Between 2 Buns

The smashburger trend has been around for quite some time.  I remember having one in San Diego at aptly named Smashburger over 10 years ago.  Yes, there have some versions of smashburgers in Vancouver before and in fact, Rogue has one on their menu (which isn't bad by the way).  However, there is finally a place that I can honestly say that does it right and generally only serves just smashburgers.  Located in the old location Bestie, Between 2 Buns keeps things simple and does it well. This post actually is an amalgamation of 3 separate visits.

To get a baseline of sorts, one must try the Single Cheeser with pickles, cheese, shredduce and sauce on a vegan brioche bun.  Now you can also order this with meat and cheese only, but no other alterations are allowed.  For me, this was good, but since the meat patty was so thin, it felt like more bun than anything.  Loved the crispy edges of the meat and also the salty American cheese on that soft brioche (with a bit of chew) bun.

This brings us to the Double Cheeser with the same stuff as the single but with 2 patties and 2 slices of cheese.  This was much more fulfilling and meaty.  Again, the crispy bits combined with the fatty and meaty bits made for fantastic textures and meaty saltiness.  This balanced off the bun much better than the single.  Hence, my choice would be the double if you want to get the full benefit of the smashed patties.

Now if you wanted a bit more to the burger, there is also a bacon cheeser and something with more spice, the Jalapeño Bacon Cheeser.  This not only featured the same ingredients as the previous 2 burgers, but added bacon, pickled jalapeños and fried jalapeños.  As you can see, this burger was messy (like it should be) and each bite yielded a dripping mess.  As much as I thought that the spice, tang and extra textures made for a more layered burger, I would still go for the Double in my opinion.

So at certain times, there are things on the menu that aren't beef such as the veggie burger and the Vegan Fried Chicken Sandwich.  Okay, I was a bit skeptical of this, but I have to admit, it was pretty good.  The Beyond Meat chicken patty could've fooled me and was crispy.  It was bathed in a spicy sauce that was impactful and the vegan cheese was sorta just there.  Pickles and shredduce completed the package.  I would eat this again, seriously...

Now they did have this one collab with Backyard Chicken to produce a Spicy Chicken Burger with pickles, shredduce, hot mayo, chili dust and Chinese chili oil.  This was pretty good with a large chicken thigh which was juicy with a crispy coating.  The layers of spice were quite evident and discernible.  Good heat in general and all sandwiched between 2 soft brioche buns.  Hope they do this collab again.

Of course we have to have some sides right?  They only have one in the Fries.  These are starch-coated, so they are extra-crispy.  Personally, I like fresh-cut without anything on them fries, but with that being said, these were more than acceptable.  An order is enough for 2 people to share.  So you can see that I like the place as I've been there a few times already.  If you haven't been, I suggest you give them a shot. Don't let the lineup discourage you, it moves fast.

The Good:

- Love the texture of the smashed patties

- That bun is a good compliment to the meat and cheese

- Food comes out fast (as the patties cook fast), so the wait isn't bad

The Bad:

- Limited seating if you want to dine-in

- You will come out of there smelling like a smashburger (could be a positive to many)