Smashburger

Only fast-​food place I know that has gluten-​free buns for their burgers! Recently got a alarming notice to my health, which effected my eating lifestyle. It limited the fast food places (probably a good idea lol) and restaurants I could eat at. But, wanting something quick and convenient as a gluten-​intolerant/​celiac disease is really hard to come by. I mean WHO wants to eat salads all the time. BORING. Smashburger saves the day! Making great burgers, always cooked to how you prefer the meat to be. Fries are slim and crunchy. Perfection!

I had heard the hype about how great their burgers were and decided to check them out. Uh, no.
My first impression upon entering, I must have somehow wandered into a mall food court! So I thought well, I can always take it home in the future. Perhaps, the deliciousness of the burger will compensate for the ambiance.
Again, that would be a no. My burger seriously had not one bit of seasoning of anykind, it was so greasy that the bun was mush. I ordered the fries, they were ok but hard to go too wrong in that department. I also ordered those little onions straws… not crispy at all and swimming in grease, as well.
Won’t be back… I’ll head on down Beechmont to Arthur’s Café or Butterbee’s for a much better burger.

The burgers are pretty good, and the prices aren’t bad, but they aren’t the kind of place I’d go out of my way to get to. Quick enough service, but feels really stripped down, veggie options are weak, and the fries should come with a hazmat team for all the oil. If you want an indulgent burger and fries, it’s the best «quick» option in the area, if you want a really good meal — look elsewhere.

Yummy burger. Loved it first time, looking forward to next visit.

Burger was extremely greasy. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t like to have all that grease. The fires cooked with the olive oil and spices were pretty good though. So many burger restaurants in town that I can get good burgers at.

OK if you like Smashed burgers or chicken. I have had them both. Five guys has more toppings and flavor. Spiced fries and Sweet Potato fries are nothing great. Milk Shakes are OK but not as good as Chick Fil A or Red Robin.

Best fast burger! So glad they opened the Beechmont store! Black Bean Baja with Sweet Fries ftw!

Favorite fast food burger — way better than Five Guys. My pick is always the Buckeye Burger. You got to try the Smash Sauce, tastes just like deviled eggs from the Deep South!

Yum! Trying SmashBurger for the first time, I assumed it was just your reg run of the mill burger joint. I was luckily very wrong! My burger had some interesting toppings and was cooked just right, and was juicy and delicious. The Smash Fries which included a dusting of herbs, were very good! I didn’t feel weighed down and gross like one might feel after eating a greasy burger from Five Guys or Red Robin. The prices were pretty average.

The burgers are good… but WAY too greasy. I do love the fries though. All in all, I really like Five guys better. But… They do have really good buns.

I tried Smash Burger last night for the first time. I have to admit I was pleased with my experience.
I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with no onion and fries. My sister and boyfriend both ordered similar dinners so with the burger being nearly 7 dollars things got pricey fast and I was nervous.
We sat down at one of the booths, which was rather small and not the most comfortable. They could fit about four average weight adults 2 on each side. However no worries if you are a bigger group they have some tables pushed together against a line of booth chairs.
It was maybe a 10 minute wait for the food and I’m rounding up. So I was happy about that. When I SAW my burger and fries I was very excited. It looked juicy, fresh, and I just could not wait to dive in, with those pickles causing my mouth to drool.
The actual taste was a bit better than I had anticipated! The burger was a bit big for my mouth I guess, because I ended up with grease all over my cheeks and chin. That was embarrassing to say the least, but I figured everyone there was getting the same food face I was so I used a napkin and moved on. The fries were of the shoe string type and were on par. Better than Steak ‘n Shake fries.
I will defiantly come back one day… When I can afford to again!

Was pleasantly impressed. Not the best burger in the world, but it has much more potential than many places especially greasy Five Guys. Loved the seasoned fries and the root beer float was worth it, because they didn’t skimp on the ice cream for the float.

Thought the food tastes great, wasn’t a fan of fries being the small ones, but the seasoning they put on it was great! The price was a little high but not bad for a change of scenery

Not a fan. My husband and I went to Smashburger one time, and we probably won’t go back. Granted, we did go a few weeks after they opened, but we had to wait quite a while for our food. They did not get our order correct (we asked for no mayo or mustard, and we got mayo/​mustard). They did have some different french fries, which were pretty good (rosemary flavored– I think). Overall, the food was not that great.

