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The smash burger craze is still in full swing…and that’s just fine with me!

Cambridge has been graced with a brand new burger joint on Hills Road – the aptly named Smashburger. This award-winning chain restaurant has 8 locations across England, from its home town of Bath, all the way to Brighton and up to Newcastle. Now, it’s Cambridge turn to see what they have to offer.

Expect your fairly standard burger joint interior – brick walls, the hanging lightbulbs without the lamp shade, and the graffiti logo on the walls. There is a large touchscreen display where you can order your meal and large glass windows along the front of the restaurant, so you can look out onto Hills Road. I had unfortunately picked a miserable wet day to visit but when the sun is out, I can imagine this being really pleasant.

You come here for the burgers, so that’s what is on offer. Expect burgers, loaded fries, and milkshakes. Prices for a burger hover around the £10-13 mark, making them slightly more expensive than other rivals, like Grill Plug, though you do get a dining-in area and a more central location for that price.

The milkshake

I started off with one of their milkshakes. These are made from buttermilk with a higher fat content, for that extra flavour. This bad boy was so thick it was almost like ice-cream. There are some exciting flavours, like Lotus Biscoff and Oreo, but I went for my personal favourite (and often described as boring flavour) vanilla. It was a good take on milkshake that I thoroughly enjoyed. I would certainly order it again.

The burger

I ordered the double Oklahoma burger, which comes with onions that are smashed into the grill with the meat to caramelise into the burger. This is topped off with American cheese, ketchup, mustard & pickles. The burger is cooked using butter, adding that rich flavour and creamier texture.

The burger is a real sight to behold.  The bun itself is an average size but looks tiny in comparison to the huge burger patty sticking out in different directions. Despite that, the bun holds together well, allowing you to chow down without making too much mess.

The onions worked wonders with the beef to give it an extra crunchy texture to an already crispy style of burger. The pickles added little vinegary pep and much needed freshness to the bite.

It was a solid burger that doesn’t try to overcomplicate things with extravagant sauces or gimmicks. Instead, it offers a classic example of the smash burger, that anyone looking to experience for the first time should get out and try.

It is big, crispy, and juicy…everything a burger should be!

Loaded fries

I ordered their BBQ bacon cheddar loaded fries. This comes as French fries with BBQ sauce, diced applewood smoked bacon and cheddar cheese.

The chips were beautiful and crispy with a thick layer of mustard and ketchup on top. The bacon bits were generously covered from top to bottom, offering a nice meaty dimension to the dish that turned it into a meal in its own right.

The one thing I noticed, however, was the absence of cheddar in the dish. I noticed light sprinkles but it failed to capture the “loaded” spirit of the loaded fries. The mustard and ketchup acted as a canopy on the top, with very little underneath. Moving the sauce and bacon to one side revealed a baron emptiness underneath which made the chips dry.

Conclusion

Smash Burger offers a great introduction into the world of smash burgers, with some great options available on their menu which are well executed. The burger bun holds everything together well, creating that deliciously messy smash burger that…also doesn’t cause a mess! The loaded fries are somewhat disappointing but I have a feeling that this may have been an error in perpetration rather than what you can expect from their loaded fries in future.

The staff are lively, chatty, and clearly very passionate about what they do. Something not often seen from a chain restaurant, giving you a small independent feel.

Smashburger is a must for any burger fanatic or sometime interested in trying a smash burger for the first time.

Where do you think they should go in my burger league table? 🤔