Smashburger

Got a to go shake and it was only ²⁄₃ full. I called a girl said it was thick and that’s why not full. That’s bs. When eating in the place they give u the shake and then the canister with the extra shake in it. Will NEVER get take out again.

My initial impression was positive, seeing that they have a fast-​casual approach, not the pretentious approach of some «gourmet burger» places. Initial look at the menu & menu board took a step back, as the burgers were all listed as «regular» or «big». Standard weight measurements are an industry standard and give a better idea of what to expect, «big» does not.
I got a big burger, which overhang the bun (due to being smashed, I guess). It was good, all toppings slid out of the sandwich on the second bite, making a mess. The fries were thin shoe strings. Very good and just crisped up nicely. Delish. I would come back just for the fries.
I’m not a shake drinker, but the milkshakes are branded by Hagan Daas, so that’s a good thing I suppose.

This place is Yum! The food is good and you can customize. They have more options than your regular burger joint. The people and customer service are great!

Now, I should preface this review by admitting I am not a fast food fan. Having said that; An expensive Wendy’s…That’s how I see Smashburger. I seriously do not get the four and five star reviews. The BF and I went recently; he had a DIY Smashburger and I had the Avacodo Club Smashchicken (I don’t even like typing the word ‘Smashchicken’…ugh) which costs $ 7.29 WITHOUT fires and a drink. To me the chicken sandwich was anything I could get at Wendy’s, except there, the fries and drink would have been included in that price! Like I said not horrible, but just not worth the moola. The burger was a little bigger than your normal fast food burger, but didn’t taste any different. The SmashFries were ok, I guess. They are rosemary and olive oil or something. The staff was nice enough, but other than ordering, you don’t interact with them a lot. It’s not like a regular sit down restaurant where they take your order, bring you your food, then check on you (if you’re lucky anyway). It wasn’t a bad experience, just not what I was expecting. One of the reviews I read says Smashburger «aims to be a couple steps above Five Guys…» and to me Smahsburger, Wendy’s, Five Guys, Burger King… it’s the same. I think I just hate saying Smashthis and Smashthat. Does that Mcremind Mcanyone of Mcanything?

The burgers are honestly really good, and it’s a step in the right direction for food in my opinion. Let Mcwhogivesashit die, and support more businesses like this.
It would be a five star review, but some of the employees are straight up brain dead. I actually ordered a shake from someone, paid for it, then watched them go make my shake, give it to someone else, and then stare at me asking if I needed to order anything.
Besides that amazing experience, this place is not a bad spot to get an awesome burger.

Delicious fresh taste always
And kind staff
Recommended…

Good burger. Can’t complain. French fries were good too. Service was very very fast. Wen’t at like 3pm on a Sunday. I’m sure this is a popular place on a weekday.

Just saw this place while we were out n about in Monroville & decided to try since we’d never heard about it… Had a good experience! Good first impression. Burger, fries & chicken strips were good. Nice clean place, pleasant service. Not too expensive /​pretty standard prices for two people to eat out. I’d come back!

Smashburger is a place that aims to be a couple steps above Five Guys while still giving their diners a quick meal that can be ordered to-​go when necessary. As a Five Guys fan, I was definitely all for seeing if Smashburger could complete with them. While I’d had a chance to sample Smashburger’s menu before they opened, I’m in Monroeville so infrequently that it was months before I could return and enjoy a proper meal here. But finally I was in the area for Steel City Con — and I immediately drove here afterward to get my burger on.
While Smashburger by design allows for people to take their meals elsewhere, I opted to sit and just enjoy my burger before I headed home. I ordered a burger I hadn’t already sampled: the Avocado Club. Kind of a basic burger in that it just has avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato, ranch dressing and mayo, but since I already knew what I liked and didn’t like from the tasting event menu I was happy to go back to basics during this visit. And unsurprisingly, I liked what I got. The burger was fairly juicy and quite tasty, and the added flavor and crunch from some of the toppings mixed with the more creamy textures of the avocado and dressings made for a great burger overall.
I’m admittedly not that big on their thinly sliced fries, which were a little oversalted when I visited (but not inedibly salty). The problem I have isn’t just that it’s easy to oversalt or over-​season the fries because they’re so little — it also just gets a little harder to pick them up as you work your way to the bottom of a serving because the already tiny fries get even smaller as you go. Personally I like the bigger fries at Five Guys more.
That said, this place DEFINITELY beats Five Guys side-​wise. In addition to their straw fries, sweet potatoes fries and onion straws, Smashburger offers side salads and a side of cooked veggie sticks. It’s a nice little thing that allows someone to make their burger indulgence a little healthier. Add in the fact that any of their burgers or chicken sandwiches can be made into full salads, and you can ask them to hold any toppings you may not like, and you’ve got a place that really can make for a relatively healthy but quick lunch or lunch on the go.
My final thoughts? I love Smashburger for what it is. While it wouldn’t make my top burger place list, it is still extremely good considering that the place is meant to be a fast food kind of stop, and as much as I love a greasy Five Guys burger they definitely beat Five Guys with their healthier options. I’ll probably pass on the small fries during future visits though. I certainly hope that I’m able to return soon, as I’d love to try a Haagen-​Dazs shake one day and I still want to order full versions of all of the burgers I previously sampled. Here’s to the next time I’m in Monroeville!

