Mini-Review: YES! A good burger joint with some different options to enjoy…read more
My wife and I tried Stack & Smash in Taylors, SC, in the Publix shopping center at Wade Hampton Blvd. and East Lee Road.
We got there before they opened at 11:30 a.m. this past Saturday, so we had the run of the place for several minutes. The spot was FitBod five years ago, so they've definitely done some remodeling! The dining area is open, with wide aisles and clean, comfortable booths.
The ordering counter has plenty of room, too--which is something that's often forgotten in the planning of a new location.
The menu is mostly burgers, along with a few salads, chili dogs, wings, a Philly, grilled cheese, chicken sandwiches, and chicken strips. The smash burgers come with a little wire fry basket, with the option to order more fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, fried pickles, or pimento cheese with pita chips.
S&S features nine signature smash burgers, all but two featuring two 4-ounce patties. The exceptions are the Rise & Smash and the Garden, which is a plant-based burger.
The wings come in eight different flavors: 6 for $9 or 12 for $17.
The staff was friendly and always hopping--taking and distributing orders, clearing plates, and cleaning the service areas.
I got the Rise & Smash: a 4-ounce patty, American cheese, fried egg, bacon, and tomato, for $14.
My wife got the Firecracker: two 4-ounce patties, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, pickled jalapeño, bacon, and ranch, also $14.
Have you noticed the prices?
Whole numbers.
None of that standard "it seems cheaper if $14 is a mere $13.99" nonsense. A little bit of refreshing honesty.
Dessert options include eight distinctive shakes that looked amazing, priced from $6 to $8. The menu specifically notes the inclusion of "vanilla ice cream," so it must not be some sort of frozen dairy-adjacent concoction. Yeah!
We ordered, got our drinks--fountain drinks and teas for nearly $4 each--and sat down with our order number. The drink stations are next to a generous and clean condiment area.
Some more customers drifted in as the lunch crowd got going on a hot Greenville Saturday. We were seated just on the other side of the kitchen area, so we could see some of the work going on. Everything appeared to be made to order.
The wait was a little longer than fast food, but faster than a typical sit-down restaurant.
Then our food arrived. Hot. Fresh. And looking good.
The buns were big and soft and a little shiny. The patties were "smash," but not "smashed." Caramelized but still juicy, and thicker than I feared they might be.
Smash shouldn't mean paper-thin and cheap!
The fried egg on mine was done right and the bacon was full strips and perfectly crispy. And that bamboo skewer? Not decorative! It was doing some serious structural work.
My wife's Firecracker burger was jalapeño-hot, with the cream cheese offering a good balance. She could only finish half, so I HAD to help her out. Drudgery. The things we must do for our spouses.
Overall, this was as good a homemade burger as my Dad made--and that's a compliment.
The fries were hot and seasoned well. Normally, I could have used another scoop, but after a burger and a half, I was full.
I definitely want to go back and try the Swiss Shroom, the pimento cheese appetizer, and the Peanut Butter Blitz shake.
Maybe even the Pineapple Teriyaki wings?
Stack & Smash gets a YES from me.
For the full menu, descriptions, and pricing, visit the Stack & Smash website:
www.stacksmashgvl.com