City Cast Las Vegas logo

Smash Burgers Are Everywhere Now. What’s the Big Deal?

Posted on October 24, 2024   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
Rob Kachelriess

Rob Kachelriess

An open-faced smash burger at With Love, Always in Las Vegas.

The All-American smash burger 👍 (Rob Kachelriess/City Cast Las Vegas)

With Love, Always is a new burger joint in Centennial Hills, named after the care and quality of ingredients that go into each bite. Founded by the team behind Sorry, Not Sorry ice cream, it began as a parking lot pop-up before finding a permanent location. The specialty of the house? Smash burgers, which seem to be everywhere in Las Vegas these days.

🍔 You Gotta Get ‘Em Right

“Just because you smash a burger on the grill does not make it a smashed burger, explains co-founder Drew Belcher. “The burger has to be smashed a certain way to get that caramelized crust, while still maintaining the integrity and juiciness of the middle. Ours are smashed super thin, but if you look, just the sides get that super crust, that maillard reaction, but the middle is still a little thick and juicy.”

A few more things: “You have to have a Martin's Potato Roll for your bun or it's not a true smash burger,” Belcher adds. “And some sort of secret sauce of your choice. Keep the ingredients super simple and if it's done with real high-quality ingredients, you'll taste the difference.”

Two thin patties are typically doubled up. American cheese is a signature staple too. With Love, Always likes to present their burgers open-faced.

The Menu 👉 Quality Over Quantity

Customers can choose between:

  • The Classic, a basic cheeseburger to build on. (“Add bacon, grilled onions, fresh jalapeno, extra patties, go as crazy as you'd like.”)
  • The All-American. (“It’s like a very nostalgic McDonald's-esque taste profile with chopped raw onion, pickle, ketchup, and mustard. It'll bring you back to your childhood very quickly.”)
  • The S.O.B. or Smashed Onion Burger. (“Almost translucent, paper-thin onions smashed into the beef. It has a very umami taste. If you like onions, that's the one.”)

Either way, the beef (higher-tier Choice Black Angus) is always fresh, never frozen. The shoe-string fries are cooked in beef tallow instead of oils, and the soft-serve is high-butterfat French custard, dipped in a choice of coatings. Beer and wine are in the works. For now, you’ve got the soda machine.

Cherry-coated, soft-serve custard on a cone.

Cherry-coated, soft-serve custard 🍦 (Rob Kachelriess/City Cast Las Vegas)

😋 Try ‘Em Free

With Love, Always is already drawing eager crowds while in soft-opening mode. An official grand opening is 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 26. The first 100 people get a free combo, the first 25 get free merch, and the first five get free combos (one a week) for a year. A few raffle prizes will be given away as well.

👀 More Great Vegas Smash Burgers

🍔 Stay Tuned Burgers: This counter inside the Hard Hat Lounge may or may not have been visited by the City Cast team after researching cannabis cocktails.

🍔 Half Bird: Brian Howard’s Asian-inspired chicken sandwich concept in Henderson has a classic smash burger on the menu too.

🍔 Yukon Pizza: Great pizza in Huntridge, and great smash burgers too — mixing things up with White American cheese.

🍔 Flanker Kitchen: Mandalay Bay’s sports bar has fancy Wagyu smash burgers. Try the one with bacon-onion jam.

🍔 The Parlour: Whether on Fremont Street or in Henderson, the pop-up burger menu is now permanent with late-night hours and “pre-pandemic” value pricing.

Share article

Hey Las Vegas

Stay connected to City Cast Las Vegas and get ready to join the local conversation.

Can't subscribe? Turn off your ad blocker and try again.

The latest in Las Vegas

Mayoral MondaysSeptember 28

Mayoral Races to Watch in Southern Nevada

Voters will help choose two new mayors in Southern Nevada. Who are the candidates and what do they stand for?

Poll workers in yellow shirts look over people voting in voting booths set up at a mall.
Las Vegas, ExplainedSeptember 25

Take This Week's Las Vegas News Trivia Quiz

Ready for a challenge? Take our weekly quiz, based on the news and stories of this past week in Las Vegas.

A large excavator digs.
Las Vegas' BestSeptember 24

Celebrate Dolly Parton on 9 to 5 Day

Saturday is Sept. 25 or “9 to 5 Day,” which gives Las Vegas the perfect opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Dolly Parton.

Dolly Parton sings on a stage at Laughlin Event Center in 2016.
Keep It LocalSeptember 24

Meet Water Street’s Movers and Shakers

From Strip pastry chefs to local architects, discover the passionate people building their businesses and lives right here on Henderson's...

Architect Windom Kimsey stands at a bar at Public Works.
Keep It LocalSeptember 24

Your Water Street Micro-Neighborhood Guide

Discover how Henderson’s Water Street got its name from a 1942 wartime pipeline. Explore the historic district, local businesses, and par...

An open and light dining space with white chairs and tables, wood floors and a chandelier.
Keep It LocalSeptember 17

Your Guide to Las Vegas Butcher Shops

Explore Las Vegas' best butcher counters, from whole-animal butchery at Featherblade to Diamond Spur's ranch beef. Find dry-aged ribeye,...

A close up of a cheeseburger in a wrapper, showing the melted cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and meat.
Keep It LocalSeptember 17

Know Thy Meat: A Buying Guide with Chef Brad Wise

Master the meat counter with 5 expert tips from Brad Wise of Wise Ox. Plus, get a sneak peek at their new Las Vegas location and 2027 Ox...

A glass case showing cuts of meat.
Las Vegas, ExplainedSeptember 16

How Big Can Las Vegas Get?

A plan to upgrade 27 miles of Interstate 15 could kick off a new wave of development between Sloan and Primm.

A sign for Highway 15 in the desert. One arrow on the sign points straight for Barstow, one points to the right for Las Vegas.