Montgomery County-based
Steeze Burger
, previously recognized as the #1 burger in the DC area by the Washington Post, has garnered a large following, resulting in long lines and thousands of fans throughout the region. This week, they partnered with Leon’s Smashburgers, a renowned brand from Australia, for two pop-up events. The first took place on Friday, with a second scheduled for Sunday, July 20th, at Two Story Chimney in Gaithersburg/Damascus (video below).
Hunter Karametos, a Laytonsville resident and founder of Steeze Burger, launched his pop-up burger business in 2022 after conducting extensive research, sampling over 150 different burgers. Leone Catalano, who founded Leon’s Smashburgers in Melbourne, Australia, has been traveling across the USA since 2012, living there in 2022 and 2023, to explore and understand American burger culture. The two joined forces for the pop-up events, with Sunday’s event happening at Two Story Chimney, 7115 Damascus Rd., starting at 1 pm.
On Friday, we visited Westside at Shady Grove in Derwood/Rockville to sample both burgers, available as doubles only for this pop-up. We managed to place our order before the burgers sold out that evening. Steeze Burger offered its signature creation topped with onions, pickles, and American cheese, while Leon’s Smashburgers were noted for their “mega crisp,” achieved by firmly smashing the beef patties. Both offerings were well-received by customers.
Among the patrons, Dar and Garrick were finishing their burgers in their car. Dar, a repeat Steeze customer, was trying Leon’s for the first time and was impressed by both. Garrick, who typically isn’t a big burger enthusiast, found the burgers to be excellent. Juan and Thelma drove from Virginia specifically to try Steeze, with Juan particularly enjoying the crispiness of Leon’s smashburger. Chris from Gaithersburg had purchased four burgers, two of which he ate on a nearby bench. Jack, a King Farm resident, often attends Steeze Burger pop-ups at The Family Room Laytonsville and Westside at Shady Grove and made sure to attend this event as well.
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