82Smash
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Smash Score✅ Certified Smash
East Nashville's most acclaimed smashburger - mustard-grilled Pinewood Farms grass-fed patties with house pickles and special sauce. Featured on three Nashville smashburger lists and reviewed by Infatuation, Nashville Scene, and Time Out.
Photos: Cafe Roze diners / Yelp.
Cafe Roze opened in 2017 on East Nashville's Porter Road, built around Chef Julia Jaksic's vision of all-day café dining that blends international technique with seasonal Southern ingredients. While the restaurant became known for its rose bowls and elevated salads, the dinner menu reveals a smashburger program that Nashville Scene called 'one of the city's most fascinating restaurants.' The Smashburger - made with Pinewood Farms grass-fed beef, mustard-grilled and smashed - has quietly earned the restaurant its most outsized food reputation.
The key technique is mustard-grilling: patties are coated in yellow mustard before hitting the griddle, which caramelizes into a savory bark as they're smashed flat. Pinewood Farms grass-fed beef adds depth that commodity beef can't match, and the house pickles and special sauce balance the richness without overwhelming it. City Cast Nashville called it 'the best-kept secret in town' - all crispy edges and bold flavor in a setting that feels more like a brunch destination than a burger joint.
Cafe Roze's smashburger might be the best-kept secret in town. It's simple yet elevated, bursting with bold flavor and perfectly crisped edges.
One of the best burgers they've ever had. The best burger they've eaten in Nashville.
Cafe Roze brings a more elevated touch to the smashburger conversation - a thoughtfully composed burger with balanced flavors, quality ingredients, and that essential crispy edge.
Worth making an effort or crossing town for.
Cafe Roze Is Secretly One of the City's Most Fascinating Restaurants - modern metropolitan comfort food at its finest.
Understated favorites that satisfy a craving for well-made, simple food.