Meh… I’m torn between 2 and 3 stars for this place. Maybe 2.5?
I love the concept of fast casual restaurants (huge Chipotle fan here!), so I was hoping to be impressed by Smashburger’s offerings in this space. Unfortunately, my recent experience here was pretty lackluster.
Smashburger purports to be a higher quality burger joint, positioning itself above places like McDonalds and Wendys. The restaurant itself is contemporary and clean and offers a wide variety of burgers and sandwiches, along with sides and shakes.
I ordered a crispy chicken sandwich with a side of their signature smashfries, my husband got a Steel City burger with a side of sweet potato smashfries, and then we split a Butterfinger shake for dessert. Of note, my husband’s food came out before mine did, which was a little annoying. Why can’t they sync up meals so a table can eat together? I appreciate them not serving food that has been sitting around getting cold, but at the same time, it seems like there could be better synchrony in the kitchen so that one person doesn’t have to watch their partner eat while waiting for their food to arrive (I don’t think my husband appreciated me hungrily pilfering his fries since I had no food!)
Anyway, my chicken sandwich consisted of a crispy chicken breast, onion straws, BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, and bacon (which my husband promptly stole from my sandwich and ate for himself). I wasn’t too impressed with my sandwich. The chicken’s breading was flavorful, but the chicken itself seemed to be overcooked (very dry and not juicy). That wouldn’t have been as much of a problem if there had been sufficient BBQ sauce on it to provide moisture, but there was hardly any sauce on the sandwich at all (I couldn’t even taste it and could barely see it when I opened the sandwich to look for it). The cheese was only half melted. The onion straws were ok, but only served to add to the sandwich’s dryness. Overall, pretty disappointing.
My husband thought his Steel City Burger was just okay, and he noted that it was supposed to come with blue cheese, but there was barely any on his burger. It’s nice that they’re trying to make their burgers more gourmet, but if they skimp on the pricey ingredients, it kind of defeats the point. I do like that they use local BBQ Stu sauce on the Steel City Burger. We’ve met Stu at several food events, and he’s a good guy, so kudos to Smashburger for supporting his business.
The highlight of our meals were the smashfries (both regular and sweet potato). They were crispy with just the right amount of rosemary, garlic, and olive oil flavors that worked well together. The Butterfinger milkshake to end the meal was also pretty tasty… thick and creamy with sufficient pieces of the candy in it.
Service was mixed. The cashier (Amber) was very friendly and hardworking, handling the long line with grace, even when customers kept coming up to her and interrupting her work. However, behind her were two food runner ladies who clearly didn’t have enough to do, as they were goofing around and shooting balled-​up paper receipts or napkins or something into a trash can. Our poor cashier kept staring daggers at them, and I can’t say that I blame her… it sucks to work hard when others around you are slacking off. It seems like it would’ve been more efficient to have one of those ladies open up a second register, but what do I know?
So, overall, the food was average but not great… probably 3 star food. What makes me rate it a 2.5 overall is the value for the price. For 2 meals (sandwich, fries, drink) and a shake, we were pushing $ 30 total. That’s only a little less than what we normally would spend at Burgatory, and the quality is much lower at Smashburger. For its price point, I think Smashburger probably needs to up its food game to be competitive (and perhaps make a few service tweaks as well).

