Johnny Rockets.
Their location list shows public locations in Brea, Orange and Santa Ana.
Quoted from o-din:Back to Johnny Rockets. There are only a few locations I know of or have been to and all in amusement parks. There are at least a couple in Magic Mountain, and one in Knott's Berry Farm. They bring that old time malt shop diner back to life.
Old pic as that ride is long gone.[quoted image]
Last time I had JR was at Knott’s Berry Farm in January. Pretty damn good, especially for amusement park food. Actually the food at that park is way better than most. I had one of my son’s tacos from somewhere in there and it was legit.
Hook Burger out in Oxnard, CA was amazing. Amazing....!
Back in Dayton, OH, Lucky's Pub and Grill absolutely destroyed all competition. They are the benchmark I use to this day.
Johnny Huston's in Navarre, FL is still really good. Tourists hit the place like nothing else, and with it being a 40 minute drive, I try to go only on a Sunday as soon as they open.
Smash burger is the worst. Mmmm look at that juicy burger. SMASH! There goes all that delicious juicyness, here is your dried out smashed burger. Jeeze thanks
Quoted from Theo_Ioannis:Remember Big Boy?
[quoted image]
Ate a brand new one a couple of weeks ago.
Quoted from EricHadley:Smash burger is the worst. Mmmm look at that juicy burger. SMASH! There goes all that delicious juicyness, here is your dried out smashed burger. Jeeze thanks
A Smash Burger has sauce smashed into the raw meat patty. Some of their burgers intentionally leave it out. You can request it not be in any burger there that normally has the sauce smashed in.
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