Over at Lifehacker, our very own Chris Jager is always writing about fast food. He is also always eating the stuff. I thought I’d throw it out to you: what is your favourite fast food? What do you avoid?
I have a couple of favourites. Because I’m a bit of a nervous calorie counter, I’m a big fan of Mad Mex and Nandos. They all have some really awesome healthy options if I want to be one of those people. (Newsflash: I am one of those people).
I’m also a big fan of Le Wrap. Oh dear God it is so delicious. I have a soft spot in my clogged up heart for KFC as well. I like Big Macs. I love Big Macs. Haven’t had one in a while though…
Things I try to avoid? Any fries from fast food. Those things are just ridiculously bad for you. It’s crazy how quick the KJ count rattles up when you add a large fries to your meal.
Comments
124 responses to “Off Topic: Greatest Fast Food”
Anything from Noodle Box. Oh, so good.
Fact. Boxes make noodles taste better. That is science.
Well, thats not exactly brain surgery…(hopefully someone gets the reference)
I’m a sucker for a good Banh Mi. There’s a place in Brisbane called The Roll Shop that was super rad. I remember going there when it first opened and after a few weeks, the queues started to really build up.
It’s tucked away in an alley near Post Office Square.
Man, I haven’t had a bahn mi in ages. I need to move somewhere with a bigger Vietnamese population.
Right, I’m hunting for that place next time I’m in the city. I haven’t had a good Banh Mi in forever.
Coming from the Queen St Mall, walk down Queen St past Post Office Square. There’s an alley between HSBC and NAB, it should be in there. If you reach Creek St/ANZ/Starbucks, you’ve gone too far.
Hopefully it’s still there.
OHH EMM GEEE i <3 a good Banh Mi!!
You will not find a better Banh Mi then in Adelaide, so many choices, if your ever in SA give this fb page a read for reviews https://www.facebook.com/groups/250144721805200
Top three are kebabs, Subway and Oporto. I’ll generally try and find one of them when out with friends and doing the whole fast food thing. I don’t even know what to get from McDonalds any more, I used to just have the McOz til they got rid of it, now I stand there for like ten minutes staring at the menu instead.
I tried Oporto once, their chicken was like fish, never again.
Gotta throw my vote behind a kebab as well. It may be beef, it may be chicken, it may be lamb, it may be horse, it may be stray dog that got hit by a car, it may be hitchhiker who looked at someone the wrong way but shave it thin, put it in Turkish bread with hummus, tabouli, lettuce, onion, cheese & shitloads of hot chilli sauce and I don’t care how many relatives miss him…
you can NOT have too much hot sauce!
It very much depends on the type, for me the only good hot chili sauce on a kebab is that neon orange one, the colour found in hot chilli sauce, warning signs and nowhere else
Honestly? Go to McDonalds, ask for the McSpicy with extra spicy sauce and ask for Cheese with it. Tastes INSANELY good but you have to have it *with* cheese.
I seriously cannot believe they didn’t put cheese on the burger to begin with. It’s the one missing element from that burger.
They do that a lot as a simple way to drop the total energy count down.
Yeah but ask them to add the cheese, it makes the burger less dry and so much better!
I didn’t even know a McSpicy was a thing.
Yeah it’s one of their chicken burgers. Chicken fillet, spicy sauce and lettuce. That’s it. Dry burger, but once you add the cheese and ask for extra sauce, it’s ****ing beautiful.
so getting one of these! I normally add some Oporto sauce once i get home
Let me know what you think. Its crucial you get the cheese and extra sauce though…
i’d never considered it, shame this wasnt posted pre-lunch or id be stuffing my face already!!!
Shut up…. shut up…. lalalalalalalalalalalalala…. don’t tell me these things! I eat enough of that stuff already… you’re ruining my health dammit. But seriously. Its. so. good.
lmao you tried it eh? Unfortunately it’s now a thing of the past for me, or at least a special treat.
