New Burger Joint Smashes Into Tempe Marketplace

Remember Stella's Kitchen, the cute diner with no real theme that replaced Cheeburger Cheeburger in the Tempe Marketplace's food court last year? Yeah, neither does anyone else. The restaurant folded up shop after lasting less than year, paving the way for another burger joint. The sixth Phoenix-area SmashBurger will open its doors...

By Wynter Holden

May 3, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

Remember Stella's Kitchen, the cute diner with no real theme that replaced Cheeburger Cheeburger in the Tempe Marketplace's food court last year? Yeah, neither does anyone else. The restaurant folded up shop after lasting less than year, paving the way for another burger joint.

The sixth Phoenix-area SmashBurger will open its doors at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 25 in the old Stella's spot at Tempe Marketplace. The Denver-based chain is known for its cooked-to-order burgers: a 1/3 or half pound Angus beef ball placed on a grill and literally smashed into a flat patty. They also offer spiced fries, onion rings, chicken sandwiches and locally oriented specials such as the Arizona Devil Dog topped with spicy pepper cheese, guac and jalapenos, and a Cactus shake infused with prickly pear syrup.

The company currently plans to add another 20+ SmashBurger locations around town.

If you can't wait one extra day to get your next fry fix, the Tempe Marketplace SmashBurger is hosting a sneak peek lunch and VIP dinner on Tuesday, May 24. Register online for a chance to win entry to the pre-opening events.

Follow Chow Bella on Facebook and Twitter.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.