The Hands Down Best Chain Restaurant Smash Burger

Smash burgers have been around since the early-to-mid-20th century, popular in fast-casual diners as a way to maximize efficiency, quantity, and flavor. Indeed, the original smash burger wasn't invented by the similarly named chain. The flavorful burgers have gone from being made for efficiency to being a dominant culinary trend that fast food restaurants have capitalized on. While several chains offer tasty smash burgers, Culver's continues to prevail in making the tastiest, freshest smash burgers around. 

Culver's first opened in 1984 in Sauk City, Wisconsin, and has grown to over 1,000 locations in 26 states, largely in Wisconsin and the Midwest, but also has a heavy presence in Florida. The burger chain is known for its ButterBurgers, which are hand-pressed thinly on a griddle and seared to give it the signature smash burger crispy edges and caramelization. The burgers are made with a premium blend of well-marbled sirloin, chuck, and plate cuts of fresh, never-frozen beef on a buttered and toasted bun, hence the name "ButterBurger." 

Culver's stands out as a favorite among Midwesterners and visitors who have compared it to other fast food chains with the best and worst smash burgers. The restaurant has also ranked high on nationwide lists of best burger chains and is even the favorite smash burger of "Bizarre Foods" Andrew Zimmern, who thinks In-N-Out Burger is overrated.

Multiple outlets have named Culver's among the top five burger chains in the U.S., based on customer rankings. Culver's ButterBurger with Cheese, Double is fifth on USA Today's Top 10, 2025 Reader's Choice Awards for Best Fast Food Burger. Meanwhile, Shake Shack and Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, which are well known for their smash burgers, are seventh and eighth on the list, respectively. On Yelp's 2025 Top 25 Burger Chains in the U.S., Culver's is rated fourth (Shake Shack was deemed third best). 

Redditors are also enthusiastic about Culver's smash burgers. In the r/burgers thread, the post, "Culver's knows how to make a smash burger. One of the best fast food burgers IMO," received mostly agreement. People especially appreciate the freshness of the hand-pressed burgers. Redditors responded, "No kidding. Every single time I have been there, the burgers look exactly like the photos in the advertisement, AND they're always piping fresh!" and, "They state that the patties are pressed fresh to order, and I definitely believe it. Delicious every time."

Another r/burgers thread, "How do we feel about Culver's?" agrees that Culver's is one of the best burger chains around, especially if you get a good location: "Best fast food burger you can get right now. Hell, it's one of the best burgers you can get, fast food or not, if the location you go to is nailing it," one Redditor explains. Freddy's is also often listed as a runner-up or as good as Culver's.