Five Guys

American Restaurant in Kingston
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8 / 10 from 1 review
Address
The Rotunda
Clarence Street
Kingston
London
KT1 1QJ
Map
Telephone
020 8541 1527
Cuisine
American
Region
Kingston
Nearest Station
Kingston
0.12 miles

Great burgers, sandwiches, fries and dogs.

There are over 250,000 possible ways to order a burger at Five Guys. They only use fresh roll stamped prime beef.
There are no freezers in Five Guys locations, just coolers.
Nothing is ever frozen.


Mon-Fri:11:00-23:00, Sat-Sun:11:00-23:30, Easter Sunday: Closed

Five Guys Picture Gallery

Five Guys Picture

All In London Review

Young, fun and relaxed.

Review Image
I’m not normally to be found in burger joints. But I made an exception. When I mentioned I was going to Five Guys everyone seemed to know more about the chain than I did – most commented on the long queues outside the Covent Garden branch. But there was almost universal acclaim for the burgers. I was intrigued.

So last night I ventured into the new Kingston store on the ground floor of the Rotunda (opposite the train and bus stations). There was an impressive queue (which moved very fast – and everyone was very jolly as they snacked on the free monkey nuts and weaved around the sacks of potatoes – the signs told us that today they are from Holland) and the place was practically full. Not bad considering it had only been open for five days.

For a Friday evening it was mostly youngsters (teens to twenties) hanging out but I’m told that the place attracts just about everyone – business folk by day, families at the weekend.

The place is vast. And all red and white deconstructed diner. Immaculately scrubbed wood tables – you can choose a booth, a traditional low table or one of the high ones. The rest rooms are super bright and pristine.

Five Guys prides itself on simplicity and freshness. They have no freezers, microwaves or can openers. They cook in peanut oil – I think that means lower cholesterol. And the cooking crew can be clearly seen by everyone. It’s all certified stamped prime fresh beef. The staff are busy but happy.

Most folk opt for the burgers – a cheeseburger is £8 (a little cheeseburger – only one patty – is £5.50). But there are hot, cheese and bacon dogs (from £4.25). There are also veggie sandwiches, cheese veggie sandwiches and grilled cheese. All toppings are free. Some – like my friend - choose to go “all the way” – which means you get mayo, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup and mustard.

Other options include relish, onions, jalapeno peppers, green peppers, HP sauce, BBQ sauce and hot sauce. I had the mushrooms and onions with A1 sauce (this isn’t shown on the menus as there are shipping issues, but the American and Canadian visitors know what to ask for).

The burger was wrapped simply in silver foil. It looked – and tasted – just how you might make a really good burger at home. It was moist, flavoursome and very meaty. Not standardised and gloriously messy to eat. My friend was very impressed with her crispy bacon.

Now the fries are something else. A little fries (£2.75) is a cup that overfloweth. So many of them. And really good. I like to be able to see the potatoes in my fries – and I could. And I thoroughly recommend those dusted in Cajun style spices.

And then there are the unique-to-the-UK soda machines. They only sell regular (£2.50) size – because it’s OK to refill. It’s an experience using the machines if you haven’t tried them in the US or Spain. Touch screen to select your preferred soft drink – Fanta, Coke etc. Then you get another screen with numerous options on your choice. Push for ice. So I went with a diet Cherry Coke. My friend – making a superior choice – had a diet cloudy lemonade. And then returned to try the raspberry version. They sell Budweiser (£3.50) and premium beer (£4.50) too – which is an interesting departure for burger bars.

The walls are covered in signs with US recommendations for the place. The music is distinctly American. It was fun that lots of folk sang along to “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Don’t stop believing”.

State-side there are over 2,000 Five Guy stores. But at the moment there are just a few outlets in the UK – Covent Garden, Guildford, Islington, Lakeside, Uxbridge and Westfield Shepherds Bush. But there will be lots more shortly – judging by the success of these first ventures.

Reviewed by KimT on Apr 2, 2014
Published on Apr 1, 2014


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