Big ol' Burger Comparison Thread

Youstolemyname · 5 May 2014 at 19:11

I went to the Trafford Centre branch today expecting great things after an epic Five Guys burger in NYC. Underwhelming is the best word to describe it

£14 gets you a bacon double cheese burger, small fries and a refillable drink :eek:

This is way too expensive for fast (or as they will have you call it, casual) food.

The burger wasn't all that; I have made better at home myself. The fries were superb though, but no mayo on hand to dunk them in.

I won't be rushing back, GBK or Burger King are your best burger options in the Trafford Centre.

The best burger in the UK crown, in my opinion is still held by Almost Famous or Byron. Both deliver beefy taste and perfect combinations. Almost Famous for the OMG what the hell is that??! kind of burger while Byron is your purist burger.

The best burger in the world, in my opinion, is The Gold Standard at Holsteins in Las Vegas (pictured below with a stupid amount of onion rings and chicken tenders). So, what's your best burger?

Youstolemyname · 5 May 2014 at 19:48

I am in London at the end of the month so may try and get to Patty and Bun, heard good things about it...

Youstolemyname · 5 May 2014 at 20:09

Yeah, In N Out is awesome, always my first meal on landing in Vegas. Double double animal style is the one and it's cheap as anything. Five guys do their burgers 'well done' which is no good in my opinion but in and out leave theirs a bit pink. Serious Eats is a great site

Youstolemyname · 5 May 2014 at 20:20

MagicBoy said:
Must have just opened, was boarded up when I wandered in a couple of weeks go.

£14! Ouch.

Yeah, opened on 28th April. For £14 I want someone to bring it to me, not for me to stand in a disorganised queue for ten minutes while it's made. It's the wrong side of £10 for that.

I've read about Korzo Haus, may pop by next time I am in NYC. Five napkin burger is supposed to be great there too...

Youstolemyname · 6 May 2014 at 19:43

Jolteh said:
Couldn't disagree more dude.
I've not been to Byron, but the fact that you can compare GBK's frozen efforts favourably to Five Guys seriously makes me doubt your palate to be honest. (no offense)

No offence taken. I eat out a lot and to be honest the Five Guys burger is nothing special and neither is GBK. They are not even in the same league as the 'Gold Standard' at Holsteins or 99% of the burgers served in the USA. Cooking the Five Guys burger to well done is just a crying shame, they really should serve them slightly pink which may bring out some more juicy goodness.

I know what you mean about Almost Famous and their hipster attitude. I live in Liverpool and thankfully have never had to wait for a table at our branch. The patties used at Almost Famous are made by Frosts' of Chorlton, a fantastic butcher. Not sure where Five Guys source their UK meat from but you can bet it's not as good as his. I've only ever had some sort of crazy creation from there but I always take a bite out of just the burger on its own.

I would say in that Trafford Centre the GBK is a better burger option because for the same price (or less probably...) you get a burger which is pretty much the same quality as Five Guys plus better service/beverage options.

Get yourself to Byron though, it's GBK on steroids. The last time I was in the Manc one, Ian Brown was in there

Beerbaron said:
I will be in Vegas next month, any decent burger places worth a visit?

LOTS! My top three: Holsteins, Strip Burger and In N Out Burger. Read my Vegas food thread here:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18530307

Youstolemyname · 6 May 2014 at 19:59

The burger in the OP is a gold standard from Holsteins not a five guys. It's a bad picture to be fair.

Youstolemyname · 7 May 2014 at 19:19

R.O.S.S.I said:
Whats the big hoo haa about it costing £14? I assume the £14 price that is being quoted is for a burger, drink and fries? If so I'm not sure why so many people are complaining, you'd be paying that much at most (if not all) 'trendy' burger joints up and down the country.

Almost Famous is about £7-£10 for a burger, add your fries for another £2-£4, then your drink for another £2-£4, Solita is more in some cases and you can pay upwards of £15 for your burger (inc chips though).
I'm fairly sure the same can be said of Byron, GBK, P&B etc.

It's the fact that it's considered cheap food in the USA plus in the UK it's not even table service. You're talking a few rungs up from BK at 2.5 times the price.

Youstolemyname · 7 May 2014 at 20:05

Don't get me wrong, it's not a *bad* burger. It's just over priced and there are better ones out there. Byron is much better and you get waited on for the same price.

Youstolemyname · 11 May 2014 at 08:31

The main problem I have with Five Guys aside from the price/service method is that it just doesn't taste as good as burgers from Byron and Almost Famous.