I had the Spicy Baja burger with side salad with chipotle dressing both times I ate at Smash Burger.
The servers were more attentive the first time I was here– checking back to get you drink refills. And giving coupons for free sides. Not so much this second trip. A good value and pleasant atmosphere. Burgers are tasty!

Never assume that all gourmet burger places are going to somewhat resemble the Burgatory. Therefore this review maybe slightly bias.
Smash Fries– which were ok, but the Rosemary was a little strong. The more I ate them the less I wanted to eat them.
Spinach, Blue Cheese, Cucumber Burger– the burger was pretty good. It was juicy and the toppings were fresh. My favorite part was the bun… nice and crispy!!!
Strawberry Milkshake– I did not like it at all. I was told the use real ice cream. Well the ice cream must be old or sitting around because I kept getting ice chips (freezer burn) throughout my shake. In addition, it taste more like vanilla with traces of strawberries. My mom tried it and didn’t even know it was strawberry. Very disappointed.
Service– people seemed friendly and good came fast.
Overall I didn’t enjoy it enough to want to come back. If a friend wanted to go, I would still go.

I have to say I went back last weekend now that the place should have their kinks worked out. I was pleasantly surprised with the much better service which I thought was the real short coming on my first visit. The staff was considerably more courteous and efficient than they had been and even the food tasted better.
I have gone from thinking this place is okay to making it my go to burger. The fries are Gandalf the White to McDonalds Sarumon the White (for anyone who wasn’t a perennial loser in high school that means while the fries are similar style Smashburgers are way better) much less expensive and less crowded than Burgatory, cheaper than Five Guys I will be frequenting Smashburger as my brother also loves this place. If you haven’t yet I urge you to give them a try and if you came to the opening week I urge you to try it again.

I read all the reviews of this recently opened business, the first Smashburger in Pittsburgh, by the way. Also, I did attend the pre-​opening Unilocal Elite event so wanted to revisit on a normal business day.
I was especially curious to see what the staff would be like after having read all the negative reviews regarding them and seeing how they were very awkward at the pre-​opening event.
Well, I can say that they were polite on this visit, especially so (I was even asked if everything was ok when leaving). I can also say, What the? on the number of staff no matter what and especially relative to the number of clientele. It was a Friday evening about 5:30pm. There were 6 staff in the kitchen and 7 on the floor. Count them — 13. Number of customers? Maybe 15? Please do explain that? Were some training others? If so, it was not apparent.
Anyway, they were polite, if not necessarily all that efficient. Not all 13 could possibly be busy at once. My order arrived at the table long before my husband’s. That’s kinda irksome. We would like to dine together. I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich with goat cheese and spinach, the same sandwich I fell in love with at the Unilocal event. It is a wonderfully tasty sandwich and I highly recommend. I ordered a side salad to go with it and was satisfied with it, as well. My husband ordered a crispy chicken sandwich (so why on earth did it take so long compared to mine, I’ll never know). He said it was fine.
On another note, When ordering to dine in, you will be handed a plastic cup (not a to-​go) cup. So, you can refill all you want in the dining room, just won’t be able to take it with you.
Pros: Taste: Very good for the chicken. The burgers I sampled at the Unilocal event were good, but not stellar for the price.
Cons: Price: Way too expensive for a fast-​food place. My chicken sandwich was 6.99 all by itself. The side salad was 2.99. the fountain drink was 1.99. 12.00 for a meal.
Recommendation: Get the grilled chicken with goat cheese and spinach. And, ask for to-​go even if you’re dining in to get a to-​go cup so you can refill one last time before leaving. But for the best burger experience, keep on looking at that price.

So after being contacted by the general manager T. J, who offered me and my husband a free entrée, I am satisfied with the service I received at Smashburger.
Our meal came out right away still hot and nicely presented. I ordered the black bean burger this time with spicy Bbq and onions added along with some smash fries while my husband ordered the baja burger with spicy chipotle sauce.
My bean burger was huge, hanging over the bun by almost an inch. The patty had a lot of flavor and was a nice consistency. it came topped with avocado which I like to eat on the side so I can actually taste it. My husband enjoyed his burger as well even though I thought the meat lacked flavor still. we both ordered a side of small fries which was a decent portion because I couldn’t even get through half of them after finishing my burger. I think this time they left the salt of the fries which is good because I like to add my own anyway.
The staff was a lot nicer and less rambunctious than before. They asked how our meal was and took our trays away after we finished eating. The floor was also a lot cleaner and I wasn’t slipping all over the place.
After this experience I will be coming back to smash burger to try a salad next time and see if they have upgraded the dressings.

