"Smish Smash I was taking a bath, long about a Wednesday night, yeah!!!" Okay I'm no Bobby Darin, but I am quite the aspiring burger aficionado and the smash burgers being handcrafted at Smish Smash are some of the best and most affordable in the entire city of San Francisco! And when Food & Wine Magazine calls this burger one of the most exciting in the U.S., I for one was implored to take notice and visit! Located on the first floor of Saluhall on Market Street in downtown San Francisco next to the IKEA store, Smish Smash started as a pop-up six years ago by owners Am y Han and Victor Donado. Just last year they opened their first stand-alone location on the first floor of Saluhall, which to be quite honest has struggled to keep their other vendors open. Thankfully, Smish Smash has had the benefit of being on the first floor with a view of Market Street, not to mention a great word of mouth thanks to their exceptional smashed burgers that has not only many burger lovers coming in, but quite the number of delivery drivers coming in to pick up burger orders galore.
What brought me here to Smish Smash was the fact that a friend and I had theatre tickets at the nearby Golden Gate Theatre and we decided that we needed something quick and delicious before we walked back to the theatre to sit for almost three hours of a show. They suggested that we try this amazing and fun burger concept that was garnering significant buzz and so meeting up at Saluhall was the way to go as they had complimentary WiFi access and plenty of clean and open seating. The menu at Smish Smash is of course filled with burger options with no fewer than seven on their regular menu and a rotating special menu items including items with chili on them including fries, hot dog, and chili in a bowl, not to mention a couple of extra burgers to boot. Each of their burgers on their regular menu has the option of ordering it as a single or double smash burger. Since it was my first time, I ordered a single version of their Cheeseboiga, which had yellow American cheese, pickles, caramelized onions, and mac sauce. My dining mate ordered a single version of their Wow Burger which was topped with white American cheese, grilled onions, pickles, and s2 sauce, which is a combination of mayonnaise and relish, with an order of a side of Curly Fries which were cooked in beef tallow, our total bill was 33 dollars before taxes and gratuity were added in. It wouldn't take too long for our order to be custom made by their team and we enjoyed every last bite while sitting at their communal dining inside the Saluhall.
The most noticeable thing that I noticed about the smash burgers at Smish Smash was the fact how thin their smashed burgers were, almost paper like thinness, which made for a unique dining experience. But what was lacking in overall heft of the burger was more than made up in terms of overall juiciness and flavor of my overall burger, of which came out clear on the grease and flavor on my fingertips as I ate every last bite. So good was my experience at Smish Smash that a return visit mere a couple of months later was in order when I attended a show at the nearby Orpheum Theatre. With complimentary WiFi and water available to customers, this time I ordered their Smish Smash Special which was their Dac Biet smash burger which was their signature grass-fed smashed beef topped with white American cheese, sliced onions, jalapeños, cilantro, Thai basil, alfalfa sprouts, lime and pho aioli. This particular smash burger, which cost 16 dollars, was a little on the healthier side as the sprouts, onions, and cilantro overpowered everything, but the flavor profile did make it feel as if I was enjoying a bowl filled with pho noodles with all the fixings. I appreciate what Smish Smash is trying to do, as an up and coming entrepreneurial business from pop-up to permanent business in an area that could seriously use the support, I am all in with what Smish Smash is offering up on a daily basis, good affordable trendy smash burgers that makes burger lovers coming back for more and then some! "I was a-moving and a-grooving, yeah I was a-smishing and a-smashing..." read more