Had an upsetting day today. My son got teased about my weight. He came home pretty upset. I’m not huge, but it’s starting to become noticeable, 2 years ago I was fit as hell, unfortunately inactivity and university full time have led to weight piling on. I’ll be avoiding these delicious burgers for a while I think… back to karate, the gym and a better diet 🙂
A while ago actually, but yeah it was unexpectedly tasty! 🙂 Bummer sorry to hear that weresmurf. That sucks both for you and him. Im trying to lay of those tasty treats as well. Karate and the gym is definitely a good combo. Hope you enjoy it. As you probably know, karate is great for self confidence…but also for bullies (should things ever get that extreme).
EDIT:
@stoob hahahaha…I was trying to be subtle but that approach totally works. But if you’re gonna use the ninjamask, you need the full outfit. shirt, pants shorts and everything. otherwise you just look ridiculous. Ah, who am i kidding? ninja masks are awesome. Especially for surprising kids or your sisters boyfriend 😛
@weresmurf Cant respond to your post coz there are too many comments here. Figured you had done it for a while but didn’t realise you were national champ. Congrats. Also when you do reminisce just don’t hurt yourself…palmstrikes to the face are deadly :p
This is when you pull out the ol ninja mask and hide outside the school in the bushes waiting for them, then jump out all beverly hills ninja style and watch the children fly! or more realisticaly get picked up by the police before school ends and have an interesting talk with constable bazza.
lol @ninjaman and @stoob I’ve been doing karate for years now, unfortunately life got in the way (and laziness) of regular training (oh and a terrible relationship lol). But mostly laziness. In 2010 I was the NAS National Australian Champion in my division for points sparring, unfortunately since then I let myself go a fair bit. Sucks, I see photos of myself back then and I facepalm myself. But I’m aware of it now so there’s no self pity, just determination to get back there and beyond. But yeah a ninja mask would kick ass 😀 lol
I stopped having McSpicy burgers because it wasnt so…pleasant when it came out the other end.
What i like to do though is get a Big Mac but replace the meat patties with McChicken patties. it is bliss. I seldom go to Maccas though. I’m a kebab and Hungry Jacks guy.
KFC Twisters. God damn I could eat them by the bucket-load.
GOD YES! Love Twisters! Only problem i have is they never seem to have the right balance of sauce, its either not enough (standard amount) or too much (when you ask for extra). And since you can’t get KFC sauces on the side anymore 🙁 its a battle i deal with.
I used to think I liked Oporto, but then I realised that I just like the chilli sauce. So my answer is Oporto chilli sauce, which you can buy in store for $5 and put on EVERYTHING at home.
I still don’t mind ordering a bondi burger every now and then, but they usually don’t put enough sauce on and you end up just eating a bland burger in the gaps.
I can’t eat quite a lot of McDonald’s burgers without adding copious amounts of sriracha these days.
Once you’ve had a quarter pounder soaked in sriracha, it’s impossible to go back to that bland, greasy hockey puck.
WHERE CAN I FIND THAT SAUCE?
Walk into any Oporto store and it should be sitting on a display on the counter. It even has a spot in their online menu!
Ahh of course I forgot they sell all their sauces in store eh. Will have a browse at lunch!
Oh my god you’re a legend 😀
I have heaps of Nandos sauce which I do the same with. Now with Oportos sauce THE WORLD SHALL BE MINE!!!!! Well maybe not but you’re right, I’m positive with their glorious sauce I can make a chicken burger that’s 10x better.
i dont live near an Oporto so i just buy one or two sauce bottles whenever im near one!! yes it goes on everything too! i often find myself just eating the sauce from the bottle (just for that little chilli hit!)
Speaking of sauce (and how delicious it is) has anyone ever tried to get as much free sauce as possible (I’m talking like a family bag full of the sachets?) Anyone up for the challenge?