After raving to my family about Smashburger after the Unilocal event I had to go back for another burger.
After reading so many bad Unilocal reviews I decided to wait a little while to let them work the kinks out before I returned. One day while in the area running errands I decided to take my daughter to lunch for putting up with all of my running around.
Since it was one of my favorites from the Unilocal event I had to go with the Truffle Mushroom Swiss burger. My daughter went with the Classic Smash burger and we shared a order of Smashfries. I got a drink and she got a Oreo Milkshake.
A few minutes later our food was on the table. Everything tasted just as good as it did from the Unilocal event. My burger tasted delicious and was cooked perfectly and my daughter inhaled her burger as well. The fries were well seasoned and cooked perfectly as well. My daughter was nice enough to give me her left over shake that was in the mixing cup. Boy did it make me want to order my own. LOL!
As soon as we were done with our meals a girl came over and took away our trays and asked if we needed anything else which was nice. That doesn’t happen at Five Guy’s, Wendy’s, Burger King or anywhere else for that matter.
A little over $ 20 and we were out of there. I don’t know why there are so many bad reviews but our meal and experience was perfect.

Had to see and taste for myself, is this jut another burger or something to care about?
My verdict is ‘just another burger’
Ordered the bacon cheese burger with fries, companion ordered classic burger.
I liked the meat which was good, but nothing special. To me, I have always been taught, coached and told ‘do no smash your burger, it will dry it out’. I think this is the case here.
The cheese was good and the bacon too but the other toppings were very good. Very fresh onion, crisp pickles and fresh lettuce.
Fries were shoestring, which were what you would expect of a decent shoestring, done just right but a little salty.
Cash register person was a very poor front of the house personality and attitude to greet customers.
While an ok burger I probably will not go out of my way to come back but my companion really liked his a lot more that I did, so he will be back for sure.

They say first impressions mean everything. My first impression here was the worst experience I have had in recent memory.
Trying to place an order was a joke. The girl was standing at the register, playing on her phone, while looking at us every few seconds. My wife and I were in shock that we were standing right there and she wouldn’t help us and the other person was tending to a customer (he left because of how rude everyone was and the entire staff just laughs).
After a minute the girl just blurts out «we are out of fries». How can you be out of fries? My wife and I decided to try the sweet potato fries and the onion straws (I posted a picture because they were a joke). When the guy was done, after his guest left, we were told to go there, while the girl that should’ve taken our order went over to the kitchen area and picked up something to eat. That is unsanitary!
We ordered our sides and burgers, paid more for the burger ones (what a joke) and the guy in the kitchen made a jester that there actually weren’t onion straws but there was mumbling and we were charged for them.
Order placed and we go sit down. I am so confused on why there are so many people working. Out of maybe ten employees, two or three were working. Two staff members were throwing cups at each other, throwing stuff in the kitchen, drinking drinks near people’s orders, it was awful! Where was the manager?
Oh I can tell you that. He came into the place when we were sitting down, drinking a McDonalds coffee!!! Not hiding it or anything. Guess he doesn’t care at all about his store because he also walked right by the staff messing around and a girl, the one who wouldn’t wait on his, just standing on the floor, playing with her phone. This place is a joke!
So someone walked to our table and said there were no onion straws and stood there. Furious at this point, I said I want my money back on them since there were no fries and we didn’t want two orders of sweet potato fries. She said she’d get the manager. Walked back to the corner the manager was at. A table with friends I think, walked right by us and said nothing. Our food came up and there were onion straws, which was confusing. An order of onion straws that looked like a joke at $ 2.50. What does the manager do? Walked near us and says «oh guess we have them», laughed, and walked away.
Never did he say sorry or even acknowledge us. He still had his McDonalds coffee though.
The more I write this the more I get angry. This place is a joke. The manager doesn’t care about anything, health codes were being broken, and the staff doesn’t care. Everyone is rude!
Oh yeah the food. Not the best. Overpriced. Can’t help but think our big burgers weren’t really the big ones because they were small.
Pass on this place at all costs.

