OT: What fast food do you actually find good?

If I'm gonna eat breakfast, I love Burger King's Ham & Cheese Croussandwich.

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.

@Nina I'm with you all the way with Popeyes and Culver's. The spicy chicken sandwich at the former and the butter burgers, fries, and frozen custard at the latter are THE BOMB.

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!

I quit eating fast food about 20 years ago occasionally I’ll stop in McDonalds with the kids cause that’s what they want, the food is completely unappetizing to me, last year we stopped at a White Castle when we were up north for a few days, I used to like to get a big bag of food late at night, sad to say I took a bite of a hamburger I hated it, I’m done eating that stuff lol Too greasy and it offends my palate I’ll get a coffee in McDonald’s but that’s it for me

Yeah I'll count Five Guys lol. They're decent but I don't like the fries - they're always so greasy!

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.

Jolibee looks fucking awful. Asian spaghetti? Just no. Come back to me with Lo Mein

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

Sirlapdancealot - Yes! As far as I know Jollibee in the US is mostly west coast, but they even have one in the midwest in CHI. I have to go!

Five guys. Don’t get salt on those fries too God damn salty.

Muddy - the spaghetti is actually the one thing I know I won't like. I'll try their chicken, chicken sandwiches, burgers, and all the sides as well as their two main desserts.

"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.

Culver’s is definitely a step above the big 3 fast food places. At times it’s definitely not “fast”. When the dining room was closed during the pandemic, I once waited 45 minutes in the drive thru.

Unless you’re watching calories, get the frozen custard. It rivals any any high end ice cream shoppe.

Chipotle or Subway, because I can customize the meal to whatever I'm in the mood for at the time.

As far as real "fast food," I love the occasional Wendy's spicy chicken and frosty, that's about all.

@Muddy you are missing out on the spaghetti at Jollibee it's Filipino style for sure...not quite the same but good in it's own way.

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.

I LOVE PANCIT!

Sounds like someone’s preggers! Next comes the pickles and ice cream take out.

No matter what anyone says 3 tacos, order of onion rings and a chocolate shake at Jack in a box, is the only fast food meal I actually look forward to. I won't make it to my hotel in Vegas if there is a J in the b on the way.

"@Muddy you are missing out on the spaghetti at Jollibee it's Filipino style for sure...not quite the same but good in it's own way."

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.

Meat72 - I'm not pregnant lol, but we may start trying next year.

Skibum - I thought the general consensus among fast foodies was the Jack in the Box is lower tier?

Chik-Fil-A. The others aren't even close.

Regarding Jollibee, my stepmom is Filipino, raised in the Phillipines, and raves about it. She loves that place.

“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.

"Chik-Fil-A. The others aren't even close."

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.

Motorhead - I hope that doesn't happen to me as I get older. I love spice. It's a part of who I am.

*drench not french

Jack in the box those burritos I always thought were good as fuck. You wouldn’t think so but I just like them. Breakfast burrito.

I can't get myself to eat most of the stuff mentioned in this thread, at least not anymore. I'm just too spoiled.

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.

On Chik-Fil-A, the tortilla soup is to kill for. It's a seasonally thing, but they are selling it again now, at least in my area.

Being a food hoe as well as a just plain hoe, I like a lot of it.

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.

"On Chik-Fil-A, the tortilla soup is to kill for. It's a seasonally thing, but they are selling it again now, at least in my area."

My next Chick Fil A order will be a spicy chicken sandwich, the torilla soup, and either the mac n cheese or the fries.

"quarterpounder with cheese are good,"

You mean a Royale with cheese?

(Lol)

@Nina yeah Filipino style spaghetti is sweeter than traditional. Not sure on the meat but I could see hot dogs used in it.

(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! ✊

@ilbb I thought Hardee's got bought out by Carl's Jr. They still exist? In my hometown growing up in Missouri I loved Hardee's. We also had a McDonald's in town but Hardee's was better in every way.

Fun fact: Jersey Mike’s and Subway are both rated shit! Make your own sammich bitch!

Sirlapdancealot - I'm actually not Filipina! My younger siblings are half and my stepmom is Filipina, so I was raised in the Filipino church and raised around that culture so yeah, Pinay power! (I think nicespice is actually half)

in-n-out burger ‘animal style’. one of my top ten.

@SirLapdacealot There are lots of Hardees in the Southeast. I think maybe Hardees, Carl Jrs., and Jack-in-the-box may all be owned by the same company, just different brands now.

Yes. Carl's Jr. did buy out Hardee's but have still not integrated their restaurants. There is still a Hardee's in my small town. when I first moved to GA the small town that I lived in only had 4 places where you could get anything to eat. One was a Hardee's. A couple of years later McDonald's opened right next door. Within 6 months Hardee's was gone. I don't like either one.

