Smash burgers in Columbus split into two camps: the storefronts that only do the smash and the neighborhood bars that added it to a bigger menu. This guide covers both, from German Village's crowded institution to strip-mall counters where the burger is the whole reason to walk in.
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The Thurman Burger anchors this German Village institution, a mountain of a sandwich built for sharing and best attempted with a group. Wings and nachos round out the table. Saturday afternoons bring a packed waiting room and hour-long waits, so this is a plan-ahead order, not a quick lunch stop.
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The room leans into presentation, spoon-and-fork chandeliers included, but the burger itself carries the visit. Gluten-free buns and full gluten-free menus are a real strength here. Portions on sides run small for the price, and service can feel rushed, so this is a burger-first, everything-else-second stop.
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The smash burger comes out fresh with good char and a properly cooked patty, and the milkshakes are worth ordering alongside it. The turkey burger holds up too. Service gets consistent praise, and happy hour pricing on beer makes this an easy after-work stop near Easton.
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This is a smash burger built for people who rank burgers seriously: a properly smashed patty, melted cheese, and a yacht sauce that keeps coming up in the same breath as the burger itself. Tots and potato skins round out the order. Worth the plaza parking lot for the patty alone.
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The coney with sauce and relish is the order here, a quick and cheap New York style hot dog stop rather than a burger destination. The counter-service format moves fast and the price is right, though the burger itself draws mixed reports and the room's reputation for customer service is shaky.
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The single burger comes without sides by default, a deliberate setup that keeps pricing honest, and the banana cream pudding is the dessert people remember. Regulars return for the reasonable price and the burger's straightforward execution, even though service complaints surface often enough to note.
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A neighborhood pub where the burger shares billing with a strong appetizer list, this is the after-work stop for people who want a beer and fries alongside their patty rather than a burger-only errand. Service runs attentive and prompt, and the room reads as a straightforward local tavern.
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The Royale with Cheese is the order to know by name here, a counter-service burger built on affordability and speed. Reports on execution vary, with some visits landing dry and over-salted fries and others calling it the best burger in the city, so consistency is the open question.
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A standard smash burger done well, with tots that outperform the fries and a beer selection deep enough to justify lingering. Onion ring portions run small for the price, and the Classic Deluxe pushes toward $15, putting this room at the higher end of the smash burger field on cost.
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Located inside East Market, this counter is better known for its Reuben and chicken Parmesan than for a smash burger specifically, with wings drawing their own following. The Reuben in particular gets singled out for thin-sliced meat and properly melted Swiss, making this a broader sandwich stop worth the visit.
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Amina Warsame is a Staff Writer at Top of Columbus. Born in Mogadishu and raised in Northland, she grew up between her mother's kitchen and the grocery-cafes of the Somali malls. She writes the guides, sweeps the whole Outerbelt, and covers the Somali and East African tables as the beat she knows best.
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