When a restaurant has a place in its name, it’s not always an indication of the establishment’s current address. In many cases, the name is just for marketing purposes, as with countless pizza and bagel places with “New York” in their names despite having no link to the Big Apple. In other situations, a name may indicate an original address of a place that has since moved. This is the explanation for 5th Street Burger & Fries, which is found at a northwest Tempe address many miles removed from its origins in a food hall on Fifth Street on the city’s east side.
After several years of operating primarily on a delivery and takeout basis in the Tempe Food Hall, which is mostly ghost kitchens with limited seating, this burger place relocated to a strip mall space across the street from Priest/Washington station on the A Line. The location is at the edge of Tempe, just a few blocks from the Phoenix city line and Papago Park. In fact, the small shopping center that houses 5th Street and several other restaurants is called “Papago Park Center.” Bike racks are found outside the Starbucks that anchors the plaza at its southern end.
Like all of the restaurants at this corner, the atmosphere is utilitarian, designed more for quick dining than lingering, socializing, or trying to impress a date. The walls have some colorful prints of sport scenes and even Hunter Thompson. The menu is displayed over a counter with an open kitchen dominated by a griddle and fryers next to it. Otherwise, the space is filled with tightly packed tables and two small counters that look out the front windows. Customers are also welcome to eat their meals at the outdoor tables that 5th Street shares with its neighbors.
As expected, burgers of all sorts are the cornerstone of the menu. They come in numerous varieties beginning with the restaurant’s namesake 5th Street Burger, a one-third pound patty enlivened with American cheese, tomato, red onion, pickles, and lettuce with a side of something known as “5th Street Sauce,” which seems not far removed from Thousand Island dressing. The burgers might be classified as semi-smashed, not flattened to the point that the meat and toppings become one, but still pressed on the griddle and generously accessorized.
In some cases, those toppings tower over the patty, creating a vertical burger. In the Steakhouse burger, slabs of bacon intermingle with bleu cheese and onion rings. Both steak sauce and aioli are provided on the side for a double dip experience. The Tempe Burger has generous slabs of avocado, bacon, pepperjack, and green chili, and the chili cheeseburger is served open-faced with chili, diced onions, and shredded cheese. The chili is a classic ground beef version with a slow burn and a complex flavor profile including cumin and cinnamon.
The poultry counterpart to the burgers is an array of chicken sandwiches in which three tenders take the place of a single patty. They’re generally good but in some cases so thick that they are tender in most places but chewy in a few. Typical preparations include tangy Buffalo chicken and Nashville-style hot chicken, either dipped or dusted, a reference to how the spice is applied before cooking. The Hawaiian chicken sandwich contains three unbreaded tenders with abundant red onion and lettuce with some pineapple rings. Teriyaki sauce is served on the side.
In terms of meatless choices, there is a vegetarian patty that can be substituted in any of the listed burgers. The menu also promises an inside-out grilled cheese, which sounds intriguing; however, the 5th Street staff have disavowed any knowledge of the item and suggest a less interesting kid’s grilled cheese instead. The little siblings of the burgers and chicken sandwiches are sliders. Served in pairs, they include creative options like miniature burgers with peanut butter, jelly, and pepperjack cheese in all the right proportions for a salty, spicy, and smooth mix.
Dipped chicken sliders require multiple levels of decision making. First, there is a choice of
Nashville, Buffalo, or barbecue flavors. Then, there is a secondary choice of whether that should take the form of dry seasoning or dipping in sauce. The Nashville option has a sneaky burn with some sweet pickle slices and ranch to cool things down. All burgers, sandwiches, and sliders can be upgraded to a combo meal with a fountain drink and choice of side. Options include fries with plenty of skin left of the potatoes, waffle fries, sweet potato fries, and onion rings.
Chances are few customers come to 5th Street for a salad, and the ones offered here seem like an afterthought for the benefit of customers trying to avoid carbohydrates. They’re basically just shredded iceberg lettuce with meat, cheese, onions, and a choice of side sauce as a dressing. Dessert for anyone who still has room is given a bit more attention with choices like an ice cream float or a churro sundae. Both are made with vanilla soft serve and are sufficient for a sweet tooth. The beverage menu is basically a soda fountain with the added choice of iced tea.
The clear strength of 5th Street is found in its name. This place is all about burgers and makes them quite capably with interesting mixes of toppings. Adding some fries and a drink in a combo meal makes the experience even more fulfilling. Straying from that formula produces less consistent results, but probably serves the function of overcoming the veto vote of a burger abstainer among a group of coworkers. With the change in location, it is now worthwhile to travel to the intersection of Priest and Washington to enjoy burgers still named for Fifth Street.
1158 W. Washington St., Tempe AZ 85281
https://5thstreetburger.com
PHX Rail Food 