How Bengaluru’s new smash burger restaurant plays with brisket, bacon and peanut butter

Bengaluru's newest burger joint, Smash Guys, offers elevated dining experience with American-style diner ambiance and smash burgers

Bengaluru’s love affair with burgers goes back a long way. Way back when we had popular burger joints that became city favourites such as Indiana, Ice and Spice (now known as Truffles), The Only Place, Peppa Zing and Cafe Thulp. Post the pandemic there has been a new wave of burger establishments that have refined the dish and are trying to take it from fast food to an elevated experience. Smash Guys started with this aim. The brainchild of brothers Nikhil and Abhijit Gupta, and Adithya Kidambi as chef consultant, the brand began hosting pop-ups. The first one being at the Conservatory in March of 2024. Now they open their first outlet on the swish 12th Main Road of Indiranagar.

The interiors of the restaurant are designed like an American-style diner. Chequered floors, marquee signs and wooden furniture. I take a seat at the bar, getting a ringside view of the busy kitchen. It is six in the evening, and they have just opened their doors, but there is already a crowd. Their popularity is based on word of mouth from their pop-ups and a strong social media presence. 

Abhijit researched American burger history for two years to create this menu. “We started with a simple idea — to bring world-class smash burgers to India. From the traditional Oklahoma onion smash and the OG cheeseburger, to our signature whopper and Elvis Presley’s favourite peanut-butter-bacon burger, we are paying homage to burger styles that hold a piece of history,” he says.

A smash burger is an American style of burger. It is made by cooking a smashed burger patty on a flattop grill at high heat. It is said that in the 1960s, a cook at a restaurant in Kentucky pressed a ground beef meatball to a thin crispy patty, and the smash burger was born. The flattened patties absorb more flavour and have more texture. These are then topped with onions or cheese.

On the menu at Smash Guys are these smash burgers, available in buff and lamb options, veggie and chicken burgers, sides, shakes and desserts. First, the sides. I see the classics — onion rings, fries, corn ribs, Ceasar salad and wedges. I try the corn ribs, the thin slices of corn on the cob are rubbed with a spice mix and served with a garlic sauce. I miss the days when burgers came with a side of fries, so I order them separately. The parmesan fries are decent, but the truffle dip saves them.

Now the burgers. The meatballs are cooked on a hot plancha (iron griddle). The edges are crispy, and the insides are juicy. The OG smash burger is made with a double patty, onions, cheese and mustard. Simple and clean, served atop their in-house made sesame buns. The brisket burger has a buff patty that is topped with a slow cooked brisket. “We sear the brisket and slow-cook it for eight hours to lock in flavours,” says Abhijit. It is topped with the signature smash sauce. The Flintstone is a buff burger served with a torched bone marrow. The smoked butter whopper is cooked in homemade smoked butter, giving it another dimenion.

If it is all sounding a bit meat heavy, their veggie options are good too. The Korean fried paneer burger has flavours of gochujang and chimichurri. The magic mushroom burger is made with crisp oyster mushroom, roasted button mushroom, togarashi flakes, pickles, lettuce, truffle oil, truffle mayo. Decadent. I pair my meal with a diner-style strawberry milkshake, mainly for the vibes. The drink is sweet and served in a tall milkshake glass.