When I went to Orlando I decided to give Five Guys a go. I don't usually enjoy fast food type burgers so I had avoided it on previous visits but I had heard so many good reports that I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Well, I absolutely loved my burger, it was in a completely different league to the like of McDonalds and Burger King, so when I heard about them opening a Five Guys in the Oracle in Reading I was extremely excited! We already have a Five Guys in the UK in London but Reading is right on my door step so now I can get Five Guys all the time!
I first visited the Reading restaurant on a week day lunch time and I was surprised at how quiet the restaurant was. I have since visited on a Saturday lunchtime and it was busier but I was still would have expected more people to be there. Perhaps Five Guys is not as well known in the UK yet?
I went straight up to the counter and ordered my Little Cheeseburger. Toppings are free, no matter how many you have so I had mine, "All The Way". Mr Review Addict went for a Cheeseburger and regular fries and we also ordered 2 drinks which you can fill up at the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine which has a choice of 100+ drinks...I highly recommend Cherry Vanilla Coke Zero!
Coca-Cola Freestyle Machine
For those of you that have never had a Five Guys, you given a little ticket with your order on and then you wait for your number to be called. It's like Argos but with burgers! Your order comes in a paper bag with the burger wrapped in silver foil and the fries were in a cup, well some of them were a cup but then the guy who was serving threw another scoop into the bag! I wish I had taken a photo because seriously, there were so many fries, which at £4 I guess you would expect.Little Cheeseburger (All The Way)
Speaking of prices, Five Guy ain't cheap, my Little Cheeseburger which was 1 small patty with toppings was £5.50. That was enough for me but if you want a more manly Cheeseburger which comes with 2 patties, it's £8.00, plus fries at £4 and drinks at £2.50 each. It's definitely more expensive than BK or Maccy D's, but, as I said at the beginning of the review it is just in a different league!These patty style burgers are my favorite kind because the meat just sort of melts in your mouth. It tasted fresh and you can see the burgers being prepared in an open area so you know that it hasn't just come out of the microwave. I love that you can have all these topping because for me, they can make a burger and I particularly enjoyed the onions and mushrooms. I have to say that the fries were not as good as Shake Shack but I did still enjoy them. They come with skins on and have a strange nutty flavor to them (they are cooked in peanut oil) and I found it odd at first but the more I ate, the more I enjoyed them. They also do a Cajun version so I will try these next time.
The service in the Reading restaurant was excellent, the staff were all very helpful and friendly. I wish I could say the same about the London Five Guys though. Mr Review Addict and I were there at the weekend and got to the front of the queue, the lady behind the counter was just about to take his order then some jobsworth member of staff accused him of pushing in and sent him to the back of the queue! He hadn't pushed in but jobsworth wouldn't listen so we left the restaurant and went to Shake Shack instead. It's a shame but that doesn't affect this review because this is of the Reading Five Guys where we've great experiences every time.
Verdict
I loved Five Guys in the USA and I love it in the UK too! They aren't trying to do gourmet burgers, so don't expect that, but instead this is great quality fast food and still remains my favorite burger ever. Yes, it is expensive but you get what you pay for!