Fast Food Thread

[Mookie4ever]

why would anyone wish for a del taco?

I love Mexican. All we have here are real restaurants which are great if you want chicken mole or something like that but for a fast burrito all we have is taco bell and that's not even real meat.

I will do kfc once a year. It's better than popeyes but it's so bad for you that I give it to myself as a treat after every marathon.

btw - I can't stand Quiznos, worst food ever and worst for you.

[bigh0rt]

why would anyone wish for a del taco?

I love Mexican. All we have here are real restaurants which are great if you want chicken mole or something like that but for a fast burrito all we have is taco bell and that's not even real meat.

I will do kfc once a year. It's better than popeyes but it's so bad for you that I give it to myself as a treat after every marathon.

btw - I can't stand Quiznos, worst food ever and worst for you.

You and I are totally on the same fast food page here, Mook. I do KFC once a year, if that, though I do enjoy it. Quiznos disgusts me, and I love Mexican food, though there's no del tacos around here that I'm aware of.

[KCollins1304]

We've got Cookout in NC, I've never seen them in any other state not sure if they're anywhere else. You can get a combo for $4.25 that includes a cheeseburger, 2 sides, and a drink. It's pretty good.

[Neato Torpedo]

I've never been in the same city as a Del Taco so I don't know what their food is like, but there's like 4 Taco Burrito Kings on Chicago's North Side and their food is amazing. My friend who lived around the corner from one moved so I don't go there much at all anymore, which is a shame. They have the Superking Burrito which is a burrito so big that God himself could not eat it in one meal. I mean, it's fast food so there's a limit to how good it can be, but it's better than most sit-down Mexican restaurants I've been to.

Also, screw Jimmy John's. Their subs are good if I'm in the mood for cold cuts or tuna, but if I am then I usually find myself just making one at home for much cheaper. Subway may lose out on the cold cuts, but their chicken-based subs, meatball subs, and veggie subs wreck all competition.

[ayebatter]

Carl's Jr. here in the west >>>BK, , I believe it's Hardies elsewhere
and a big yes to In-and-Out & 5 guys.

[lastingsgriller]

ugh.. BK sucks.

Mexican - Chipotle>>>>Taco John's>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Del Taco>>>>>Taco Bell
Burger - Culver's>>>In n' Out>>>>Sonic>>>>>>>>>>>>McD's>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>BK
Sandwich - Jimmy John's>>>Quiznos>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Subway

[lastingsgriller]

Carl's Jr. here in the west >>>BK, , I believe it's Hardies elsewhere
and a big yes to In-and-Out & 5 guys.

I would not say that 5 guys counts as Fast Food.

[Neato Torpedo]

What's wrong with Subway?

[The Artful Dodger]

I don't eat fast food very often, especially when it comes to chain restaurants. The best fast food is local, IMO, and one thing I envy most about Hollywood/North Hollywood/SF Valley whereabouts is the number of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurants. It's the best of both worlds: tasty and relatively healthy food. Of course, the food truck scene in L.A. is terrific, as now you can find just about any cuisine served on food trucks, scattered about the area.

As far as Mexican food goes, the upscale chains we have here is Baja Fresh and Chipotle. I find both to be quite satisfying, but for some reason, I could never go to either one once a month. For some reason, I find the food drab the second time around, especially in the case of Baja Fresh. I suppose it was because I had a co-worker/friend who was OK with going to Baja Fresh three times a week, practically ruling out me and my other co-workers at the time from ever wanting to have lunch with him. Of course, we have good Mexican food, both in a fast-food and sit-down environment.

In-N-Out is famous in these parts and the quality is incredibly consistent. Thing is, a great burger place is plentiful in L.A., and In-N-Out doesn't quite compare to a number of others off the top of my head.

Regarding sandwich chains, I simply avoid them. Quizno's is OK, Togo's was once tolerable, but I haven't stepped foot in either in 4+ years.

Speaking of Sonic, I once spotted one in Vegas (outside Nellis AFB). Sonic is either nonexistent or rare in these parts and so, I had to try a Sonic one time. Never again, their burgers taste like school cafeteria burgers. It was extra traumatizing for me because the first time I ever ate a cafeteria burger (6 years old), I contracted a terrible bout of food poisoning.

