Restaurant Name: Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Location: 135 S. Chanucey Avenue, West Lafayette, IN (map it)

Phone: 763-743-3100

Cuisine: American

Review: There has been a lot of hype around the addition of Five Guys to Chauncey Mall. Everyone I know that had been to one somewhere raved about it so I was pretty stoked when my husband suggested we go there for lunch the other day. It was during the winter break at Purdue, so we were lucky that it wasn’t too crazy over near campus.

We got good parking and it didn’t appear too crazy, but once we got inside, the place was PACKED. By the time we ordered, there was only one table left in the restaurant. I could not believe it was so incredibly full this soon after opening. Wow.

As for the menu,  it is as it states in the name, almost exclusively burgers and fries. They have a burger menu, a little burger menu, and fries. Coke products for drinks. You order at the register up front, then wait for your order at the other end of the counter. It’s self serve for drinks, etc.

When you order, you tell them everything you want on your burger – they have a big sign that all toppings are free. Heh. I figured I’d go simple, just a cheeseburger and fries. The cashier was very helpful in alerting us to the fact that the regular order of fries will feed 2-3 people. I wish she had been as helpful when ordering burgers, because mine was HUGE.

So onto the food. There are burgers and little burgers. The difference, apparently, is that the burgers have two meat patties and the little burgers only have one. As you can see from the picture above, the burger, was quite large. Way bigger than I needed, so I know for future reference, get the little burger.

All burgers are cooked well done, you don’t get to choose. One of the things my husband liked most about the burger was that the bun wasn’t huge. We’ve eaten at burger places where you have some meat, toppings, and then 17 pounds of bread surrounding it. This had the appropriate amount of bun.

And it was good. Really good. I said as much after my first couple of bites to my husband, then paused and said, “Does it remind you a little of Wendy’s hamburgers?” He agreed that it did. I’m not saying it’s the same as a Wendy’s burger. I’m just saying that there was something about the flavor that was similar. This was definitely a better burger, but there was something about it familiar too.

The fries were also very good, and the portion was way more than any one person should need.

This is going to be a neat addition to West Lafayette, and if the day I went is any judge, they shouldn’t have any problem staying in business! It’s definitely fast food, nothing fancy or elaborate, but if you are in the mood for a good burger, this is the spot. It definitely beats out AJ Burgers and Beef and Scotty’s Brewhouse as well, as far as burgers go.

Kid friendly: yes.

Restaurant Name: Scotty’s Brewhouse

Location: 352 E State St. West Lafayette, IN (map it)

Phone: (765) 746-3131

Cuisine:  American

Review:  This doesn’t often happen to me, but I had a craving for a cheeseburger so we headed out to Scotty’s Brewhouse. Scotty’s is an Indiana chain that has really done well. It started in Bloomington at IU, and then proceeded to open locations in other Indiana college towns including Lafayette and Muncie. They’ve evan branched out to Indianapolis now.

They’ve got a great location in Wabash Landing, right across from Borders. The set up is very pub like with high tables and a big bar in the center. Don’t let the name fool you, they are very kid friendly. Plenty of high chairs and booster, an extensive kids’ menu including noodles, chicken fingers, corn dogs, and macaroni and cheese to name a few. Crayons too. My kids love it there.

The menu is pretty extensive and is available online. You can also order online for pick up. I’ve never done that, but I generally like online services. You know, because I’m a geek.

The food is kind of hit or miss. I wasn’t ecstatic about my burger to be honest, but that could be because I was overly romanticizing it in my head. The waffle fries are great and I’ve had some good wraps there too. I didn’t care for the grilled cheese when I had it, but I have really enjoyed their soups. I really think there is something for everyone here. They also have a full bar with lots of beer on tap.

I’ve always had very good service at Scotty’s and I think they do a good job of training their staff. The food generally comes out pretty quickly as well, which keeps the kiddos happy. Definitely a hot spot for the 20-something crowd, but pleasant for those of us of other ages as well.

Kid friendly: Yes.

Methods of payment: Cash or credit.

Price Range: Varies – around $8 – $13 per entrée.

Restaurant Name: Hunter’s Pub

Location: 3239 Daugherty Dr. Lafayette IN (map it)

Telephone: 765-474-8060

Hours: Sun-Thur 11a to Midnight, Fri-Sat 11a to 3a

Cuisine: American

Review: As I write this, I am aware that Hunter’s Pub has three locations.  This review is only for the south side location near 350 S and Concord Road.  I had the pleasure of dining here this evening with several friends and found it quite enjoyable.

It was a lot nicer inside than I expected, with both a big bar and a big menu.  In fact, the menus were so extensive that it took me a little time to choose what I wanted.  Everything you could possibly want from burgers to wraps to salads and soups and dinner entrées too.

The restaurant was not too busy but also not empty.  Our server was readily available – constantly checking to see if we were ready to order or needed our drinks refilled, but not overbearing or rude.  Our drinks and food came out quickly.

And the best part, the food was great!  I ordered a chicken caesar wrap with onion rings and I am pretty particular about my onion rings.  Don’t even get me started on the ones at BW3, but these were fantastic.  The wrap was huge, I could only eat half, but really, really good.  All my friends raved about their dinners, and we were all really happy with our service.

After dinner, we asked about dessert and they had several options.  No one opted to have any, but several of us ordered some decaf, and I was surprised at how fast they got our coffee out to us at 8:30 at night.  It was really pretty good coffee too.

Overall, I had an excellent experience at this location.  I have attempted to eat at the downtown location, but the smoke was so thick we couldn’t stay but this location is smoke free inside, which was quite nice.

Kid friendly: Yes (they have a good kids’ menu)

Methods of payment: Cash or credit.