Smashburger Natick

I love hamburgers and I love eating out. But those two things don't always come to fruition when you have kids. Unless you consider a fast food drive thru line, which, honestly, is not my thing. So I was excited to see Smashburger Natick open in Metrowest. It is the first Smashburger in Massachusetts, and the first of many more to come in the area over the next few years.

Smashburger Natick

When I have a craving for a burger, the thought of taking the kids to a mainstream restaurant, waiting to be seated, waiting to give our order, waiting for the food, and then getting the bill and tipping, pretty much kills the burger craving. It is just too much work. I'll do it, but not as often as my cravings allow. So the concept of Smashburger really appealed to me. When they reached out and invited my family and me to a complementary meal, I was eager to go and check it out.

Smashburger Menu Natick

We went on a Saturday around 11:30am (after two rounds of swimming lessons and a round of gymnastics for the kiddos.) We walked right in, with no line, and ordered right away. The Smashburger Natick menu is pretty robust without being overwhelming. There is nothing like standing there with your neck craned up trying to read the tiny print of the 50 options available. Here, there are around 7 hamburger combos (that you can swap out for chicken), 4 salad ideas, a veggie burger and hot dog option, and fry sides, drinks and milkshakes. (Though they also have veggie frites for a side that I wish I had tried.) Thus, it is easy to skim the menu on the spot and make a choice.

I asked, and they are easily able to customize your order, so don't be afraid to mix and match. My husband ordered the large (1/2 pound) Classic Smash with American cheese, Smash Sauce, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onion on an egg bun, and he asked for the Smash Sauce to be on the side. It was about $7. I went with the regular (1/4 pound) Avocado Club burger with avocado, applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, ranch dressing and mayo on a multi-grain bun, which was about $6.

We ordered a side of Smashfries tossed with Italian olive oil, rosemary and garlic. Fries come separately (unless it is a kids meal) but for ~$2, it is plenty big for sharing. I was also interested in the kids menu. They have the standard fare of hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken strips that come with fries and a fountain drink for $5, though for a minor upgrade, you can get milk. There are also bottled beverages in a case if you want to forgo the fountain fare, whether for the kids or yourself. I got the kids each a hot dog combo and some lemonade from the fountain.

Smashburger Review

While we were eating, I noticed the place started hopping. Around 12:30pm, there was a constant stream of customers, though the line moved fast and there were a couple of booths that turned over frequently. The staff hustled. They took your order swiftly, but knew the menu so they were able to answer questions. After we placed our order, they gave us a table number. Within a few minutes, our meal was delivered to our table in little baskets. The kids dug in and so did we. As the place was busy, we did not have to worry about them making noise or hobbling around in the booth. There were highchairs and booster seats that we could (and did) use. The kids loved their hotdogs. Could have been due to the busy morning, but it must have been tasty enough as even my picky four year old ate most of it.

My husband loved his burger, and even used the Smash Sauce, which is usually on the burger, as a french fry dip. I LOVED the fries. Cut thin with the olive oil/rosemary seasoning? Super yum! My Avocado Club burger was great, but I didn't like the bun. A bit bland and dry.

As we munched, I noticed a lot of folks leaving Smashburger with big bags of food. Turns out, not only can you take your order to go, but you can order online and pick it up. My ears perked up when I heard that! Since they are open 7 days a week from 10am-10pm, it is pretty easy to find time to eat in or take out. The staff also checked in a couple of times to see if we liked our meal or needed anything else, which I noticed they did for other patrons as well.

Before we left, I asked about the milkshakes. They are made with Haggen Daaz ice-cream…..a lot of it. There is the standard vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, but also Oreo®, Butterfinger®, NutterButter®, Salted Caramel, Chocolate Oreo®, Peanut Butter & Jelly. I probably should have tried the Peanut Butter and Jelly, but I went with the standard Chocolate, which I am a sucker for. And I practically swooned. OMG. That thing was good!! I can see myself getting one of those after an errand to the Christmas Tree Shop.

The place was clean. Even when we left, the trash area was tidy. But I did notice that there was a door to enter and a door to exit, but people were confused. When we were trying to go out the exit, people were coming in. Probably need some bigger signs or more direction. I also noticed there were no menus in the vestibule before you came into Smashburger. They were available once you entered, but I saw people sort of swerving around each other in line. Probably would be good to have a couple of menu slots along the way to keep the flow going and that way you don't feel rushed if you need more time to figure out what you are in the mood for.

All in all, the food was good, prices reasonable, the place is modern and tidy, the staff is friendly and fast. Frankly, it's a smashing success here in the Metrowest area. Check out the menu online. I am glad we went and we will definitely be going back. Say hi if you see me there!  

Many thanks to Smashburger for hosting us and for a great family outing!  

Image Credit: Thumbnail by Kesu01 from Getty Images Pro via Canva.com