[jfg]

For what we have around here, here's how I'd rank them. I don't eat fast food as much anymore but I used to eat this stuff everyday.

Best:

1. Five Guys- Nothing rivals it. So good.
2. KFC- Always loved the original recipe and the grilled isn't bad either.
3. Long John Silvers- Cheap fish is few and far between in MN and I love fish
4. Pollo Campero- Fried chicken with a Latin kick. Good side dishes too.
5. Pei Wei- They closed our Pei Wei and put a Lee Ann Chin in it's spot but it's PF Changs fast food option. 100 times better than LeeAnn Chin or Panda Express if you have one around. I've ate at PF Changs a couple times and I can't tell the difference.
6. Jersey Mike's- Best subs I've ever had. They grind the meat and cheese right in front of you and Mike's Way is perfect minus the vinegar.
7. Burger Time- Not Five Guys, but it's a pretty good burger that you can load fixings on.
8. Chipotle (Although there are so many Mexican restaurants that are really fast and much better around here but they definitely are #1 when it comes to fast food Mexican)
9. Noodles and Company- This might not be fast food since you have to wait a short amount of time. This would be higher if it wasn't so expensive for what you get.
10. Qdoba- Not quite Chipotle but they have a pretty good queso sauce for the burritos which makes them a little different.
11. Sonic- The burgers are meh and the chicken sandwiches are bad. They get all their points on the fact that you can get breakfast all day, a concept I can't believe McDonalds and Burger King haven't tried out.
12. Arbys- Two things they have going for them. Beef and cheddar and Arbys Sauce. I love that sauce.
13. Wendys- Of the major burger chains, Wendy's is the best. They do need to lay off the salt on their new natural cut fries. But, the burgers are at the top of the list btw the big 4
14. Burger King- They do a lot of things good, but nothing is great.
15. McDonalds- Best nuggets of all the chains, best fish sandwich of all the chains. The burgers are the worst of all the chains and I don't think it's close.
16. Jimmy John's- It depends on the bread. When it's super fresh it rivals Jersey Mike's but when it's not, it's middle of the road.
17. Popeyes- I didn't like the chicken all that much.. I don't like a super crispy breading, but I would like to try the catfish sometime.
18. Subway- Just for the fact that there is literally one on every corner and you know exactly what you are getting every time.

Worst:

1. Boston Market- Do you feel like having a TV dinner but don't want to take the 5 minutes to pop it in the microwave. This is your spot!
2. Cici's Pizza- Do you feel like having frozen pizza but don't want to take the 10 minutes to pop it in the oven? Would you like your pizza to have the strangest and most disgusting toppings on it? This is your spot! And you are probably in the age group of 6-12!
3. Panda Express- So bad. I don't get how this stays in business considering how many Asian restaurants and buffets there are.
4. Taco Bell- There was a time when Taco Bell used to be somewhat decent. That time is no longer. Everything on the menu is putrid.
5. White Castle- Probably the most polarizing fast food restaurant, but I can't stand it. They aren't the worst burgers though, at least they have a decent taste at first which is more than I can say for McDonalds. The aftertaste is disgusting and who knows what happens two hours later.
6. Dairy Queen- Their chicken strips used to be good but something changed. Everything else is terrible when it comes to a meal.
7. Culvers- The food is ok, I'm not a fan of the burgers, but the problem is it costs sit down prices, for fast food taste and you still have to wait.
8. Lee-Ann Chin- Really salty, and just like Panda Express, I might as well just go to a buffet for the same price.
9. Taco Johns- A ton better than Taco Bell, but still... why not just go to Chipotle or Qdoba? They don't have the crazy cheap prices like Taco Bell.
10. Hardees- Bigger is not better. The only thing you can taste on them is the mustard and ketchup. The only thing decent I've had at Hardees is a hot ham and cheese, but I'm never going to pay for a hot ham and cheese again...
11. Panera Bread- A deadly combination of expense and how easy it is to replicate the taste at home in little time.
12's. Erberts and Gerberts, Blimpie, Cousins, Potbelly Sandwiches- Ends up here just because of how many sandwich options and there's just no reason to go to any of these.