I compared similar meals from Bobby’s Burgers by Bobby Flay and Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy. The winner surprised me.

From melty cheeseburgers to crispy fried chicken sandwiches, I sampled two celebrity-chef spots in Atlantic City and found a clear winner.

Bobby’s Burgers by Bobby Flay served up classic cheeseburgers in a grab-and-go setting, while Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy! went all in on chicken with a menu stacked with tenders, sandwiches, and more.

Both restaurants impressed me, but I would only go back to one celebrity chef’s restaurant the next time I’m in Atlantic City.

Here’s how similar meals at Bobby’s Burgers and Chicken Guy! compared.

Bobby’s Burgers is a fast-casual concept created by celebrity chef Bobby Flay.

Flay has launched two fast-casual burger chains: Bobby’s Burger Palace, which debuted in 2008 and is now down to two locations, and Bobby’s Burgers, which opened in 2021 and has since expanded to 10 locations nationwide.

I visited the Atlantic City restaurant inside Harrah’s Resort.

The menu mainly consists of burgers, sandwiches, and sides.

The restaurant also serves breakfast from 11 a.m. to noon on weekdays and 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday and Sunday.

When I arrived mid-afternoon on a Sunday, I found a few customers eating at the surrounding tables. A few people were also waiting in line to order at the walk-up counter.

After placing my order, I waited at a table by the pick-up window.

Other than a few signs out front, there was little to suggest I was at a Bobby Flay restaurant. Instead of a full brick-and-mortar space, it’s simply a grab-and-go counter inside the casino.

I ordered the Palace Classic Burger, a soft drink, and a side of fries.

There were seven kinds of burgers on the menu, from a brunch burger to one topped with blue cheese sauce and bacon, as well as a veggie burger and a fried chicken sandwich.

All of the burgers and sandwiches were priced between $13.49 and $15.49.

I paid $5.99 for a Diet Coke, which I could refill myself at the soda fountain. I thought it was pricey, but pretty standard compared to other casinos I’ve visited in Atlantic City and Las Vegas.

The meal was served on a metal tray lined with Bobby’s Burgers paper — the setup looked straight out of a classic fast-food joint.

The burger came in a cardboard box with more Bobby’s Burgers branding.

I was given the option to order my burger well-done or medium. I opted to order mine medium.

The burger came on a Brioche bun.

The Palace Classic Burger ($14.49) came topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and Bobby’s sauce, which is a creamy, tangy burger sauce.

I thought the price point was reasonable for the amount of food I received.

At under $15 — the going rate for many fast-food burgers — the portion felt huge. It was so hefty I needed two hands just to pick it up.

At $30 for the burger, side of fries, and drink, the meal cost more than a typical fast-food meal — for comparison, a large Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal runs $14.89 at my local McDonald’s in Brooklyn.

Still, the generous portions and solid quality made it feel like a good value.

The burger was well-seasoned and tasted unbelievably fresh.

A thick slice of red tomato brought freshness to every bite, while the tangy cheese blanketed the burger. Crisp lettuce draped over the top of the patty added crunch.

All in all, this burger was leagues ahead of a typical fast-food burger.

The fries were perfectly salted — and there were a lot of them.

The generous serving of fries ($6.49) easily spilled out onto the tray for grabbing and dipping.

I ate the fries with a side of Bobby’s sauce, the same sauce that came on my burger.

The sauce was tangy and creamy, with a slight kick of spice, and I thought it paired well with the fries, which were crispy without being overfried to the point they had lost any potato texture.

Overall, I was really satisfied with my meal. Every element, from the burger to the fries and signature sauce, was executed to a high level.

Despite the relatively high price tag, it was better than any fast-food meal I’ve had in recent memory.

If you’re looking for an elevated version of your fast-food favorites, Bobby’s Burgers might just fit the bill.

Down the boardwalk, I dined at Chicken Guy!, a restaurant concept created by Guy Fieri.

Chicken Guy! was created by iconic celebrity chef Guy Fieri of “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” fame and restaurateur Robert Earl in 2018.

The first Chicken Guy! restaurant officially opened on August 24, 2018, at Disney Springs in Orlando, with a goal of bringing chicken tenders to Disney visitors in a fast-casual atmosphere.

