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Smash Score🏆 Hall of Smash
The SF Chronicle's #1 smashburger in San Francisco - Chef Max Ponzurick's paper-thin patties with caramelized shallots are the crispiest in the city. Now with a permanent home at the Two Pitchers taproom in the Outer Sunset.
Photography courtesy of Yelp.
Maillards started as a Sunday-only pop-up at the Outer Sunset Farmers Market, where Chef Max Ponzurick built one of San Francisco's most sought-after lines. Named after the Maillard reaction - the chemical process that creates the dark, crispy crust on a properly smashed patty - the concept earned #1 smashburger in SF from the Chronicle and two separate Infatuation best-of features before ever having a permanent address. That address finally arrived in April 2026, when Maillards opened a counter-service window inside Two Pitchers Brewing Co.'s new Outer Sunset taproom at 3821 Noriega St.
The Maillards Double ($12) is built around Chef Ponzurick's signature technique: patties smashed so thin the crust-to-meat ratio is unlike anything else in the city. The Infatuation calls them 'the crispiest in San Francisco.' The key differentiator is caramelized shallots - not onions - which the SF Chronicle's critic described as bringing 'pronounced savoriness' that sets the burger apart. The Bird's Eye variation (Thai chili aioli, ginger herb salad, fried shallots) is its own achievement, available only at the permanent location.
Maillards now has a permanent counter-service home inside Two Pitchers Brewing Co. in the Outer Sunset, while its Sunday farmers market pop-up remains part of the story. Hours and menu availability differ between the taproom counter and pop-up.
The patties are pressed so thin they could be classified as chips - each burger a gooey vision loaded with melty American cheese, pickles, house sauce, and caramelized shallots.
The paper-thin patties have a bright sheen with a seductive, delicate crunch. Instead of grilled onions, the burger luminary pivots to another allium: shallots, which bring pronounced savoriness.
Chef Max Ponzurick spends an absurd amount on shallots. But the not-so-secret ingredient makes his Maillards burgers some of the best in town.
The patties (always go for the double) are the crispiest in the city, with beautifully lacy edges. The Bird's Eye smashburger with Thai chili aioli and a ginger herb salad is legendary.
You'll be happy you braved the line at Maillards - the permanent Noriega St counter brings the same magic of the farmers market pop-up with a wider menu.
Maillards is the most fun you can have eating a smashburger in San Francisco - though simply transporting your meal to your table on a busy Friday afternoon is a Homeric odyssey.
Ranked #1 smashburger in San Francisco and #2 in the Bay Area by SF Chronicle restaurant critic Cesar Hernandez.