I am happy to be the first to review this little gem. The 'gourmet' burger or 'slow fast food' has really been catching on in Calgary. There are a number of choices in the city including some of the more famous American brands like FatBurger and Five Guys. With a South St Co opening nearby in the NW as well, Smashburger was a great find on my visit to the nearby Walmart.
This place is ALREADY very busy and it's staffed with an army of people. The Smashburger name comes from the way they cook their beef, which involves putting a healthy portion of never frozen beef onto the grill and then 'smashing' (it's more like squishing) the burger under a weight. Heat and pressure!
So yeah, fresh patty with generous toppings and the unique "Calgary" burger makes this place fall into the gourmet burger category. How does it stack up against the others? Pretty good I would say, really good prices for your food, a fantastic selection of toppings and THE BEST SERVICE YOU WOULD EVER GET IN A BURGER JOINT.
They have people on patrol and ask if you require anything every couple of minutes, which is almost unnecessary since you are too busy stuffing your face and getting your hands messy with the delicious burger. They have great sides too, including the less common fried pickles and mushroom poutine, along with some very delicious milkshakes and REAL iced tea.
If I want a hamburger, it's nice and close by to me so I would prefer paying the slightly higher price here than going to McDonalds or Burger King. There is one catch though. The food is SALTY! Especially the sides. I know some people can't handle it and will complain about it, but hey that's what the milkshake and pop is for.
Just because it's gourmet doesn't mean it's healthy!