Burger Battle: Five Guys Vs. In-N-Out Vs. Val’s Burgers

A Five Guys location recently opened in Hayward, making it the fourth location in the East Bay.

After dominating the Mid-Atlantic, Five Guys has slowly crept its way west to California, challenging West Coast burger greats like In-N-Out.

From a local perspective, which burger joint reigns supreme?

Two weeks ago, a Five Guys location opened in Hayward on Hesperian Boulevard right by Kennedy Park. Being a newbie to this Virginia-based burger joint, I dragged my brother along to join me on a burger escapade.

Strolling on in, the red and white color layout was strangely reminiscent of In-N-Out’s layout. Aerosmith’s “Crazy” was blasting through the speakers, and peanut shells were strewn across the floor. Five Guys had an undeniably 90s urban feel and look to it.

Compared to In-N-Out, Five Guys boasts larger variety in their menu, offering not only colossal burgers, but hot dogs and sandwiches. The cashier who helped us earnestly explained the whole menu to me at a rehearsed, lightning speed that sounded like a run-on sentence. I defnitely give kudos to her for being able to explain the menu in an impressive 20 seconds. The variety and customization in the menu is deceptively simple, since there are many ways to order your burger, from doing it “all the way,” which includes all the fixings, to adding their plethora of sauces like from A1 Sauce to barbeque sauce.

The bacon burger was indeed colossal with two all-beef patties and two crispy strips of bacon "all the way."

I decided on getting the bacon burger with regular-sized cajun fries, and my brother opted for the little hamburger. After a speedy five minutes, the food was delivered in a large paper bag. Unwrapping this mammoth beauty, I couldn’t wait to dig in. But the verdict: passable. The beef patties, though large, were rather dry. Even with the fresh tomatoes and lettuce, the burger was lacking moisture. The promised smokey flavors were there, but the dryness didn’t bond them together. The cajun fries were slightly redeeming, which had a nice spicy kick in the seasoning.

Five Guys offers a lot more than In-N-Out: more variety in their menu, more customization, and larger burgers. But what it doesn’t have going for it is what has made In-N-Out such a West Coast burger great: simplicity.

Look at how cute they are together.

With a 1-2-3 meal option, it’s far easier to explain In-N-Out’s menu than their East Coast counterparts. And with a secret menu that actually takes some researching to discover, this burger joint has a sort of novelty that’s not easy to wear off. At the location in Union City, I ordered a regular hamburger and their coveted “animal style” fries, which adds on melted American cheese, caramelized onions, and a sauce similar to a Thousand Island dressing. Unlike Five Guys, the burger was conveniently wrapped and ready to eat. The fries, not overseasoned and gave room for the caramelized onions and sauce to shine.

Since 1958, Val's Burgers in Hayward has been serving up one of the Bay Area's most humungous burgers. Photo Courtesy of SF Gate

To put a local twist to this burger comparison, I looked at what else Hayward had to offer in the burger front. That’s when I checked out Val’s Burgers, which is Hayward’s renowned burger joint that’s been open since 1958. And the old-fashioned novelty sure does show. A photograph taken of the diner in 1958 would look virtually the same of a photograph taken now. Though it’s a small, quaint diner, Val’s Burgers offers one of the most titanic-sized burgers in the Bay Area.

The Papa Burger's two half-pound beef patties are surprisingly juicy and fork-tender.

Meet the Papa Burger: two half-pound all-beef patties, four slices of smoked cheddar, mayonnaise and ketchup, all sandwiched in between two plump, naked buns.

Try fitting this sucker into your mouth. It sure was a feat for me, so I resorted to shamefully asking the server for an extra fork and knife. The burger, though the patties were massive, which signals a lack of moisture, was pleasantly quite juicy. The bun, which is usually an afterthought in most burger chains and even some joints, was dense, yet soft. Just be warned: you may want to loosen a couple notches from your belt before you dig in.

