Well Trafficked Food Truck Added Brick & Mortar Location At 47 Cooper St. in Downtown Charleston

Jeff Walker,  Entertainment Writer / Food & Beverage Review

No small wonder, burgers (with and without cheese) continue to be the number one comfort food for Americans nationwide, with smashburgers irrefutably becoming the fastest growing type of burgers. And although greater Charleston provides a decent array of eateries serving them up, very few equal the excellence and taste you'll experience with Smash City Burgers. 

After spending 20 years in Athens Ga, Charleston native and Smash City Burgers owner Jeremy Reynolds returned to the Holy City in 2020, eventually turning a thriving food truck and burger catering company into one of the most sought after smashburgers in the low country. Even though he still operates the much trafficked food truck, in just over three years Reynolds managed to convert the former Fair Deal Grocery at 47 Cooper St. into an even more welcomed brick and mortar destination.

Aside from the traditional single, double, and triple patty smashburger which comes complete with steamed onions, dill pickles, American cheese, and Jeremy's own smash sauce, the menu at Smash City is simple, allowing for another half dozen signature burgers, with the remaining menu Coca-Cola products and Lowcountry Kettle Chips. In his brick and mortar location fries and beer (including four on tap) are also available.

The beauty and the essence of an incredible tasting smashburger is really in the non-beauty of the burger. While smashburgers routinely have a specific look, they aren't meant to be the all beef model image of a burger. Smashburgers are typically unkempt. There's no reason for how the patty looks. They do not come out round or square, rather they present miss-shaped and always extend beyond the bun, oozing with an overflow of cheese! 

Whether you order them via their food truck or at their physical location, that's exactly how they come out at Smash City Burgers. While Jeremy admits there might be one or two destinations in Charleston that serve up a more highbrow smashburger, it's comes with a cost.

However, despite using quality Braveheart Brand Angus Chuck, Jeremy likes to keep his smashburgers reasonably priced. A single at his 47 Cooper Street locale is just $9, and if you're dining in-house and want to enjoy a cold craft beer with your burger, you can still get out at under $15.

The downtown Charleston restaurant opened in July of 2024, and due to Smash City's reputation on the street they have remained steady. The interior reflects Jeremy's and his staff's appreciation for rock n' roll, with the walls completely covered in classic album covers, including a few iconic images of Elvis and a young Frank Sinatra positioned on the wall behind the counter, where two big screen TVs keep guests up on the latest sports. Another TV in the dining area often displays vintage cartoons. 

Apart from the three traditional smashburgers, Smash City offer several off the wall combinations. The Irish Bastard is kind of a standard smashburger meets an old school Reuben sandwich, blanketing corned beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut on top of your beef patty, with a layer of jalapenos to provide a extra kick. Innovative to say the least! The Surf & Turf Smashburger is just as imagined, with the traditional burger loaded with plump local shrimp. It's a seafood and carnivore lovers delight.

If you drop by 47 Cooper St. and dine in, you might want to order Jeremy's latest addition to the menu, aka the Beer Bacon Burger or what could be easily re-named as 'the BiB' (Burger in a Bowl). Breaking this newbie down, it's best described as a traditional smashburger cut in half, served in a bowl surrounded by creamy beer cheese and bacon bits! It's delightfully and tastefully messy, but well worth the dozen napkins it takes to tackle this cheesy masterpiece. 

Legend has it, a grill cook in the 1960's came up with the whole smashburger concept as a way to make burgers quicker, and sometime during the 21st century smashburgers slowly began to take off. And while Jeremy and Smash City Burgers didn't start the smashburger craze, they have definitely put their own spin on them.

After spending 15 years with Coca-Cola out of Athens Ga, Jeremy Reynolds came to Charleston determined to make his mark in food & beverage. With Smash City Burgers he found his niche. Jeremy is the first to admit, he doesn't serve up fast food burgers, but Smash City is a burger joint that serves up burgers fast. How well liked are they. The Cooper St. locale serves up 200 plus take out orders a day.

There's an old adage in the restaurant business, 'quality products create quality food'. Smash City Burgers not only use Braveheart Brand Angus Chuck as their base, they serve them up on extraordinary tasting Martin's Potato Rolls, smothering them with West Creek American and Palmetto Pimento Cheese, before adding premium Delancey Deli Pickles. Yum yum!

Whether you catch the food truck at a festival or on the street, or visit 47 Cooper Street in downtown Charleston their website tagline says it all 'The Best Smash Burgers Are Right Here'. For my take it's 'The best damn & most affordable smashburgers in greater Charleston can be found at Smash City Burgers'. 

For more incredible culinary experiences in Charleston, check out our guide to the city's best dining destinations. From fresh seafood to Southern classics, there’s something for every palate! View more Charleston dining options here.