Burger up!

Five Guys Burger and Fries puts the grease back into fast food
Ottawa XPress

Article By: Colleen Johnson
Photo By: Ben Welland

Less choice and higher prices – it’s a corporate philosophy that seems to be working for Five Guys Burger and Fries. This fast-growing chain of restaurants has recently expanded into the Ottawa area. The first Five Guys to arrive in the region lies between Kanata and Stittsville on a newly built-up stretch of Hazeldean Road. The menu here is short and sweet, with burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and fries comprising the entire menu.

First off, anyone with a peanut allergy needs to stay far, far away from this chain. The place serves free salted peanuts in the shell from a box near the door and peanut shells litter the floor like a dive bar from decades passed. As if that weren’t enough, their fries are cooked in peanut oil. It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.

The restaurant is known for its greasy burgers, which come with two patties by default. At Five Guys, you’ll be upsized automatically. Drinks come with refills, and the fries come with extra fries thrown in loose into a paper bag. When my date and I ordered our fries we found that we had each been given enough extra fries to fill an entire cup, essentially giving us four “regular” orders instead of two.

All caveats aside, the burgers here are a deliciously dirty bit of business. The patties are moist and beefy, the bun is appropriately squishy and the optional bacon and processed cheese take these burgers up another notch. While I wouldn’t dare call it gourmet, it is the best burger I’ve had in the fast food category. You can choose from a long list of toppings, or better yet, take your burger “all the way” with mayo, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, mushrooms, grilled onions, ketchup and mustard.

I ordered the cheese dog “all the way” and found it uninspiring. The kosher-style hot dog came split down the middle, seared and served in a white bun. The fries were pretty decent, though far from crisp. The Cajun fries came with a light dusting of salty spice that I think most would find appealing.

While Five Guys serves up some of the best-tasting fast food on the market, I wouldn’t recommend going here regularly. An “all the way” bacon cheeseburger clocks in at 1,073 calories and a large order of fries packs an incredible 1,464 calories. Keep your order in check by sharing an order of regular fries and ordering a “little” burger, which has just one beef patty rather than two.

Five Guys Burger and Fries
5517 Hazeldean Road
613-836-1800

Mains: $2.69-$7.99