OT: What fast food do you actually find good?
NinaBambina
Who the fuck is Ninabambina?
Sunday, December 5, 2021 3:19 PM
I'm talking about real fast food, not places like Starbucks just because they may have a drive thru.
I typically hate fast food (haven't had a burger from McDonalds in over a decade) and don't usually eat it, but lately I've had cravings for fast food and been in situations where there is something I've never tried and decided to try it. This recent list includes:
Chick Fil A - had never had it before so my boyfriend took me there. Honestly not bad at all, actually pretty good. And now I have found out that they sell their sauce in other stores so my bf and I always keep a bottle in the fridge.
Raising Canes - this is a chicken fingers spot and that's pretty much it. A typical meal comes with chicken strips, fries, bread, and cole slaw with a side of their signature sauce. I'm not huge on chicken strips, but I enjoyed this place. We don't have it where I am from, but where my bf lives there are several locations and if we are looking for a quick meal I'm down for it. Also, good sauce.
In N Out - (Cali / west coast thing) Went there for the first time last month when I was in Cali. Got a signature cheeseburger with regular fries. It was good. Will return!
Popeyes - Another place I probably hadn't eaten at since I was a teenager, but last week I decided to be a thot and try to Megan Thee Stallion hottie sandwich. I got the combo with mashed potatoes instead of fries, and added a side of red beans and rice. IT WAS ACTUALLY DELICIOUS. I went back for more the next day.
Culvers - (midwest thing) tried it for the first time a few weeks ago because they just seem fresher than the leading fast food restaurants. Was pretty decent and their ice cream / custard / milkshakes are pretty good too, but I'm not as sold on the place as much as I was the others. I haven't tried any meal besides a burger, though. I have to say that their burger can compete with In N Out's, but I'd have to try In N Out again to give a proper side by side.
Still can't bring myself to eat meat from McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, etc.
Side note: I really can't wait to try Jollibee, the Filipino fast food spot.
I typically hate fast food (haven't had a burger from McDonalds in over a decade) and don't usually eat it, but lately I've had cravings for fast food and been in situations where there is something I've never tried and decided to try it. This recent list includes:
Chick Fil A - had never had it before so my boyfriend took me there. Honestly not bad at all, actually pretty good. And now I have found out that they sell their sauce in other stores so my bf and I always keep a bottle in the fridge.
Raising Canes - this is a chicken fingers spot and that's pretty much it. A typical meal comes with chicken strips, fries, bread, and cole slaw with a side of their signature sauce. I'm not huge on chicken strips, but I enjoyed this place. We don't have it where I am from, but where my bf lives there are several locations and if we are looking for a quick meal I'm down for it. Also, good sauce.
In N Out - (Cali / west coast thing) Went there for the first time last month when I was in Cali. Got a signature cheeseburger with regular fries. It was good. Will return!
Popeyes - Another place I probably hadn't eaten at since I was a teenager, but last week I decided to be a thot and try to Megan Thee Stallion hottie sandwich. I got the combo with mashed potatoes instead of fries, and added a side of red beans and rice. IT WAS ACTUALLY DELICIOUS. I went back for more the next day.
Culvers - (midwest thing) tried it for the first time a few weeks ago because they just seem fresher than the leading fast food restaurants. Was pretty decent and their ice cream / custard / milkshakes are pretty good too, but I'm not as sold on the place as much as I was the others. I haven't tried any meal besides a burger, though. I have to say that their burger can compete with In N Out's, but I'd have to try In N Out again to give a proper side by side.
Still can't bring myself to eat meat from McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, etc.
Side note: I really can't wait to try Jollibee, the Filipino fast food spot.
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108 comments
I"m not sure it's fast food, but I like Five Guys Burgers. Love their fries. I try not to eat too much as they give you a bunch.
And I will occasionally run for the border. I love Taco Bell tacos.
Also love Bo Jangles which is in North Carolina primarily.
And Jollibee is in the US? Holy shit! I used to go there whenever I was in the Philippines and it was always packed. I have a step uncle that ran one. Good stuff. Definitely check one out if you have one close by. Have some longanisa for me!
