The Five Guys burger brand arrived in the UK in 2013, opening its first store in Covent Garden with great hoopla and queues around the block. It has quickly expanded nationwide, adding to the 1,000-plus sites it already has back home in the USA. The selling points are many and varied: no freezers on the site, free burger toppings, and more than 100 choices from the soda fountain.
Such an offering leaves other burger imports standing, but is it enough to put Five Guys up there with the new, hipster brands? Probably not. Still, it’s cheaper than most, with £10 covering a ‘little’ (actually, perfectly generous) hamburger, cheeseburger, bacon burger or a hot dog with regular or Cajun fries. Alternatives to the meaty frontrunners include grilled cheese sandwiches and a BLT.