Listed: Where to get your smash burger fix in Adelaide
Regular burgers, move over – smash burgers are the new craze, and for good reason. They’re crispy and caramelised to perfection, and these eight SA diners have mastered the art.
Lifestyle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
If you’ve eaten a smash burger, you know they offer a level of deliciousness regular burgers could only dream of.
For those who don’t know what we’re talking about, smash burgers hold a beef patty (or two) that’s been smashed down with a heavy tool on a hotplate so it’s almost paper thin.
The result is a flavoursome, textured, skinny patty that can be layered in multiples. Long story short, they’re the ultimate beast of a burger.
Now that you know what smash burgers are, you may be inclined to try one …
Below, we list eight places whipping up scrumptious smash burgers across Adelaide. Go on, treat those tastebuds!
Burger Incredible
Location: 111 Unley Rd, Unley
The name is simple, effective, and true to the experience you’ll have there.
Burger Incredible is the brain child of owner Johnny Chaptini, who opened the joint over two years ago.
“Since day one it’s always been smashed patties,” Mr Chaptini said.
“I just liked the idea of how the burgers were cooked to get the nice crust on the outside of the patty.”
Mr Chaptini said the key to making a smash patty is to have a very hot and dry grill so the beef sticks to it and gets that caramelisation and crisp texture.
“I’m a big burger head so I was always going around trying to find the best burger and found smash patties taste the best and work better, so I thought I’d bring it here to Adelaide,” Mr Chaptini said.
“There’s an art to the caramelisation, the grill has got to be dry and it’s got to be hot. You’re constantly cooking and it’s hard to keep the grill dry so you’ve got to really play around with the heat as you cook it the whole time to get every patty to have a nice crust on it.”
No frills are added to Burger Incredible’s burgers, just meat and seasoning. Cheese is added on top and the burgers are then filled with salads and other toppings.
“They’re only seasoned with salt and pepper because you want to get the flavour from the meat so we don’t use herbs or anything. We use a good quality meat, around 15 to 20 per cent fat ratio, and let the grill do the work,” Mr Chaptini said.
On the menu at Burger Incredible are the ever-popular and simple classic, which is just basic salad with bacon and two smash patties, or more extreme offerings such as the mac and cheeseburger, which includes a mac and cheese fried patty along with smashed beef, cheese and salad.
Diamond Burger
Location: 3/563 Portrush Rd, Glenunga
From the makers of beloved cafe C.R. E. A. M in Brighton and deep dish pizza joint Remy’s in the CBD comes Diamond Burger.
Diamond Burger, located in Glenunga, opened just this year and is building quite a reputation in the east side of Adelaide for their humungous smash burgers.
Owner and self-confessed burger lover Josh Rivers said he uses high grade scorching hotplates to get the perfect smash patty.
“We get the hotplates scorching hot, then we smash our premium beef mince patties paper thin,” he said.
“The smashing and the high temperature creates the ‘maillard effect’, the patties are caramelised and crunchy but still juicy.”
With burgers such as The Diamond Burger, which includes double smashed patties with mustard, cheese, house pickled yellow peppers, onion, pickles and burger sauce as well as the Mac Daddy, smash patty, fried chicken, a scoop of mac and cheese, onion, cheese, BBQ sauce and mayo, there’s nothing short of exceptional on the menu.
Barry’s Burgers
Location: 1/13 Semaphore Rd, Semaphore
On the west coast you’ll find Barry’s Burgers, who give their customers the choice of a normal thicker beef patty or a smashed patty.
“After a stint in the east coast of Australia and trying out the burger market there, one thing was evident, smash burgers were king,” said owner Chris Ratnaike.
“Being a burger shop that had always offered a more traditional thicker pattie, which we still do and still love, we needed to adapt to the times.”
“It seemed pretty simple, give the people what they want. So now we offer all of our beef burgers with the option of our normal pattie or smashed,” Mr Ratnaike said.
Kick Back Brewing
Location: 11 Old Coach Rd, Aldinga
Kick Back Brewing in Aldinga have had smash burgers on the menu since they opened their doors two years ago.
Owner Brenton Schoemaker said the smashed burgers were the definite favourite among customers.
