PrintFive Guys Already Open in NYC
Five Guys
Address: 132-01 14th Avenue, Queens NY 11356 [map]
Phone: 718-767-6500; fax: 718-767-6502
Getting there: LIRR to Flushing Main Street, Q20B bus to 14th Ave. and 130th Street. But really, if you don't live in College Point or have a car, it's a pain.
The short order: D.C. chain's first store in NYC opens in Queens, makes crunchy-crusted burgers that rival Shake Shack's.
Want fries with that? Yes! A resounding yes. As longtime AHT readers know, I'm not the biggest fry guy, but these are definitely worth getting. Freshly cut and twice-fried, they're crisp with a nice, mealy interior. Don't bother getting the "regular" size. Five Guys's M.O. is to put your burger and cup of fries in the bag and then throw in a heaping handful of extra fries on top. The "Cajun" spiced fries are overspiced.
"If your burger blogging crew ever makes it down to the nation's capital, you've GOTTA try Five Guys."
Over the weeks, months, and, now, years that I've been plugging away at AHT, I've probably gotten more emails like this than for any other burger chain. And in all those months, I've never had the occasion to truck down to D.C. Instead, I've watched as the red states on the Five Guys locator map (right) grew in number and up the East Coast. At one point months and months ago, New York lit up red, but that first Empire State Five Guys was in Schenectady—upstate and still not easily accessible for a nondriving city-dwelling burger dude.
So when news hit that a 5G would open in Brooklyn Heights on Montague Street, I was jazzed. Finally, a Five Guys branch I could try that would involve only a quick subway ride. (Word is that the Montague Street Five Guys will open June 2.)
But did you know there's already a Five Guys in New York City? On Wednesday, I consulted the chain's store locator map for the Montague Street number and saw a Queens location. WTF!?! When did THAT open?
I IMed "Hamburger Matty": "We're going ASAP! You with me?"
Of course he was. And I needed his valuable intel on this mission—he'd been to the Philly Five Guys late last year and knew the score.
Half the Fun
Whoever said "getting there is half the fun" must have had a full stomach. If you don't have a car, it's a bit of a chore to get to the Five Guys in the College Point section of Queens. Hopstop.com recommends taking the Long Island Railroad, followed by a 20-stop bus ride.
Matty and I took out a Zipcar instead, and after some mishaps and a few wrong turns, we eventually pulled in to a small recently built strip mall in College Point about a half hour before closing time.
Great Burgers
The outer-borough location allows ample room for this Five Guys, and the place was airy, clean, and orderly. All grilling and frying is done in the open in a large space behind the counter. Above the counter is the menu, which lists but a few items: burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, and fries (regular or "Cajun" spiced). Hanging from the menu is a sign that would normally send me running: "We Cook All Our Meat WELL-DONE."
Yes, burgers here, unfortunately, are cooked to well-done as per company policy. While this would seemingly result in a dry puck of a burger, ours, while not dripping with juices, were moist enough. The 3.3-ounce patties are packed moderately loose by hand each morning and are cooked atop a griddle, which, along with the coarse grind, makes for a great crunchy crust. The joint gets the cheese-melt just right, too.
A "hamburger" ($4.49) or "cheeseburger" ($5.09) here is by default a double-patty sandwich. If you want a single patty, you'll have to order a "little hamburger" ($3.09) or "little cheeseburger" ($3.69). Bacon is 60¢ extra across the board. All other topping options are provided at no extra cost, but you have to ask for them—otherwise your burger comes naked.
If the College Point location is any indication of what quality will be at the Brooklyn Heights store, I'll be making regular trips to Montague Street.
What's more, the Montague Street and College Point locations will not be alone. According to the owner of the College Point location, Manhattan will get a Five Guys in Midtown, on 55th between Fifth and Sixth avenues, soon to be followed by a location in the Village.
Related: Brooklyn Heights locals debate the merits of Five Guys vs. established neighborhood joints [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
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26 Comments:
I Live in DC and I've been going to 5 Guys since they first opened in Alexandria, VA. I would not buy in to the hype. I think since they've expanded into a mega chain, the quality (while still very good) has gone downhill. My major gripe is that they cook the burgers to death! I'd much prefer it if you could order a medium rare burger, they give you all the toppings you'd want for free to try and hide this, but for me it doesn't work. I'd rather have a juicy Rare/med.rare burger with noting rather than a burger cooked to death with lots of toppings. I've got to believe there are plenty of better burgers in NYC.