The Verdict

Though Five Guys and In-N-Out have their own charms and distinct menu, they don’t outshine the old-fashioned, yet novel nuances of Val’s Burgers. From the Papa Burger to the Mama Burger to the Baby Burger, Val’s creates a simple, cohesive burger offering that is one of the best in the East Bay.

The Fifth Wheel In San Leandro: Serving Up No-Fuss All-American Fare

The Fifth Wheel has been described as a typical “truck stop” restaurant in San Leandro. Serving up all-American fare, this hole-in-the-wall restaurant has attracted a large community of customers in the Bay Area.

After a visit I had with a friend a few days ago, the only caveat to this breakfast joint is that they’re only open until 2:30 p.m., which is bad news for those looking to satiate their breakfast fix later in the day. From country-fried steak to hot-link sausage to a variety of no-frills omelets, the Fifth Wheel offers a large standard American menu packed inside a quaint little diner.

The hole-in-the-wall nature of Fifth Wheel may detract some unfamilar customers. At first glance, the place looks like someone’s home, or even worse, a lumber shop as my friend told me. Just replace the “F” in food with a “W” and there you have it!

But Fifth Wheel isn’t just a little diner; it’s a little diner with a behemoth of a menu: a tasty one that caters to the adventerous and unadventurous eaters. My friend ordered two hot cakes while I ordered their chili and cheese omelet.

With homemade chili, this chili and cheese omelet sure is a winner.

The chili and cheese omelet consisted of homemade chili and melted American cheese. Every omelet is served with a choice of hash-browns, grits, rice, fruit, or cottage cheese, as well as a choice of  one of their artisan bread slices. The omelet I ordered had an overall rustic feel to it. The chili oozed out once I cut into it, which begged to scooped up by the sourdough slices. The chili, mild and hearty, and the egg, soft and slightly undercooked. This made for a pleasant experience at the Fifth Wheel.

Sure, this breakfast joint is one of those unassuming “is-that-even-a-restaurant?” type of places, but once you walk in, you’re immersed in a quaint menu offering that’s just hard to resist.

Just cross your fingers when finding a table!

The Fifth Wheel

898 San Leandro Blvd.

San Leandro, CA 94577

(510) 635-7538

Hours: Monday – Saturday: 6:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Cuisine: American

Price: $

Fresh Pizza Restaurant In San Lorenzo: Pizza With A Filipino Twist

Fresh Pizza Restaurant is a Filipino pizza joint nestled in the small, suburban town of San Lorenzo. Their unique Filipino-inspired pizzas range from their chicken adobo pizza, their sisig pizza, and their “Skooter Mania” pizza, which includes spam and pineapples.

Clancy’s Ice Cream Parlour In San Leandro

Clancy’s Ice Cream Parlour is one of those ice creameries you don’t really see anymore. Its blast-to-the-past vibe is apparent with their unkempt retro styling of Irish decor. From the dusty and peeling shamrock wallpaper to the cold, barred windows, this place doesn’t seem too inviting and definitely shows its 30 years of age. And oddly enough, there were Asian-inspired trinkets like the Welcoming Cat that was overlooking the shop. Sure, the place isn’t well-maintained, but I have to admit: There’s a distinct charm about the shop’s mismatched decor, especially considering all the portraits plastered on the wall of the owner in his glorified army days.

I managed to garner enough courage to step inside the shop despite its odd location and cold appearance. It was located next to a shifty 7-11 in the Manor in San Leandro. And to tell you the truth, I was pleasantly surprised by how inviting it felt inside as one of the workers eagerly guided me through their menu. Clancy’s offers a sweeping 36 flavors that meld traditional flavors with unique, international ones from orange sherbet to ube and macapuno. But when asked if they make their ice cream at the shop, the worker I spoke with brushed off the question.

On my first visit, I decided to go with my Filipino instincts and ordered a pint of ube and macapuno ice cream. The portions were huge to the point it couldn’t fit in a lid. I was impressed by the value of what you get, but the ice cream was standard fare. The ube and macapuno tasted like one of those Magnolia ice creams that come straight out of a container. The ice cream was rather chewy and firm than soft and silky as ice cream should be, but the flavors were on point.

