Five Guys (Oshtemo)
5153 W. Main StreetThis is dangerous. Super dangerous.
Kalamazoo got it’s second Five Guys location and it’s close to home for me. I get the craving all the time for a greasy burger and fries but Portage is too far to go for lunch. I don’t have that problem anymore. Five Guys decided to open on the west side.
Kalamazoo’s second Five Guys location is on West Main near Drake Road. It’s in some new construction in front of Kohls right next to Panera Bread. The building was built in what used to be a parking lot between Panera and the Shell station. The building has space for three business and all of them will be restaurants. Jimmy Johns and Kelvin & Company will join this Five Guys.
It took me three days to make it to this location. I always assumed I’d be one of the first in line but I actually waited. I surprise myself sometimes.
The layout of Five Guys shouldn’t be new to anyone who has ever eaten fast food before. The decor is a red and white checkerboard throughout the space then quotes from newspapers and “Best of” lists hanging on the walls. The order counter is closer to the front door in this one than it is in Portage. There are two registers with the menu board hanging above them.
The path back to the order counter is lined with large bags of fresh potatoes. There’s a sign on the wall near the order counter that tells you were today’s potatoes come from. Spoiler alert, it’s somewhere in Idaho.
The dining room is a mixture of high pub tables and lower four tops. There are more of the larger tables than there are smaller. There really isn’t many places to stand and wait for your food though. The space between the pick up counter and the soda machine is a hallway to the restrooms and there seemed to be a lot of employees coming out of the kitchen there too. It’s kind of a dance to stay out of the way until your number is called.
The great thing about Five Guys is everything is made fresh while you wait. The burger patties are placed on a flat top grill and pounded flat while the fries are cut and put through several steps of frying to get that delicious golden brown exterior and soft, fluffy interior. Sandwiches are assembled via an assembly line that finishes with a wrap in aluminum foil and tossed into a white paper bag. All of the process is visible from the pick up counter.
I put in my usual order for a Bacon Cheeseburger with BBQ sauce and Jalapenos plus a regular order of fries. The meal, without a drink, set me back a little over $12. Five Guys isn’t cheap but it’s so delicious. When I started this blog by saying it was dangerous I meant both for my arteries and my wallet.
I started with the fries in the car. There really are no better fries from a fast casual or fast food restaurant anywhere. The regular fries always have a crispy, golden brown outside with a steamy, fluffy interior. Just like Penn Station, I could make a meal out of nothing bug fries at Five Guys.
The burgers are also some of my favorite. The Bacon Cheeseburger comes with two greasy, flattened burger patties topped with cheese, BBQ sauce and jalapeno slices. The bread is a simple sesame seed white bun that is specially made for Five Guys. It’s not a gourmet burger from a sports bar or anything but it is a delicious burger that I crave anytime I want something fast and greasy…..which is often.
It’s going to take some willpower to keep me away from this Five Guys. There are a lot of fast casual options in Oshtemo Township with more coming in everyday, but it’s the simple, yet delicious classic option of a burger and fries from this East Coast chain that I constantly crave.
SW Michigan Dining 