Hamburger Trentonian at 8:41PM on 05/11/07
I live in Montgomery County, MD......have a 5G guy for years.... Quality has gone downhill -- the chain locations are not as consistent as the orignial Alexandria store.... Good luck....
Hamburger Maypo at 8:48PM on 05/11/07
5 Guys saved my otherwise worthless 2 hour layover at the DC airport, and I heartily welcome them to Queens. The double patty thing is kind of annoying, and definitely a construction issue if you have any kind of toppings on the burger(s). But all that aside, a damn tasty burger and a welcome change from faster-food establishments.
Hamburger lodega at 11:29PM on 05/11/07
Hmm, Five Guys just doesn't look the same without peanut shells all over the floor. It looks cleaner and better. (remembering the Georgetown D.C. location)
Hamburger Tim at 5:23AM on 05/12/07
Sorry, but the well done thing kills it for me...we have a nice fast food, house ground burger and hand cut fries join in Boston called U-Burger. Lots of people love it, but I refuse to patronize the place until they drop their stupid "all burgers cooked medium well policy," or at least stop advertising the burgers as "cooked to order," which they clearly are not.
Hamburger Weekly Journalist at 8:33PM on 05/12/07
Med well cooked or not, the pic of that burger looks tasty tasty!!
Hamburger texas blues at 12:43AM on 05/13/07
One of the best things about my recent move from NYC to Philly is the discovery of 5 Guys right near my office. The "well-done" thing is just not an issue here given the size and shape of these burgers. I've never gotten a dry burger and the crust formed from the griddle is excellent. They've never gotten my toppings wrong despite the dozens of people waiting on line every single time I've gone and the fries are terrific AND plentiful. They have a little ritual where they fill a little styrofoam cup with fries, place them in the bag with your burgers and then throw a healthy handful of more fries on top of everything. Enjoy them, NYC.
Hamburger scannest at 2:57PM on 05/14/07
Just to give every one a heads up FIVE GUYS will be opening a location in BRICK NJ the next few weeks.
Hamburger BurgerLover at 4:30PM on 05/14/07
One problem: Styrofoam. How anyone in their right mind can put a french fry meant for transport in anything other than a paper bag is beyond reason. God invented paper bags for the delivery of deep-fried tubers. Putting them in anything else is asking for trouble.
Hamburger Starvin Marvin at 4:53PM on 05/14/07
I've been to the one in Georgetown. It was filthy and the burgers were just ok.
Hamburger dg at 5:53PM on 05/14/07
Did you know that Five Guys will be opening in Manhattan? That's right, these great burgers and fries will be available on West 55th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenue in the near future. Watch for the grand opening announcements.
Hamburger Jeff at 6:13PM on 05/14/07
wow, a five guys burger place in manhattan!! that's fantastic, that's a much shorter trip for me. i am not sure what all the hype is about either but i love burgers and so i will have to test out five guys myself... but looking at the photos... yum. i mean, look at the bun, the patty, the cheese... the grease! yummy!
Hamburger bicoastalite at 6:22PM on 05/14/07
My kind of place, looks like, I always take my burgers well done; well-done need not mean too dry www.forgotten-ny.com
Hamburger Kevin Walsh at 10:06PM on 05/14/07
i hate burgers
Hamburger muhhahaha at 1:34AM on 05/15/07
Burgers hate you, Muhhahaha!
Adam Kuban at 1:53AM on 05/15/07
I travel back and forth to the west coast and the only reason I will go to an In-n-Out is to remind me of how good a Five Guys can be. The messy, unsightly, made to order burger, along with the awesome fries coming to NYC makes DC even for sending Hillary to the Empire State. Can't wait for 5G to start opening in NJ for the summer!
Hamburger burger bob at 4:37AM on 05/15/07
Is there anything more tired and trite than "it's gone downhill since it expanded"? Give it a rest. 5 Guys is the East Coast In-n-Out, no question. I'd still favor In-n-Out if I had the choice, but I'm never unhappy with 5 Guys. It's a great chain- crusty, salty burgers that are served piping hot, great toppings, good fries, and consistent quality. Quit bitching and enjoy the burgers.
