Smashburger

Ordered the BBQ burger (forgot the name). Tasted decent. Nothing extremely out of the ordinary, but price wise, you’re better off with another place. For what you get, it’s a little pricey.
Fries are on the skinny side and portions are a little small but they tasted good.
Idk what’s up with the low ratings. It’s not that terrible nor was it extremely good. Going here once in awhile, you’ll be satisfied.

My favorites are the truffle mushroom swiss grilled chicken sandwich and their spicy buffalo fries! Both tastes so yummy!
My second favorite on their menu is their avocado club grilled chicken sandwich and their popular smash fries.

Second out of THREE visits and the staff was INCREDIBLY RUDE! It’s unbelievable! It’s 7:30 on a Friday night, the place is pretty full and we chose to sit at the tables where the chairs had already been put up, for some unknown reason. I put the chairs down and was approached by JASMINE who rudely told me I could not sit there. This situation escalated into an argument quickly. This is absolutely unacceptable! The burgers are good, yes, but WE WILL NEVER COME BACK TO THIS LOCATION AGAIN! #worstserviceever

In response to the recent review by «Gary S».
I was there when this event took place, and what «Gary S» stated is NOT what happened. It was 7:30 and the place might have had patrons, but there were plenty of tables open, no need to act like he just HAD to take the chairs down to sit lest he be eating in the restroom.
Jasmine was NOT rude, in fact all night she was polite to everyone. The situation did escalate, but it was ALL ON HIM. He was rude, she calmly explained what she said and HE got loud and right in her face. For a man that is at least 8″ taller then Jasmine, he was hovering right above her face, I and others felt sorry for her. One person joked that he must be drunk, considering the stance and attitude he took over such a tiny thing.
After «Gary S» sat down, quite a few people in the lobby exchanged glances, and words. It was clear he was in the wrong, but of course he will not see that even after this response. I imagine, like most self-​important people, he will have some clever rebuttal as to why it was ok for him to raise his voice and get in the face of a 5’2″ girl just trying her hardest to do her job on a Friday night. Who knows how many other self-​entitled personalities she had to deal with before he showed up. Who knows what else she had to deal with that day, but some people like «Gary S», think the world revolves around them. It’s a burger joint, stop acting like you’re at a Michelin starred restaurant and the chef ruined your Duck Consommé.
Sorry Jasmine didn’t treat you like the important person you clearly think you are «Gary S», but maybe there was a reason the chairs were up, and maybe you should have asked first? That’s a novel idea now isn’t it? If you really wanted to sit there, why not be polite, lead by example, and ask if it’s ok if you sit there? Too much work to have manners I guess.
You’re right «Gary S», that was unacceptable, and it was YOUR fault. #worstcustomerever

Long hair in the first bite of my avocado burger. Huge bummer. The staff handled it quickly, but let’s face it, no coming back from that.

I like the burgers. I have tried the truffle and mushroom several times and the classic once. I seem to prefer the truffle one. Because I love blue cheese with beef, I should try the blue cheese and barbecue sauce one next, but I hate barbecue sauce. What to do, what to do?
The fries are the skinny ones, which I like. However, I am not a fan of the rosemary fries because the herb flavor is too overwhelming for me. I highly recommend the milk shakes made with Haagen Dazs ice cream. There seems to be a constant rotation of flavors because I don’t see the flavors I have had before on the menu anymore. If you see the Reese’s peanut butter cup shake, you must have it! I was a skeptic until my first sip. I pounded it as did my friend who, at first, wasn’t even interested in having anything to do with the sample I gave her.
Moreover, the place is new and clean. There’s free parking in the back which is a huge plus since it is not that common in this area. The staff has always been incredibly nice and accommodating.

What I like most a I this location are their unique menu items including BBQ Bacon & Cheddar Smashburger, Spicy Baja Crispy Smashchicken, Oreo Shake, PB&J Shake, Smashfries, Black Bean Smashburger, Sweet Potato Fries, etc. Their shakes are made with Haagen Dazs Ice Cream and tastes smashingly good! I love that they opened one here on Park St in Alameda. The staff treat you with great customer service and the dining area is kept clean. Their bathroom is clean enough and parking is plenty.