I too am a calorie counter, so when I want to do the nasty fast food I’ve gotta hit the gym extra hard that day to compensate. At 900 calories per hour on the bike, all it takes is dedication 🙂
in no particular order:
Oporto double bondi burger with extra chilli sauce
Oporto bondi bites
tuck shop takeaway (In Caulfield, VIC) burger
tuck shop takeaway corned beef jaffle
KFC zinger burger
KFC hot and spicy fillets (MARK take note, these are surprisingly low in calories!)
McDonalds quarter pounder, no onions, extra extra extra extra pickles.
Turkish Kebab on Clarendon St in South Melbourne, mixed kebab with no onion, mixture of garlic and chilli sauce.
Acland St Cantina cuban sandwich.
Mad Mex burritos with various combinations of fillings
Grill’d Hot Hombre, with no onion. I rarely go there though because it’s so overpriced.
I “theoretically” like Nando’s, but see note regarding Grill’d.
and the burger patties have onion in them for us non-onion eaters
Oh I don’t mind onion flavour, or onions in sauce or whatever, I just really hate onions on burgers 🙂
Guzman y Gomez – does that count as fast food?
I also have a soft spot for KFC Popcorn Chicken, though I tend to go months between eating it.
Ha. Was about to say GYG. So damn tasty.
My points balance agrees; damn tasty! And since they opened up next to the office…. es muy delicioso!
https://twitter.com/RobsGingerSnaps/status/431273802836615168/photo/1Heh. A friend of mine is the head cook for the local one so he’s just loaded me down with $20 vouchers which is good for a meal and a beer.
GYG does the best burritos ever.
Salsa’s do one with basically the same ingredients but it’s nowhere near as good.
FUCK YES.
Mad Mex SUCK, their hideous gruel is bland and sloppy and Beach Burrito is definitely better but can be pretty bland so you have to drown it in hot sauce to even get a mild spice-buzz going.
I usually pair my spicy chicken guerro burrito with shitloads of El Yucateco Chipotle sauce too. Nothing else comes close.
My friend loves Mad Mex and I thought they where super crappy, nice to know it’s not just me.
Guzman y Gomez : Best burritos ever (even if there a bit pricey)
Agreed.
I’m a sucker for Guzman Y Gomez above all others, the Pork Chipotle Salad with added red onion, jalapenos and coriander is utterly brilliant, and only works out about 1500kj.
Subway. I can’t get enough of those goddamn sandwiches. And its like half a block away from my house.
http://www.fancyburger.com.au/
http://www.burgerfoundry.com.au/
Sydney here but DAMN burger foundry looks good
http://burgerliciousnewtown.com.au/
I live in newtown… we can do better than burgerlicious haha. Checkout a bar called “Mary’s” they do the best american style cheeseburgers I’ve had in Aus 🙂
Haha. Will def check it out at some point, cheers. Also, http://www.churburger.com.au if you haven’t tried it.
AWESOME !
I sent it to my mate and he reckons this place in the city does a wicked bacon cheeseburger…. I’m in a hectic gym routine at the moment so trying to hit minimal carbs but might have to set a date to check this stuff out, looks amazing.
http://www.thecrisp.com.au/
Holy cow (get it!?) No, seriously though…I don’t work TOO far from there. Lunch sorted for me tomorrow.
Or https://hurricanesgrill.com.au/
Great burgers (I don’t like rabbit food in my meat) and even better ribs, oh and their Portugese chicken wings are pretty bloody magical.
Yep I used to live around Bondi and get take away… great stuff !
It is freaking awesome.
I don’t eat it very often, though, because it’s not the kind of thing I can eat on the spur of the moment. I need to prepare myself by fasting for 24 hours beforehand – those burgers are as big as your damn head, so I need to starve myself first, and then make sure there’s nothing on in the following 24 hours that will require me to move.
Definitely a +1 for Fancy Burger!!
http://www.burgastronomy.com.au
Amaaaaaaaaaazing.
Speaking of burgers in Adelaide, I was very, very disappointed by the burger theory foodtruck, is their new proper burger shop serving food to a higher standard?
