Smashy Burger

and a more affordable NYC

Ahead of volunteering at a Zohran for NYC event last week, I decided to swing by this new take-out only spot across from Union Square Park for a quick bite.

Smashy Burger comes to NYC by way of Budapest - they even have a mini Portal-style screen near the queue where you can be broadcast to their Hungarian counterpart. The name of the game here is cheap and no-frills. A single smash burger is $4.99, a double is just $2 more and an order of fries is $2.99. Burgers here all come with pickles, grilled onions, and American cheese, and you can opt for classic with ketchup and mustard or house style, with a tangier burger sauce.

I ordered myself a double, no cheese house style and a Coke in a glass bottle, a perfect meal to scarf down on a USQ bench. The whole ordeal was pretty quick, aided by the simple menu, and I was back out the door with my food in under 5 minutes.

Across the street I unwrapped my paper from my burger and dug in. The burger was served up on a classic Martin’s potato bun and had a nice crust to it. I was definitely missing some salt here, but I think this is a case of relying on the cheese for the salinity component. The onions had a fine dice, sort of McDonald’s style and the pickles were cut generously, but I thought I could’ve used more of either, as well as more of the house sauce.

Overall, this was a great bite for its cost and satiated me while keeping me light on my feet for a night of churning out DIY merch for almost 200 Zohran supporters! I’m ranking this burger at 30, between Hamburger America and Moonburger, and I’m ranking Zohran Mamdani number 1 on my ballot, followed by Brad Lander, Zellnor Myrie, Michael Blake and Adrienne Adams.

Election Day is tomorrow NYC - find your polling place and remember: Don’t Rank Cuomo!