Hamburger local at 5:27PM on 05/17/07
I trekked to the new (I think) Five Guys in Newtown, CT yesterday. After seeing the pictures here and on another site I was psyched. Overall it was pretty disappointing. The burgers were way overcooked (yes, the dreaded hockey pucks), and the cheese wasn't even melted. The bacon was even burned, but the fries were indeed awesome. However, I could tell it had been good meat, and I'll chock this up to inexperience. The manager seemed to be coaching the staff on everything. I'll give it another try and hope this was an abberation.
Hamburger gratefulted at 4:01PM on 05/25/07
Need to take the LIRR to 5 Guys? Say what? I have better directions. Pretend you're going to see the Mets, but stay on the 7-train one extra stop (Main Street/Flushing), then transfer to a 15-minute bus (20B) that practically drops you on 5G's doorstep. Sounds alot easier than taking the LIRR, doesn't it...
Hamburger Flushing guy at 1:36PM on 05/28/07
Flushing Guy: Sounds a lot better, yes. I should know better than to trust HopStop with outer borough directions. (It seems to work fine for Manhattan, though.)
Adam Kuban at 4:35PM on 05/28/07
Adam, don't worry about it, pretty much everyone who hasn't lived in SI or Queens has bus phobia, so if the place isn't accessible via subway, they come up with crazy travel plans. I mean, you took the 7 to Joe's Best Burger, and the only difference between getting to JBB and 5G from Manhattan is transferring to a bus. Why didn't you take the LIRR to JBB? I'm guessing because JBB is close to a subway stop. (And since you took a bus to Louie and Ernie's, does that mean you like pizza better than hamburgers? Doesn't jive with the time you put into the 2 sites.) Anyway, keep up the great work! I didn't know 5Gs was close to me until you reported on it, thanks! (And I'm not a random wacko, I was the guy who emailed you about JBB. I may be a wacko, though, since I do take the Q44 bus across the Whitestone Bridge to get to Louie and Ernie's.)
Hamburger Flushing guy at 9:12PM on 05/28/07
Had burger at five guys in Brick NJ off the charts!! Best burger in NJ, hands down..
Hamburger BurgerLover at 7:48PM on 05/30/07
Flushing Guy: Regarding the bus, it depends. I rode it to Louie & Ernie's because I had time that day to fritter away. I didn't have as much time on the night I went to 5G. It was just that hopstop.com had predicted almost as much bus time as train time, and I HATE the bus. (Because it stops every three blocks and people take FOREVER to get on and off.)
Adam Kuban at 6:09PM on 06/04/07
You're right buses suck because they take too much time to get where they're going. But they are great for discovering new places. If I'm sure nothing between where I'm going and where I am is worthwhile, or if I don't have the time, I take the subway. If I'm not sure and I have the time, I take the bus. It's a tradeoff that doesn't always pay off.
Hamburger Flushing guy at 11:42PM on 06/05/07
I just tried the place out. First off, they must have about 9 people behind the counter. It seemed like they were all training because the girl on the grill was the only one working and instructing the rest of the crew. There was an Asian guy who stood staring at 4 burgers for 2 minutes and 43 seconds (I timed him) without touching them. Mine was one of them and all it needed was BBQ sauce and to be wrapped up. OK, I understand they just opened so I will let this go. As far as the taste, the burger was OK (all burgers are cooked well), nothing to write home about. The fries were very good. I think that Henry Street Ale House has a better tasting burger (you can get it cooked the way you want it also), and their fries are almost as good but not as crispy as Five Guys. They should really consider delivering. I will try them again. They seem like a clean operation.
MITCH C at 8:29PM on 07/15/07
Visited Five Guys last night, the burgers were soggy, the bun was soggy,
the French Fries were not crisp or tasty, the place was not very clean, the staff just threw the food at you.
After visiting the Five Guys in Boardman, Ohio, a much better experience, we ventured out to try the New Five Guys in our neighborhood, College Point, Queens. It was terrible.
icechipmom at 10:20AM on 02/03/08