Boston Restaurant Blog -- February, 2009

Last weekend I had a burger that almost literally knocked my socks off.

I went to Five Guys Burgers in Dedham with fairly high expectations, as I have heard so many good things about the burgers there--some people compare them to In-N-Out Burger, a highly regarded hamburger chain that is mostly on the West Coast and has no branches anywhere near New England. Well, I have been to In-N-Out Burger, and in my opinion, Five Guys Burgers is right up there in quality, and may in fact be even better, though that is certainly up for debate.

Five Guys Burgers has the look and feel of a chain, with cheap tables and hard chairs, lots of red and white colors, and a hard floor that does little to dampen the noise level. An open kitchen is in the back, with workers frantically making burgers, cooking fries, and bagging orders. The counter service seems mostly efficient, though when we arrived, it was so crowded that the the line was snaking along the inside wall clear outside the door. Fortunately, it did move quickly and we were able to order about 10 minutes after getting in line.

We ordered a couple of fairly simple burgers (one with mushrooms and cheese, the other with lettuce and cheese) and two small orders of handcut fries. I was surprised to see that a pair of griddled patties are used for each order rather than just one, but since the patties are flat and a bit on the small side, it isn't a huge amount of food. Even if it was, however, I don't think I'd have a problem finishing one, as the meat is as fresh and can be, the cheese is melted perfectly, and the buns are toasted just enough to add to the festival of flavors. As for the fries, one of the signatures at Five Guys is filling a cup with them, putting the cup in a bag, then tossing more fries into the bag, so a "small" is anything but. Indeed, we had so many fries that we couldn't come close to finishing, though they were very good (a few were limp and undercooked but the rest were fine). On a side note, I also ordered a hot dog, but it was not good at all--it was undercooked and had an unappetizing baloney-like taste to it.

So it seems that burger lovers in the Boston area have another option in addition to places such as O'Sullivan's in Somerville, Mr. Bartley's and Flat Patties in Cambridge, UBurger in Kenmore Square, and a few other top spots. Personally, I may have to put Five Guys Burgers above them all, though UBurger comes awfully close in quality, as does Mr. Bartley's.

If you want the address for Five Guys Burgers, here it is: Five Guys Burgers, 170 Providence Highway, Dedham, MA 02026. The phone number is (781) 326-1158.

Related Blog Entries: Dedham restaurants, hamburgers

Posted by MH, Boston's Hidden Restaurants, on February 11, 2009.
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4 COMMENTS:
Rob Sama said:
Don't forget Wild Willy's!
Posted on 2/12/09
MH said:
Oh, boy, how could I forget them? We went to the Wild Willy's location in Rochester, NH, a few months ago, and I thought that their burgers were outstanding. I probably like Five Guys Burgers a little better, but when you get to that level of quality, it's really a matter of opinion, I'd say. Thanks for reminding me about the place.
Posted on 2/12/09
Dale Cruse said:
I agree that the fries are amazing here - the best anywhere, really - but I think the burgers are just average. I also agree that the hot dogs are terrible. How do you manage to screw up hot dogs?!
Posted on 2/17/09
JCC said:
Check out another opinion.
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-26488-Salem-Restaurant-
Examiner~y2009m10d30-Five-Guys-Okay-but-not-your-way
Posted on 10/30/09

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