Smash Buddies

11/13/2025 - First time visiting Smash Buddies with one of my closest friends and the experience was very nice. Cool spot with neon colors. Table seating, high top seating, and an outdoor patio (weather permitting) available for your dining preference. I ordered their Buddy Shots that were good, Grilled Cheese, The Original (double) Burger, and Tots. Everything tasted delicious. Modern decor. Mounted televisions, separate bar area, and great service. Nearby street parking for a fee. Enjoy.

We absolutely LOVE this place! Our kids smash the burgers and tots.Seriously the best burgers I have ever had! Plus, the staff is wonderful too! The owner was super helpful and set up the kids’ picnic table stored by the corn hole boards. It’s one of our go to places ❤️

I absolutely LOVED our experience at smash buddies. We had a surprise dinner for my fiancé Jacob! I called ahead of time and the restaurant said they were OK if I brought in some cake for it. They were super understanding and accommodating, and the food was phenomenal legitimately this is the best burger I’ve ever had in my life. I will 100% be back. Staff jumped in and sang happy birthday to him and were be beyond nice to us. Honestly, every single person in there deserves a raise and a huge tip because they were all phenomenal at their job and went above and beyond so my group and I had a great experience! If you want a clean restaurant, great food and wonderful staff go here!!! I had a single original burger with extra yacht sauce and ketchup!! My fiancé, Jacob had the all-American triple with bacon! We both devoured our meals as if everyone else, and we all got tots, And they were the best ones I’ve ever had!! Please, if you haven’t been here, give it a shot!

Pumpkin spice espresso martini as a special? Done. Super easy to understand menu with only one side for food and one side for food? Done. Rotating burger of the week to ensure there is ALWAYS something you haven't had? Done. Ridiculously fast service and personable workers that make you feel more welcome than your own home? Done. Honestly, wasn't sure if such a checklist was possible but I found out today that it is. It feels very casual but also you get the feeling that there are real professionals back in that kitchen just having a great time. Hearing the hiss and sear of the grill as you sit and listen to some good bar music just really sells the atmosphere. The tots are to die for, the burgers are simply FANTASTIC. Please, go here. If you have ever loved a burger before you simply must. I want to shoutout specifically: Quan: for joking with us and serving us so well, ensuring our satisfaction to the fullest. Dacia: for appealing to the barista in me and recommending the pumpkin spice espresso martini. TJ: for making sure our burgers looked good enough for instagram. Cooley: for probably salting those tots so good. Nick: for absolutely cooking the hell of our food.

As my intro says, I'm a burger guy and typically love thick fat medium rare burgers. I'm admitting to skepticism when I arrived and saw those super skinny burgers. The flavor of those skinny crunchy yummy things were ridiculously good!!! Not saying I'm a convert, but I love these burgers just as much as their thicker cousins!!! Tots were scrumptious as well. Dinning area could have been slightly cleaner, but definitely not a reason to not check this place out!! Worth every penny and the service was awesome as a bonus!!

This is the place to go to for a burger. The patty melt was beyond exceptional and that yacht sauce is incredibly delicious. The Loaded Tots come with a lot and is worth every dollar. Reno took our order and he was one of the best hosts I've ever had. Courteous, nice, kept the place clean! I think he made our food and if so he gets a 11/10 from me. Highly recommend coming here.

One of the best smash burger joints I’ve tried❗️my partners patty melt was fantastic! Even though I got the original burger, it was still flavorful. The tater tots are amazing, it has the crunch, the softness and the seasonings. I’ll be back and my family members will stop by as well🙂

I searched “best burger downtown” and this is what came up! This is indeed a delicious burger. The tots are sooo good too! They have an interesting seasoning on them and they come with a honey mustard type sauce that tastes pretty good. The service was great, the guy at the front was really nice and my burger came out quickly. Location is a little tricky to find, but it’s absolutely worth it

Was out for the night at the shadowbox and looking for somewhere close to get some food before. We came across this place and this is hands down the best burger I've ever had. Cooked and seasoned perfectly. The tots were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Staff is super friendly as well.

