Smashburger

I’m not a big fan of chain restaurants but Smash Burger USED to be one of them. I’ve quickly fallen out of love with them.
I like the idea of building your own burger and I tolerated the long wait betwixt ordering the burger of my fat kid dreams and it arriving at my table. The last two times I’ve been my order has been wrong. On my most recent visit I doubled checked my receipt before saying something (as I wouldn’t hold your feet to the fire if something was lost in translation) and when my burger was sent back (they could have just brought me the missing cheese) we could hear and see the temper tantrum from the kitchen.
By the time my burger reappeared everyone else was done with their food — after being faced with a tough fat kid problem: do I politely wait for everyone’s food to arrive and let mine get cold OR eat my tasty burger while I awkwardly watch them eat before reversing roles.
My mother’s burger was also not at all what she ordered. She knew better than to send it back to the kitchen.
On this visit one of the reasons it took so long for the line to progress is that one of the cashier had to step out of line to transact a drug deal. This is exactly the lunch you want to have when you’ve taken the day off to chauffer your mother on her errands. I only regret I didn’t have my kids with me so they could join in on the awkwardness. One normally waits until they’ve cleared the line to transact personal business and keeps criminal activity to their own time; or has the common sense to be discrete.
I cannot imagine being back; I’m not going to pay sit-​down restaurant prices for less-than-McDonald’s service and criminal activity.

Al was great! Love me some Smashburger! We had the Buffalo Bleu Cheese and Bacon Cheese Burgers! YUM!

We chose Smashburger after a family outing with some friends and after reading the mostly positive reviews, figured it was somewhere everyone could find something that appealed to them! We arrived around 8:30pm to an empty restaurant and staff member cleaning. He quickly greeted us and offered assistance. I chose the BBQ, bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions, grilled mushrooms and a fried egg, with the smashfries and a peppermint crunch milkshake. YUM! I devoured that burger in record time and grudgingly gave my husband a small nibble when he asked. As for the fries… beyond words! The garlic and rosemary was amazing! Lastly, the milkshake, which I was a tad nervous about honestly, was the cherry on top! It had bits of crushed candy cane mixed throughout and was thick and creamy without being undrinkable. We have found a new favorite burger place and we can’t wait to go back and mix up other toppings! Well done!

Delicious burgers and grilled chicken. Try the salted caramel milkshake, you will be glad you did. Also recommend the sweet potato fries. Order at the counter, food is brought to your table. Self-​serve drinks.

