Smashed burgers have been quite popular in the United States for some time. What makes it unique is the patty being smashed down on the grill, creating a lacy crispy edge and juicy flat middle. In Dhaka, finding a good smashed burger is rare. Only American Burger offered this style of burger before Smashed Burgers entered the scene.
Smashed Burgers opened its restaurant in June after operating as a cloud kitchen for eight months. They built a devoted clientele during this time.
“People love the flavours of a smashed burger, but it's hard to find in Dhaka. Plus, it's good value for money given the amount of meat used compared to a regular burger,” said Khwaja Muhammad Hamza, a partner at Smashed Burgers.
Food
We started off with their Hellfire beef burger. It features a smoky beef patty topped with cheese, pepperoni, caramelized onions, and mushrooms, all smothered in the house special sauce and served on a brioche bun.
True to its name, this burger packs quite a punch. Most of the heat comes from the special house-made sauce, which balances well with the succulent beef patty and caramelized onions, that is full of umami before the spice kicks in, allowing you to savour the patty and revel in the sauce.
Next, we tried the Jalapeno Blazed beef burger, where the smoky beef patty and jalapenos steal the show. The smoky beef is delightful, and the jalapenos add a slight tang. This burger is perfect if you're looking for a flavorful yet mildly spiced option.
The sides menu offers a variety of options, including parmesan chicken, lemon dippers, cheese nuggets, and cocktail loaded fries.
Our favourite was the loaded cocktail fries, generously coated with cocktail sauce and cheese, making them a filling and tasty side. The cheese nuggets, with their impressive cheese pulls, were another highlight.
The lemon dippers, deep-fried chicken tenders with a faint lemon zest, were less impressive. The lemon flavour is almost undetectable, overpowered by the deep-fried batter, making the chicken taste nearly stale.
We rounded off our meal with shakes for dessert: a salted caramel Oreo and a frosty strawberry. The salted caramel Oreo shake was thick, full of creamy salted caramel with large Oreo chunks, making for a satisfying dessert. The frosty strawberry shake had a dominant strawberry flavour and was equally enjoyable, especially after a spicy burger.
A meal at Smashed Burgers ranges from Tk350 to Tk1000 for the burgers.
Ambience
Located in Gulshan 1, Smashed Burgers has a simple, familiar vibe with black tables and booths, much like other burger joints. The walls are adorned with mouth-watering pictures of juicy burgers and chicken wings, sure to wet your appetite.
Challenges
After operating as a cloud kitchen for eight months, Smashed Burgers opened its restaurant on June 8. Teaching the chefs the recipe and keeping them consistent with the setup of a cloud kitchen was a challenge, according to Hamza.
“Keeping permanent chefs was difficult because of the hours, which meant we had to teach the recipe to new people frequently,” he said.
The current economic state and inflation have also been challenging for Smashed Burgers, much like any other restaurant. However, they have not yet increased their menu prices.
“The prices of chicken and beef have risen since we first opened and will likely continue to increase. But we want our customers to enjoy the same taste at the current prices for as long as possible. We’ll only increase prices when we can’t sustain without doing so,” he added.
Perfecting the recipe for their smashed burgers was the biggest challenge, Hamza noted.
“It took us a month of trial and error to get the recipe right initially,” he said.
Verdict
Definitely try their Hellfire burger if you love heat-packed flavours. Their cheese nuggets are also delightful with insane cheese pulls. The shakes make for perfect desserts.
If you love burgers - and let's be honest, who doesn't, you don’t need much encouragement to head to Smashed Burgers, and you won’t be disappointed when you do.