Smashburger

Came in on a Saturday night with a very hungry, angry pregnant wife after a miserable experience at Old Chicago pizzeria in downtown Boise (that place sucks — 45 minutes of waiting and no food, host too distracted by his hormones to help anyone, seating people out of order, etc.). This place had incredible staff. From the thoughtful girl at the register who made sure my wife got some water quickly, to the manager who came by the table a couple of times while doing his other tasks to make sure we were doing ok, it was really a pleasant experience here. Food was great (wife loved her Huckleberry milkshake), but the real capper was the couple of coupons the manager stopped by to give us without any real prompting at all. Just a nice group of people who seem to take pride in their work. And it showed. Wife and I both left happy. Will definitely be going back.

I’m once again willing to recommend Smashburger to my followers after my latest visit. I came in on president’s day right @ 12pm, the place is absolutely packed but that’s exactly when I want to test them! The place is under new management and it really shows, my last visit earned them a 1 star for being unclean mixed with horrible food quality. We are talking fries served cold then remade 3 times but soaked in oil (yuck), not the product you expect for the premium price you are paying.
When I review a place I look for the small details that I learned in management that reveal bigger problems. I observe the stock of cups, napkins, condiments, employees wearing name badges, proper uniform, and most importantly when it’s busy do you SEE the manager out with the team? All these small details are an indicator that systems are working and management cares, I tell you this because it is closely tied to your experience and often reflects the food quality. Let’s get to that now!
BBQ bacon cheddar burger– By far my fave thing on the menu and is mouth watering from the first to last bite. As the pictures depict my burger patty may have been smashed but my burger was not! It was hot, cooked medium, and all the components were fresh giving it a meaty and buttery taste.
Smash Fries– The best side and a change up from boring old Mc Donald fries, these fries are drizzled with olive oil, salt, and rosemary. They came out HOTTT, flavorful, and with a nice little crisp. Perfect!
Service– The GM was visible and directing his crew, tables were checked on multiple times, and above all they were polite and welcoming. It’s so important not to feel like you are a burden for wanting something extra, these guys did an awesome job letting you know they are here to serve.

One of my favorite chain burger places. The hand smashed burgers are really good, and the smash fries are unique. Great service here too. Always a great choice!

Wow. Though I don’t usually eat burgers I was surprised. Veggie choice, healthier bun plus a ‘careful’ presentation. Why can’t most of other American fast food chain serve the same level of expertise as this place?

yummy! love the bacon cheeseburger and rosemary fries like an addict! again… Unilocal requires waaaaaaaaay too much writing!!! get over it, Unilocal.i am not a novelist. if you want more written… pay me a dollar a word.

I was surprised by how much I like this place! The burgers were amazing, The staff was really nice, and their fries were phenomenal. It really is like the modern-​day version of the perfect Burger joint. I went here with my daughter and the food was not too greasy, the atmosphere was clean, the room was well lit and well ventilated and didn’t smell like a greasy burger joint. Overall I would recommend the place for a quick burger.

This place was amazing! My kids even ate all their food! This was my first trip here and I will be coming back!

If you u are looking for a good quality burger at a decent price you don’t have to look any further then smash. They have a good variety of burgers and available in small and large and all have quality ingredients but nothing to outlandish. If you like the smaller cut shoe string fries you will love there’s and there smash fries add a little twist. I compare them close to five guys as far at atmosphere but they are a little cheaper. you can get walk out the door for around 10 bucks for a burger fry and drink which imo is about perfect. Smash is never a place I crave to go to but have never had a bad experience and would never turn down an invite.

I’ve come here a few times now. And I expect nothing less than delicious quality food from them. I’ve got a fairly usual order. Lettuce, tomato, pickle, Chipotle sauce with guacamole and fresh jalapeños on a Chipotle bun with buffalo fries. I love the «shoestring» style of them. Crispy with moderate crunch. I arrived there today near the end of the lunch rush so I was impressed by the speedy service at which I recieved my meal. However I was let down when I went to add a little salt to the fresh jalapeños to give them an extra kick just to find the shaker was empty. Being in a rush I grabbed another shaker from a vacant table nearby. Other than that the service was excellent and the food was superbly delicious. Keep up the great work smashburger. Please don’t forget to check the shakers for adequate amounts of salt and pepper. I’ll be in again.

