Golden brown

Maillards Smash Burgers (Outer Sunset)

RESTAURANTS • First Word

The Skinny: To clear up any confusion, a mallard is a breed of duck, while the Maillard reaction is the scientific process for browning food (say it fancy, it was discovered by a French chemist). So despite the cute duck logo, Maillards Smash Burgers was named after the latter, in honor of what makes their burgers so delicious. They’ve been popping up at the Outer Sunset Farmers Market and Heritage Restaurant & Bar since 2023, at the forefront of SF’s smashburger obsession. Now they have a permanent spot in the Outer Sunset outpost of Two Pitchers Brewing, which opened in April.