Five Guys Burgers & Fries: Now Open in Stoneham

I love a good, juicy cheeseburger so was intrigued when I learned that Five Guys Burgers & Fries would be opening in Stoneham in the Redstone Plaza. Five Guys is a fast food chain, with over 750 locations across the U.S. and Canada, and about four new restaurants in Massachusetts. They concentrate on burgers and fries, with only a few other items available on their menu. It is meant to be a step-up from places like Burger King and McDonalds, and it certainly succeeds in that regard.

The Stoneham location opened on May 9 and I have eaten there several times since that date. It has been a popular place, and there are usually plenty of people eating there. It is open seven days a week, from 11am-10pm and you can even place your order online.  As it is in Redstone Plaza, there is plenty of parking available.

The menu is very simple, basically burgers, hotdogs and French fries. There are four basic burger choices, in two sizes, including: hamburger, cheeseburger, bacon burger and bacon cheeseburger. The regular burger ($4.99) is a double patty, and the "little" burger ($3.59) is a single patty. These are very reasonable prices for the burgers.  There are fifteen toppings you get atop your burger, such as onions, mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, hot sauce and BBQ sauce. All of the toppings are free, and you can mix and match whatever combination you desire. Burgers only come well done, and they won't prepare them any other way.

Also on the menu is the Kosher style hot dog ($3.39), which you can have with cheese and/or bacon. Fries come as Regular or Cajun style, in regular ($2.99) or large ($4.69) sizes. They also have a Veggie Sandwich, Grilled Cheese and a Veggie Sandwich with Cheese. For drinks, you can order soda (with free refills) or bottled water. Note that the soda choices include unsweetened and sweet iced tea.  You won't find salads, chicken, onion rings, soups, or anything else. I like the simplicity of the menu, as allowing them to concentrate on fewer items should enhance their quality.

The restaurant has a bright red and white color scheme with soft tan wood colors on the tables and chairs, providing a welcoming ambiance. About 40 people can be seated within the restaurant and the kitchen is open so you can watch your food being prepared if you wish. All orders, even if you are eating in, are placed in to-go bags, and you won't even find trays. It takes a few minutes longer to receive your food than it might at Burger King or McDonalds, but that is not a problem as your food is being freshly prepared.

Above, you can see a Little Cheeseburger and a Regular Bacon Cheeseburger (a double patty). These are not pretty burgers, as wrapping them in foil does crush them a bit, spreads some of the grease and the cheese often sticks to the inside of the foil. But the primary concern is their taste, not how pretty they look. Now, I generally dislike my burgers being cooked well done, as it tends to dry out the burger. But these burgers were quite juicy, and not what you might have expected for being well done. The sesame seed bun was soft and fresh, and there was plenty of melted cheese and crisp bacon slices. It seems like an old-fashioned burger, very tasty and definitely better than most other fast food burger joints.  Plus, as it is very reasonably priced, this is a value burger too.

The grilled Hot Dog with cheese and bacon also was not pretty, but it was quite good. The lengthy dog is sliced down the middle and is covered in melted cheese atop a layer of several slices of crisp bacon. This is certainly better than the usual hot dogs served at fast food places. I would order this again.

The regular -size fries come in an overflowing cup, and are sufficient to feed two people. The fries, with the skin on, are thicker than you find at some other fast food places, and their crispness varied on my different trips. Sometimes they were crisper than other days.  The Cajun style fries have a spicy kick to them which I enjoyed, and probably prefer to the Regular style of fries.

Overall, I liked Five Guys and certainly prefer it to many of the other fast food burger joints out there. These won't be the best burgers you have ever had, but for the price, they are a delicious value and should satisfy your burger cravings.  If you want a quick and casual lunch or dinner, and want a burger or dog, then I recommend Five Guys. It is a welcome addition to the culinary scene in Stoneham.