Lacy-edged, lettuce-heavy Big Mac tribute
Burger source
Smashed NYC is the work of Mark Mendaros, who arrived in New York in 2017 and opened Oola’s Kitchen – an American bistro with a French twist, ribs and fried chicken – on the Lower East Side in 2020. When the pandemic shut the dining room he built a walk-up window and bet on his best-selling item, the smash burger, perfecting it with partner Fredy. By their own account, that made it the city’s first brick-and-mortar smash specialist. The pitch is chef-made burgers with everything, sauces included, made in-house, plus a vegan option and 20-odd burgers across the brand. Time Out reports The New Yorker was rating it among the city’s best by mid-2021. The Dumbo stall opened in Time Out Market – a converted warehouse food hall at 55 Water Street – at the end of August 2024, and the brand now also has a West Village shop and a Union Square outpost.
The order
The Big Schmacc: double patty, double cheese, sesame bun, and a not-so-subtle nod to a certain McDonald’s classic. The Classic sounded too basic, and the bacon variety was an unusual one (jalapeño and all), so this was the sensible middle. It’s also one of the two burgers Time Out says have been best sellers from day one. Sweet potato fries on the side, the only side on offer.
You order by QR code at your table and the food is brought out to you, with a tip prompt at the end that nudges the bill up. It took about 15 to 20 minutes for us. It was quietish at noon and heaving by 1pm on a Sunday in October, so aim to go earlier if you don’t fancy a long wait.
The meat of it
First, the look of it: wrapped in white paper on a plate, a flattened sesame lid, a slab of orange American cheese and a top patty that overhangs the bun in a dark, glossy, ragged skirt. I’ve never seen this level of laciness on a patty before, and I was quite excited about it.
In cross-section we get a better view of the architecture of this burger. Two thin patties, each with its own slice of cheese, sitting on a pile of shredded iceberg with a smear of pink sauce on a toasted bottom bun. Sesame bun, two patties, cheese, shredded lettuce, pink sauce: the Big Mac homage is not subtle, but it’s a fresh take rather than a copy.
First bite… it’s well seasoned, tasty and moderately crispy – not as crispy as you’d expect given the amount of Maillard reaction on show. The melty cheese is a good complement, and the burger as a whole is a little oily but not excessively greasy. Structural integrity is good, and the bun holds up. It cools down quickly, though.
Then the lettuce. Fresh, and of course bland by design, and there’s an avalanche of it. The Big Mac-style sauce is a faithful tribute, but there’s so little of it that it’s invisible next to a drift of pale green iceberg. The burger can’t decide whether it wants to be a healthy burger or an indulgent sandwich. The pickle gave a good sweet and sour contrast – needed, given the paucity of sauce – but it wasn’t anything special bar its crinkle-cut texture.
Now, onto the fries. The sweet potato fries came in a kraft box: deep orange, thin-cut, with a dusted, crisp-looking coating. Rich sweet potato flavour, though under-seasoned. A lovely crunch, possibly enhanced by a cornstarch coating before frying. It was so close to being excellent (for what it was) – but the tightfisted seasoning really put a dampener on it.
Overall, the experience was good. Fast service, a decent burger and crispy fries. It would be improved by being served hotter, with more sauce, more seasoning on the fries and possibly a sliver or two less shredded iceberg.
Monkey finger rating
- Bun – 4/5. Held up throughout.
- Build – 3.5/5. Sound structure, too much lettuce and too little sauce.
- Burger – 3.5/5. Very lacy, well seasoned patty, but it cooled quickly.
- Taste – 3.5/5. Good seasoning and cheese, and the sauce was too scarce.
- Sides – 3.5/5. Rich flavour and a great crunch, but under-seasoned.
- Value – 3.5/5. About what you’d expect for New York at US$17 for the burger, but at a higher quality.
- Burger rating – 3.5/5. Good concept, better execution is clearly possible.
The deets
Smashed NYC – Time Out Market New York, 55 Water Street, Dumbo, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Order by QR code at your table. Also in West Village and at Time Out Market Union Square.