TIM’s BDAY BURGER REVIEW EXTRAVAGANZA:
So for my birthday my dear friend and burger-​aficianado Pam gave me the present of Burgers. More specifically she gave me five rain checks to the restaurants of my choosing on the condition that I review each of the destinations.
SMASHBURGER (Or should it be Smash Burger? Or Smash-​Burger?)
I chose it strictly for the fact that I had never been but had heard good reviews from other burger loving friends.
Here is my review
Scoring Key: Each of the following categories are scored on a one to five Pickle scale. One pickle being the worse (But «how bad could one pickle really be?», you ask. Well, let’s say that one pickle is one of those gross cooked and over processed bread and butter kind. Now you know how bad that one pickle is) Five pickles being the best (Think five Claussen dill pickles-​AKA the best)
Bun: 5 PICKLES!!! I choose their standard egg bun. The consistency was firm, almost hearty. Delicious on it’s own accord. One could not speak badly about this bun.
Fries: 4 PICKLES!!! I went for their Sweet Potato Fries. Despite the inherent problem with SPF (That being if they are cut too thick they tend to be undercooked in the middle, or too thin they get a little burned on the outside) these were of the former variety. Despite their extra crispiness they were very tasty and even though I usually leave a lot of fries behind because I’m not letting any bite of a good burger go to waste I just about finished them off. I tried some of Pam’s Smash Fries which were seasoned and very good, but still not a 5. (A 5 would be Rally’s fries)
Cheese: 5 PICKLES!!! American, tasted like the real deal and added to the burger’s overall flavor. Thumbs up
Pickles: 4 PICKLES!!! The fact that they were Dill is wunderbah but they gave me four little baby pickles. They were delicious but not enough– don’t skimp on the pickles y’all.
Condiments: 5 PICKLES!!! I requested the best condiment of all time (Next to Tatar Sauce) MAYONNAISE and I wasn’t disappointed. It was not tangy (a la Miracle Whip) just tasty Mayo. I cannot over estimate the simplistic beauty that is Mayonnaise.
Toppings: 5 PICKLES!!! They had the most coveted of toppings. NO it’s not guacamole (even though I do love Guac but not on a burger-​I am a burger purist after all) Mushrooms, they were plentiful and delicious. Perfect
Burger meat patty: 5 PICKLES!!! Not huge, not too thick and greasy, not too thin and mealy. Perfect proportion to bread to meat ratio. Tasty, good olé’ burger.
Let me just say this: They have Häagen-​Dazs® milk shakes and they are everything you would hope they would be.
OVERALL SCORE. 4 & ½ Pickles. This was one of the better burgers I have had in town. It was delicious, sized right and all of the ingredients were fantastic. I will definitely be going back! (Tip: Get the Häagen-​Dazs® milkshakes and ask for extra pickles!)
(Please note: I don’t like math so I just came up with the overall score simply by how I feel about this burger and not the sum divided by a certain number. In your face, Math!!!)
Thanks again Pam for such a creative, fun and delicious Bday gift!!!

They DID THAT from the handpatted seasoned beef to the fresh topping and forget the smash fries tossed with olive oil, garlic, and rosemary. The staff was courteous, friendly, and very helpful. This will be my go to «cheat meal» restaurant. They serve ice cold beer as well.

Omg!!! I love their rosemary fries. And today i got hamburger with ketchup spicy chipolte red onion spinach mushrooms fried egg with yolk goat cheese pepper jack cheese… to die for everything was so fresh

I think this is the best burger place in Louisville! A must go! The restaurant is nice inside and the staff is usually friendly. Plus they serve Ale81 in the bottle! I highly recommend Smashburger!

I tried to go but was told they were closing early because they didn’t have enough workers. The building has a large sign proclaiming that they are open until 10 PM every night. This is obviously not the case. There are many other places I can go in this town and I will not be back. The last time I went, I waited over 30 minutes for one burger and I was one of only three people in the whole restaurant. I would keep things moving along and not waste my time.

This location used to be a weekly family outing. Every Friday evening after our swim practice we’d head over around 8:30pm. Recently the place has been filthy and the service terrible. Last Friday was the worst. The manager clearly doesn’t care, the clerk had her two kids running crazy while she yelled at them between taking our orders. The burger was dry and tasteless. What used to be one of my favorite burger joints will now be at the bottom of our list.

The burgers were definitely good. It seemed to be a little high compared to a few places I’ve been. Atmosphere was ok. I think my expectations may have been a bit to high. I don’t know something about the name i just expected more. But can’t tell you why lol. Staff was very friendly. This is a great place for a quick work lunch.

My dinner companion was the one to select the place we ate. And he wanted a burger. So, to Smashburger we came.
This was my first time at a Smashburger. Ordering was easy enough, and I was pleased to get an Ale8 (really I just wanted something cold because we had walked to dinner). I am watching what I eat so I opted for the black bean burger with ranch and avocado. The patty wasn’t too bad… I’ve had better bean burgers, and I have had worse. What really turned me off was the avocado… it was basically inedible. It was strangely dry and really hard. Like… I struggled to break a slice in half… with my hands. What have I done to anger the avocado gods?!
My friend enjoyed his burger, but I have no inclination to return.

Smashburger is surprisingly yummy! Great sweet potato fries, try them Smash style with olive oil and rosemary! I like their multigrain bun, slightly healthier option.

