Smashburger — Restaurant in New York

These boutique burger joints are a real welcome from the McDonald's and Burger King machines. Don't get me wrong - I'm a fan of both chains, but I like Smashburger's restaurant quality burgers. With Five Guys no more than a hot minute from this location, it feels like Pelham Manor might be reaching a burger saturation point (let's not forget that Wendy's is right across the street too).

But I have to say that Smashburger gets it right. The beef patties are flat (smashed) and develop a nice outer crust while retaining all its juices. A tempurpedic soft potato bun bookends the juicy patty and all its toppings into a savory bite with lots of different textures. They're really delicious.

One thing that Smash has over the competition is the variety of burgers prepared with different and fresh ingredients. The descriptions sound appetizing too: Spicy Baja Burger, The New Yorker, there's one that comes with truffle mayo and a grilled portabello mushroom. I know they're probably just onion rings, but I think it's genius naming it haystack onions. I want. As for the Smash Fries, think of thin crunchy potato sticks shellacked with oil and dotted with fragrant bits of rosemary. It's killer for your tastebuds...and your arteries.

The menu keeps it simple, narrowing the options to some grilled chicken sandwich specialties as well as salads for the non-meat eaters, not to mention old-fashioned floats, malteds and milkshakes prepared with Haagen Dazs ice cream. The menu is streamlined to these 3 choices, but the variety in which they're prepared is Smashburger's calling...

The secret to Smashburger is its Angus Beef! Staff is like other essential services: reasonable; sometimes they get overwhelmed. I do get a sense that management makes them happy.

However, Smashburger suffers from serious computer problems. First, the only way to discover Google Reviews is when you are prompted via medalia.com, their affiliate. Unfortunately, this usually breaks, and you don't get a second chance. This time, I tried 3 different browsers, and finally got through. Even Google Chrome failed! Second, I tried ordering online for pickup. A staff member eventually wondered why I was waiting around the pickup area for 20 minutes. I'd been charged, but after seeing my receipt & unrecognized confirmation number, I was given a refund that took a week to process. Third, I then decided to get around the last problem, by ordering & paying in person. I showed the cashier the promotion that Smashburger had sent me. Due to computer problems, the cashier proceeded to charge me the full, pre-sale price; she was not given authority to fix this on the spot.

Smashburger generally gets allergen-frlendly fare correct, unlike its competitors. Charging $2 for gluten free buns atop its existing bun charge is a shock, where competition charges $1, when available. The good news is Smashburger now offers a free lettuce wrap, which still means you need a knife & fork.

The good news is that Smashburger is slowly fixing some of its problems. It now has WiFi onsite, which makes its loyalty program run more smoothly. Perhaps, in a few more months, customer service will...

Well it was my first and last time. I placed an order through grubhub for 3 items on the menu. 2 of them twice and the third one once. I arrived I got the bag they gave me and headed to my car. My wife checked the bag and noticed that it was missing one of the two large fries we ordered. I went back in and then I waited 10min for an order of fries.... I went back outside and we started eating in the car when my wife noticed that she is missing also one of the burgers. Long story short the people that are putting the order in the machine they cannot read and they need better insurance to go to get their eyes checked. They gave us an extra order of fries for the trouble, like we needed more junk.

The burgers were mushy and the bread really wet from the oil and sauce. I would avoid this place. Don't know if all the smush burger stores are the same but my experience was not the best and won't be trying it again.

Edit: Gave them another chance and visited for a second time to see how they do and try more of their menu. They messed up my order again. I am done. I am not sure if they can read since they have to transfer the Grubhub order to their system manually in order to print it and make it. Too many people in there just doing nothing with no customers as well and cannot even put a single order together with 5...