I stopped by again with a friend recently. It was at about 7:30pm on a Tuesday. The restaurant was clean and there were open tables.
I ordered the Classic Smash Burger, Smash fries, and a Butterfinger shake. I really enjoyed the burger and milkshake, but wish I had gotten the regular fries. The seasoning on the fries was a little too strong for me so I didn’t eat them all. (Don’t worry, my friend finished them off happily.)
Last time I ordered the chocolate shake and wasn’t impressed. The Butterfinger shake I got this time was delicious.

They make the a very good burger here. I had the one with bbq sauce and onion ring and cheddar cheese. It was excellent! I am new to the area and have already been here twice. The restaurant is very clean and the servers are very friendly and welcoming. I will be back every chance I get!

So so so so so so so so so good. Never had a crispy chicken breast thy size that juicy that well crisped. And the burgers are just as well. The paired condiments selections are head nodders for sure.
Not to thrilled with the shoe string fries tho. Burgers that bossy need complimentary fries. But they were fresh, skin on, and tasty none the less

I’ve been here a few times and am always impressed. Delicious food and great service.
Today I ended up here just before 1pm and certainly did not beat the lunch crowd. The place was packed and there was a line nearly out the door to order. They were CLEARLY understaffed. While only 75% of the tables were full (plus more outside), all of them were still dirty. I had to wait at least 5 minutes (after waiting nearly 10 minutes to order) before a table for cleaned. Now I want to make sure it’s clear that I love the service here, every experience has been positive. I knowingly equate the understaffed issue to management. Maybe someone called in sick/​it was a fluke, because I sure hope they don’t always make their employees work so hard!
Aside from that, the food is stellar. The Smash Fries are some of my favorites anywhere. And I always go with the grilled chicken, it’s so good!
I’ll definitely be trying a milkshake sometime soon…

Typical smash burger deliciousness. This location was very clean and the staff were very helpful. It was a great mid-​shopping snack.

Let’s assume 5 stars to begin with.
Told the cashier this is my first time at a smash burger. I ordered my burger from the premade burger menu which the picture showed as including tomato, lettuce and other «fillers». I ordered the big burger. I got a bun, thin patty, cheese, mushrooms, and mayo. I didn’t know I had to order the fillers — I’ve never been here before. Ya think the cashier would’ve said something. (minus 1)
The cashier did recommend the smash fries so I got them. The seasoning flavor wasn’t bad but I’m not impressed. The fries were chewy and tiny. Obviously frozen fries. I paid for a large, I don’t think I got a large. (minus 1)
The fountain drink selection is good unless you’re diabetic. 2 sugar free out of 11 choices. Not really worth losing a over but the place had messy floors and the trash in the men’s room was overflowing. Add those up and (minus 1)
I won’t be back. If I want a 5 burger I’ll go to 5 guys!

This place has the best fast food style burgers I’ve had in Boise. The burger itself is juicy and full of fresh veggies! They have a great variety of toppings and bread choices. Their fries are good too but their veggie fries are great!
Always friendly service and well worth the price! Do yourself a favor and check this place out.

Ahh the hamburger, a culinary mystery wrapped in an enigma and folded into a bakery fresh bun. Ok… so it isn’t quite THAT complicated, but it can be! This humble staple of American cuisine is so simple on the surface, but so many places get it so, so wrong. Thankfully Smashburger is NOT one of those places. We actually «fell in love» with Smashburger when we first visited the Boise area almost four years ago… and then we moved someplace with NO Smashburger at all! Silly us. Now we’re back in Boise for good and this Franklin location is just a quick drive from our house, so it has become our «go to» spot when that burger craving hits.
In my opinion, Smashburger is the best «quick service» burger there is. It’s definitely more pricey than your straight «fast food» options like Wendy’s or Carl’s Jr. but you also definitely get what you pay for. The extra couple of bucks is easily worth it in terms of the improved quality. They have a selection of burgers with a wide variety of toppings (BBQ Bacon is my favorite, but the Bronco with hot sauce and bleu cheese is good too.) But if none of those suit you, you can mix and match toppings to your heart’s content to make your «perfect» burger, although «premium» toppings like mushrooms and bacon will cost you extra. The burgers themselves are about as perfect as you can get in this setting, never had a bad one.
The only reason I have to knock off a star is that on several occasions, by sides have been terribly oversalted, almost to the point of being inedible… and that’s unfortunate because their selection of fries and such is generally very good. I like their regular Smashfries with rosemary and olive oil. The sweet potatoes fries are good, as are the haystack onions. But when they are so salty you can hardly taste anything else… it not only ruins the fries, but your burger too as your palate is completely «burned out» by salt. So if I could pass on one suggestion… easy on the salt shaker guys!
Aside from that everything else about Smashburger is excellent. Their customer service is great. I came in once just twenty minutes before closing and they were just as happy to help me as if I had walked in during prime time. Oh and get a shake too. Oreo shake, peanut butter and jelly shake, or huckleberry when they are in season… all are great. Basically you can’t go wrong with much at Smashburger. Just ask them to lay off the salt a little!