Saw this on Yelp with excellent reviews. I was staying in a hotel down the street. It is a little bit obscure but once you cross the freeway ( bridge) there is signage directing you to entrance. It's a sport bar type environment- You order @ the bar. Bartender was very nice and friendly. The smash burger comes in all types of combinations. I just ordered a regular w/ onions, tomatoes, etc. Tater tots are included- they give you more than enough ( I should have told him only a few as I threw most of the taters away( it was enough for 3 people). Burger was very tasty, juicy and delicious. I got a box to go ( ate half) I'm not much of a drinker but give them extra props for having Sprite Zero! That's a find in itself. I'd definitely return if I was craving a burger. I went on a late Sunday afternoon and it wasn't crowded at all.

These guys are right down the street from where my hubby and I work so we decided to try them out last Friday for lunch. We used the Toast app to place a to-go order and was given a 20 minute wait time. I ordered an original burger and my hubby ordered a patty melt; we also ordered a side of tator tots to share. We walked down to the restaurant after 20 minutes and went inside. The place is really inviting; it's dark and cozy with some 80's signs in neon if I remember correctly. Lots of tables but very cozy too. The bartender had our food handy the minute we spoke with him and we were off. I have never tried a smash burger before, so I was expecting a thin sandwich that wouldn't fill me up but would hopefully taste great. It was NOT thin, but did indeed taste great! It was juicy, fresh and very filling. I had trouble staying awake the entire afternoon. My hubby thoroughly enjoyed his patty melt too, and the tator tots were delectable!! They were crispy and delicious. We will definitely be hitting up Smash Buddies again, but we will save them for the weekend so we can nap immediately after eating!

We stopped by on our way through to other pastures, and we were very pleasantly surprised. The food was excellent, especially for the price. Just be prepared for a bit of extra grease. Staff was friendly and accommodating as well. Good stuff. Only hard part was finding it. There's a nearby parking garage and a couple of lots, and it's a little hidden in a walkable area between buildings.

Location/Restaurant; tucked away within Brewery District, but a must try I stumbled upon this for lunch with co-workers. Décor is retro 90's with neon. Food; Probably one of the best smash burgers I have had, and tots were cooked to order. Everything was fresh. Service; You can order on your phone, and at the check in, very easy for the lunch rush.

If ever looking for a smash burger in downtown Columbus, this place has to be near the top of your list! From the overall service which was fantastic, to the food as a whole, this was a great experience! First off, the front of house was amazing - being our first time to Smash Buddies, he explained the menu, top options, his personal recommendations of ways to spice up even the normal menu offerings, and was extremely patient with gathering our order. They have a full bar with pints of beer being only 2.50 all day on Sunday (Don't worry wine drinkers - they have that for you as well!). Everything came out hot and fresh, and the edges of the smash patties were perfectly crisp to add that texture element everyone dreams of. The loaded tots could have been a meal on its own with the sheer amount of it - my one recommendation here would be to have the beef on top be a bit more chopped up instead of just 2 patties basically put on top of the tots. However, their yacht sauce (house made) is amazing and should be put on every single menu item no doubt! It has the main flavor profile of Chick-Fil-A sauce with a bit more sweetness to it which goes extremely well with the seasoning on the crispy tots. Would definitely suggest trying them out if ever having a craving of a burger. There is street parking around the neighboring blocks, as well as a parking garage on the same block, with the location being in between the block, not directly on high street, and there is good signage on the streets/sidewalks to direct you to the door.

Update: Decided I was going to hit these guys up again today. I was greeted by Kohl when I entered. I ordered a double which had super fresh lettuce, tomatoes and onions on it. The burgers were cooked perfectly with a little crisp on the edges. Nice N Juicy. All held together with a Brioche Bun. The Tot's were nice n crispy which you get with fresh oil cooked perfectly to a nice light golden brown. One last thing, get the sauce, off chart. Made with mayo, honey, mustard , lemon juice and several other ingredients. You will definitely love it.