Too greasy and it offends my palate I’ll get a coffee in McDonald’s but that’s it for me
I love the taste of Taco Bell but their meat seems so fake, I haven't had anything from there with meat in it since I was 18 or so. I did get some chalupas last month subbing blackbeans for meat and it was good. Also really like their fiesta potatoes.
I’m not big fast food guy either but for some reason I was just craving Burger King last night. Hit the spot. After breakfast eat better than McDonald’s. All these places can have some good coupons too I always check online now before I go.
In N Out I wrote about it before but I used to think it was kinda overrated. But then I started getting double double without lettuce tomato. Do the fried onions thing. That is one good ass burger shit. It’s like some gooey, cheesey, orb of meat. Delicious now I get it.
KFC is better than Popeyes IMO I know despite Popeis being the shizna
Culver’s I just get those cheese curds but other than that eh
Raising Caines and Chik fil A. There’s like two things on the menu. And cars for Chic fil a wrapped around the building twice, next.
Is shake shack fast food? It’s pretty fucking good but a bit pricier.
Taco Bell can be pretty clutch after a strip club visit. It’s all the same shit I just French whatever I’m getting in fire sauce
"KFC is better than Popeyes IMO I know despite Popeis being the shizna"
^^^No way. The last two times I ate KFC I threw up after. Lol.
Unless you’re watching calories, get the frozen custard. It rivals any any high end ice cream shoppe.
As far as real "fast food," I love the occasional Wendy's spicy chicken and frosty, that's about all.
And FYI Filipino noodles are called 'pancit'. Lo mein is Chinese. Doubtful you'll find that in a Jollibee. If you don't try the spaghetti try the pancit. They should have that.
Isn't it super sweet with hot dogs in it? Not my style but when I go there I will try it anyway. I will get almost everything on the menu. I already know I want to try:
-spicy chicken
-spicy chicken sandwich
-cheeseburger
-white rice with the gravy they give you with the chicken
-adobo rice
-that pancit dish whose name I think is Palabok? Looks strange But I like pancit, not too fond of eating shrimp at a fast food joint but I'll try it although I think I'd like it better as just the pancit noodles and the sauce lol.
-spaghetti just because it's a signature item and it won't hurt to try.
-peach mango pie
-Halo-halo! Sooo excited to try it.
Skibum - I thought the general consensus among fast foodies was the Jack in the Box is lower tier?
“As far as real "fast food," I love the occasional Wendy's spicy chicken”
I used to be able to handle some spice, but I guess I’m getting too damn old. Last time I ordered a regular chicken they gave my spicy chicken by mistake. My tongue burned for 30 minutes.
Not gonna lie, it was tasty when I had it. I got the spicy chicken sandwich with mac n cheese. I will go back when the line gets shorter lol. For now I will just use their sauce, I'm SO glad they bottled it up and sold it.
When I absolutely must east fast food, I'm looking for a Subway or Arby's, where I can see that I'm getting real sliced meat, even if it has been over-processed. The buffalo chicken sandwich at Arby's is also surprisingly good.
In a pinch I'll hit a Chik-Fil-A because they do a decent job on the chicken, but the biscuits and buns they serve it on are way too damned sweet. I also don't like their fries as much since they stopped cooking them in peanut oil.
If I have time and can find one, Five Guys is a decent option. I don't eat their fries, but the burgers are decent, especially since I can custom order the toppings. I like eating the shelled peanuts while I wait for my custom loaded double decker burger to come out.
The thing with fries is, there's that narrow window after they get cool enough to eat where they're really good. I usually avoid the gamble and don't get them.
Biscuitville is the best breakfast by far. McD's sauasage egg mcmuffins and breakfast burritos are decent.
Hardee's in my favorite major-chain burger. But if I can find a Cookout, I'll kick Hardee's to the curb. Jack-n-the-Box I think is similar to Hardees, but been many years since I was near one.
