I tried 8 different Five Guys menu items for the first time and there are only 2 I wouldn't order again (2023)

I recently went to Five Guys for the very first time.

I've always been a huge fan of fast-food chains like Taco Bell and In-N-Out, which had multiple locations near my childhood home in California, but the Five Guys experience has long eluded me. After all, I was more than happy with my delicious burritos and "animal-style" burgers.

But when I began reading fellow Insider food reporter Rachel Askinasi's extensive coverage of Five Guys, I realized I might be missing out on something major. It's clear the chain has a huge fan base, one that's very passionate about its burgers and fries. And when Rachel told me she thought Five Guys was better than In-N-Out, I knew I had to give it a try.

I wanted to do a deep dive into Five Guys' menu, which is impressively extensive.

The first time I looked at Five Guys' menu, I was shocked at the range and variety available. There are eight different burgers —plus the option to add up to 15 different free toppings —sandwiches, hot dogs, and two different kinds of fries. And that's not even including the 11 milkshakes you can order!

I decided to skip the sandwiches and hot dogs for this taste test and focus mainly on the burgers (more on those in just a second). I also ordered both styles of fries available — "Five Guys Style" and "Cajun Style" —plus two milkshakes.

For my burger taste test, I ordered four of the eight different options available.

I wanted to see whether the Five Guys patty could shine on its own, or if it needed plenty of toppings to really perform. And I wanted to try the special "All The Way" burger, which is actually considered the Five Guys standard for toppings.

Here's a full breakdown of the four burgers I tried:

1. A hamburger with onion, lettuce, tomato, and pickles — my "traditional" Five Guys burger.
2. A Little Cheeseburger with onion, lettuce, tomato, and pickles — to see if cheese would elevate the Five Guys patty, and whether the burger size would change my eating experience ("little" just means there's one patty instead of two).
3. A Little Bacon Cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onion, and barbecue sauce — I knew I had to try one of the bacon burgers on the menu, and I thought it'd go well with the barbecue sauce.
4. The "All The Way" burger —which includes lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.

Once my order was ready to go, I headed to my local Five Guys and checked out the interior.

I loved the red-and-white checkered pattern that ran across the walls, giving the place a sort of retro feel. The Coca-Cola machines had dozens of sodas available, but their design looked straight from the 1950s.

There were huge signs proudly proclaiming the big awards Five Guys had won, plus quotes from glowing reviews they'd been given by the big local papers.

Bags of Idaho potatoes were stacked up against the wall, a subtle way of reminding diners that Five Guys doesn't use pre-cut frozen potatoes for their fries —unlike many major fast-food chains.

I was surprised to see that there were even free peanuts to munch on while you wait, which I figured was a tribute to the fact that Five Guys cooks all of its food in peanut oil.

I began my taste test with the burgers, and the most traditional one ended up being the most disappointing.

I was immediately surprised that my classic Five Guys hamburger tasted so, so dry.

In one of Askinasi's stories on the chain, a Five Guys employee told her: "We want our burgers leaking. So when you bite into it, it will be satisfying."

But I had the opposite experience. In fact, my burger basically tasted well-done.

I should note that I accidentally forgot to get ketchup on my burger, not realizing you had to select every single topping and condiment on Five Guys' online ordering system.

But a good patty shouldn't need sauce to shine, and I just didn't get much flavor from it. Plus, the limp veggies and soggy buns left a lot to be desired.

Next up was Five Guys' Little Cheeseburger, which didn't fare much better in my taste test.

Unfortunately, adding cheese and subtracting a patty did little to change the burger's disappointing flavor.

My Little Cheeseburger was still too dry, and my vegetables didn't add any extra crunch or texture. I was confused why the fresh onions had been chopped up into tiny pieces, disappearing completely underneath my patty.

The first two Five Guys burgers had been a total letdown. Thankfully, though, things quickly started looking up.

My "All The Way" burger was packed with tons of flavor.

Quick reminder: Five Guys' "All The Way" burger comes with lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.

All those ingredients might sound a little overwhelming, but I thought everything worked together in total —and delicious — harmony.