Stumbled on this in my quest to try all the restaurants in the area. It is tucked down a walkway, just south of Livingston and off High Street. There is street parking available, and a parking garage, but you're going to have to walk a bit to the entrance. Once inside, I swore that I had been there before. I think it used to be a Thai place. Anyway, now it is dark and somewhat barlike, but with some big windows, and it looks like they have an enclosed patio. Order at the counter or with the code on the table. Menu is pretty basic. And since they clearly specialize in smash burgers, that's what I got. Their standard, double, comes with cheese and their house sauce. Plus some regular tots, which also comes with a little bit of their house sauce. And of course you can ask for ketchup or whatever else. Wait a few minutes for them to make it; they will bring it to the table. Super friendly and efficient staff. And OMG the burger! I usually like thicker burgers, but I like a good smash burger once in a while. And this is a great one. Two thin patties, so incredibly thin around the edges that they are almost lacy. Good tasting meat, some good cheese, and their sauce. I think it is a beer-honey-mustard sauce? Anyway, it works on the burger. Also, a very good bun. The whole thing is amazing. And fair sized. Plus, the portion of tots is huge. I wasn't able to finish that. And they are excellent. I never used to think I was a tot fan, but the last couple years I have had some excellent ones in town. If they are done right, they are better than fries, honestly. They did not need the sauce; they have some seasoning on them. But the sauce and ketchup made for a nice variety. And all that (the food portion of the meal, not tax and drink and tip) was $12. An excellent $8 burger? Yes, and we need more of those. I was in and out in half an hour on a Thursday night. Canned drinks, and since I was trying new places, I tried a new thing, the Sprite Zero. I had had Coke Zero and it's not bad, so why not? And it was pretty good. Almost could pass for regular Sprite. I'll probably be back. I bet it gets busy on the weekends. It's nice to have some more variety in the area.

Super impressed with the flavors of Smash Buddies. I did not expect the loaded tots to be that good!

My husband and I just stopped in here for dinner on the way back to Indy with our two dogs. The service was exemplary and the food was even better than we had hoped it would be! We saw online that they had outdoor seating, so my husband went inside first to see if they allowed dogs on their patio. He came back out and said yes, and that they said we could walk through the restaurant and onto the patio because it didn't have a gate. It had a couple areas for a few people to stand and eat or have a drink and then two big, round picnic tables. We sat at a picnic table and let the dogs stretch their legs after we ordered and waited for our food. The food came out quickly and was cooked to order. We shared the tater tots because they are a large portion size and they were so crispy and seasoned perfectly on the outside, but soft and cooked through on the inside. Perfect pairing with their special sauce and/or ketchup! I got an original double with mustard and the special sauce on side, while my husband got the patty melt. The special sauce was really tangy and had a slight reminiscence of chikfila sauce, but better and more flavorful. Both were cooked perfectly and were exactly what we needed to fuel up for our 3 hour drive back home. After they brought out our food, they told us they had "puppy patties" for dogs, so I went inside to get some napkins and order one puppy patty each for the dogs. They were super affordable (I think $2 each) and came out freshly made and super quick. The dogs loved every bite (obviously). All staff members were so nice and friendly, came out to check on us, and even cleared off our table when we were done eating. Everyone thanked us for coming in as we left and it was such a friendly atmosphere. We are so glad we stumbled across this burger joint while searching for lunch/dinner spots on Yelp and will definitely be back when we are in Columbus!

I have been craving a real smash burger Oklahoma style since I started reading about them a few months ago. From Florida through Virginia and to Ohio, smash burgers weren't real smash burgers. They were more like pressed patties. Here I ordered a double with onions and tots on the side. The burger was everything I dreamed of. Smashed down, thin patties with CRISP edges! Easy to eat and so delicious, I quickly crushed it! The owners were both there and it was great to meet them. It's always fun to talk about the military with Veterans. Great atmosphere at Smash Buddies. I was there at 4pm so it was still quiet and it has a great burger joint sports bar ambience.

