Fast Food Fight: Smash Burgers
The original intention for this article was to write about all the different types of local fast food burger options there are in New Orleans; however, I discovered that most of our fast food burgers are smash burgers.
Smash burgers are loosely-packed balls of ground beef smashed on a griddle to create a thin, crusty burger, usually served in doubles. The advantage to smash burgers is the cook time, where a burger can be served in under two minutes while a thick flame-broiled burger can take up to 10 minutes to cook. The differences between the burgers at our local joints are subtle, but worth noting, so let's take a look at what's cooking around town.
Atomic Burger
3934 Veteran Blvd., theatomicburger.com
Atomic Burger feels like it was designed to be a franchise from the get-go. Its sleek, modern interior has been outfitted with self-service counters, so on our recent visit, we only saw the one employee who handed us our food without uttering a word. The Atomic Burger comes with beef ground in-house, American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and a choice of five different signature A.B. sauces ($.50). The standouts were the thick hand-cut fries, which were our favorite of the six burger joints we visited. One disappointment was the shake, which tasted good, but was so thick it was impossible to drink through a straw.
Atomic Burger: $8.99; Fries: $3.99; Soda: $2.99
Bub's
Multiple Locations, bubsnola.com
Bub's Burgers burst on the scene with their popular pop-ups before finding a home in Mid-City on Banks Street. A second location, Bub's Grab & Go, which was the one that was visited for this article, opened on Freret Street late last year in the location formerly known as Good Bird. These burgers are smashed super-thin and are bursting out of their excellent brioche buns. They are topped with griddled onions, cheese, homemade bread and butter pickles, and their signature Bub's sauce. Both Thrillist and Eater named Bub's Burgers in their top burgers in America lists. Of note here are the flash-fried Brussels sprouts, served crispy and tossed in a sweet and spicy Sriracha Honey Glaze.
Bub's Burger: $9.50; Fries: $5.00; Bottled Soda: $3.00
Bud's Broiler
Multiple Locations, No website (that's about as retro as you can get)
Yes, we know, Bud's Broiler is not a smash burger. It's a flame broiled burger served with traditional toppings: grated cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and thinly-sliced raw red onions. There have been many iterations of this long-time local staple and even a fairly new one on Canal Boulevard near City Park. Bud's is a no-frills burger joint where you order at the counter, take a number, and wait about 10 minutes for your food. If you like flame broiled burgers with the unmistakable smokey flavor, then Bud's serves a serviceable version, made even more worthy by the price point, which even beats some of the national burger chains.
Burger: $4.50; Fries: $1.99; Medium Soda: $2.75
Burger Nerds
Multiple Locations, burgernerds.com
Like Bub's Burgers, Burger Nerds was born as a pop-up in 2020, but they recently found a home in Metairie just off Veterans Highway near Bonnabel. A second brick-and-mortar location has popped up now near the Tulane campus on Maple Street. Burger Nerds' menu looks nearly identical to Bub's with their burgers, fries, and Brussels sprouts, but, there, the queso burger got equal billing to the traditional burger options. The stand-out at Burger Nerds was the meat, cooked and seasoned a little better than Bub's, and complemented by American cheese, pickles, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and Nerd Sauce. However, the bun didn't match up to the brioche options at some of the other burger joints. The fries are not handcut, but they are seasoned nicely with Cajun spices. Their Brussels sprouts were to die for—a huge portion topped with okonomi sauce, Kewpie mayo, crispy shallots, and furikake.
Classic Burger: $14.00; Fries: $3.00; Soda: $3.00
Company Burger
4600 Freret St., thecompanyburger.com
Founded in 2011, Company Burger was one of the first fast food burger joints in the city and quickly garnered national attention with accolades in Food & Wine Magazine, Esquire, and CNN. They grind their own hormone-and-antibiotic-free patties, bake their own buns, and the pickles and several different mayo options are all made from scratch. Also of note is their additional offerings, including the incredible lamb burger, hand-cut fries, and thick milk shakes. The only issue with Company Burger is the price, as a burger with fries, shake, tax, and tip costs over $25.