Gourmet burgers are the rage now and the major chains are opening in Alameda. Smashburger was one of those that recently made Alameda one of their outposts at the new shopping complex at the corner of Park Street and Tilden Way. With a large parking lot and ample street parking, find a place to park your wheels should now be a problem.
You can order from one of the custom burgers or build your own burger. The burgers come in two sizes, the regular ¹⁄₃ pound size and the ½ pound size. As for fries, you have choice of potatoes, sweet potatoes, buffalo and haystack onions.
Truffled Mushroom Swiss — truffled mayo, sautéed Crimini mushrooms, aged Swiss on an Egg bun. It was good, but I like the Sin City better.
Sin City Burger — haystack onions, Applewood bacon, fried egg, cheese, Smashburger sauce (mayo, mustard and relish blend) on an Egg bun. This is a limited time only burger. Loved the burger. It was delicious.
Smash Fries — tossed with olive oil, rosemary, and garlic. These were skinny shoestring fries. Crispy, but would have been tastier if they had more rosemary and garlic seasoning.
Glad that Smashburger is in Alameda offering another good option to fill any burger cravings.

First time visit to a Smashburger restaurant.
— Enjoyed the burger, sad I had to pay extra for cheddar cheese instead of the usual american cheese slice. Any by the time I received the burger, seemed the cheddar cheese had melted off the burger. Also seemed like a very thin amount to be charged extra.
— Visited on a Wednesday at 1pm. Most tables taken, no customers in line. All the available tables were in need of cleaning.
— The employees did not appear interested in their work. The Server would just set the order on the table and walk away, no «thank you» or confirming who ordered what with a group of six people at the table, just drop and go.
Since I placed my order «for here» I was given a number to place at the table. That did not seem to help the server as she approached with two very different items and asked which I had ordered?
— The cashier would stand looking elsewhere when customers were at the register trying to figure out what to order. This showed a lack of interest as from where I was sitting, appeared the customer could have needed help, while the cashier stood in silence looking, anywhere but at the customer.
Thanks for listening…

I’ll start off with saying, this place doesn’t live up to the locations I had visited in Texas.
Couldn’t get the order correct, the burger was small and dry, and the smash fries were overly greasy. Hopefully they stick around and change out a few staffers.

I was so thrilled when I found out Alameda was opening up a Smashburger. My first experience was actually in Colorado which is where Smashburger originated. I never expected them to expand to California or all the way to our little island! I loved the concept of how they cook the meats and those Smashfries with rosemary — YUMs!
My friend and I came for dinner recently and saw all the mediocre Unilocal reviews. I felt the need to set the record straight because I really want this newest addition to Alameda to succeed. It’s definitely a solid 3.5 stars but definitely room for improvement as they are still pretty new. I have faith they will work out the kinks so rounding up to 4 stars.
Our food didn’t take as long as other Unilocalers complained about. We got our food in a timely manner — it was hot and delicious. We both had the Bay Burger & an order of Smashfries — the truffle oil did make it a bit greasy but so good!!! (I ordered this lemonade that I don’t recommend, tasted kind of like cotton candy & artificial). There WAS a mix up with my friend’s fries — he ordered Smashfries and received regular fries. It took awhile to get the order corrected as the kitchen set out ANOTHER order of regular fries. Finally, my friend received the correct order and he got to keep the other fries too.
My thoughts on the overall experience was that the food was solid — yes there was a mix up with the fries but it’s forgivable. They were willing to correct it and we ended up with more than fries than we could consume. Perhaps the staff just needs more training to prevent future mix ups. I thought the cashiers were really friendly. The place was clean and I saw the staff sweeping and wiping down tables. While Alameda DOES have way too many burger joints, in my opinion, Smashburger is not the same as everyone else. Price is higher than similar places like In&Out but I also feel like they offer a lot more options.
We will definitely be back and I’ve already gone back to get take out. Please stay in Alameda for a long time!

I’m impressed by the Smashburger selection of burgers and I think they are a great addition to Alameda. The burger was tasty and I like the large selection of condiments and bun choices they have. The fries are very good and plus the assortment from regular, garlic fries or even rosemary fries.
The milk shakes are second to none… Haagens Das ice cream in them. Please leave room for this because it is «Can’t Miss».
Very good customer service plus they have parking. This has become my go-​to burger place in Alameda.

First timer experience: nice customer service, but the wait is somehow really long even though there weren’t a lot of people and I only ordered a burger.
I ordered a spicy baja, and it came out lopsided? Half of the patty was literally outside the buns and the guac was only on one side of the burger. And the buns though! They’re kind of hard and not as tasty as the buns from other burger places.
The taste all together? Not worth the $ 7+

The burgers are a little fancy and a bit pricey. I am not sure if it is worth the extra cost. I tried the truffle burger and the bay. The tuffle burger was moist but I think that is from the truffle oil. The bay which has arugala was tasty but again, not sure if worth $ 7+. The smash fries were good and crisp but because they are so skinny you need to grab several of them to make it actually taste like fries. I also tried fried pickles and they were alright. I was sharing all this food so don’t you think I ate all this myself.
I can’t say it was all that memorable or worth it for me to go out of my way in the future. Definitely worth a try but can’t say I am a fan.
By the way, my group of 4 were only customers at 9:30 and it did take while. So, don’t expect fast food. Maybe they are understaffed in kitchen but I could see it getting very slow when it does get busy. Also dining area is pretty small with not much seating so if it is busy won’t be many places to sit or stand. Also they saw me almost slip from water on the floor, they did not bother to mop it afterwards. They probably need more organization and training.