Easily the best smash burger I've ever had. We ordered the classic with their sauce and tator tots and I will be dreaming of this burger for days to come. The bun was that perfect bite and squish. The edges of the burger were lacy and crispy. Their sauce.... Oh mannnnnn. I have no idea what it is, but it is phenomenal. The tator tots were a large portion and crispy and delicious. Definitely get extra sauce for them.

The food - amazing. The drinks - solid. The Yacht Shot - a soon to be local legend. Reno - Mr. 5 Star.

I really hope the brewery district on the S Front side comes back to life and maybe Smash Buddies can help with that. The place is super cool and the staff is super friendly. Loved the neon look against the black walls. However didn't love how you could clearly hear everyone's conversation inside the space or when no one was talking it was too quiet. It felt a bit awkward took a lot away from the "dining experience" for us. We got the party melt, a double, and some tots. I've never had a smash burger so thin and crispy. The tots were perfectly cooked. The sauce was good - very sweet and honey mustard based - but next time I will ask for it on the side for my burger because I bet it stands well without it too. Can't beat the price nor the fact that they serve beverages in a can! Great neighborhood spot, will be back for sure.

I would definitely recommend trying smash buddies don't set your expectations high on getting a normal burger. The name says it all smash. It's two very thin patties with cheese. image 1 is the teriyaki burger with tater tots first time having a smash burger it wasn't too bad definitely could have done without the teriyaki. the overall location, a pretty good vibe contemporary, enjoy the option of ordering directly from the table without the need for a server.

Great burgers, excellent tots! Just be sure to ask for an extra sauce. I have lunch at least once a week. Need I say more? Just Go!

Absolutely phenomenal service! The Food literally gave them two new customers for life! I was on google looking for a place to eat and I'm soooo glad I stopped in! The Ambiance was amazing as well I love how clean the place was! They did not miss!

Just finished up dinner at Smash Buddies and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! We sat on the bar side and enjoyed which I would recommend. They had fun Halloween decorations and great music playing. Our bartender was super friendly and attentive and gave great recommendations. Our food came out quickly and we indulged in some $1 off drafts. The food was great! The tater tots were so crispy and well seasoned. The burgers were also very good! I got the original and added some lettuce and tomatoes. I enjoyed the sauce on it and the burgers were so smashed there was a little crispy part around them - the best part! We'll be back!

If you like smash burgers, you will love this place. If you love those crispy edges of a smash burger, this will become your favorite burger spot. If you love sauce, you will love this place. If you are a hater or a Karen you may not like this place but even you might enjoy yourself!

Smash Buddies has arguably the best smash burger in town. It's one of my favorite spots to sit down for a burger at lunchtime or take something for dinner to go. They have a modest selection of drinks and the tater tots are out of this world good. I highly recommend this spot, whether you're looking to carry out or dine in, you can't go wrong.

Such a great spot! Friendly staff. Lots of potential to create a fun atmosphere in the area. There is a small patio, we saw some corn hole boards tucked inside. Inside there are comfy booths and couple TVs. The burgers were yummy. We had the breakfast burger and the all American. Their tots are also delicious with some dry rub seasoning on them. Definitely recommend washing it down with a $3 garage beer.

This was really more of a 3.5 for me, but rounding up for tots and quick service. Pros: 1. Tots were stellar. 2. The dudes running the truck were hustling. The order was freshly made and ready in about 10 minutes. 3. Menu is very limited - easy to make a choice. Cons: 1. Burger did not blow me away. It was good, but would have been great with more seasoning and some condiments. 2. House sauce just tasted like honey mustard dressing. 3. Menu is very limited - not many choices to make.