Wendy's is up there too. McD's doubles/quarterpounder with cheese are good, but the bread-to-burger ratio for the McD's regular cheeseburger is too high.
+1 for Bojanges. Fast food chicken is generally good, as long as it's not ground.
Subway (fast food subs generally) are good for something relatively healthy, and the bread is well above fast food average.
I'll do Taco Bell for convenience, since no chain seems to be able to do justice to tacos al pastor/arabes. I also like tacos arabes with tzatziki sauce aka gyros.
Not wanting to be an even fatter fat fuck, I mostly do salads now. Hit Moe's Southwest at least once a week generally.
My next Chick Fil A order will be a spicy chicken sandwich, the torilla soup, and either the mac n cheese or the fries.
You mean a Royale with cheese?
(Lol)
(Fun fact: spaghetti is always offered in McDonald's in the Philippines...pinoys love their noodles.)
Yeah palabok is the pancit style with shrimp sauce. I like the pancit hab hab and lug lug styles better. Hab hab to me is the basic style. All are good though.
(Fun fact: pancit roughly translates to 'fast food'. It's the original!)
And to me you can't go wrong with the adobo rice and halo halo. 👍👍
And yeah I remember you are part Filipina. Pinay Power! ✊
My favorite fast food place is not a chain and isn't really considered a fast food place but it is. A BBQ restaurant in Griffin GA. Bubba267 and myself ate lunch there last week. We ordered ribs, beans, fries and corn bread along with cokes to drink. Not only was the food very good but was on our table in about 5 minutes.
Had tried it and wasn’t impressed at all, so I’ve never been. Though that is probably more a testament to quality of the local Filipino restaurant/grocery store businesses around the city more than it is about Jollibee.
(I didn’t realize how good the Filipino food is in central Texas until I tried out something from Portland from a food truck. That was super gross and I threw out most of it into the garbage)
Aw thank you. I'm very fond of Filipino culture.
At In-n-Out you gotta get your burgers 'animal style' @Jascoi
And Hardee's old school Big Deluxe beat the Big Mac all day long back in the day.
I like in n out, smash burger
Well yeah but this is a fast food thread. I can get a much better burger at a gourmet restaurant than the places listed, too.
Bojangles is fave over KFC and Popeyes, better and more consistent sides there.
For Subs, favor Publix and Safeway Delis. If time is pressing, Quiznos slight edge over Subway, would take either without a second thought.
My favorite breakfast is Chick-fil-a, even their non-chicken menu items are the best.
Culver's wins burgers hands-down. Five Guys is the most overrated, and amongst the worst - I would take a McDonald's or Burger King sandwich over them any day. I've never had In-n-Out or Whataburger though.
I haven't had a Sonic item or Jack-in-the-Box since sometime before 2012. I've just never been around one since.
Taco Bell used to my favorite place to hit after a night out for the munchies; but then something changed overnight. They started putting less stuffing in their shells, the quality nose-dived, and it was no longer worth the effort.
However, nothing I have written applies today. The Brandon malaise and unemployment crisis has left so many restaurants short-handed that they are cutting every corner just to keep the lights on. Even the managers are amongst the biggest fucking idiots they can find on the street. I cannot trust that proper food handling, safety, and sanitation procedures are being observed.
I write this as a guy whose job used to be systems and operations improvement in underperforming restaurants.
Jack in the Box:
Bacon ultimate cheeseburger
Meaty breakfast burrito
Taco Bell
Chicken quesadilla and taco supremes
Filiberto's / Roliberto's / Erinerto's (etc):
Steak, egg, and cheese burrito
Not into sandwich places anymore. They're too expensive for what they are now
The one that hasn't been mentioned, and I'm almost embarrassed to admit, is Panda Express. As far as fast food goes, their fried rice is good, the teriyaki chicken is good, the black pepper chicken is good... I'd usually rather pick a hole-in-the-wall Mexican place over fast food, but when I get a craving for fast food, Panda Express and their greasy salty Chinese is the most common
If sandwich places count as fast food, it's Jersey Mike's, far and away the best I've tried as far as chain sandwich restaurants.
