Five Guys

All the local In-​N-​Out starved kids rave, but what do they know? They’re In-​N-​Out fans.
The patties are blah, and mine were dry. Didn’t seem to be enough ketchup to make up for those cardboard french fries either. No, seriously. They were out of ketchup.
But the worst part was, after paying $ 12 for my burger, soda, and cardboard french fries, had to wait 25 minutes for my order to come up.
Uh uh. Not even going back.

This is a review for the milkshakes only. They were way too sweet and tasted incredibly artificial. But the girl working the register was very nice. I do want to try their burgers, but ugh these shakes burned my throat they tasted so chemical-​y.

I was not impressed the first time I walked into a Five Guys, but this location was very good. Customer service at the register needs to be improved, but all in all it was a nice location, and the burgers are average and good if you want something more than a McDonalds.

This place is OK. I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to visit it, but if you’re already at the mall and are hungry for a diner-​ish burger, it’s alright. I’d definitely go here over chili’s.
Service seemed ok (not great but not rude either). Food portions were good. Veggies (such as they were) were fresh. Order arrived fresh and quickly.
Prices were reasonable and the food was tasty.
That being said… I’m scared to look at the nutrition guide entry. Saturated fat has GOT to be through the roof with this place. That’s not their fault though. Any loaded burger would have the same thing.

Did not have issues with service. Enjoyed the peanuts! BLT sandwich– bacon overcooked, extra crispy, it was more like crumbly charcoal lettuce and tomato. Husband got the bacon cheeseburger, it was tasty, juicy and big, mushrooms are a nice touch. Good fast food burger, tasted a lot like mcdonalds. Fries were good, thick, and a little fries is a generous portion for two. They have the fun new soda machines, where the sky is the limit on options which include flavoured sparkling waters.
I would come back for a cheap burger, but I prefer and will not stop frequenting Betty’s and Burger local joints.

The burger was OK, not nearly as nice as In & Out and service is mind boggling slow! But how in the heck can the say they’re a good value when it’s over $ 17 for a cheeseburger, fries and shake? Good grief, nearly $ 40 for a couple having lunch at a burger joint? Chili’s across the way is cheaper and better and they have table service. Don’t think I’ll be going back.

Five Guys is like In-​N-​Out Burger except Five Guys’ burgers aren’t as good, their fries are horrible, and the food costs twice as much.

Eh, kinda gross but edible. It’s basically McDonald’s with a lot more grease. I felt like crap after eating it. And the fries were way over seasoned and also gross. I wouldn’t come back and I wouldn’t recommend friends coming here. Also it’s not even fast food. It’s slow greasy gross food. But I imagine if you’re really stoned you’ll love this place. Otherwise I’d pass up on it and go to Betty’s or something for a good burger and fry.

well so much for this place.
they forgot to mention that you get 2 patties.[no big deal] the patties had no decent flavor. [salt and pepper would really help] why make 2 bad paties?, work on making 1 good !
they have a banner «well done and juicy» don’t put a weight on the pattie to speed up the cooking time. [and still took too long] that just presses out the juices. again, SEASON THE FOOD !
the burger was WELL done, but NOT juicy.
the bun was nothing to write home about, just a basic bun., and soggy.
spent over $ 6.00 for a lousy burger with lettuce, tomatoe, and onion. [didn’t care for the onions being chopped. [made a mess] take your money somewhere else.
there are too many other burger places to choose from… so choose!
i will not be returning… sorry 5 guys
PS… try AJ’s market on soquel dr. if you want a great burger !!

When I went there to get an order to go, it was pretty quick and
everyone was friendly and looked like they enjoyed their jobs.
The one big no-​no in my opinion is pressing the beef patties with the
spatulas and thereby pressing the juices out of the patties.
Yep, my burger was dry. It would have been really good and juicy if the person
had not done that! Hey management at Five Guys! Instruct your people not to
murder good hambuirger patties by pressing the juices out of the meat!

This place was horrible I order a bacon cheeseburger but I got a bun with no burger. manager had an attitude when I asked for my money back.

I mostly review places I like, preferring to skip doing a review on places I don’t like.
But I had been anticipating the opening of the first «5 Guys» anywhere near me (within 40 miles) for a long time. So eventually the Carl’s Jr. location at the Capitola Mall was turned in to a 5 Guys.
I visited. I was not impressed. The whole area was crowded with people (and families) standing around waiting for their food. I eventually found a small table, but it was crowded-​in from all sides… and with people standing around waiting for their food.
The soda machine was some sort of new gizmo that people, especially kids, spending huge amounts of time trying various combinations of button pushing.
My order was eventually called. I returned to my seat to find others had already squated it.
Too small a space, too crowded, very slow service, very slow drink machine thing. OK burger, but too expensive for what it is.
I expect to try the downtown Santa Cruz place, in a much larger space (the old Tacqueria Vallarta space, near Hoffman’s, Logos, Avanti, Pizza My Heart). But if it suffers similar problems, it’ll be off my list.
The 41^st Avenue location is already off my list. I expect to try the In-​N-​Out in Seaside when it opens soon. A bit far to drive to, but I expect to patronize it often on trips down there (In-​N-​Out has almost never let me down.)
–Tim May, resident of Santa Cruz County since 1986 (and off and on earlier)

Not sure why the ratings are so low, but… The staff was very friendly and timely in serving everyone during the lunch rush. My burger and toppings were prepared perfectly to order. One of the stand out moments was when I asked for an order of large fries and got fewer than anticipated; Clinton the fry cook was all to happy to oblige in offering me more fries. No attitude, just polite, kind customer service. I would definitely go there again!

