03/09/2026
#70 Smash Daddy
Centretown (Test Kitchen)
84 O’Connor St, K1P 5M7
https://smashdaddy.ca/
#1 FIRST review on the new Insta page!
https://www.instagram.com/stroll.n.bowl/
Ladies, Gentlemen, and Everyone Reading This... welcome to our review of Smash Daddy (Centretown).
Once you walk in, the vibe is very downtown; but with a more local, non-tourist vibe. The open kitchen is right at the front allowing few view of their technique which was 100% like I'd seen in the videos of these super-famous spot down south. The service was perfect! we didn't catch the guy's name but he gets pull points, all checks marked. More on that later.
The burgers were incredible. The very-thinly sliced onions fused to the smashed, crisp meat gave every single time-slowing bite a reason to pause and savour. This flavour combo doesn't require anything to enhance it, so the minimal-but-effective toppings (cheese, house dill pickles and fresh Smash Sauce) offer the right amount of framing to make writing the review worth it after so long.
I could stop the review right there, but we also ordered the 'Shrimp & Chips', so I probably should continue. These tempura-fired delights are "torpedo" shaped which is something that always found funny (like, how do they uncurl the shrimp? Make them listen to that awful Disturbed cover of 'Sound of Silence'?). They were very crispy and much more juicy than I'd expected. The fries are also great; proper chip-wagon style. No poutine option, but really, every other damned place in Ottawa has it. We didn't miss it.
We opted to eat inside, where they do have a few seats available. Every bite was amazing. And then the guy working (we forgot to ask his name) kindly offered us a free dessert to split: Daddy's Pudding! This was an amazing surprise; "banana infused biscuits, fresh banana chunks, and topped with crispy brown butter banana infused crumbs" to directly quote their socials.
Check this place out; it's local-family owned, great fresh ingredients, and a wonderful edition to the treats found in your nation's capital. 4.5/5
Thanks for reading! Please like, subscribe, share, and keep strolling the stroll & smoking that bowl!
Jamie & Lance
