I love me some cow on bread.
Five Guys avoids one of the more deadly traps that befalls most burger-oriented venues: it doesn't take the hamburger too seriously.
When I eat a burger, I don't want Kobe beef and aged cheddar cheese. I don't want a southwestern aioli sauce and a pretzel bread bun. I want damn hamburger.
Five Guys burgers are straight up burgers.
Want cheese? You got it.
Mayo? Cool.
Jalapenos? Crisp and fiery, (unlike the brine-soaked, nancy-pants sissy slices they call jalapenos at most other places.)
What grade beef is it? Tasty.
What sort of bread is it? It's a hamburger bun.
And damn it, it's greasy deliciousness.
Add to all that, the fries are perfect. Not to big; not to thin. Greasy but crisp. Fresh cut and fried. Salty to no end.
Five Guys isn't fast food and it's not The Counter. But it's a perfect blend of the two. It's simply the most satisfying burger and fries I've had in Charlotte.