Amazing Burgers and Lots of Smiles

Friends have been telling me about Five Guys Burgers and Fries for some time. I’ve thought about going but have never wanted to drive to Beaverton “just for a burger”. I mean, how good can their burgers really be, right? I can go to Burger King and get a burger for a buck – now that’s a bargain.

But my kids and I were out in Beaverton this weekend and I figured “what the heck, let’s give this burger place a try.” The restaurant itself was nothing to write home about. It was basic. You go up to the counter and order. You find your own seat and when they call your number, you walk up and pick up your food. Nothing too impressive so far. Heck, if I wanted to walk and do everything myself I would eat at home, right?

The menu is pretty simple. I ordered the “little” burger because as much as I love to eat, I can’t eat a ton. It comes plain but then you can order whichever toppings you want on it (for FREE!) I liked this part because normally I don’t get a lot of extras on my burgers. It ends up costing more for the toppings than the whole darn burger costs. But not this time. I looked over the “extras” menu and had at it. I added bacon, sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayo and ketchup. I was starting to like this place already.

The kids wanted to sit up at the counter that lines the outside windows. They like looking out the windows and people watching (hmmm… where did they get that???) My daughter asked what all the garbage on the floor was. It was peanut shells. Hmmm. I investigated. There were big boxes of peanuts around with paper boats in them. Free peanuts – yeah! And everyone was cracking them and throwing the shells on the floor. My kids eyes got huge when I brought over two “boats” filled and said “have at it, kids.” The look on their faces was priceless. I could see their little brains working – “did I just hear Mom say we can throw trash on the floor?”

This picture says it all! My kids loved smashing the peanut shells (and throwing them on the floor.) Heck, they even ate some of the peanuts too.

(Here’s Ellie’s mess that she was so proud of!)

My friends were all right. The food was amazingly delicious. Good thing I didn’t order the regular sized burger. My “little” burger was huge with all the delicious toppings on it. And the fries… oh my. My kids love fries so I ordered two larges, thinking we all could share. Seriously, I have about 10 pounds of left over french fries in my fridge. The large was a bucket, I’m not kidding.

So… was it worth the drive? Absolutely! Was it worth the $15 we spend to sit and eat (and smash peanuts) for almost 2 hours? Absolutely! Like I said earlier – this picture says it all!