One man. Four Burgers.  One mission. The search for the perfect burger. The balance between the cheese, the meat, the bun, the lettuce and the tomato.

Before we get started, I do have to mention I am an employee at In-N-Out, so I might be slightly biased in favor of In-N-Out. However, I did my best to maintain an unbiased mind.

To rate my burgers, I am using the official burger scale developed by me, that takes in the taste of the meat, bun and all the toppings.

Costco

The first burger I tried was at Costco in Carlsbad. Starting at $4.99, it comes with two meat, one cheese, a nice zesty spread, lettuce and tomato. Let me tell you, I did not have high expectations for this cheeseburger. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The overall taste reminded me of a very high-end resort burger. The spread they use added a nice pop, which really made the burger. The biggest downside to this burger is the price, coming in it at $4.99, it is definitely not a great value like the rest of Costco’s menu. That was the main issue I had with this burger, it was pretty good, but is it worth the $4.99? I don’t think so. Maybe, if it came with fries, I would consider it an option, but considering you can get a hot dog for $1.50 and a slice of pizza for $1.99, the burger is not the best option in terms of value. Overall, I would give this burger a seven out of ten burgers on the burger scale, taking into consideration the taste and value of the burger.

In-N-Out

The second burger I had was at In-N-Out. The first thing you will notice about In-N-Out is the cheap prices. It is the best value for a burger by far. I went for a classic double-double with lettuce, tomato and spread. The burger tastes outstanding, including the toppings and meat. It tastes very real. The toasted bun tastes much better than any other burger I had. The toppings at In-N-Out taste fresh, and they are definitely better than any other burger I ate. The quality of this burger is on par with Five Guys, but the price is a much better value, which is why I am giving it a nine out of ten, one point higher than Five Guys.  

Five Guys

The third burger I tasted was at Five Guys. I had very high expectations, considering most people think one of the best, if not the best, burger chain. I walked in and was immediately shocked by the prices. It is $8.39 for just a cheeseburger, which is almost more than the Habit Double Charburger meal and it is more than an In-N-Out double-double meal. They do have free peanuts, which is a benefit if you like peanuts. On my cheeseburger, I got lettuce, tomato, and pickles. The meat part of the cheeseburger was excellent, however, the toppings were subpar. The meat tasted real, and I was very impressed with how it tasted. The cheese was not fully melted, which is a negative in my opinion. Overall, I really enjoyed this burger, and I can see why so many people believe it is the best burger. Unfortunately, the price is too high for me, which is what brings down the score. I give Five Guys an eight out of ten burgers.

The Habit

The Habit is a relatively unknown burger place in my opinion. With a price of $4.45 for a double charburger, as they call it, it really is a great value. The burgers are cooked on a steel charbroiler, giving it a unique taste. The burger comes with the standard lettuce and tomato, but it also includes grilled onions and pickles. This burger was pretty good. The big issue I had was the fact that the burger just did not taste very fresh. The vegetables were not as fresh as some of the other places I had, and overall it was very salty. I still really enjoyed this burger and I will definitely be making some trips back. I give this burger an eight out of ten burgers.

Bottom line— you really can’t go wrong with any of these places, and even though I had to eat an unhealthy amount of burgers to write this, I still enjoyed every burger I ate.