For a while now I've been wanting to rank my top five favorite burger places in the greater-southwestern-suburbs-of-Kansas City-of-Johnson-County. Obviously, an extremely prestige list to be a part of! Without further ado, here we go!
To make this list, each place will be graded on three different criteria: Taste, Fries, Price. The highest average score will obviously top the list. Each grade will be given on a 1-10 scale, with 10 being high.
5. Hardees - 8.0/10 (Taste: 8.1, Fries: 8.1, Price: 7.7)
Now, I know you're saying, "but Hardees is a chain, and I can get those burgers anywhere." Yeah, well if you haven't had their Thickburgers before, you should treat yourself sometime. Along with the wonderful Thickburgers, the curly fries at Hardee's are wonderful as well. Considering these are both found at a fast food joint, the price is decent. Granted it will probably be one of the more expensive "fastfood burgers" you'll ever eat. Plus, their commercials are pretty much spectacular.
4. Fox and Hound - 8.1/10 (Taste: 9.2, Fries: 7.5, Price: 7.5)
Perhaps not as well known for their burgers, the Fox and Hound surprised me when I ordered my burger there. Great taste, super soft bun, served with your typical bar fries. Decently priced as well. Located in Overland Park, KS.
3. Austin's Bar and Grill - 8.2 (Taste: 8.8, Fries: 8.2, Price: 7.7)
Austin's in Olathe, and now Gardner, offer some tasty options for your burger pleasure. One nice thing about Austin's is that each burger come's plain. It's up to you to dress it how you want at the condiment bar. Fries were crispy and seasoned well.
2. Wendy's - 8.3/10 (Taste: 8.9, Fries: 8.1, Price: 8.0)
If you know me well at all, you know that my favorite fast food restaurant of all time is Wendy's. There are few things in this world that can top a nice Classic Double with Cheese with all the toppings. There is just something about those fresh, cooked to order, square burger patties. Wendy's fries are fantastic in their own right as well! I know I'm not the only one out there who loves to dip those fries in a nice cold Frosty! The best thing about Wendy's is that if you are looking for something other than a burger, you can always fall back on their wonderful Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Although their prices have gone up over the last couple of years, it's still a pretty cheap option for a great burger and fries.
1. Five Guys Burgers and Fries - 8.7 (Taste: 9.5, Fries: 9.0, Price: 7.5)
If you have not tried Five Guys before, do youself a favor and run, DON'T WALK, to your nearest FGBF and join the club. This place will never wow you as far as looks or decor goes, but the food will keep you coming back for more. For starters, the burgers are awesome. The menu is very simple too. Basically, you order your burger, then you can choose which toppings you want on it. Get as many or as few as you want for no extra cost! If you order fries, you better hope you have someone there to help you eat them. If you watch the guys scooping the fries, you will notice that they fill up your cup of fries, and then fill up a second little boat container full of fries, and dump that in you bag on top of everything else. Awesome! To top that all off, you can even choose between regular and cajun fries. Both of which are very tasty. The price appears really nice at first, but when you are ordering everything seperate, it adds up quickly. But, it is still pretty reasonably priced in my opinion. Having a FGBF within walking distance of our apartment was probably the one and only regret I have about moving to our house earlier this year.
Honerable Mention:
Red Robin - If I was only voting on burgers alone, Red Robin probably would have made the top five. However, taking into consideration the fries and price kept it out. The fries, eventhough they are "all you can eat" are average at best. I also think RR is one of the more overpriced burger places out there. However, they have a wide variety of toppings and flavors abailable.
Winsteads - Great place to go for a nice steakburger and a shake! The fries are your standard crinkle cut variety, if memery serves me right.
Smash Burger - Good burgers. GREAT fries. Higher price tag. This place would have scored very high marks if their portions matched some of the other places. The smashfries are tossed in rosemarie, olive oil, and garlic. They are wonderful, but you only get a handful with your burger. In order to match the portions that Five Guys gives you, you'd be spending quite a bit more!
Culvers - Another great fastfood burger. The classic Butter Burger is always a great choice. They serve classic crinkle cut fries which are good, but nothing to write home about.
Blanc Burgers and Bottles - I have not eaten here yet, but I've heard great things. My brother-in-law says this place is pretty legit and always recommends that we go. Looks a little pricey for a burger joint, but the variety in the menu has me wanting to try it!
