World’s Greatest Smash Burgers

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free: Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Nowon, New York, at this East Village “Pocha” (Korean gastropub), the $21 cheeseburgers have earned legendary status. Chef-owner Jae Lee combines two beef patties with kimchi, American cheese, pickles, onions and “kimchi special sauce”. Equally tempting are the many beers, cocktails, and craft sojus. A second outpost opened in Bushwick last year at nowonusa.com.

300 Grams in Melbourne takes inspiration from McDonald’s Big Mac, but their burgers are made fresh to order. Founder Joe Farah’s patties are crispy and flavoursome, made from free-range hormone-free beef, with the highlight being the spicy sauce. Check them out at 300grams.com.au.

Supra Burger in London is a new pop-up in collaboration with Cocotte Queen’s Park, offering five different smash burgers including classic cheeseburger, truffle, and spicy barbecue. They also serve fries, chicken tenders, and coleslaw remoulade. Ingredients are sourced from the UK wherever possible, and the burgers are described as rich and saucy. Visit them at supra-burger.com.

Dumbo in Paris has two locations in Pigalle and Petites Écuries. Both shops have minimal signage and whitewashed interiors, offering burgers with only five or six ingredients each. Choose between two patties – dry-aged beef or vegetarian – and enjoy one side of French fries. Find them at dumboparis.com.

Honbo in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Macau started as a small burger joint in Wan Chai and has now expanded to five shops across three Asian regions. Honbo imports its Double Gold beef from Wisconsin, USA, and all eight options are smashed. For the daring, try the four-patty “Honbo 2.0”. Explore their offerings at honbo.com.