The Company Burger: $10.50; Fries: $5.50; Soda: $2.50
Original Slap Burger
2483 Burgundy St., originalslapburger.com
Tucked away in the back of Marie's Bar and Kitchen, a dive bar in the Bywater, is a takeout window selling the best smash burgers in the city. A note next to the window apologizes to fans for their popularity and growing pains. Going early on a Monday evening led to a successful in and out time within 10 minutes. This led to an inhaling of the OG Burger at Marie's Bar with an Abita Andygator. Served in singles and doubles, the Original OG comes with grilled onions, melted cheese, dill pickles, and a delicious Slap Sauce on a toasted brioche bun. The side of fries were ordinary, but the burger made Original Slap Burger the standout of the ones that were visited and definitely made it worth the visit to the Bywater.
The OG Burger: $14.00; Fries: $3.00; Andygator: $5.00
Chicken Sandwich
As evidenced by the recent election, the economy is in the s***ter. Inflation has pinched our collective purses and caused us to reevaluate how we spend our hard earned dollars.
So we have ventured into the world of fast food restaurants to see what you can get for under $10. The last time some of us ate fast food was under the last Trump presidency, shortly after the launch of the now-famous Popeyes spicy chicken sandwich. How would it hold up against the other national brands and some of our best local fast food fried chicken options? Let's take a look and see.
Showbird
930 Poydras St.
showbirdnola.com
This little chicken shop on Poydras, brought to you by the folks at Johnny Sanchez, has "future chain" written all over it with its sleek, modern interior and affordable menu options. Showbird specializes in breakfast and lunch with five different chicken sandwiches to choose from. Our goal was to sample apples to apples—or in this case, spicy to spicy—with a side of signature fries. Showbird's spicy chicken sandwich comes loaded with slaw, seasoned with Creole spices, garnished with dill pickles, and served on a brioche bun. The quality of the chicken stood out with its melt-in-your-mouth texture and well-seasoned crunchy exterior. The waffle fries were cooked perfectly and had the same spicy seasoning, making it the perfect complement to the delicious chicken sandwich. The creamy coleslaw really elevated the sandwich into something wonderful.
Spicy Showbird: $9.50; Waffle Fries: $4.00; Soda: $2.50, $3.50, $4.50
Popeyes
3100 S. Carrollton Ave.
popeyes.com
What can you say about the Popeyes chicken sandwich that hasn't already been said? It's top-notch and a great deal at only $4.99. The spicy chicken sandwich comes marinated in Popeyes' signature seasoning with a hand-battered buttermilk exterior sandwiched between toasted brioche buns and topped with thick barrel-cured pickle slices and spicy mayo. Popeyes' signature battered fries come crispy and seasoned with spicy Cajun seasoning. What was most impressive about this location was the service and the new ordering system. Rebuilt last year after a major fire, Popeyes' Carrollton location boasts kiosks on the wall for ordering before you visit the counter. The interior has a modern design with vinyl wood flooring and comfortable booths, and the food was served with a smile after a worker came out to help walk us through the ordering system.
Spicy Chicken Sandwich: $4.99; Cajun Fries: $3.09; Soda: $2.69, $2.99, $3.09; Combo Meal: $8.59
Southerns
4620 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie
southernsfood.com
Southerns became well-known for its pop-ups that started in 2019, as well as its red food trucks that garnered plenty of attention at local festivals and events. Owners Anthony Cruz and Gene Colley have opened their first brick-and-mortar in a high-traffic location near the corner of Veterans and Clearview. It's designed as a typical fast food joint, but the first thing you notice is the atypical service with the owners and family members at the counter greeting you with Southern charm. The Nashville-style signature chicken sandwich is the cornerstone of the menu, and it doesn't disappoint with its red-hot wet marinade dipped in batter and deep fried to perfection. The huge piece of boneless chicken thigh is busting out of the bun and topped with yuzu aioli, slaw, and housemade pickles. A white meat tender version is also available. Seasoned crinkle cut fries can be ordered with queso or one of their signature sauces: burger sauce, creamy Crystal, Evan's honey mustard, Phuket sauce, or roasted tomato aioli.