If we took price/service out of the equation then Byron wins the UK burger battle for me at this moment in time with Almost Famous a close second and probably Solita (indy in Manchester) or Free State Kitchen (independent in Liverpool) joint third.

Youstolemyname · 11 May 2014 at 09:36

Byron is great. Very beefy tasting, cooked pink in the middle unless you ask otherwise. Good sauces and great home cooked chips. If I was being picky their 'snacks/starters' are a bit limited but the burgers fill you up so aren't really needed unless you are starving. The garlic aioli dip is amazing too.

I go for the standard Byron burger and it has always been excellent.

Youstolemyname · 20 May 2014 at 20:21

Paying Patty and Bun a visit this weekend along with Pitt Cue Co and Hawksmoor. Will report back

Youstolemyname · 25 May 2014 at 19:07

Went to Patty & Bun yesterday. I'd give it 7/10. The burger was VERY juicy but nothing spectacular taste wise. I had the smokey robinson burger, it's a bad sign when the bacon was the tastiest part. Don't get me wrong, not a bad burger, just not a memorable one...

Byron/Almost Famous/Free State Kitchen still the kings of UK burgers for me.

Youstolemyname · 26 May 2014 at 18:55

Johno please? said:
Had a burger in 'eds diner' yesterday, one of the worst meals ive ever eaten, I should have complained before finishing it really and not paid.

We're British. It's part of our genetic coding to lie when they ask 'is everything okay with your meal' or 'is that haircut ok'....

Youstolemyname · 8 Jun 2014 at 08:37

Went to http://freestatekitchen.co.uk last night and had the wings and double french onion burger (shared with the mrs).

Wings were exceptional. Easily the best wings in this country; got chatting to the owner at the end and they buttermilk brine the wings first and give them a fry before frying them again when it's time to serve. This results in a super crispy exterior before they are tossed in proper buffalo sauce. NOM!

The burger was good but needed some sweet tomato relish to cut through the garlic and onion flavours. Couldn't fault the patties though, tasted super fresh and beefy. Just needed that tomato sweetness to contrast with the rest of it.

Dessert was a salted caramel cheesecake. Out of this world good! Again, shared as we were so full from the main feast!

Youstolemyname · 22 Jun 2014 at 18:39

Had another Five Guys today to satisfy my curiosity as the one in NYC I had was good; sadly It's still just an average burger. Not a patch on anything like Byron etc.

Fries are awesome, though.

Youstolemyname · 21 Jul 2014 at 04:06

Had a five guys yesterday in Orlando. Was identical to the UK version which on one hand is good that it is consistent but on the other is disappointing as my memories of the NYC one I had were fond ones.

I Am flying back via JFK on Tuesday but the terminal I go from has no decent food in it. Terminal 4 is amazing as it has a blue smoke BBQ and a shake shack.

I emailed shake shake to see if it was possible to go from terminal 8 to terminal 4 and get a burger but alas they said no as it is behind security. However, the manager of Shake Shack is bringing me a meal over from T4 to T8!!! Amazing customer service or what!?!?! :cool:

Youstolemyname · 22 Jul 2014 at 17:23

DJ_Bucho said:
Oh man after seeing that photo, I'm going to have to go to The Gold Standard at Holsteins in Las Vegas, just to order exactly what you did. That looks incredible, and it's making me so hungry

Gold standard is the best burger ever. And I have tried a lot of burgers! Ate at Burger 21 in Orlando two days ago and it wasn't up to much. Am about 60 mins away from my Shake Shack, just enjoying in flight internet at the moment!

Youstolemyname · 24 Jul 2014 at 17:55

ShakeShack at JFK Terminal 4:

Oh man, it was good. We had to leave T8, get air train to T4, met the manager there who also gave us loads of other goodies like brownies, fridge magnets and chocolate.

Youstolemyname · 24 Jul 2014 at 19:16

The ingredients all seem to merge in to one gooey, beefy, cheesy, bacony union to become a bastion of deliciousness. You don't even notice the salad polluting the meaty goodness, it just adds to the flavour explosion in your mouth.

Shake Shack have nailed it; it's as good as 'fast food' burgers get.

Not sure if the UK burger will be as good though...

Youstolemyname · 26 Jul 2014 at 13:59

Freefaller said:
The milkshakes there are hnnnnnggggggg

But the burgers are also hnnnnnnggggg

I had the caramel one and the mrs had a 'black and white' one. They are epic but where the Covent Garden branch really excels is in their frozen custards with local ingredients. The sticky toffee pud one is god like.

Hawksmoor for a steak then stroll down to CG to grab a frozen custard for pud is the order of the day...