On my second visit, I felt a little more adventurous and ordered the Clancy special. Their special is three behemoths of a scoop of mint chocolate chip, orange sherbet, and vanilla bean. The ice cream is then drizzled with chocolate fudge and a towering cap of whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, and a marachino cherry.

After devoruing spoonfuls of whipped cream and sprinkles, I felt that the flavors of ice cream didn’t compliment each other well when they were separated into layers inside a 32-ounce cup. The orange sherbet’s strong citrus flavor downplayed the soft flavors of the vanilla and mint chocolate chip.

The novelty of going to Clancy’s is still there, since it’s one of the very few locally owned ice cream shops in San Leandro with a 30-year track record under its belt. But with the look of the place and the standard quality of ice cream, Clancy’s seems to be too fixated in the past.

Clancy’s Ice Cream Parlour

1234 Manor Boulevard

San Leandro, CA 94579

(510) 352-5422

Hours: Monday – Thursday: 12:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Friday – Sunday: 12 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Cuisine: Ice cream

Price: $

Union City Street Eats

Funded by the Union City Chamber of Commerce, Union City Street Eats is a food truck gathering that meets up every Thursday evening in Union Landing by the Wal-Mart. If you’d like to see what trucks are scheduled next week, check out their Facebook page.

Kiki’s Konfections: Confections From When You Were A Kid

Located in Fremont's hidden Niles District, Kiki's Konfections offers the gamut of confections, serving sweets from candies to fudge to truffles to bakery goods.

When walking into Kiki’s Konfections, you may want to check your phone’s calendar to make sure you didn’t step into a time portal.

Amidst a pool of derivative bake shops and candy shops, Kiki’s Konfections isn’t just a bakery or a sweets shop, it’s a homage to what candy shops were like way back in the day, offering long-forgotten candies like Boston Baked Beans and Chick-O-Sticks.

When was the last time you saw Boston Baked Beans in a store?

Despite being one of the smallest stores in Fremont’s historic—and did I mention hidden—Niles District, Kiki’s Konfections stays true to its name, offering confections of all sorts from fudge to truffles to candies to bakery goods to, of course, sugar.

“I remember when I was small, a lot of stores had very little space but a whole lot of character,” Vicky, the owner of Kiki’s Konfections, said.

Growing up in the Bay Area, Vicky, who wishes her last name to not be disclosed, made special pies and froze them to later sell to her neighbors. It wasn’t until four years ago when Kiki’s Konfections came about.

Kiki is the face of Kiki's Konfections. She's probably the friendliest clown you'll ever meet.

“When I had a great partner, we wanted to do something different where it wasn’t just about baking,” Vicky said. “But it was about confections, which is a lost art.”

Now the sole owner of Kiki’s Konfections, Vicky explains that confections are basically anything that has to do with sweets from “a baked cookie to a candied apple.”

But Vicky says that the main mystery behind the store that many young customers wonder about is literally staring at them in the face with a vibrant, laminated sheen. That mystery is: Who exactly is Kiki?

Plastered onto a glowing red wall by the counter is a paper cut-out of Kiki, a spiffy clown sporting bubble-gum pink overalls and a party hat with white polka-dots. Kiki was Vicky’s childhood creation. She was a clown that was sweet, friendly, and didn’t have make-up caked onto her face. It really was the Casper equivalent of a friendly clown.

“The whole point in creating Kiki was to make a character that really represented fun, sweetness, innocence and also friendliness,” Vicky said. “This is my rendition of a friendly clown.”

A Taste Of Konfections

The Snickerdoodle muffins were moist to the touch. The frosting added the creaminess and the chocolate caramel ball added the crunch.

When I came in on a Saturday, Vicky was serving the special of the day: snickerdoodle cupcakes. The cupcakes were adorned with a buttercream frosting and a chocolate, caramel-filled ball. Imagine the cinnamon-y taste of a snickerdoodle and combine it with the moistness of a cupcake; that’s exactly what this snickerdoodle cupcake tasted like.