The combination of ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise made my patty taste super juicy. The grilled onions added a subtle sweetness and the grilled mushrooms infused each bite with some savory umami. Overall, there was just way more flavor. Going "All The Way" was definitely worth it.

Read my full review of Five Guys' "All The Way" burger here.

Last but not least was the Little Bacon Cheeseburger, which was my favorite of the four burgers that I tried.

My Little Bacon Cheeseburger was simpler than going "All The Way," but the bacon and barbecue sauce infused it with so much richness.

When Askinasi went behind the scenes at her local Five Guys, she learned that barbecue sauce — unlike most of the condiments — is placed directly on the patty instead of on the bun. I think this is the reason why my Little Bacon Cheeseburger was by far the juiciest of the four burgers that I tried.

The bacon on top also gave my burger some much-needed texture and crunch, and the smoky flavor paired perfectly with the cheese and barbecue sauce. Each bite was super savory, which I always crave in a great fast-food burger.

Get the full ranking of my four different Five Guys burgers here.

After all those burgers, it was time for some milkshakes. I decided to try one classic flavor and one that was a little more unusual.

The minute I saw bacon available as a milkshake add-on, I knew I had to try it. According to Five Guys' menu, it uses a "crispy, sweet applewood-smoked bacon" for the milkshakes.

I decided to combine the bacon with the vanilla add-on, which the website describes as "rich, smooth, vanilla syrup."

For my classic flavor, I went with the Oreo milkshake — which, at Five Guys, is "crushed Oreo cookies mixed with creamy malt."

I thought both milkshakes were absolutely delicious.

Sweet and savory is a classic combination, so maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised that my bacon and vanilla milkshake actually tasted great. The vanilla was deliciously rich, while the bacon gave just enough of a salty kick to balance its sweetness.

But what I really loved was the Oreo shake. It reminded me of a great late-night diner milkshake, and I loved that it didn't skimp on the cookies. I would happily order either of these milkshakes again, and there are so many other flavors I'd love to try next time — including the peanut butter, malted milk, and salted caramel.

Next up were the fries. First, I decided to try the classic "Five Guys Style."

Askinasi actually went behind the scenes of her local Five Guys in New York City to find out how the fries are made, so I got to learn a little more about what made them different from other fast-food chains.

Five Guys serves what it describes as "boardwalk-style fries." They're noticeably thicker than what you'd get at McDonald's or Burger King, and their appearance really did remind me of childhood days spent walking down the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with my parents.

The chain also proudly makes its fries in-house from fresh potatoes every day. The spuds are cut and cooked twice in pure, cholesterol-free, 100% peanut oil, and all servings come with an extra scoop so that the cup is overflowing.

"We want to make sure people get their money's worth," said Amy Cryzter, the director of training at the chain that Askinasi visited.

I was immediately impressed by the texture of Five Guys' fries. They were perfectly crispy on the outside but soft and creamy on the inside —no easy feat when you're making thousands of fries a day. Even a huge In-N-Out devotee like me had to admit that these fries were superior.

But of the eight different Five Guys items that I tried, I loved the Cajun fries above all else.

Five Guys' Cajun fries are cooked exactly the same as those in the "Five Guys Style," but they're also showered with a "heavy dose of Cajun spice," according to the chain's online menu.

I love anything with a kick, so I was a huge fan of the Cajun fries. They were packed with tons of flavor, reminiscent of the Cajun fries I'm obsessed with at The Boiling Crab (if you know, you know). As much as I liked Five Guys' classic fries, I thought the Cajun fries blew them away. I'd happily go back just to get a bag of these again and again.

Overall, my Five Guys taste test was a pretty big success.

Of the eight different menu items that I tried, the two that I definitely wouldn't order again are the classic Five Guys hamburger and the Little Cheeseburger. And while I thought the regular fries were good, there's no way I'd choose them over those Cajun fries.

I'd also definitely order the "All The Way" burger and Little Bacon Cheeseburger again, and I'd happily drink another Five Guys milkshake.

When it comes to Five Guys versus In-N-Out, I still think the latter has a far superior classic burger. But I'll definitely be back at Five Guys to experiment with more burger toppings — and get more of those incredible Cajun fries.