Five Guys George Street — Restaurant in Sydney

This is possibly one of the worst burger/fries meal I have had in many years all over the world. I had high hopes, after all the hype. I had first saw this burger joint in Chicago and was pleased to see it here in Sydney. In the USA, it seems to be highly rated.

I purchased a Double Patty Cheeseburger with Little Fries. Firstly $25 for a burger meal is exorbitant but if it's good quality and quantity, I am happy to pay.

The quantity first if all, was paltry. Burger was not a generous serving at all and chips, nothing out of the ordinary.

The quality was extremely bad. I walked 5 mins to consume the meal and by the time I unwrapped the burger, it was totally soggy and the fries were soggy and cold. I threw most of the fries out. It was not worth eating. So much for the high quality hand-cut and hand-made fries they keep raving on about!

The burger was awful. So soggy, not much sauce and both patties were small. I am glad I ordered 2 and not the standard single patty otherwise the size of this burger would be like a McDonald's Cheeseburger.

I was left hungry and had to supplement with something else.

Pub burgers are around the same price, and possibly cheaper, with much larger portions and higher quality food. Hungry Jack's Whopper is even better!

Please DO NOT try this! It is not worth it and you will regret it. Patty Smith's Darlinghurst is...

How do you rate a fast food joint like this?

For starters, the good: the fries are worth trying, famously good tasting and large portions. The menu is unfussy. You can get all the condiments on your burgers and shakes as you'd like.

A small mention goes to the shakes which are really quite sugary. The bacon topping, which is sure to attract curiosity, takes the form of little salty shards that invariably settle to the bottom of the cup. It doesn't have the fragrance or fatty taste of bacon. It doesn't even bring that much meatiness. It's just another way of putting salt into your shake, which while interesting does not live up to the idea.

It being in the city means it's busy as, so if vibe matters to you your mileage may vary.

The price to value ratio is definitely the biggest letdown. The burger scene in the CBD is not so hot, but there are likely much better options in the suburbs nearer to where you live - Rockdale in particular has a whole bunch - not to mention the many BBQ food trucks that will equally scratch the itch for "American". If it's about a city feed, you could get a nice enough plate of pasta, a couple of banh mi, or a bowl with all the toppings at Mappen down the road. The premium goes into the novelty of a new American chain and doesn't translate fully into taste.

Try it once for the experience, then decide what...

🍔 The burger patty lacked seasoning and was tasteless, especially for the price of $19. Additionally, the bread was quite soggy. It might be helpful for Five Guys to consider changing their bread supplier or finding an alternative solution. However, all the other ingredients, such as the pickles, lettuce, mushrooms, and tomatoes, felt fresh and had no issues.

🍟 The large fries were not as crispy as expected, but they were still okay. The portion was decent enough for two people to share, and they cost $10.

🥤 We also tried the banana and chocolate thick shakes, which were pretty good. If you prefer soft drinks, the refill is free.

👨 The customer service was great. The staff were friendly and hardworking. This was the highlight of the experience, big thumbs up for the staff on that day.

What I would suggest to improve the experience is to provide customers with a 'buzzer/alert' device to allow them to take a seat while waiting for their orders. We had to stand waiting for the food for 10-12 minutes, which was a bit inconvenient. Overall, the experience was okay. However, I've been to Five Guys in Dubai before, and I had high expectations for the Sydney CBD store. After this experience, I'm not sure if...