Smashburger is the latest not-​quite-​fast-​food national burger chain to invade Cincinnati. And by «not-​quite-​fast-​food,» I mean that you pay 30 or 40 percent more for table service and for somewhat better food and somewhat nicer surroundings than you’d get at the standard McDonald’s or Burger King.
Compared to its most prominent competition, Five Guys, Smashburger is slicker and has a more contemporary décor and vibe. Its appointments are indeed more comfortable by comparison.
The allegedly distinguishing concept of Smashburger is apparently that, instead of cooking pre-​formed ground-​beef patties, the cooks at Smashburger take a ball of ground beef and smash it into patty form on the griddle to get a good, tasty sear. If you cook burgers on your backyard grill at all, you probably know that one of the worst things you can do is smash the burger down while it’s grilling and squeeze all the juice (and flavor) out. Theoretically, Smashburger avoids this error by getting its smashing out of the way in the first few seconds of cooking.
I got a good sear, as intended, but I still got an overcooked, nearly flavorless patty. Some other folks at the table had better luck than I did, though. And the buns and toppings were fresher and better than almost any chain burger joint. So I must give good grades on the concept, but not so much on the execution, at least not on this visit.
The «Smashfries” – NOT smashed on the griddle! – are hardly cutting edge but still a nice alternative to the boring fast-​food fry: tossed in rosemary, olive oil, and garlic, and not overseasoned the way some places do fries like this. Sweet potato fries are offered, too.
Not great, but good enough to warrant a return visit.
UPDATE (11÷29÷12): Having just eaten lunch at a McDonald’s for about the second time in a decade, I should amend the second sentence of this review to say that Smashburger has «way» better food than McDonald’s. Even if that is not saying very much.

— Thought I would give them another chance
— Bathroom was not clean, smells like urine
— If the bathroom is not clean what does that say about the kitchen

Appearance and Atmosphere — it’s Five Guys with chicken options, no peanuts, and catsup and mustard at the tables, very basic. At least it’s not as loud as Five Guys.
Food — if they don’t ask how you’d like your burger cooked, then it’s just fancy fast food, not a real burger. Read any legit cookbook, rule number one is not to smash the burger as you cook it, it will over cook and get dried out. Based on the name and the burgers, these guys don’t subscribe to that theory. They’re wrong, the burger was over cooked and dried out and got all of it’s flavor and moisture from copious amounts of salt and toppings. I’m sure they aren’t lying when they said it’s 100% Angus, but it’s 100% poorly cooked Angus, too bad. Also, their selection of add-​ons was big but had some glaring omissions, like mushrooms or provolone/​mozzarella cheese.
The sweet potato fries would have been ok if something beside catsup was offered to dip them in. But they’re SUPER greasy, so bad that when I bit into one the oil drooled out of the other end and down my chin. totally grossing out my wife who saw it happen, and me who had to feel it.
Service was fast and friendly, and the place was clean, so for that, two stars, but there are far too many other good places to get a burger at the same price or less for me to feel the need to return.

Hmmm this appears to be a second profile for the same place I created a profile for the day it opened! So I will add my review to this and let the Unilocal gods merge the profiles somehow.
I will admit that I was so excited to try this place once it opened, that I took a friend and insisted that she and I get different things and then split everything up just so I could taste it all. Let me start with the atmosphere– not your typical burger joint. In fact, if it didn’t say SmashBurger when you first walked in, you would never know what they served. Not sure if that’s exactly good for branding or not, but if that’s the concept they are going for, they got it right. I wouldn’t call this fast food, it’s more like fast-​casual, similar to Chipotle. It’s the Chipotle of burger joints. Anyways, between the 2 of us, we ordered the Mushroom & Swiss Burger, the Chicken Club Sandwich, Smash Fried, Fried Pepper Rings and a Nutter Butter Milkshake. Did I mention that we were not on our diets that day? Yeah. Well, I have to say that for a place with the word «burger» in their name, they were extremely mediocre. To the point that I probably wouldn’t order it again, because I can get one of the same quality for a lot less at Wendy’s. Now the chicken sandwich, THAT is another story. Amazing! Their fried chicken breast was so big and juicy that I didn’t want to stop eating it! The Smash Fries were a letdown as well. I expected these herb-​seasoned fried to be more seasoned! They just weren’t. However, the fried pepper rings were amazing! As was the nutter butter milkshake, but that’s a little hard to mess up. So, my verdict is, get the chicken, the fried pepper rings and the nutter butter shake, and you will leave happy and wih a full belly :)

I decided to make a return visit at a different time during the day to see if things were better — and they were. I was armed with a coupon for a free burger so I tried the Classic and the regular french fries, along with the obligatory bottled water.
The burger was outstanding; but the fries still needed some work. It may seem like I am being picky but french fries need to be served hot, not mildly warm. Get these suckers served hot and you’ll have a fan.
A much better experience over last time.

Expecting an experience closer to 5 Guys, but got disappointment. The person that brought the burgers to the group did not know what they are… not good to start a meal with unnecessary confusion. The burgers were fine, just fine… nothing special. I had the black bean burger which was good, but the thing fell apart at the first touch. The sides, sweet potato fries and veggie frittes, were flaccid and a tiny portion compared to the side of fries that came with kids burgers. Inconsistency is a no no at chains, but my wife’s regular burger was smaller than the kids’ burger. In the end, it was just over priced mediocrity.?.i will stick with 5 Guys for «high end» fast food burgers.