I personally never found any qualms with the Burger Theory foodtruck, and I can safely say that the Burger Theory restaurant is no different. Great in my opinion, but obviously not for everyone.
Can’t speak for Pearl’s Diner, which is a restaurant run by the same creators, though.
I’ve tried going to Pearl’s Diner a couple of times but it’s always been so packed I couldn’t even get in the door so ended up going elsewhere.
Tried Burger Republic? I find it kick’s Fancy Burgers’ ass.
But that could just be because I overdid Fancy’s when the first store opened in Blackwood.
Also a tad out of the way but Ferg Burger in Queenstown NZ is insanely good.
Seconded. Wanaka Burger (Red Star) was JUST as good, but they declined in the past few years. Sad times. 🙁
Red Rooster strip sub.
Poor old Red Rooster…. Roast packs…
I’ll just be over here by myself… In this corner…
Love the strip subs 🙂
I like the flayva wrap!
GET OUT OF THAT CORNER! The only thing I DON’T like about Red Roosters Strip sub, is that I never know if the bun will be good or not. Just a plain strip sub. Sigh, they got that right!
KFC, whenever I go back home to Oz that’s what I get first.
Schnitz. Schnitz is king. Fantastic quality at every store I’ve been to.
Agreed, Schnitz is amazing. Especially the “Aussie Aussie” with a parmy.
KFC: Tower burger, popcorn chicken
Maccas: Filet-o-fish, McChamp
Ogalo: Ogalo burger
Oporto: Double Bondi burger
Red Rooster: Strip sub (think they call it the classic sub now?)
Any kind of Supreme pizza
Ogalo… Oh my f*cking god!
The one thing I miss about Sydney. Nothing comes close in Brisbane to an Ogalo burger.
I prefer specific burgers rather than total chain. Bacon deluxe or spicy cheesy bacon tendercrisp from hjs, and big mac from maccas.
Kingsley’s Chicken – leaves KFC for dead – every time I visit Canberra I have to get some!
used to work there. some of the best chips I’ve had. good gravy too. have to say though working there you get a bit over it.
Kingsley’s, and Henny Penny in Newcastle which is almost as good. I crave those quite often but live in Queensland. It’s torturous.
Yeah I live in Brisbane too – I think I saw an Ali Baba somewhere up here (another ‘Canberra chain’) but Kingley’s need to venture north
Easily Zambrero. Its insane how good that place is…
I quite like the KFC fillet burger. It’s about the only thing they make that I can stomach (at least not in small doses).
NODDLE HUT!
Welcome to Mos Burgers!! ^_^ Oporto is really good too.
My wife and I have been calorie counting and it really is remarkable how many more calories you incur by getting a large meal instead of a regular. Especially at places like Red Rooster/KFC/Oporto where they use big thick chips and the serving is roughly double waht you’d get at McDonald’s. So, we order regualr size meals now. Unless we’re feeling indulgent and that’s basically the only thing we were eating that day.
I used to love pizza but it’s now been some 3 months since I last had any. I miss it. But it’s just not worth it anymore.
So anyway, in terms of preference, I’m currently enjoying Oporto. You don’t really get “healthy” burgers there, especially since they’re bloody huge, but you get a pretty good meal out of one.
I also really like ribs, but the only place I can get ribs easily is my local Killa Burger and they’re neither as cheap or as enjoyable as the ones I used to get from Arnold’s Ribs & Pizza when I was a kid, so again, just not worth it.
Fish and Chips from the local takeaway.
Gotta find a good one though, there are some shitty ones out there.
No fast food outlets at all where I live. None. Zip. Nada. Zilch.
Unless you count the local fish n chips shop, so I’ll have to say them. They do a chicken knock-off, BFC, Brian’s Fried Chicken lol 😉
But when back visiting in civilization I tend to hunger for a HJ’s Grilled Chicken burger with bacon, cheese and extra ranch sauce, or KFC Zinger burger with bacon and cheese.
