In the last several months, a couple of places have opened up in the Dayton, Ohio, area that make fast food burgers. However, they’re not your typical burger.

The first one of the 2 chains I tried was Five Guys, and they make a really nice burger. Their catch is that you can get all kinds of great toppings (grilled onion, A1 sauce, bbq, sauce, mushrooms, etc) at no extra cost, and their fries are fresh cut and great.

Last week, my wife and I tried Smashburger, and I’ve got to say that, though I like Five Guys, Smashburger is the best fast-foodish chain burger I’ve had.

Smashburger isn’t all that big yet, though they do have franchises in several states. Their thing is localizing the burger joint a little bit by offering a regional style burger and carrying one or two local beers/ales. The atmosphere is modern and casual, and, like most fast food places, you get in line to place your order.

What’s different is that you can get wine and/or beer with your burger and you don’t have to pick up a tray to take it to a table; they have staff that takes care of bringing your meal to you.

I got a Buckeye Burger, which included fried peppers and Haystack onions, cheddar cheese (comes with American, but I switched), pickle, mayo, lettuce and tomato. I also got Smashfries, which are fries seasoned with rosemary, olive oil and garlic. My wife got a Smashburger without cheese with a side of Haystack onions, which are very thinly cut onion rings.

The fries and rings were the first thing we tried, and both were great. I love rosemary with potatoes, and it’s also great with fries (and not overdone). The rings had a nice amount of batter and were really good, too.

Then the burger. I got a half pound burger, while my wife got a 1/3 pounder. Her burger more than fit the bun, and mine hung over the bun considerably. Both were nicely browned, and the first bite showed why this is a better burger than other fast food burgers… These are really, really good!

All in all, I would pick this burger over any other almost-fast-food chain I know of. I like that the different areas offer different style burgers, from chili burgers in Texas to a bleu cheese bacon burger in New Jersey, and lots of variations in between. The food is really well done, and the flavors are way above what I expect for a $20 meal for two of us (including a beer from Great Lakes Brewing, an Ohio brewer). If you’re close to a Smashburger, get there and have a great burger! I’d say to tell them I sent you, but they’d just look at you like you need help.

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