Smashburger is surprisingly small, 10ish tables for sitdown. small counter for ordering. wait time to order and subsequent wait for food disqualifies Smashburger as fast food.
was thinking smash chicken burger (6.29). slow service downgraded order to smashfries
eats: smashfries (2.29)
–fries tinier than shoestring fries, mixed with truffle oil & herbs
just tasted oily with a musky taste-​truffle oil?
–ketchup made with fructose corn syrup accompanied order-​huh?
–not impressed. similiarly buffalo fries with hot sauce will satisfy only the addicts of hot stuff.
take outs:
–customer in front had trouble redeeming $ 2 off sandwich offer
seems u have to print it to redeem, can’t just show it on iphone.
–kitchen has trouble getting out the orders in a timely manner.
–lots of parking in back.
–beers comes in bottles, no drafts, price not listed anywheres.

Well, considering Alameda now has a hamburger place on every block downtown and beyond, I’d say you can find a better burger elsewhere. The place was clean (still
new). Quite a bit of odd seating arrangement (be careful when you come in the door from the parking lot, could end up in someone’s lap while their eating). The fries were good. My son got the burger with BBQ sauce, ahhhh, where’s the sauce??? A friend was with us and all three of our burgers were just, «ho hum» and on the dry side, plus rather «small» compared to, Burgermeister — YES! or to South Shore, Five Guys Burgers, which come out to about the same price as we paid today, yet, getting more bang for our buck… bigger, juicier, thicker burgers and a load of good fries!

Welcome to the neighborhood Smashburger! I went to the Emeryville Smashburger earlier this year and I loved the taste of the burgers and the shakes, and I knew from previous interviews that the franchise’s owner Ladonna wanted to build many more Smashburgers in the East Bay, but just couldn’t decide on where, until it seems they finished the two new buildings on the corner of Park Street and Tilden Way in Alameda. One features a Walgreens and the other will feature many smaller businesses including the new Smashburger, the franchise’s second location in the East Bay.
Here’s one tip to live by, I always make sure I explore a company’s website to see if they have a free loyalty program EClub to join in because in many of those situations they give away free or discounted meals for birthdays and anniversaries. Sure you’ll be inundated with emails on their daily specials but the benefits outweigh any disadvantageous to getting those emails. Luckily Smashburger is one of those franchises that has an EClub (they call it their SmashClub) and on Sunday I got an email saying Smashburger was having a V.I.P event at their new Alameda restaurant and they’d love for me and a plus one to show up that Tuesday for dinner so their crew can get out the kinks right before Wednesday’s opening day.
Since I unfortunately didn’t get into the Unilocal Event: Smashburger Preview Party the day before, I knew that this would be the next best option. So I made sure I invited a friend who also was jilted at the Smashburger alter, so I could make sure we both got to enjoy all of the complimentary Smashburger goodness! It was a very easy process to sign up, as Smashburger had 15 minute intervals you could sign up for at
from 5−8pm and once you sign up they email you your tickets! It’s as simple as that!
Now there are a lot of new burger places popping up in the Bay Area with roots in other parts of the country that specialize in build your own burger concept in a more fast casual setting rather than fast food where the crew brings you your meal and there’s no drive thru. I have to admit Smashburger is right up there with some of the best burger joints in town. It’s called «Smashburger» because their burgers start as a fresh ball of beef that’s smashed on a hot-​buttered grill to sear the burger and seal in the juices.
When we arrived at 7:30pm the place was not as packed with VIP attendees as I assumed there would be. We were immediately greeted by a lovely woman by the name DaSha who is the Smashburger corporate grand opening manager (now there’s a job I’d love, wouldn’t you?) who was very courteous in explaining a little bit about the background restaurant and what they had to offer. Since it was the VIP party we were allowed to order one beef burger or chicken burger from their extensive menu with any additional toppings (yes that’s with an «s») of our choice plus one of their delicious sides like fries or onion strings and a carbonated beverage. Sadly no shakes were available this night but there’s something to look forward to next time right?
I decided to go with the Spicy Jalapeño Burger with a sunny side up fried egg on top. Now here they don’t ask you how you’d like your burger cooked (which would have been nice) but I found the Spice Burger tasted delicious, although on the wee bit salty side. But that was fine with me because I knew the crew was still getting their kinks out. And for my side, I went with the signature Smashfries, which were tossed with rosemary, olive oil and garlic. They tasted perfect. Members of the Smashburger staff made sure we were always checked up upon to make sure we were well taken care of as we enjoyed our meal.
All in all, my friend and I had the perfect time enjoying a sneak preview of the new Smashburger. Here’s to owner Ladonna, DaSha, and the entire crew at the Smashburger in Alameda for making our V.I.P experience live up to that name. Hoping that a Smashburger comes up to our area in Contra Costa County soon because I know my hometown would be there day in and day out!