Ordered for delivery: all American burger is great. Tots are great (huge portion). Definitely want to go in and check out the restaurant soon.

The best burger I've ever had in my life, the yacht sauce is a must. Service is 10/10

It's a little hidden but do yourself a favor and go! This was the best burger I have had in Columbus, especially if you prefer smash style.

Solid smash burger, better service in a great location. Was visiting and stumbled into this hole In the wall bar. Will be back when I come back.

Decent burger, not much ambiance at all. Order at the counter, sit and wait in a sparse, quiet dining area. If they liven the place up it would be alot better.

First visit several weeks ago, we were completely satisfied with Smash Buddies Burgers...amazing taste and the Tots were a great complement. Service was outstanding, and Smash Buddies restaurant was spotless. There's a little construction going on so the parking garage is your best bet.

I tried this today, and let me say this Smashburger was definitely the best one I've had in the Columbus area. Service was great, food came fresh & quick. I would DEFF give this place an easy 10/10

Great burger! Hidden location more people should check out in the German village/brewery district area. Great stop before/after bars on S. High.

A great option if you're craving smash burgers! It's a little hard to find but luckily there was signage on high street pointing out the way to get there. There's seating inside for small groups, couples or solo diners. You can also get it to-go. I actually like that they keep the menu simple but I would have liked to have had different cheese options for the burger. I am not a fan of american cheese and I would have preferred cheddar cheese. I also would have preferred fries over tater tots. Other than the lack of options, the burger was great! The service was great, too. Efficient and friendly. I got my order in under 10 minutes. I'll be back if I'm in the area again.

Was delicious!! And veteran owned! A bit tricky to find parking right now due to construction, but definitely a need to try place!!

About a week ago I was hungry and noticed the food truck and decided to give it a try. The double smash cheeseburger was well proportioned, seasoned beautifully and perfectly cooked. The bun was fresh, soft and warm. The tots were outstanding and plentiful. Each were served in a Styrofoam container and were still hot 20 min later when I had a chance to eat. Prices are reasonable to include soft drinks. There was a few people in line in front of me but it resolved quickly and my food was out in about 5 minutes! I'll definitely eat Smash Buddies again. Soon I hope!

The burgers tasted great! Walk in service at their new location in the brewery district was quick and easy.

I have been following this food truck for a while and was so excited to hear about their new restaurant. Let me just say that I don't think that I am telling them anything that they don't already know regarding the A/C challenge that they are currently dealing with. That said, on to the important stuff. Our table had each of the burger offerings and more tater tots than you can swing a stick at. DELICIOUS! I am a huge believer in a properly seasoned burger! And, the sauce...this is not your mama's special sauce...wink wink! It's a bit off the beaten path, but it's worth the trip! If you live or work in the area, this should be your new hangout.

Burgers were decent quality, they have fair prices and their food is prepared well. We look forward to their visit to our neighborhood park every year. They have a straight forward menu, and it's tasty. Give them a try if you catch them near by.

easily top 2 smash burgers around and it's not #2 and tots instead of fries is a nice twist. if they had milkshakes I would come here everyday no joke and the sauce is really good

this was the BEST goddamn smash burger ive ever had the in house sauce goes amazing with burgers and the side tots were seasoned perfectly

Really, really good burgers. Hope to see this truck any time I'm out! Great service and food done right.

the meat is js juicy ash and the inside loooks clean its black wit purple and blue leds the bathroom smells good I was there yesterday it was atleast top 3 best burgers there sauce is js juicy and good too there's a mirror all over the walls so u can see if ur face is dirty or sum the ice is good js by itself the only thing was if the sprite wasn't canned and in a custom smash buddies cup the would make it better it's already tuff by itself I wanted to post it on insta but my friend ain't wanna let me use his phone cus I ain't have mine

Best burgers and tots in town! My toddler son loves the tots so much he learned the word "tots" and "meat" so he could talk about them everyday. We've had to go back a few time just to get them. I personally love the double with onion