Chicken Sandwich: $10.99; Seasoned Fries: $4.99; Soda: $2.95
Wonderland + Sea
4842 Tchoupitoulas St.
eatatwonderland.com
Blink and you'll miss this fast food joint on Tchoupitoulas between Napoleon and Jefferson. Inside, you'll find a warm and inviting space where you order at the counter, take a number, and choose a seat in the dining room or extensive side patio. The menu features fried chicken, fish, and award-winning chickpea sandwiches, plus salads, unique sides, and a bar menu that includes frozen drinks. The fried chicken was a little smaller than some of the others that were tried, but what separates this sandwich from its contemporaries is the restaurant's commitment to using humanely raised chicken and wild caught Gulf fish, which they call "food served with intention." The lightly-battered chicken thigh tasted perfect, accompanied with a colorful slaw and housemade pickles. Get the Heat Level Three for a nice spicy finish. The huge portion of perfectly-fried hand cut fries was tossed in parsley flakes, which needed a little salt or Cajun seasoning. The price point was a little high, but the quality was there to support it.
Chicken Sandwich: $12.00; Fries: $5.00; Drink: $3.00
Chick-Fil-A
1200 Poydras St.
chick-fil-a.com
Just down the block from Showbird is a Downtown location of this popular chicken chain. Bustling with activity on a quiet Saturday afternoon, the food took much longer than expected, the trash can was overflowing, and the counter service came without the usual smile you get from an owner-operated Chick-Fil-A. What we were served could only be described as careless and fell far short of the other sandwiches on this list. Opening the bun, we found one pickle and a tiny spread of spicy mayonnaise on top of a bland fried chicken breast. The waffle fries were underwhelming, as well. We know Chick-Fil-A has millions of fans, but, down here in Louisiana, you'd be crazy to choose this over a Popeyes chicken sandwich and Cajun fries.
Chicken Sandwich: $5.25; Medium Fries: $2.59; Medium Coke: $2.39; Combo Meal: $9.65
Chicken & Watermelon
3400 Claiborne Ave.
facebook.com/ChickenandWatermelon
With 16,000 Instagram followers and a line out the door, we expected this no-frills counter-service joint to be off-the-charts. However, it left us underwhelmed. Similar to the Chick-Fil-A sandwich, it's a fried boneless breast, fileted, and seasoned with a generous amount of Cajun seasoning, two pickles, topped with the recommended ranch dressing on a plain white bun. The accompanying thick-cut fries were over-seasoned and way too salty. The problem here was the chicken was chewy and tasted like it was originally frozen, not fresh. Maybe Chicken & Watermelon is better known for its wings, as they have over 30 different sauces to choose from. Or maybe it's the ridiculously cheap price points that keep fans coming back for take-out.
Chicken Sandwich Combo: $6.95
Wendy's
3138 S. Carrollton Ave.
wendys.com
During the beginning of COVID, Wendy's made a big deal about reinventing their chicken sandwich to compete with the wildly-popular Popeyes chicken sandwich. With a location next door to the Popeyes on Carrollton, we figured we'd give it a shot. It doesn't seem like much creativity went into developing this updated menu item. It's basically just a lightly-battered fried chicken breast replacing a burger on a toasted white bun, topped with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and thinly sliced pickles. The problem here was the overabundance of mayo slathered on the bun that overpowered the entire sandwich and left us with a soggy mess at the end. Also, of note, the chicken breast is only 56% chicken, pumped with water, wheat flour, starch, palm oil, and other nasty fillers. And, the combo meal checked in at nearly $2 more than the aforementioned Popeyes. It's not something that we would ever return for.
Spicy Chicken Sandwich: $5.99; Fries: $1.59-$3.49; Soda: $1; Combo Meal: $9.89