The cupcake held perfectly together when I cut into it, which is a definite indication that the cake had the perfect amount of moisture. The frosting added a creamy, sweet touch while the caramel ball added that crunch.

The lemon lavender cookies had the appropriate hint of lavender without it being too perfume-y.

I also couldn’t help myself in trying Vicky’s lemon lavender cookies. The cookies managed to handle the robust flavor of the lemon and the delicate flavor of the lavender effortlessly. The cookies were crisp on the outside, but moist on the inside. They were lemony without being overwhelming, and lavender-y without being perfume-y. Vicky says that her secret in handling lavender is to not bake with it. To add just the right amount of lavender, she tops the lemon cookie with a delicate coating of lavender sugar.

Just like the old-fashioned candy shops back in the day, Kiki’s Konfections sure packs a lot of character in a space  that’s probably as big as your bedroom.

Doggy-Style Hotdogs In Alameda: Eating Your Dogs In Style!

Located on Alameda's Park Street, Doggy-style Hotdogs provides an interesting twist to the hotdog.

If you haven’t had seaweed on a hotdog yet, you need to try out Doggy-Style Hotdogs in Alameda. This newly opened hotdog shop is nestled inside Alameda’s historic Park Street.

Milton Pang and Mike Pang, an uncle-nephew duo, are the ones who own and run the shop. They take the simple concept of a hotdog and subvert our expectation by adding distinct Asian flavors to some of their original hotdogs like their Dogzilla, which is a bratwurst with teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayo and dried seaweed.

The Dogzilla is all sorts of crazy! The bun, asian slaw and seaweed provide the texture, while the bratwurst, mayo and teriyaki sauce amplify the flavor.

“It’s kinda like a sushi on a bun,” Mike said. “It’s got all the fillings of the sushi, but it’s got the twist of the dog.”

Both owners have been in the restaurant business for many years. According to Milton, their family’s background focused on Chinese cuisine. But when they decided to open up a hotdog shop in Alameda, they wanted to incorporate Asian fusion into the dogs without being passé.

“We try to get away from that sweet and sour stuff like Panda Express,” Milton said. “We spent countless hours in here trying to perfect something.”

The Umai offers a Japanese take on the hotdog with teriyaki sauce, pickled radish and seaweed.

Doggy-Style Hotdogs takes utmost pride in using high quality ingredients from their all-beef, kosher hotdogs all the way down to the bread it comes in. Mike insists that the quality of a hotdog largely depends on how it is prepared.

“When I eat a hotdog, I want it grilled. I want the bun grilled,” Mike said. “A lot of people like that. When you get a steamed bun, it’s all mush.”

Though many of the styles are Asian fusion, their menu also offers more traditional hotdogs, such as the the Chicago dog and the chili dog, which they name the Dirty South.

This is the perfect fusion of the traditional Vietnamese Bahn-Mi with the American hotdog.

During my visit, I got to try three of their original hot dogs: the Dogzilla, the Umai, and the Bahn-Mi. The Dogzilla and Umai offered a Japanese twist to the conventional hotdog, but the definite standout was the Bahn-Mi. This hot dog is an unexpected, but delightful fusion of the traditional Vietnamese Bahn-Mi sandwich with the American hotdog. The pickled carrots, daikon and cilantro add a pleasant cooling effect that offsets the heat from the hotdog. I honestly haven’t come across anything like it, which shows off their testament for providing innovative hotdogs to Alameda.

“The thing about Alameda, it’s very conservative the way I see it. I just want to change it up a little,” Mike said. “I want to bring something to Alameda to change it up, so I thought this would be the best way to do it.”

Whenever you’re in Alameda, check this place out. It’s worthwhile just to stop by and experience an interesting and unique take on the hotdog.

“When you want a hot dog, come over,” Milton said. “It’s doggy-style!”

Doggy-Style Hotdogs

1234 Park Street

Alameda, CA 94501

(510) 521-5555

Hours: Monday – Saturday: 11:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Sunday: 11:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Cuisine: Asian fusion

Price: $ (6 dollars per original hotdog)