We never ate at Gino’s during its original Baltimore incarnation, and when seemingly everyone who had went nuts at the news that the old-school burger franchise was reopening a location in Towson, we were curious, and suspicious. Curious to know if it was as good as the lines when it opened indicated; suspicious because, frankly, if it was so great, how come no one had ever mentioned it to us before? A trip to Towson found the polished, subtly retro office-park space still hopping, though the lines have died down. A Junior Giant burger ($4.89; $8.35 as a value meal with fries and a drink) with lettuce, pickles, cheese, and tangy-sweet “Giant sauce” proved a decent fast-food burger in the Five Guys mold. The fries were nothing exceptional, but malt vinegar available at every table is a nice touch. The chicken Giant ($4.59; $8.03 as a value meal with fries and a drink) applied the same fixins to an actual breast, not a processed meat formation, fried just shy of the promised crispy and nicely spiced. Limp shredded lettuce didn’t do it many favors, but the seeded bun did. If Gino’s isn’t exactly a foodie treasure, it serves up fast fare better than you’ll find at any drive-through window along Joppa Road. And from the eager, smiling cashiers to the pleasant folks who hustle you to your table and make sure that your food arrives still almost too hot to eat, they don’t make service like this anymore.

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