To say this is a fast-​food restaurant is not true. Same great taste, quadruple the time.

We went to 5 Guys for the first time today intending to visit the former Tennant, Carl’s Jr. The cashier was friendly and I ordered a hot dog and cheese burger with everything for my GF along with fries. Although they were not busy, it took them every bit of 20 min to prepare. (I timed them) They were out of lemonade and Fanta. Evidently she did not hear me say that I wanted everything on my hot dog as well. No wonder, the music was so loud. The only condiments available in front are ketchup, salt & pepper, and malt vinegar. I ate my naked dog with ketchup. Nowhere do they tell you that their burgers contain 2 patties. They boast that they toast their buns — hot dog bun was toasted, burger bun was not. The fries were over cooked but soggy. The food as a whole wasn’t bad, but for this style of eats there’s a burger place nearer Portola Dr. that is less expensive and better.

Hi not sure why all the hate on this place. I originally read the reviews and on that was probably not going to give them a try. But a friend told me they were great and didn’t understand the bad reviews. So I decided to give them a try. Glad I did, everything the bad reviews said was just the opposite. Friendly people, great food. Not dirty at all. Only thing I saw that was wrong was it is a bit cramped. And my friend said that aren’t shy on the fry portions but my was a bit short. But all and all good. But a note the small burger is probably enough for most people the double patties are a little harder to eat. Will definitely be back but maybe to go next time.
Another issue is the tables against the wall are lower than the middle tables, it’s a bit awkward to try to look around at the décor or to see if your order is ready as you are looking at people eye to eye.

Love this chain. Good sized burger patties, zesty Cajun fries (state listed on the wall, Woohoo for USA grown). It’s not cheap like McD. but it’s also not crappie like them either, so worthy the $ to me.

This place should be called «Five Years» since that’s how long it takes them to do anything.
My boyfriend was ordering burgers and I wanted a burrito instead… Between him ordering, I had enough time to walk over to chipotle, stop to talk to friends for 10mins, order my food, walk back, and his food STILL wasn’t done for 10 – 15 more mins.
The employees have no sense of urgency at all. I’m pretty sure I actually saw one of them nod off in the middle of making the burgers… The place had a decent amount of people, but wasn’t *busy* by any means. They were just SLOW! And besides, I’m sorry, it doesn’t matter how many people are there… it should never take a FAST FOOD burger joint 25 – 30 mins to finish an order.
Gave them two stars instead of one because the food is «decent» but nothing really special. But even if it was… don’t come here if you’re already hungry, or you’ll be fighting the urge to throw their stupid peanuts at everyone’s heads while you wait for your food.

Best Five Guys we’ve been to! I’m picky about my toppings and usually my burger is somehow not spot on. However, this crew got it 100% correct!
The shake was also a mess of added toppings and they got it RIGHT!
They were super quick! The place is clean and the staff was pleasant.

Okay whoever was working the front counter when I came in needs to put a smile on her face. She did not seem happy at all. It was actually really awkward. I thought I would get a «hey there! What will you be having today?» Or something… instead I got a blank stare and I wasn’t sure if she was ready for me to start ordering. I just started talking. Then she goes, «can you hold on for a second?» And I was like, «sure can» (kill em with kindness) and then she was ready and messed up my order.
After all that craziness & once my order was finished my belly and I were happy.
I mean it’s the five guys I didn’t expect a lot. Maybe just some more joyful workers, that’s all.

Came here on a Sunday and the place was a little busy. I was surprised at the fact that they got nothing right; soggy fries, burnt patty and unmelted cheese. I have been to several 5 Guys in other locations in Cali as well as in the East Coast. Not sure what happened to this location, but I won’t be back.

We went the second after they opened. As expected the place was packed. Seating is very limited. The wait time was pretty long. The burgers and fries were good but nothing to rave about. I hear the shakes are really good, though. The free peanuts are nice but just add to the mess. I have noticed as I pass by the place now that patronage has dropped off dramatically. I miss the Carl’s Jr that was there. At least we got coupons in the mail. I felt the price was really high, about the same as Betty Burger down the street. I think I prefer Betty over this 5 Guys location. At least they have a veggie burger. If I want a decent burger for cheap I’ll use my Burger King coupon. Prob won’t be back.

I don’t know if I just went on a good day, but all of these reviews don’t make sense to me. Me and my boyfriend had really good burgers and fries. Everything was super awesome and we got our food fast. I got a cheeseburger with everything. Apparently that means a double cheeseburger so the extra patty was a surprise. I loved the Cajun fries and the Oreo shake my boyfriend got was really good. I will go back again!

