New Burger Spot Sma5h Serves Up Halal Beef on MLK Jr Way

by Agueda Pacheco Flores

When it comes to American fare, smash burgers are among the simplest and most fulfilling of pleasures. So when Sma5h came to the King Plaza strip mall on Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, I knew I had to try it. I arrived at Sma5h on a slow Wednesday afternoon, hungry. Very hungry. Tagging along and also hungry, my 1-year-old toddler.

Nestled between a bakery and a jeweler, and beneath a law firm, Sma5h is unassuming, but inside, a beautiful graffiti-style mural welcomes you, garnished with the names of the surrounding South End neighborhoods and towns such as Columbia City, Beacon Hill, Tukwila, and SeaTac. The restaurant has an undeniable aesthetic appeal with its big-screen menus, two self-order kiosks, neon logo light, and fast-food pop art.

Sma5h had its grand opening in Othello in March. Since then, the smash burgers have received rave reviews, especially since the restaurant participated in this year's Plate of Nations, a Rainier Valley-wide restaurant week. On Yelp and Google, Sma5h sports a 4.5- and 4.7-star average, respectively.

Unlike the common round disc patty, smash burger patties are renowned for their thinned-out meat, squashed down on a grill to achieve ultimate crispiness and laciness. Coupled with a melted, gooey slice of cheese, it's a burger masterpiece. To attain perfection, add some fresh lettuce, tomato, pickle slices, and the condiment of your choice or, if you're at Seattle's own Sma5h, some of their special house-made sauce.

What sets Sma5h apart from its competitors, though, is that their meat is halal. Similarly to kosher food, halal mainly means that the animal was processed following certain Muslim customs and rules, such as the animal having lived a healthy life and eating no animal byproducts, then being slaughtered humanely and thoroughly bled while hanging upside down, among other things.

For the record, I consider myself a bit of a smash burger connoisseur. When Shake Shack first arrived in Seattle in 2018, you bet I was among the many waiting in the ever-growing line along Westlake Avenue at lunchtime. As far as burgers go, I believe the smash burger style is the highest form of burger — it's the only style you'll find on my grill during a summer backyard barbecue.

With a 30-lb child on my hip, I went ahead and used the self-order kiosk to get two simple smash burgers (single patty, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and "smash sauce") and an order of sweet potato fries.

Personally, like my burgers, I love my menus simple and straightforward, and that's exactly what Sma5h offers. Six burgers, each slightly different from the next (including a chicken sandwich and a chopped-cheese burger), shakes and lemonade, an add-on menu (for those with a taste for caramelized onions or extra pickles), and a side menu that includes loaded fries and sweet potato fries.

Now, while Sma5h is halal-friendly, it turns out it's not necessarily family-friendly. Unfortunately for me, Sma5h did not have a high chair or booster seat available, which made actually eating a smash burger alongside my child physically difficult and daunting.

While I tried to negotiate with my toddler — a lost cause if you ask any toddler parent — to sit on a chair and not on my lap, my burger got cold surprisingly quickly. The iceberg lettuce, shredded into thin strips, lost a bit of its crunch and became soggy while I struggled to find the best way to eat while holding my kid. Despite this, the burger had good flavor and I could see the patty was truly thin and feel the lacy, crisp texture in each bite. The bun was delicious, soft, and fresh. The burger wasn't overly saucy, which is a big turnoff when it messes with the integrity of the sandwich. Still, I couldn't help but feel I wasn't getting Sma5h's best hot-off-the-grill experience.

My kid loved the sweet potato fries, which were crispy, yet soft on the inside. In a world where restaurant fries always seem too salty, these were seasoned just right with a mix that was smoky with just the right amount of saltiness.

After a challenging meal juggling a burger and a toddler, I grabbed my things, snapped some photos, and left. On the drive home, I wondered how it was possible that in the three months since Sma5h had been open, they hadn't once thought to get one of those restaurant high chairs. I thought about other single parents who had visited Sma5h and wondered whether they, too, struggled to enjoy a meal with their child. Perhaps, like me, despite specifying a dine-in order, they were served their food in a to-go bag and decided it was easier to just take it home. In my case though, never undeterred, I found my way with my kid and did not let the lack of a high chair keep me from dining in.

Sma5h has every reason to possibly be one of the best smash burger spots on this side of town, but I wouldn't be able to truly tell you whether that's the case until they get a high chair or I leave my baby with a sitter.

📸 Featured Image: A graffiti-style mural adorns a whole wall inside the Sma5h location in Othello. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)