(talk of fast food always makes me think of the Chaser’s CNNNN’s “Fungry’s” hehe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNNNN)
Oportos and Moss burger. I thought moss burger was only in Japan, but then I sent to the gold coast. I don’t eat much fast food.
Oporto Triple Bondi Meal
Hungry Jacks Ultimate Double Whopper
KFC Popcorn Chicken Combo
Eagle Boys Supreme Pizza with Aioli Swirl (I used to work at one and while the boss was an absolute prick, he made THE BEST pizzas. Even better than the real expensive stuff like Pizza Capers and Crust. He went out of business recently)
Those are my favourite fast food meals. I live roughly 40 mins away from an Oporto and Hungry Jacks though so I don’t get those much. I’m torn about the Eagle Boys because of the boss, but he did make some awesome pizzas.
I tried In And Out Burger (because of The Big Lebowski) when I was in the USA a couple of years ago. It was good. Very, very good.
Had it in San Fran…. super delicious. If you ever head back over try out “5 guys”… similar style and so good.
That’s where I had it, too. In SF, down by the wharf. That weird bush man was lurking outside the store, too, so we had some entertainment while we ate 😛
The Double Meat Animal Style at In-N-Out is my all time favourite fast food burger. It’s a shame they are only available on the west coast of US.
Locally I tend to go for the Bacon Deluxe at HJ, or Jus Burger if the mood strikes.
Of the big franchises, Subway is the only one I eat on anything approaching a regular basis, and that’s only because it’s right -there- and doesn’t make me feel too much like I’m going to die after taking a couple of mouth fulls.
If I have my druthers I’d go for Mojo’s Weird Pizza’s Tantalus – Eggplant, pumpkin, potato, and capsicum with a pesto base. They’re not cheap but they’re so good.
Hungry Jack’s Bacon Deluxe burgers. Mmmmmm………
HAHA yeah HJs Bacon Deluxe is awesome when ya drunk in the city
If I am super annoying I ask for a 6 inch Bacon Deluxe… same thing but using the bigger bun and patty from the ultimate double whopper…. so good and bad at the same time.
I have an Asian restaurant near me called Asian Box which is a local version of Wok in a Box which make wicked meals and they makes them by scratch and the best is that they are reasonably priced.
A local takeaway still makes their chips from fresh potatoes which only downside is that the chips can vary in quality and they also make a beautiful hamburger.
Other then that i used to like the Rooster Rolls from Red Rooster before all local stores closed down and both Macca’s and KFC make me physically ill.
I am so wrapped that other people here seem to like Oporto as much as I do.
Their Original Double-Fillet Combo isn’t on the menu, but they still do it if you ask. Their burgers are amazing and their chips kick the living potato out of KFCs.
It’s my guilty pleasure every time I make a rare trip down to a city like Brisbane.
It’s weird, their burgers don’t rate at all for me but their peri peri sauce is pure awesomeness and their chips kick serious arse especially when using said sauce as a dip. I do enjoy a whole chicken smothered in peri peri on occasion though.
*rapt
My gf loves Oporto and I just don’t get it. Maybe the one we go to happens to be terrible (since it’s the Highpoint food court, not unlikely), but the burgers are just incredibly boring (don’t appear to have sauce, or if they do it’s weak). The chips are OK, but not a patch on KFC. Maybe the burgers I’ve tried are just the shite ones, but I thought they were sort of the signature ones. Bondi something or others.
Agreed, don’t understand the draw to it at all.
..Not since they took wings of the menu. Those oporto wings were my lifeblood for a short while.
phở. Nuff said.
I finally found a place I can go to that does ‘good’ kebabs again. Nothing beats the classics.
http://www.burgergotsoul.com/
No contest. Burger (Funk Soul Brother for preference), chips with Soul Mayo and a cold beverage. Best thing ever.
