Forget the tired notion that fast food can’t be great food. That’s nonsense. A perfect burger or crispy taco is a modern marvel—why else would we crave it so fiercely? But let’s be honest: plenty of drive-thrus serve up disappointment, soggy and sad, like a deflated balloon after the party. So if you’re going to indulge, which you absolutely should, make it count. From smashburgers to loaded fries, here are the spots doing it right.
McDonald’s
$ | (301) 567-1271 | WEBSITE
“This view will steal your heart.” Not our words but the words of countless customers who’ve visited this McDonald’s location. Scenic skills aside, they know their stuff. Because good things can always be made better, so it’s no wonder that McDonald’s already satisfying burgers—fresh off the grill and ready to be enjoyed, savored, and devoured in record time—are made even better by the riverside setting.
They’re first prepared with consistent quality to ensure hot delivery, before being served with warm smiles. Glistening from the packaging and tasty from the kitchen, this isn’t a single-meal situation.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
$ | (301) 839-8878 | WEBSITE
A crispy chicken sandwich from the drive-thru. A side of red beans and rice that’s always perfectly seasoned. A frozen mango lemonade that hits just right on a hot day. What do these three treats have in common? They’re all under $10. Much as we love the classic chicken sandwich, it’s Andrea’s service we want to talk about. During our time living in Oxon Hill, our Popeyes visits were truly off the chain thanks to the friendly staff at this location.
Their upbeat attitude would elevate the most bang average of fast food runs into something quite delightful. We still prefer our food fresh though. Cooked up, boxed hot, and handed over with a smile. Piping hot, exhaling that signature crispy heat, sprinkled with Cajun seasoning, and paired with ghost peppers or whatever else takes your fancy.
Five Guys
$ | (240) 253-2501 | WEBSITE
First thing’s first: Five Guys doesn’t make its own fries. They source them from a farm in Idaho, but that doesn’t matter. Not one iota. Because firstly, they have the good sense to realize that Idaho potatoes are the best in the business. Crispy and abundant piles that are begging to be paired with a pick ‘n mix array of burgers, BLT sandwiches, strawberry milkshakes, and more. Of course, you can also go straight and pair fresh hot fries with a generous burger and just go at it.
Grab a handful and get some milkshake to wash it down while you’re in the swing of things.
National Market
$ | (844) 346-4664 | WEBSITE
In the words of Omar Little, if you come at the king you best not miss. Admittedly, he wasn’t talking about missing out on National Market’s luscious steak and eggs but who cares? The meals made at this legendary fast food spot are no secret. In fact, they stay with you. Buttery finger stains at the top of your jeans, rogue drips of spicy chicken taco sauce on your t-shirt. That’s what National Market’s steak and eggs are: a perfectly seasoned velvety vehicle for flavor.
PrimoHoagies
$ | (301) 800-0154 | WEBSITE
There is softness in PrimoHoagies’ bread. Softness. You can’t spell softness without you know what. The welcoming eatery in Oxon Hill serves many brilliant hoagies, essential to satisfying its many hungry customers. There are turkey and cheese hoagies, stacked with fresh meats and toppings and wrapped in that soft bread. There’s steak and cheese, its juices gleaming in the warm light, waiting to be devoured. And then there’s the bread itself.
Baked to a perfect texture, the flavor of the fillings running through it—on the (soft) roll, if you will. Warm and pillowy, it’s even more irresistible combined with the tasty primo chips.
Potbelly
$ | (301) 686-1160 | WEBSITE
Potbelly’s sandwiches, like the finest hoagie from a classic deli, are a fresh and satisfying thing. The fast-food favorite’s bread is made to be toasted warm, its crust crisp and chewy, all to cradle the meats and cheeses of the Primo Hoagies and other sandwiches. Or, in our opinion, best enjoyed as a hearty and delicious meal.
Like all great sandwich makers, the kitchen knows that while their creations may only be seen as quick bites for a busy day, it’s a consistently fresh and thoughtfully assembled bit of food that separates the wheat from the chaff.
Checkers
$ | (301) 749-8031 | WEBSITE
Unquestionably the best seasoned fries in Oxon Hill and, in fact, the whole entire region. Checkers’ fries mean more to us than most of our other fast food options. A golden-brown pile of crispy perfection, these are fries that once eaten are reordered. And reordered. And possibly reordered again. But which is the best on the menu? The seasoned fries or the checker burger. No offense fish sandwich. The former… is a marvel.
Crisp on the outside and perfectly seasoned, these fries have not merely adopted the flavor they were cooked with but were born in it; moulded by it. The recipe is classic fast food excellence, while the checker burger is à la another legendary diner-style creation. It’s a juicy, satisfying meal. Fresh and flavorful and fun, with a side of those fries it makes us wonder: what is the point of fancy dining?
Because when fast food—the king, the empress, the czar of quick meals—is this good, you need nothing else.
