Skip The Pickles And Add This Spicy Topping To Your Five Guys Burger

A juicy beef patty is an integral element of every good fast food burger. But it's the toppings that really make it sing. One of the facts you might not know about the burger chain Five Guys is that the cost of the toppings is factored into the menu pricing, so customers can experiment with different combinations on every visit without paying anything extra. Our best advice is to skip the pickles and add a serving of jalapeños to your next burger order instead, for a spicier bite. Unlike other fast food restaurants that serve pickled jalapeños on their burgers, the Five Guys menu features fresh jalapeños that have been chopped by hand (the patties are hand-formed too and the fries are cut in store). This means they don't have a tangy and acidic quality but a fresh, crunchy, and spicy character that adds both structure and inviting color to stacked burgers. 

Because the jalapeños aren't steeped in a vinegary brine, which mellows out their spiciness, they have a brightness that complements the flavors of a savory patty and counterbalances the gooeyness of a melty slice of cheese. Customers can also ask for their jalapeños to be grilled, to lend them a smokier taste and soften them up slightly at the edges before they're added to their perfectly juicy Five Guys burger. In comparison, the high acidity of pickles can overwhelm the meaty flavor of a beef patty, while their slick surface causes the other toppings to slide around, leading to a messier munch.

Over on Reddit, there are plenty of frequent Five Guys patrons who are impressed with the flavor and quality of the restaurant's jalapeños. As one Redditor enthused, "I'm delighted to see a place where the jalapeños are fresh when you request them and not pickled from a jar. Nothing wrong with pickled jalapeños but on my burger I want fresh." Another user proudly confirmed, "I always get jalapenos at Five Guys. They're so fresh and colorful and have a ton of flavor," adding, "I don't know what they're doing with them but it's consistently good with them."

In our ultimate ranking of Five Guys menu items, the Little Bacon Cheeseburger was runner up to the winning Cajun fries. It would make an awesome foundation for a crunchy layer of spicy green jalapeños. As all the burger toppings at Five Guys are free, it won't cost you a penny to experiment and load up this high-ranking order with sauces and other crispy extras too. One fan on Reddit opts for, "Bacon, fresh jalapeños, grilled onions, grilled green peppers, mayo, and extra hot sauce." Another recommended a bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions, mushrooms, jalapenos, and A1 but they order it in a bowl instead of a bun to make it slightly greener.