Welcome back to the Great Burger Battle! Our March Madness for food lovers kicked off on Friday with a spirited fight between two tough teams, but only one can continue: Holy Cow, who permanently put Good Stuff Eatery out to pasture. Today in our burger brawl the homegrown Five Guys chain goes against Tune Inn, a beloved Capitol Hill dive.
Five Guys outmatches its competitor when it comes to sheer numbers. The franchise, which began as a solo shop in Arlington in 1986, has brought its greasy-in-a-great-way cheeseburgers and fries to over 1,000 locations. Still this isn’t a David and Goliath scenario. While Tune Inn is a popular fixture on the Hill for its half-pound patties, it’s hardly a hidden gem—the iconic deep-fried burger was featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (we’re also fans of their less-novel but equally delicious patty melt). So who deserves to stay in the game? Both eateries have a passionate following. It’s up to you to decide.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