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.

Interesting. I know Jollibee came to San Antonio about a year ago. My mom 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)

I forgot about Hardee’s. I thought they were decent but haven’t been to one in over 20 years

@Nina my bad you did say STEPmom. And it was a long time since you, nicespice, and I talked about our backgrounds, so I forgot the details. But you're still honorary in my book, knowing the culture and food so well. If I remember right you know a lot about it.

Seems like a lot of people, both bubba and anti-bubba, see Hardee burgers and the #1 bubba burgers, so that may be why that brand focuses on the Southeast aka Bubbaland.

The name In-And-Out Burger always makes me think of A Clockwork Orange. I hear their burgers are horror show.

@nicespice good Filipino food is very hard to find. Daly City and parts of LA has it but Portland not so much. I'm surprised at what you said about it in central Texas. Never would've thought that.

Thankfully I have a few asian markets near me, and I also have one specifically Filipino market that has delicious hot food cooked fresh daily. Omg. So good. They also have my fave, the Lucky Me! Isntant Pancit Canton, it confuses me because it doesn't look like pancit, looks like Ramen but with no broth, and way better than actual Ramen. Been eating it since I was a kid. Ok, sorry for the OT post!

"Nina my bad you did say STEPmom. And it was a long time since you, nicespice, and I talked about our backgrounds, so I forgot the details. But you're still honorary in my book, knowing the culture and food so well. If I remember right you know a lot about it."

Aw thank you. I'm very fond of Filipino culture.

And ofcourse, variance in location is a thing. One buddy told me about a Taco Bell in El Paso was staffed by a bunch of Mexican grandmas and grandpas for whatever reason instead of the usual stoned as fuck 16 year olds. I’ll be damned if that wasn’t the best damn Taco Bell I’ve ever had. You know when those Taco Bell grandmas went home they were making that good shit there too.

My favorite tends to be the regional chains. Like Braum’s in North Texas/Oklahoma/Kansas. Taco Cabana in Texas. Good Times in Colorado/Wyoming. I think it’s easier for them to keep higher quality in their supply chain maybe?

@Nina pancit canton is still legit. Just a different style. Still dee-lish And in my book pancit is fast food so not OT.

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.

There's a Jollibee opening up near me but construction isn't starting until middle of next year. 🙄

I used to like Jollibees but they changed their buns a few years back. I used to like the super yum burger. Their chicken is good when it's fresh. Not a fan of the gravy or sides. And you should try palabok at a regular restaurant and compare. Jollibees is to palabok what maruchan is to a Ramen place.

I like in n out, smash burger

"And you should try palabok at a regular restaurant and compare. Jollibees is to palabok what maruchan is to a Ramen place."

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.

But when it's your intro to an ethnic dish don't let a fast food variety be your benchmark

I've been eating Filipino food since I was a little kid. Jollibee isn't my benchmark. Let's stay on topic.

I’m lucky (I guess) to have a Chick Fil A and 5 guys burgers around the corner from me. I like them both. Also a Panera’s which is pretty good too. Yeah, I get too much take out.

Agree with others about Chick Fil A, as do many other freeway exit patrons. That's a downside for me when I'm on a long trip, otherwise, Wendy's Chicken sandwiches a reasonable alternative.

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.

Raisin Cane's has the best chicken fingers, but their menu is too limited so I would go with Popeye's for best fast food chicken.

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.

Publix is excellent, I don't think of them as fast food, When I lived in Brooklyn, we used to get sandwiches and subs at local deli's some were Italian, others were German, some Polish Deli's too but the best were Kosher Deli's mmm Brisket on Fresh Bakery Rye OMFG those overstuffed sandwiches were fantastic, Drink them down with a Doctor Brown Black Cherry soda life was good then.

I would love to try Raising Canes, but the one near me always has about 20 cars in line. No thanks!

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

The only mexican fast food I like is king taco.

Not into sandwich places anymore. They're too expensive for what they are now

Baja Fresh Mexican food.

I rarely eat fast food anymore but Five Guys is ok. Dinos is ok. And for some reason, the Hardee’s mushroom and Swiss always used to taste good to me.

Rubio's and Tender Greens. I am a California snob.

I stopped eating most fast food about 15 years ago to get healthy, and never went back... well, mostly, I probably have fast food a handful of times a year. Of the restaurants mentioned on this thread, I find In-n-Out and Chick-fil-a okay.

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.

I agree Panda Express is pretty good. The one thing about Jersey Mike's as good as it is, your looking at now almost $20 for a footlong roast beef hero. It's so crazy but I still get it sometimes.

"like from where, which burgers? cheesecake factory, applebees, chiles, most sitdown places have horrible burgers."

Those are nor gourmet places.

