Upgrade Your Five Guys Burger By Making It Pittsburgh-Style

It almost feels wrong to order a Five Guys burger without also snagging a side of fries. Getting both might hurt the wallet, considering how expensive Five Guys burgers are, but it's certainly a treat for the tongue. While fries usually act as a side dish, there's another, more creative way to eat them with your Five Guys burger: as a topping, otherwise known as Pittsburgh-style.

The use of french fries as a topping (a simple way to order the best Five Guys burger) is attributed to Pittsburgh thanks to a restaurant called Primanti Bros., which is known for putting french fries (as well as coleslaw) on its sandwiches. According to a fast food fan on Reddit, the trend extends beyond the restaurant to the whole city. They wrote, "You can find any number of knockoffs with fries or chips on the burger."

If you want to try this Five Guys hack for yourself, don't ask the employees to make your sandwich Pittsburgh-style, as they likely won't know what that means, and they don't need more on their plate. Simply order your favorite burger with a side of fries, then add the fries on top once you sit down. Honestly, considering how many of Five Guys' delicious fries it throws in each bag, you'll probably have enough left for a regular side, too.

While a Pittsburgh-style Five Guys burger sounds delicious, keep in mind that some folks on Reddit criticize Primanti's french fry-topped sandwiches for being too large and dry. For those reasons, try ordering a smaller burger (a Little Hamburger from Five Guys only has one patty) and picking fresh, saucy toppings to strike a good balance of wet and dry ingredients. Five Guys also offers two kinds of fries, regular and Cajun. The regular version will give your burger a simple, salty crunch, while the Cajun style will provide a flavorful kick.

Outside of Primanti's, many people enjoy putting french fries on their burgers, with one person writing on Reddit, "I can't eat my burger satisfactorily unless it has fries in it." Another explained, "Freshly fried shoestring potatoes (really, really thin fries) make almost any sandwich or burger even better." On a separate Reddit thread, many listed other chains' burgers that they like to upgrade with fries, including McDonald's, Whataburger, and White Castle. Some even noted they'll put any kind of potato on a sandwich, suggesting hash browns and potato wedges.

If you don't have a Five Guys nearby, you can also try this fry hack at home. Pop some frozen french fries in the oven and add them to your freshly grilled or pan-fried burgers. If you're yearning for the restaurant's iconic flavors, our copycat Five Guys burger and Five Guys Cajun fries recipe may satisfy that desire. All you'll need to complete the meal are some peanuts.