The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Having been disappointed by many famous food chains, whose quality in Egypt hasn’t matched that of their international standards, we still went to Smashburger full of hope that it could break the chain.

Located inside Mall of Egypt, the large venue is divided to two zones; the first has couches, regular tables with chairs and high-tables and is exposed to the mall, while the second, which has a linear table arrangement, is located away from noisy shoppers, offering more private and cosier ambiance.

Despite having a lot of choices on the menu, most of them seem a bit repetitive; the only difference between an item and another is often just a sauce, or a single ingredient. We opted for the Fried Pickles as an appetiser alongside four sandwiches. Served with BBQ dip, the fried cucumbers were barely different to non-fried cucumber pickles; it had a very thin and light crisp, which barely added any crunch or flavour.

Moving to the sandwiches, we opted for the Classic Smash (56LE), to focus on the essential ingredients without the distraction of other toppings, and the big smash-sized Spicy Baja (78LE) for a messier sandwich, as well as the BBQ Bacon & Cheddar Chicken (64LE) and good ol’ Chili Cheese Hotdog (36LE). Impressively, the food arrived hot in less than 10 minutes.

Starting with the Classic Smash, we were impressed by the freshness and the quality of the ingredients; the cheese was perfectly melted, the patty-to-bun ratio was on point and the seasoning of the patty was a flavour bomb. But the star of the sandwich was Smashburger’s signature egg bun, despite its slightly-dense texture, it was still soft and fluffy. On the other hand, the patty was dead; it was just too dry, ruining what could’ve been a perfect Shake Shack-like burger.

The Spicy Baja, which consists of guacamole, hot-pepper cheese, fresh jalapeno, chipotle sauce and mayo, also suffered from a very dry patty. But  that wasn’t the only problem with the sandwich; there was too little amount of cheese (as you can see in the photo above), the guacamole was freezing cold, which was a shame because it was actually really good and we didn’t feel the presence of the chipotle sauce at all.

The BBQ Bacon & Cheddar Chicken sandwich, meanwhile, was our favourite. The chicken was tender and juicy, the haystack onions were thin and crispy and the amount of BBQ was perfect in complimenting the sandwich without overpowering the other ingredients, while the natural cheddar cheese was the cherry on top.

Topped with chili, shredded cheese, fresh diced onions and fresh jalapeno, We expected the Chili Cheese Hotdog to be the good kind of messy, but the chili was dry and the measly sprinkle of cheese didn’t add any flavour at all. On the bright side, the hotdog was of good-quality meat.

Skipping dessert, we ordered a Butter Finger Milkshake (37LE), which was one of the best milkshakes we’ve ever had in town; in addition to the perfect harmony between the peanut butter and chocolate, the shake had a flawlessly smooth consistency, with a nice crunch from the mini crispy bits of chocolate added.

Overall, for a fast food chain, we had a good time at Smashburger. We think it has potential to become one of the best fast-food burger joints in town if they manage to make their burger patties juicer, because they offer quality ingredients. To sum it all up, we’d go back again, but only if we’re craving fast-food.