+1 ChickFilA & +1 Five Guys (burgers only)

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.

Shake Shack - ANYTHING on the menu is good

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.

Rubio's!!!! Whoever up there said Rubio's, may you dine in Heaven forever.

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.

I was working in Indianapolis last year and there was a Fazzolis across the street. One of my coworkers was talking about going there the entire time I was with him.

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.

My boyfriend tried Fazoli's for the first time a few days ago while we were making a long drive and stopped to eat. He said it was pretty good. That same rest stop area is where I got the Hottie sandwich.

^omigosh! I completely forgot about Fazoli's...haven't eaten there in years and there aren't any around me now. Used to be a fave!

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.

Big Chicken has the best milkshakes. And I like their salads a lot

I avoid most fast food.

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.

My personal favorite is Cookout. It is a regional chain in NC, SC and VA and grills over charcoal and has also has many milkshake choices. It is kind of like a poor man's Shake shack, maybe where Shake Shack got their idea. It used to be mostly/only drive thru, but the newer locations also have dine in options.

McDonald's: Sausage and Egg muffin (no cheese, their cheese is trash). Their fish is OK.

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?

@Slaveboss: "what are these gourmet restaurant burgers? do they exist, if so, names."

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.

Slave is a troll and needs to be ignored. Also, keep your pets locked up or she'll be trying to perform oral on them.

"Slave is a troll and needs to be ignored."

Only two months on the board and he is number 23 with a bullet on the top 40.

For healthy fast food, there's a delicious chain in Denver called "Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh." It went into bankruptcy during Covid, but it was bought out by a salad place.

"by what measure is cheesecake factory not a gourmet restaurant,"

Um, by any measure?

Enough.

I want that hottie sandwich from Popeyes again. It was seriously good.

I'll settle for some Thai today before work though.

@Slaveboss: I missed a word. It should read "who raises Belties", i.e. Belted Galloway cattle. 100% grass fed can be much leaner (depending on how one defines "grass"), and sometimes "taste funny" to some because of the lower amount of fat and the slightly different type of fat marbling, it's generally healthier. This guy chooses to finish with corn because he supplies restaurants, and wants to be a commercial success. There is another farmer on the other end of the county who does 100% grass fed beef, and his product is much more expensive and doesn't taste as good. To me. Others might feel differently.

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.

Just as a rule of thumb, if the menu is the size of a phone book they probably don't specialize in anything. Not gourmet in my opinion.

^ Whole Foods sells grade a Grass Fed chopped meat, I used it when I make burgers on the grill, they're very good, but If you're cooking steak, corn finished has a better taste

"I want that hottie sandwich from Popeyes again. It was seriously good."

^^^ @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.

I think popeyes sandwich is greasy and the bun tastes sweet.

Wingstop sauces are good enough to overcome their shitty fries.

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

My ATF told me she wanted to try Five Guys. She was really disappointed when I took her to a burger joint.

Hibachi is a big thing in southern California. Lots of food trucks doing it

For the best hottie sandwich, get between nicespice and NinaBambina.

Imagine being such a little bitch that you like your own comments. Only a douche would do that lol.

"Hibachi is a big thing in southern California. Lots of food trucks doing it"

Yeah I saw a Hibachi food truck last time I was in LA. Didn't get a chance to try it though.

Of course there is. Hibachi trucks are everywhere and sit down places like benihana are popular

Yeah I was just at a hibachi place not too long ago on a girl's trip I went to in MI.

I don’t know if this counts as fast food or not but I can’t resist a Mongolian grill.

^ I wouldn't think of Hibachi as fast food and damn now I'm hungry, I like me a Chinese Pu Pu platter or some Mongolian Grill myself

With the trucks it's usually like a 20 to 30 minute wait. So it's not like a drive thru but it's not bad. Only a few are worth it though. Like benihibachi. Izzys is disgusting

@SirLap, Popeye's had some ghost pepper wings a while back. They were pretty damned good. Might want to keep an eye out if they return.

I like Carl's Jr, Taco Bell, and some independent taco trucks.

SJG

I own three Zaxby's... they make good money but I personally don't eat fast food.

Got a link?

zaxbys.com

Burger King coffee is excellent! And at 59 cents per cup with free refills, it's a true bargain.

Speaking of coffee, Dunkin Donuts is a fast food place I forgot to list. I go there frequently.

Whoa wait we can like our own comments?

Nice lol

Shake shack, Jollibee (also in NYC!), popeyes and most local non chain pizzerias and Chinese takeout for me

Zaxbys locations map scrapehero.com

Never heard of the chain before. Thanks to Daddilac for posting the link.

SJG

If you can make eye contact with your cook, it’s either fast food or super fancy dining

^^^^

:) :) :)

SJG