Burger Crew Meeting called to order Saturday, September 13th, 2025 at 12p.
Members in attendance: Angela, Trevor, DK, Wayne, and myself (Innie)
Guest starring: Marissa and Molly
I. Ordering
Wayne ordered the Hellapeno (two 3oz patties, pepperjack cheese, grilled onions, pork bacon, jalapeños, onion rings, smack sauce, Mikes hot honey, $12.25) and a side of waffle fries ($5).
Angela and Trev ordered the Big Smack (two 3oz patties, American cheese, grilled onions, pickles, smack sauce, $9.50) and a side of waffle fries.
I ordered the Baydestrian (two 3oz patties, American cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, smack sauce, $10), and added pickles and jalapenos (at no additional charge).
DK ordered the Big Smack and an order of Smack Fries (patty, American cheese, grilled onions, smack sauce, $9).
Marissa ordered the Plain Jane (two patties, American cheese, $8.25)
II. The Burgers
We at Burger Crew are unabashed gluttons for that lace, and the lace on these smash burgers was truly impressive. The edges of the patty were crunchy and crisp, almost as if they were deep fried. There was no shortage of lace, either, as the patties extended far past the edges of the buns. The seasoning was conspicuously peppery, which we all personally enjoyed, and the cheese was appropriately melty and gooey.
All the burgers came with double patties by default, which provided a balanced ratio of meat to cheese to bun. Through pure anecdotal evidence (which to be fair, we have a lot of), we’ve found that providing single smash patty options only serves to offer a subpar burger experience. I myself have fallen for that mistake too often. As wise men say, when in Rome, just order the double patty.
Most of our burgers came with Smack sauce, which Angela speculated was like a thousand island sauce with mustard. Trev was a huge fan of the Smack sauce, and even though he thought that the burger didn’t necessarily need more, the extra sauce served on the side was a nice flavor enhancer.
The jalapenos in Wayne’s Hellapeno burger turned out to be spicier than he expected. He thought it was on the verge of being too hot for his personal taste. I also had added jalapenos to my Baydestrian, and while they had some kick, I enjoyed their level of heat. The peppers were thinly sliced, and I appreciated that they were generously portioned and evenly distributed.
Per the Hellapeno description, the burger is served with bacon (explicitly listed as “pork bacon” in the menu, presumably to avoid confusion with vastly inferior bacon imposters. *Cough* turkey *cough*). Wayne realized that he actually didn’t notice the bacon, but also didn’t necessarily notice its absence either. Wayne was of the opinion that this was inherently a bad thing; he considers bacon a selling point, so he wants to notice it. However, others opined that if one didn’t necessarily miss it, it still played a significant supporting role in the enjoyment of the burger. Other elements in the Hellapeno included hot honey and pepper jack cheese, but Wayne did not have any particular memory of these elements either. It’s our theory that Wayne’s tastebuds were overwhelmed and overstimulated by the aforementioned jalapenos.
III. Sides
There were absolutely no complaints with the waffle fries; they were seasoned well, fried very nicely, and served generously. We weren’t sure if they were battered or double fried, but they had a great crunch.
DK’s Smack Fries were also a huge hit with everyone. The hot honey was a surprisingly subtle and delicious touch, complementing the savoriness of the cheese, grilled onions, and patty. I actually avoided ordering the Hellapeno burger due to its inclusion of hot honey, thinking that I would find the flavor too sweet and at odds with the other ingredients. It actually turned out to be both mildly sweet and almost savory. Wayne noted that the fries in mere contact with the patties were imbibed with a nice smokey char flavor.
IV. Miscellaneous
According to their Instagram, Smack Burgers started out as a pop up in the Bay Area, expanding into brick and mortar locations in both Los Angeles and San Leandro. This Los Angeles location opened up about a year ago.
There is a parking lot with a decent amount of spots. It’s located less than a block before the 10W freeway entrance, so your experience with traffic in the area may vary. There was no public restroom.
In a nice contrast to our experience at Hammy’s Smash Burgers on the other end of Koreatown, we felt very safe here.
V. Value
The crew was asked how much they would pay for their burgers. The prices ranged mostly from $12 to $13, with one outlier of $16.
VI. The Verdict
Solid choice by DK! Our ratings were 4.5, 4.1, 4.0, 4.1, and 3.8.
Next Burger Crew meeting scheduled for 10/25/2025 at Spread, Please! in El Segundo.