“We only had one burger on the menu to start off with and due to popularity we started doing weekly specials, and now we have five on the menu,” he said.
“We are a brewery as well, so we can pair the burgers with quite a few of our beers.”
Head chef Tash Van Nunen said their secret to their smash patties is to use a 80 per cent meat and 20 per cent fat ratio in the beef mince.
“The meat we use is a grass-fed chuck mince which is sourced from the southeast of South Australia,” she said.
“There’s no binders in the beef, we take it and smash it on the grill at a very high heat and season.”
Ms Van Nunen said she uses a special tool to smash the beef into the grill, which weighs about three kilograms.
Port Burger
Location: 19 Saltfleet St, Port Noarlunga
By the coast you’ll find Port Burger, a quaint shipping container burger bar and lounge, to get your smash burger fix.
Owner Shana Dunn said the joint have a history of smoking meats and barbecuing and use a local butcher to source their meat.
“We use a brisket chuck blend for the beef patty and we don’t add anything to it, just seasoning,” she said.
“We have an old-school thick grill and we flatten the patties straight down.”
Ms Dunn said they have six smash burger variations on the menu, with the most popular being the Oklahoma Smash.
“It’s an American technique from the Oklahoma region which has red onions and jalapeños smashed into the patty, and that gets seared on the grill and gets a nice caramelisation on the onions,” she said.
“Because the grill has a really good, thick plate, you can get a super crispy flat patty which customers really enjoy.”
Imperial Measures Distilling
Location: 31 West Thebarton Rd, Thebarton
Usually known for their gin and other spirits, would you know that Imperial Measures Distilling also ventured into smash burgers?
The distillery opened in 2014 and were the fourth gin distillery in SA, and now they are one of the few places you can snag a smash burger.
“High end drinks are great but always better without an empty stomach. We love delicious things first and foremost and love food almost as much as booze,” owner David Danby said.
“There aren’t too many things as good as a great smash burger. The classic smash burger is a format that has incredible potential for creativity as well.”
The classic smash burger at Imperial Measures is a 120 gram brisket and chuck mince patty with colby cheese, onion, pickles, and house made secret sauce.
“It could be said that our chef Elliott Kagi has developed a cult like following. His technical skill and attention to detail are what makes our smash burgers stand out from the crowd,” Mr Danby said.
“His passion for flavour, balance and texture is always obvious in everything he creates … a splash of raw talent and a great palate along with a creative mind round it all out to culminate in a memorable experience every time.”
Pattysmiths
Location: Shop 40/264 Main North Rd, Prospect
First opening in Melbourne in 2018, Pattysmiths expanded over to SA in September last year.
The burgers at Pattysmiths are inspired by the LA food truck scene and their signature beef blend of Angus and wagyu patties are to die for.
Each patty is handmade and hand pressed onto a cast iron hotplate to create their iconic smash burger.
“Our chef’s hand-smash every wagyu and Angus patty onto a hotplate, to create our signature dark golden crust. This golden crust is at the heart of every Pattysmiths burger and the reason for our obsession with smashed beef patties,” Northpark franchise owner Tim Eustice said.
“We use fresh quality local ingredients, and local Australian wagyu and angus beef, to create epic smashed burgers without the nonsense. At Pattysmiths Northpark, we not only smash burgers, we smash life.”
Beefcakes and Shakes
Location: 567 Grange Rd, Grange
Over in Grange you can find that Beefcakes and Shakes are slinging a variety of smashed burgers.
From a traditional cheeseburger to one loaded with maple bacon, salsa and mumbo sauce, this joint isn’t playing around.
The burger legends weren’t available for a chat about how they make their delectable burgers, so you’ll have to pop in store and see for yourself.
Have we missed your favourite? Leave a comment below!
More Coverage
Originally published as Listed: Where to get your smash burger fix in Adelaide
I found the Cook Islands’ best-kept secret
Rarotonga’s untouristed interior reveals a paradise that is lost on most travellers.
I flew 1600km for love and got ghosted at the airport
Model River Blake flew to meet a man she had been chatting to online for three years, only to be left stranded at the airport.