It was the first venture of its kind for Fieri, who had previously only done full-service restaurants.

The menu is big on customization, with a whopping 10 different sauces to choose from at this location.

The chain is built around its tenders, aiming to serve crispy, juicy chicken enhanced with “bold brines, fresh herbs, and a wide range of signature sauces,” according to its website.

At lunchtime on a Friday, the restaurant was busy with people ordering and chowing down on their chicken meals.

Chicken Guy! has 16 locations nationwide, with three more on the way.

I visited the Resorts Casino location in Atlantic City, though there’s also one at Harrah’s in the marina district. Inside the restaurant were tables with chairs, a bar area, and booths in the back.

The entire restaurant was decked out in red paint, with homages to Fieri everywhere I looked.

From a mascot reimagining Guy Fieri as a chicken — complete with his signature goatee and spiky hair — to a collage of family photos on the wall, the restaurant was unapologetically “Guy.”

Unlike Bobby’s Burgers, which didn’t pay much homage to its namesake chef, Guy Fieri’s outpost heavily leaned into honoring the chef.

I ordered one of the chain’s classic chicken sandwiches, fries, and a drink.

Rather than using a standard fried chicken breast, Chicken Guy!’s chicken sandwiches are made using a buttery bun, two large chicken tenders, and other toppings.

There were four sandwiches on the menu, priced between $10.49 and $12.49.

Options for the various kinds of chicken sandwiches ranged from spins on a B.L.A.T — bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato — to a bourbon brown-sugar barbecue sandwich made with pepper jack cheese, bourbon brown-sugar BBQ sauce, special sauce, slaw, pickles, and BBQ kettle chips.

I went with the most classic chicken sandwich on the menu, which was the O.G.

The O.G. chicken sandwich ($10.49) came with only pickles and special sauce for the toppings. The sandwich was so large that the chicken tenders were falling out from the buttery, pillowy bun.

My first impression was that this sandwich could have easily gotten away with only using one tender. However, it turned out to be a case of “the more the merrier.”

This chicken sandwich was decadent without being overbearing.

The chicken tenders were perfectly juicy on the inside, while having a thick crust on the outside that audibly crunched with every bite.

The seasoning of the breading also impressed me — it was salty, peppery, and I did get the hint of brine that Fieri promised.

Though the toppings were simple — just special sauce and pickles — they tied the whole sandwich together, adding creamy, savory flavor and crunch.

The fries took my meal over the edge.

Perfectly fried and crispy, these seasoned fries ($4.49) were practically addictive. I couldn’t help but shovel two or three fries at a time into my mouth.

I also ordered a soda to go with my meal, which cost $3.79 — quite a bit less expensive than the same-sized drink at Bobby’s Burgers.

I also tried four of the chain’s specialty dipping sauces.

I chose the buttermilk ranch, donkey sauce (a blend of mayonnaise, lemon, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and roasted garlic), and two servings of chipotle ranch.

The sauces paired well with the fries, but they were even better with the chicken tenders.

I loved all of the sauces I tried, but I liked the donkey sauce and chipotle ranch the most. Each of the sauces sold for $0.75 each.

For the sake of this comparison, I was only judging the chain based on its sandwich.

However, I also tried the chain’s chicken tenders on their own and found they were among the best I’ve tried from any fast-food chain, especially when paired with the donkey sauce.

I had to give the win to Chicken Guy! over Bobby’s Burgers.

In the end, Chicken Guy!’s O.G. sandwich more than lived up to the hype. The massive tenders were juicy inside, crunchy outside, and seasoned to perfection, while the simple toppings of pickles and special sauce gave every bite balance.

Paired with crispy fries and an impressive lineup of bold, flavorful dipping sauces — with donkey sauce and chipotle ranch stealing the show — the meal felt like fast-casual comfort food done right.

In terms of value, I spent less at Chicken Guy! and preferred the meal by a long shot — though both chains have a lot of offer.

Between the oversized sandwich, crave-worthy fries, and standout sauces, it was clear this chicken ruled the roost and made the trip to Atlantic City more than worth it.

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