Loved the Unilocal event here and couldn’t stop raving about it, so my coworkers and I went here for lunch. I remember really liking the Bay burger, so I just ordered that again, and it definitely did not disappoint! Ciabatta (I think it’s ciabatta haha) with arugula, cheese, and a juicy patty. It’s way tastier and juicier than a typical chicken sandwich.
I thought I was going to get a quick burger with friends, and I didn’t realize that my coworkers were surprising me there for my birthday. So am I technically the first person to celebrate their birthday here?! haha
Customer service is great here — the staff is really attentive and super nice.
Also, shout out to one of the owners (Ladonna, I think? Sorry if I misspelled your name!) and the staff who held the cake for us, sung to me haha and gave us extra forks and plates.
Way too nice.
I’ll be back for another Bay Burger — yum!

YUP, that was ME in VIP!
Because fabulous friends DO exist, I was invited by a lovely friend who is a Smashclub member to Smashburger’s VIP opening for Smashclub members ONLY! I was thrilled to be able to get this lovely experience especially because I have never been to a Smashburger before. All I kept thinking was, «OH gosh, another In and Out type of restaurant». BUT I was WRONG! Smashburger is legit!
Smashburger is known for building your own burger: Avocado, onion, eggs, pickles… you name it and believe me they got it!
We walked in and were greeted by a lovely lady named Da Sha (the grand opening manager) she was SO welcoming and very nice in explaining a little bit about the restaurant and what they had to offer. Because we walked in with VIP Status we were given a free meal and drink of whatever we wanted… YUP you heard correctly (no editing needed) I said A FREE MEAL AND DRINK baybee! I was shocked! After hearing the tons of things that they had to offer I was SO ready to order.
We were greeted by the lovely Jacky (cashier) who took our order and went out of her way to explain to me that we can also get extras added onto our burger! SAY WHAT? YESSS!!!
I knew exactly what I wanted: Avocado Club (extra: bacon, onions and avocado) just because with Smash Fries. OMG after we paid for our food and grabbed our seat… the food came right behind us… NO LIE! There was no wait time needed! I was such in awe!
The burger looked really good OMG but it was better when I took my first bite! It was like a food party in my mouth! My taste buds were having a field day! The burger was nothing like the ordinary, the meat was made to perfection the bun was toasted just right! OMG!
The customer service here was exceptional! The workers would come every so often and asked if we needed our cups refilled and if they can take our empty plates. I left EXACTLY how a QUEEN should feel in a restaurant!
I was even able to meet with the Restaurant Owner Ladonna! Can you say a lovely lady with a GREAT personality! It was like we were longtime friends and just reunited! She explained about her goals to open more restaurant’s and even listed to my opinions about possibly making one in Castro Valley/​Hayward area (we need a Smashburger in our area). I am SO excited and look forward to seeing more Smashburger’s in a city near me!
I will definitely be back to this location especially with the staff’s hospitality and the great food! This place is SO much better than any burger joint I have tried in a while! If you haven’t tried this restaurant before this is a MUST!

The hubby and I attended the Unilocal event tonight and was able to sample some of the menu items. Overall I love the concept that you can build your own burger as I am believer in personalized food.
The location is on park street and Lincoln next to Walgreen. There is a big parking lot in the back and plenty of street parking
Over all this place was awesome and I will definitely be back.
BUN BUN BUN. I judge a burger by their buns. Every burger we tried had a tasty bun.
Buffalo and blue cheese chicken burger. This was my favorite. The crispy chicken patty was juicy! The breading was light and the sauce was tasty. My only request next time is extra sauce but then I am a sauce person.
Spicy jalapeño Baja. This was my hubby favorite. This burger had kick! I wasn’t expecting it and was pleasantly surprised. Some places claimed their burger is spicy and they fail, but the fresh jalapeños on this burger gave it a spicy kick that I love. It was not overwhelming at all.
Sweet potatoes fries were perfection! They were crispy and a wonderful balance of sweet and salty.
I will be back as this place seems to have a burger for everyone taste buds.