Over the past month, we traveled the Portland metro area trying every smash burger we could find, then ranking them in a big roundup today. To compare apples to apples, we separated smash-adjacent burgers (those where smashing isn’t the central part of the process) and restaurant-style smash burgers (those with thin patties hidden under a cavalcade of extras), focusing our attention on true smash burgers with classic toppings. Below, find the great local burgers that didn’t quite fit our big ranking, but you still need to try.
Bit House collective's double smash burger comes with a fermented habanero and roasted pineapple glaze and a disc of crunchy cheese.Michael Russell | The Oregonian
Bit House Collective | Isla Hamburguesa
Adding a new contender in the fancy smash category, chef Carlo Lamagna and his self-styled “Wild Rice Boys” take two thick and juicy, gently smashed patties and top them with a fermented habanero and roasted pineapple glaze, Filipino-style pickles and a compact disc of crunchy cheese on a house-baked sesame seed pandesal bun ($13). Down the line, I would love the option to trade the second patty for a handful of chopped lechon. 4 to 11 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 2 to 9 p.m. Sunday; 727 S.E. Grand Ave.; 503-954-3913; bithousesaloon.com
A six-pack of steam burgers from Canard.Jamie Hale | The Oregonian
Canard | Steam Burger
When I asked chef Gabriel Rucker if his White Castle-inspired sliders were smash burgers, he claimed ignorance. “Kind of?” he wrote in a text. “I’m not sure of the definition.” Turns out, Canard’s little burgers ($6 in the before times, but $3 at happy hour) do involve a genre-defining smash on the flat-top, followed by a quick steam to meld together the American cheese, caramelized onions, spicy relish and beef infused with French Onion soup mix, all suspended on a slider-sized Hawaiian roll. There’s a reason these were our favorite new burger of 2018. Currently unavailable, the steam burger will return for takeout on April 7; 734 E. Burnside St.; 971-279-2356; canardpdx.com
The kitchen-sink hamburguesa at Northeast Portland's Güero.Michael Russell | The Oregonian
Güero | Hamburguesa
Some of us still pine for the original Güero’s hamburguesa, a messy double dripping with American cheese, surrounded by a moat of Juanita’s tortillas chips. The updated version ($13), with its lettuce and avocado and escabeche and ham and grilled red onion and two-types of melted cheese on a sesame seed bun, took a little getting used to. But now I appreciate it for what it is: A well-constructed burger with some serious smash that wouldn’t be out of place at a midscale Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles for double the price. 11 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; 200 N.E. 28th Ave.; 503-887-9258; guerotortas.com
Hit The Spot gets great char on its pre-formed patties.Michael Russell | The Oregonian
Hit The Spot | Cheeseburger
I figured the greasy good cheeseburgers ($5) at this 2019 Best New Food Cart honoree were a lock for a Top 10 spot on this list. In the past, the blue and orange truck just across from the original Killer Burger did just about everything right, with beef seared to a gorgeous crust, a nicely griddled bun and a slight tingle from some smoky chipotle aioli. But on our visit for this roundup, owner Jeremy Sivers told us he no longer smashes his burgers, opting for pre-formed patties instead. It’s still a good burger, just not right for our smash burger list. Noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 4835 N.E. Sandy Blvd.; hitthespot.net
It's killer, and it's a smash.Michael Russell | The Oregonian
Killer Burger | Classic Burger (w/o bacon)
When you think about Killer Burger, you probably think about out-there sandwiches topped with peanut butter and bacon, and less about the patty itself. But Portland’s home-grown burger chain actually does employ a smash technique, pressing down on a heavy spatula with a metal weight that looks a bit like a trailer hitch, seasoning it as heavily as anyone this side of Mid City Smash Burger, then steaming it to finish under a dome. For our ranking, the resulting burger didn’t have quite enough smash — it was lightly browned on one side, not at all on other. Still, this is a tasty burger, and a good entry point to the greater smash world.
Toki's steamed bao burger is a smash burger wrapped in bao dough and seared on both sides.The Oregonian
Toki | Bao Burger
On a menu filled with dishes inspired by TikTok trends, the steamed bao burger ($8) is a true Toki original. At his new downtown Portland restaurant, chef Peter Cho smashes two dry-aged beef patties, adds American cheese, onions and a mustard-y special sauce, then wraps the whole thing in bao dough that gets dusted with sesame seeds and seared to order. It hasn’t gone viral yet, but it probably should. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday-Sunday and 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday; 580 S.W. 12th Ave.; 503-312-3037; tokipdx.com
Underneath it all, the St. Jack burger & frites has a true smash patty.Michael Russell | The Oregonian
St. Jack | Burger & Frites
According to chef Aaron Barnett, it was ChefStable owner Kurt Huffman who persuaded him to buy a snazzy chrome griddle when St. Jack relocated to Northwest Portland in 2014. We’re glad he did. Today that grill is used in service of a loaded smash burger ($17, avec frites) with cheddar and American cheese, thick-sliced bacon, shredded lettuce, onion, a creamy sauce gribiche and five-six pickles on top of that, not to mention a little cornichon spiked to the top. “You’ve gotta balance out all that fat,” Barnett said. 5 to 10 p.m. daily; 1610 N.W. 23rd Ave.; 503-360-1281; stjackpdx.com
-- Michael Russell, mrussell@oregonian.com, @tdmrussell
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