I have said this before and I will say this again, differentiating yourself in the «burger» market is tough. How many different burger blends can you come up with that makes your burger that much tastier and «different» from the next burger joint? Between national and local chains, we are almost inundated with burgers. So why would someone want to bring a new burger restaurant this way?
Hmmm! I know why! Not everyone can afford to spend $ 20 per person to have a decent burger and fries and not everyone has quite bought into the mystery/​questionable burger patties that some places serve that are priced under $ 2. Smashburger fills a neat niche… Tasty burgers and sides that won’t break the bank and where you don’t feel like you have to cash in your 401K!
The burgers tasted like «beef». I know that sounds funny but seriously, I’ve had burgers from unnamed sources where I really questioned if a bovine was used in the making of the burgers. Smashburgers tasted like real burgers with real ingredients! I loved that idea and concept. I also loved the fact that you could try quite a few burger variations and have several options for sides. (E.g., Truffle Mushroom Swiss Burger — heavenly; Steel City Burger — pretzel bun and bacon? Come on man! Yessir!) Most of these burger places don’t offer different sides and just offer one type of fry with differences only in the size of the portions. Honey, fried pickles, onion straws, sweet potato fries, rosemary scented Smashfries. Child, please! And while I didn’t get to try a salad (I know it’s a burger place, but I like options!) I could be happy ordering one of their salads. The salads looked fresh and appetizing.
When this place opens to the general public, My daughter Muff and I will be there… Eating real burgers, sides and drinking down real milkshakes made with Haagen-​Daz ice cream, don’t you know. And I won’t be broke after ordering!

Formed in 2007 and now at something like 200+ locations it’s similar to Five Guys Burgers & Fries but the burgers aren’t as greasy, most toppings are free, the sides are delicious and the buns out of this world fresh!
The concept is simple– create a fast (er) food restaurant where the burgers taste as good as you would make at home, if you had the time and all the ingredients/​accoutrements at your fingertips. That’s what Smashburger is. They’ve tried to position themselves above Wendy’s but below Burgatory. The term Smashburger comes from the fact that they keep the ground meat fresh and ‘smash’ it on the griddle when you order it. It’s not a round or square frozen patty cooked hours before you order it. It’s also not a ¼ Kobe, ¼ Wagyu, ¼ bison, ¼ elk, ¼ ostrich, ¼ emu… wait– that’s too many quarters… It’s a ball of USDA Certified fresh ground beef cooked to order– just like you would do at home for the reasonable price of $ 6.39 per burger.
The menu lists 5 different types of burgers but from the way GM Ron was talking about it– you could create any kind of burger you wish. My fav was a pretzel bun (delicious pretzel type outside but fluffy & delicious inside) with bacon, blue cheese crumbles and bbq sauce. My least fav was the one with mushrooms, swiss (I think) and Truffle mayo, as I’m not a fan of Truffles, but no problem– you can order it with regular mayo.
As for the sides– in order of fav to least fav– the sweet potato fries were delicious, the onion ‘straws’ were tasty, the shoestrings pretty good, the fried pickles were lightly breaded and still had a ‘snap’ to them (even though I’m not a big fan of them so I can’t really judge) and I gotta agree with Amin in that the buffalo fries were too salty. All 3 of us turned them away. So– I’m sure you could order ‘Light Seasoning’ on the buffalo fries and they would be much better.
A few things I didn’t like were the ranch dressing and the bbq sauce. The Ranch was a boring, all too served, Sysco type mass produced blandness. For as much effort as they put into their burgers– they dropped the ball on the Ranch. And I have no idea who taste tested the bbq sauce but it wasn’t a Pittsburgher. We like our bbq sauce thick, sweet & tangy and that sauce was thin & tart. I would prefer them to swap theirs out with Sweet Baby Ray’s and my burger would have been Off The Hook good…
Almost forgot!!! They sell salads… and they look DELICIOUS!!! We didn’t sample them but they looked SO GOOD that I almost asked for one to take home.
I rated them 5 stars as I feel their awesome efforts far outweighed the couple things I didn’t like, or maybe it was just my tastes, but I feel Smashburger will be a ‘Smash’ in Pittsburgh and I’ll be stopping in every time I have business up in Monroeville.