At Five Guys, customers can build their own burgers from a long list of toppings, from the usual suspects to jalapeño peppers, A.1. Steaksauce and grilled mushrooms. (According to the restaurant's website, there are more than 250,000 possible ways to order a burger at Five Guys.) A standard burger goes for $5.89; cheeseburger, $6.59; bacon burger, $6,89 and bacon cheeseburger, $7.59.
Five Guys only uses fresh ground beef; nothing is ever frozen and only peanut oil is used. The menu also includes hot dogs (kosher, cheese, bacon or bacon cheese, all around $4 or $5), a veggie sandwich ($3.09), grilled cheese ($3.79) and BLT ($4.99). Fries can be ordered "Cajun style" (topped with Cajun seasoning) or "Five Guys" style (just salt). Go for the regular size ($3.59) or "little" ($2.49).
For some reason, Five Guys also likes to have complimentary roasted in-shell peanuts on hand at all their restaurants, so grab a handful while you're waiting for your burger.
The Mountain View outpost joins more than 1,000 Five Guys across the country, and a handful in the Bay Area (Sunnyvale, Redwood City, Belmont, San Jose, Burlingame). The now-enormous Five Guys empire first started as a family-run burger joint, opened by the Murrell family in 1986 in Arlington, Virginia. (Five Murrell brothers are the restaurant's namesake.) After a few years and a lot of success, the Murrells expanded to the Washington, DC area; then Virginia and Maryland and eventually, throughout the U.S. from Alabama to the Golden State.
Five Guys Mountain View
2098 El Camino Real, Mountain View
650-962-1882
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
www.fiveguys.com