You need five guys to work there as it was taking an average of 5 min per order
What do you get for your wait?
Cold bun
Halfway melted cheese
Overly dressed with gobs of mayo
We asked for well done fries and the cashier said they are always well done — ummm no they are usually al dente — so I ask for extra well done and she was clearly displeased to add a special comment to our ticket
There were two 4 tops that were dirty and when they were finally cleaned half heartedly the mess was evacuated to the floor and the chairs
The bottoms of the chairs are filthy already
Window cleaning lol — with a paper towel and windex
Five guys you are really not very good and yet you intend to open another Santa Cruz location
Good luck as it will open with a BANG and your terrible staff due to poor training will kill it soon enough

One of the first things you’ll notice when you walk in are all the «Zagat Surveys» and «Best of» signs plastered everywhere. But this location doesn’t live up to that hype. I have never been to a «Five Guys» before, and if the others are like this one, I won’t go back.
I had the little bacon cheeseburger with regular fries. The burger was okay, but not great. I’ve consistently had better burgers from every In N’ Out I’ve ever been to. For that matter, the Carl’s Jr. this restaurant replaced had better burgers. The fries were also just okay. My wife decided she was done with her veggie sandwich after she got about halfway through it. At least the Coke was good.
Overall, if you want a decent burger, head a little farther down 41^st Ave. and check out Betty Burger instead. The price is about the same, and the burgers are much better. Or you could save your money and go to Burger King, I guess.

Stay away at all cost! They have no clue what they are doing. After 45 minutes still no burger. Passed over two times. Second time after I had given them my receipt. Thank god as the guy making the burgers was remaking his orders three or four times. He took toppings off and added more… I asked for my money back and left. They didn’t even ask why.
Not going back
Just received a note from owner «Malav»…says I can show my pictures to the Santa Cruz County Health department as he has a «Gold Health rating» (on what planet Malav…). I advised him that he should listen to his customers. Malav has a serious case of «head up ***» and deserves what he gets for running his business like this. Does «Chipotle» sound familiar «Malav»???

Is this even a Five Guys?
I’ve been here three times since they’ve opened in November and each experience was flat out awful. On all occasions I had ordered my food online to avoid the crazy wait times and still had to wait 30 – 45 minutes to get my food once I got there. On this last visit I got worried that maybe my online order didn’t go through, and when I went up and asked the staff couldn’t even be bothered to answer me… he just responded «we’re pretty busy bro». OK.
The long wait times would be fine if the food was decent but in all of my experiences the food has been soggy, cold, and tasteless. The atmosphere is totally crowded, cramped, and dirtier than any burger joint I have ever been to.
This place is a total no-​go. There are plenty of other places in Santa Cruz to get a burger.

Everything is prepped for the day. Free peanuts during your wait. Everything is to go. No ranch unfortunately but you get bbq, A1, or hot sauce. Choose your toppings.
Fries are cooked in peanut oil. Their shakes bomb and add bacon plus whip cream.

The Good: The burger was great. Patty was hand made, Bacon was very crisp. Dare I say it was better than In N’ Out.
The Meh: Ordered the Cajun fries and boy were they over-​seasoned. I dont think their Cajun fries are salted, or the salt missed my batch because it was pure cayenne. Had to add ketchup to tone down the seasoning. Regular fries would’ve probably been good though.
The Bad: THE MESS! People are pigs. This place just opened and it looks like its been though the ringer. They should have a dedicated person to clean the peanut shells off the floor. The order and pickup lines are in awkward locations. They probably should’ve opened in a bigger area… or put some of the pallet peanuts away.
All in all, I think I will go back.

I was so excited that 5 Guys finally opened but it was such a disappointment. I had the worst experience and will probably not go back.
As expected, it was really crowded and there wasn’t much walking room. People were waiting in awkward areas of the restaurant for their food. I couldn’t tell where the line to order was because there were groups of people everywhere.
The floors and tables were dirty from peanut shells and trash, which made me not want to eat there. The worst part was that I ordered a cheeseburger with lettuce, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, and ketchup… AND MY BURGER CAME WITH NONE OF THOSE TOPPINGS! Seriously? I was so mad about that! I should have checked my order before I left but I didn’t think that they would forget. Smh.

Visited the Capitola location last night, it was very busy even just before closing. The interior color scheme was white and red with self promotion on every wall, it is like they felt they needed to constantly remind you that this place is great. They had to keep the doors open because of all the smoke from those many burgers cooking on the grill.
I ordered the veggie sandwich which contains grilled mushrooms/​onions, lettuce, and tomato. My particular burger also came with bonus bits of bacon. I noted the mushrooms and onions were cooked on the same grill as the meat, but on the right side. So based on my observations Five Guys is NOT vegan friendly.
I also ordered the milkshake which you can customize your way with a number of different free mix-​ins. I found the chocolate syrup to be of particular low quality.
On the plus side they offer free self-​serve salted peanuts in the shell. The peanuts are very tasty and of high quality. The peanuts are kept away from the food preparation area.
This Five Guys location features the coca-​cola freestyle, so go ahead and have your drink your way!
Overall I don’t think this place lives up to all the hype, but then again I don’t eat beef burgers or hot dogs…