I seriously don’t see what all of the hype is about. Granted, I missed the launch event (which would have netted me free food and beer), but as a paying customer I was a little underwhelmed.
The burger I got was just fine. But I don’t think it was better than Five Guys and certainly not better than Bad Boy. The fries were so tiny that you couldn’t scoop up ketchup with them. The manager on-​duty had to keep yelling at the kitchen to get our fries and various items; as a result, I didn’t receive my well done fries. I don’t think it would have changed my opinion much. Wifey got the smash fries, which were also unimpressive. Couldn’t taste olive oil or parmesan, but the fries were totally overwhelmed by rosemary.
The one saving grace was the Oreo milkshake my wife got. That thing was too legit to quit. If not for the shake, I might’ve two-​starred this place. It’s seriously not bad, but I don’t at all understand the four reviews prior to mine. Try Barrelhouse, Bad Boy or Big Judd’s, if you want a truly good burger with personality. I don’t get what people see in chain burger joints.
ETA: After reading more Unilocal reviews, I’m updating my review. I feel cheated, or maybe I just have higher burger standards. Most folks talk about receiving a big, hot, juicy, tasty burger. Well, my patty was not hot, nor juicy. In fact, it was overcooked. The char was pretty much all you could taste. The patty was small, considering I paid for the large burger. Maybe it was just one bad experience, and everyone else had a great one, but I can’t review a hypothetical delicious burger. Mine was sub par.
There, now I feel better.

Earlier this week, the Meridian Smashburger hosted a tasting party for Unilocal members. Quarter-​cut slices of seven different beef and chicken burgers were brought out over the course of the evening, along with a salad and potato fries, sweet potato fries, flash-​fried green beens and carrots, fried pickles and Haystack onions. Everything was provided free of charge. I was impressed with the flavors, the quality of the food and the friendly service.
Today, I went to the Boise store on my own dime to see how things compared. I was just as impressed. I ordered the Truffle Mushroom Swiss Burger — my favorite from the tasting menu — Smash fries (with olive oil, garlic and rosemary drizzled over them) and a pop.
The slight char on the burger brings out extra flavor without tasting burned. The soft egg bun is fantastic. I don’t completely care for the shoestring fries used in the Smash fries, I’d rather have them a bit more substantial, but I still enjoyed them.

Smashburger was the 7^th stop on our Burgerpalooza tour (a quest for the best effing burger in B-​town). Our group of burger enthusiasts was 14 strong this go round (happy to see some new Unilocaly faces in the mix!). We gave this place an average of 3.85 stars, which, obviously, I rounded up to 4.
Each member filled out a scorecard (some will also Unilocal it – but we find if we immediately fill out score cards, it helps spark debate!). Smashburger scored highest in the categories of Quality and Freshness. Our group appreciated the quality ingredients that go into a Smashburger. The veggies are fresh. They use fresh, never frozen (Alleluia!!) beef. The beef is of high quality (juicy deliciousness, not overly fatty).
Other things we loved: Having the option to add rosemary and garlic to your fries! The fact that they serve beer! The overall atmosphere of the place is nicer than your usual fast food burger joint.
What sparked debate: Their buns are a little different. You have your choice of three different styles of artisan buns (classic egg, spicy chipotle, or multi-​grain – OR you can opt for lettuce). Most of our group opted for the classic egg, which some found superior to other, more typical style buns, while others found them inferior. It seemed to be an either you really like it or you really don’t sort of thing. The fries also sparked a little debate. They are VERY thin shoe string style. They are so thin that even one of the participants who prefers shoestring style, thought they were a skosh too skinny. There was also some complaint/​debate about the saltiness of the burgers.
Overall, however, our impression of the place was positive. The service we received was friendly and efficient. And, the fact that we were able to string together enough tables to accommodate our group of 14 was much appreciated! A solid 4 star experience!