Staff struggles with service. For $ 30 of burgers for an adult and two children, asking to leave off three condiments from one burger should not cause so much confusion. The cashier was barely audible and the food all came out at different times. We gave it a chance but will be supporting local burger restaurants in the future.

I went on a Friday during lunch hour and it wasn’t too busy yet around 11:15 am. It took about 10 minutes for it to be ready, but they make it fresh. I love their BBQ, bacon and cheddar burger and their spicy fries. The facility is clean and well maintained.

I ordered the bbq bacon burger and the Rosemary garlic sweet potato fries. It was pretty good overall. Great for the price… Everything was about $ 10 (I got the big burger)…It was my first time here and they helped me decide on what to order. Next time I go back I’ll be sure to try a milkshake. Only con would be the sweet potato fries were laying in oil practically… And they didn’t have many dipping sauce options for the fries. I ended up going with a Cajun sauce. It was mild but suitable for the sweet fries vs the smash sauce they initially brought out. I liked their variety compared to Five Guys for example. So I’ll def stop back in and try another burger next.

I have to Smash where ever I can because it is such a unique taste. The level of execution is consistent across the country. I have had Smash out West and in the Deep South. There customer service is always one of the most refreshing things about the experience. I try to order the specialty Smash Burger at each location. This location has the «Bluegrass» More to follow constant eater.

A la carte menu. But satiating. Closer to home.

The wife and I stopped in as we had never eaten here before. It’s got a decent menu with some items that sounded good.
I was a little turned off by the appearance inside. The floor was surprisingly messy and many of the tables were dirty. I encountered some of the same lack luster employee attitude that I saw another reviewer mention.
The food was decent. I am not saying it is bad by any stretch. But for the price ($ 25+ for 2) I was expecting a little more. I had a chicken sandwich and my wife got a burger. I had the sweet potato fries and she got the seasoned fries. I wish I had gotten the fries she got because those alone might have been enough to bump the rating up a star.
All in all, this is not a bad place to eat. It seems like a high priced fast food joint with not a lot separating it from some other fast food joints to justify the price.

Although I have heard good things about it, I was resistant to trying Smashburger. I’ve done a lot of food service, and I have fired cooks who persisted in smashing hamburger on the grill. If there is ever a Dixonburger, my policy will remain, but I’m glad I tried Smashburger today. The folks at Smashburger abuse their meat, but it works somehow.
This Smashburger location is nice. The décor is more «casual dining» than «fast food.» The person at the register was nice, but a little too wound up for my taste. He needs to take a deep breath or meditate or something. The dining room was clean: mostly. Tables were bussed, but some of them needed to be wiped.
Prices were fair: about $ 10 for burger, fries and large beverage.
I think smashed meat works at Smashburger because it really allows the flavor of the accompaniments to shine. Beef is an important player, but it is no longer the star of the show. It is a team player in a great ensemble cast.
I ordered a Bluegrass Smashburger, which comes with Wild Turkey Bourbon BBQ sauce, bacon, cheddar and fried banana pepper rings. I also ordered fries and iced tea.
The burger was very good. True to the name, the burger patty was smashed down to about a quarter inch. It’s really difficult to cook meat that thin any way but well done, and that’s how my meat was cooked. I worry about barbecue sauce on a burger (it can take over), but they applied just the right amount to allow for subtlety. The bacon was good, and the cheddar was sharp and melted into a delicious glop. The banana peppers on top were very lightly breaded and very tasty. The burger was perfectly composed. Balanced. It was hamburger as art. If my burger is Matisse and theirs is Mondrian, both can still be wonderful!
The fries were fine. They were shoestring cut, which makes them very crispy. They tasted good.
I LOVE places that have delicious freshly brewed iced tea. Smashburger offers THREE kinds of freshly brewed iced tea: unsweet, sweet and green. They use Hones-​T, which is a very good brand. I had the unsweet, and it was heavenly.
All-​in-​all, Smashburger is a good place. I’ll be back.