Their satay burger is pretty fucking epic, and oh god that mayo is amazing
The Ali G with a healthy dose of pickles, a side of chips with various mayos and a milkshake to top it all off. I’m hungry.
that place used to be around the corner from where I lived but never went because of the prices.
will try it sometime soon though (due to lack of anything else to eat in Sandy Bay that I am yet to try).
Schnitz is the place for me. Schnitzel and Chips nothing fancy. The only downside is the staff can’t pronounce the word schnitzel.
-Fast- food? Taco Bell. Man I miss that place. Take away? Guzman y Gomez. Was lined up the first day they opened in Newtown.
I feel like the only one that doesn’t know what Oportos and Guzman y Gomez is 🙁
Also do love an extra hot paela from Nandos and have a weakness for popcorn chicken from KFC.
Are you a Melburnian? For some reason they haven’t really taken off in Melbourne though you can find them both around Melbourne Central.
Stay away from the burgers at Oporto (in my opinion) and stick with the grilled chicken with loads of chili sauce and the biggest bucket of chips you can carry. Guzman y Gomez is ok but you can make better burritos at home using leftover homemade chili con carne (must be leftover, tastes waaay better), sour cream, a handful of grated cheese, fresh homemade salsa (again leftover from chili night) and sliced pickled jalapenos wrapped in a soft tortilla. Eat warmed up or cold either way it’s delicious 🙂
I am a fiend for Salsas. Give me a Baja Burrito any day. Also they’ve opened up a Vietnamese fast food franchise in my local shopping centre called Roll’d. They make a decent enough pho.
KFC chips and HJ’s bacon deluxe. Both sooo good.
Oh, man… If I’d been asked this five years ago… My parents owned the best fish and chip shop in town. My dad became somewhat of a connoisseur when it came to fish and chips, and it ruined me for all other chip shops. Sadly, the shop closed down and I moved down to Sydney, where most “fish and chips” shops seem to serve up something that tastes as if it were 90% week-old beef tallow (which, on reflection, it probably was). I feel ill just thinking about it…
Nowadays, I normally stick to safe options like Subway and Oporto. Tho there are some nice pizza places on my route home, that I occasionally avail myself of.
I love to get a zinger burger, salty fries and gravy to dip the fries in from KFC. Love it.
I also fucking love Nandos peri peri chicken.
Canberra has a brilliant fried chicken franchise called Kingley’s.
Best Southern fried chicken I’ve ever had.
It’s the one thing that I miss most about moving down to Hobart.
Canberra had a lot of great quality restaurants.
Other great foods also includes Chinese roast duck egg noodle soup, Chinese roast and BBQ pork (the former being the one with the crackling) and any good handmade dumpling.
At least Hobart has brilliant fish & chips at Flippers down on the wharfs.
Fourtunately there’s this amazing italian restaurant right across the road from my work.
Unfortunately there’s this amazing italian restaurant right across the road my work…my wallet gets thinner and my waist does the opposite.
Without a doubt, Benny’s American Takeaway.
It serves exactly what it’s name suggests; Wings, ribs, pulled pork, hotdogs, garlic fries and more. All at pretty damn reasonable prices, with great service to boot.
Only a single small store in Adelaide with no knowledgeable plans to branch out, but it’s the one form of takeaway I’ll keep on coming back to, week after week.
Recommended to anyone around the Blackwood area of Adelaide.
Five Guys. Hands down the best burgers I’ve ever eaten.
Now if only they’d bring the franchise to Australia…
Another vote for Banh Mi. Awesome stuff.
I quite like Ogalo, the nasty, imitation of Oportos. It’s better in the greasier, spicier, more cheap and nasty kind of way. Makes you feel really unclean.
Anything from Nandos, Subway, Kebab Shop (Special one in my home city), Popcorn Chicken from KFC. But my hands down favourite has to be Panchos, Mexican food beats all other foods. When I have a family of my own, 1 night a week will be dedicated to Mexican food… That I promise.