Those are nor gourmet places.
For fast food soups, salads & sandwiches, my go to is Panera Bread. The food is pretty good. And especially pre COVID, I liked sitting in the restaurant and eating with real metal utensils. It’s seems a minor thing, but it feels much more civilized.
I’m also starting those high temp pizza oven where they exclusively prepare individual size pizzas to your spec as higher-end fast food. Similar price point and only 3-4 minute longer wait. Seems to be a lot of small chains out there. I suspect there will be some consolidation in that particular market at some point.
I like hard shell beef tacos from Del Taco, but everything else on their menu sucks.
I would consider Panera fast food and most of their stuff is decent.
There was a drive-thru place when I was in college... Fazzoli's. I loved that place. When you're 22 and want lasagna quickly, $7 is awesome.
Last month, a coworker from Wisconsin was wanting to go to Weinerschnitzel in the worst way while we were in the SF area.
Been to both on other trips but had no lasting memories of either.
These days I ❤ me some Tropical Smoothie Cafe...I think that counts, right? This thread is making me HUNGRY! I def see some TSC in my near future! 😋
I also can't help myself when the McRib comes around but I find myself getting fewer and fewer each year.
But, I’ve had Chik fil a a few times in the past year, and it’s pretty good.
I’ve also had the roast beef sandwich from Arby’s and it’s decent too.
Shake Shack is ok food too.
I agree about the salty and oily nature of Five Guys fries. I haven’t eaten there in several years, but I remember the greasy fries.
If Panera counts, their food isn’t bad at all.
Does Boston Market count? If so, I don’t mind it at all.
Chick-fil-A: Fuck Chick-fil-A. Nothing. Everything I've ever tried there is shit.
Popeye's: Any of the spicy chicken stuff. The fish is surprisingly good, but expensive compared to the other stuff.
Wendy's: The Spicy Chicken Asiago sandwich is pretty good.
Five Guys: The burgers are great. As others have noted, the fries, not so much.
Arby's: The curly fries are great, the roast beef is OK. The Reuben sandwich *tastes* good, but it's not actually a Reuben. The sandwich should be grilled after assembly. I understand why they don't do it, but that's the way it should be done.
Joella's (not sure how widespread it is): OMFG, their chicken is fire, literally and figuratively. It's soooo good, but if you can't handle hot, don't go there.
Indi's (local chicken place): Another one that's bloody awesome. Better than Popeye's and Bojangles, totally outclasses KFC.
White Castle: Their cheese sticks are yummy.
Qdoba: A custom built burrito bowl? What's not to love?
Why so confrontational? "do they exist?" Of course they exist.
Locally, Mussel and Burger Bar makes a fantastic burger. They source the beef from a local farmer who Belties that are 95% (? he told me once, but I forget the precise figure) grass fed, and finished on corn. I buy from the farmer regularly; really tasty beef.
Only two months on the board and he is number 23 with a bullet on the top 40.
Um, by any measure?
Enough.
I'll settle for some Thai today before work though.
As for Cheesecake Factory being counted as "gourmet", what drugs are those who think that taking? High prices do not automatically make a place gourmet.
^^^ @Nina you make me think of a different kind of sandwich when you call it a 'hottie' sandwich. It entails two strippers, myself, a pickle, and special sauce. Sorry for OT but I couldn't help it. It's a strip club website. 🤷
YES!!! The spicy chicken sandwich at Popeyes is so good. With the pickles and spicy sauce it's yummy.
I have not tried it yet but I thought I saw a ghost pepper spicy chicken sandwich at Burger King as a new item. I will be trying it soon.
The one thing I’m jealous of the Deep South for is all their fast food hibachi grills. Shit hasn’t caught on in the west
Yeah I saw a Hibachi food truck last time I was in LA. Didn't get a chance to try it though.
SJG
https://www.scrapehero.com/location-repo…
Never heard of the chain before. Thanks to Daddilac for posting the link.
SJG
:) :) :)
SJG