I love a good burger. I think with all the articles I’ve written about burger joint gems in Bangkok this shouldn’t come as a shock to you. If I didn’t think my arteries would petrify, I’d have a blog solely dedicated to the Bangkok burger scene. There’s certainly no shortage of places that put together some serious burgers to write about–and new ones hitting the scene seemingly weekly. STAX Burger (official Facebook page) isn’t new. Rather they’ve resurrected at Saphan 55 two years after closing their location at The Commons. One of the first eateries to introduce the “smash” style burger to Bangkok, STAX Burger keeps it simple, delicious, and super affordable.
But let me show you what I mean…
Why not stack them?
Nothing quite puts the smack down on a burger craving than a satisfying simple burger that’s made right. By simple I mean old school–bun, meat, cheese (or not), onion, pickle, ketchup (or if you want to wrestle with me in the parking lot, “catsup“), and mustard. Think Micky D’s (McDonald’s).
Don’t get me wrong, I have no problems whatsoever getting fancy and sticking my pinkies out whilst devouring a towering edible gold flake capped bun that holds together a gourmet burger laden with foie gras, lobster tail, caviar, and melty (insert expensive fancy cheese) condiments. But when it comes to REAL burger satisfaction I subscribe to the K.I.S.S. Principle. Don’t complicate it, limit the condiments, and ensure each one contributes to the overall satisfaction.
That’s what STAX Burger does.
Making a simple burger…
Buns toasted!
Let me drop some truth on you. A great burger begins with the bun. I don’t care if your burger contains a 60 day dry aged wagyu beef patty, fresh, organic toppings, or a premium cheese. If you sandwich it between a bun that’s drier than what I’ve got growing in my dryer’s lint collector, or tastes like it could use a few more minutes proofing or in the oven, then the result is going to be the opposite of a great burger.
STAX Burger checks off this first block with a solid bun…and they toast it (as they should!). The square shape reminds me of White Castle. Only this would be White Castle’s bigger brother that leads the school football team, tutors fellow students in Calculus, and is a shoe in for Prom King.
Simple condiments…
Condiments are also key. On the bun STAX Burger offers three condiments: ketchup (are we going to have a problem with the spelling?), mustard, and pickles. The bare essentials to give it just the right amount of sweetness, acidity, and tang to compliment the beef patty.
I like how they crisscross the condiments to ensure an even distribution. I also think that this would be the perfect flag design for my imaginary country, Hamburgerstan.
The Serial Pickler strikes again!
Speaking of pickles, STAX Burger sources their pickles from Bangkok’s very own The Serial Pickler. They’ve been making artisanal pickles in Thailand since 2012 and if you bite into a burger or sandwich at a restaurant and find yourself notably impressed with the pickle there’s a good chance The Serial Pickler has struck again.
The process…
Making a smash burger isn’t a science. It’s an art. STAX Burger deserves a Grammy because they are rockstars at the grill.
The process is simple. Take a ball of beef blended with Australian wagyu and American beef (pork is also available if that’s your thing) and put it on the hot grill. Top it with thin slices of onions (that are slightly dried). Allow a sear on the bottom of the patty, then give it a SMASH! Once you’ve got a good sear on the bottom flip it over to the onion side. Dust with black pepper and salt.
Those onions caramelize and soak up all of that yummy fat from the meat so that the burger isn’t greasy–but you get all that fatty flavor. Smash it again! Top with a slice of American processed cheese (burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches are why this “cheese” was invented after all). Then transfer to the bun!
Voila!
A STAX Burger when finished should look just like this. The meat patty should be thin with crispy edges, the onions caramelized and slightly crunchy, the cheese melty, the condiments even, and the bun holding it all together so you can dispatch it with maximum efficiency.
Simple burgers made affordable…
STAX Burger offers two menus: a set menu, and an a la carte menu. The choices are simple and inexpensive. For light dining the STAX Classic (99 baht) is a good place to begin–for 10 baht more you can add cheese.
Set B – 2 Cheeseburgers with Fries (220 baht)
A set of 2 burgers and fries is 200 baht and if you want cheese on those burgers then kick in an extra 20 baht. That’s what I went for.
For a bigger appetite, you can add more burger patties (50 baht), chicken nuggets (50 baht), jalapeño poppers (60 baht) or more French fries. STAX Burger is a safe place. No one will judge you.
NEW! Fried Chicken Sandwiches
In February 2020, STAX added something special to their menu, Fried Chicken Sandwiches (129 baht). They are amazing! If you’re a child of the ’80s, you’ll really appreciate these little beauties as KFC’s Chicken Littles inspired their creation. Here’s some nostalgia for you…
Just like their smash burgers, they use the same soft, slightly sweet Hawaiian-style buns and Serial Pickler’s tasty garlic dill pickles. But instead of a smashed beef patty, this sandwich has a juicy chicken breast filet (brined for over 24 hours) that’s twice-fried so that the well-seasoned batter is nice and crispy.
You have your choice between in-house made ranch dressing or chili mayo as a sauce.
2 chicken and fries combo (240 baht)
After trying them, I realized that during my next visit I’d seriously have a difficult time deciding whether or not to get a burger or a chicken sandwich. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’d probably just get both.
If you want to try sauce styles their Combo C Set (240 baht) allows you to have 2 chicken sandwiches with your choice of sauces plus fries.
I’m crossing my fingers that someday they’ll come up with a combo set that lets you mix and match burgers with chicken sandwiches!
Lunch is served!
But if you order a combo meal set you’d better be hungry because it’s quite a meal!
The new Chicken Sandwich Menu
But their new chicken sandwich menu offers plenty of options to satisfy whatever your appetite level is…
I’m hungry. Where is it?
STAX Burger is located on Thonglor at the Saphan 55 street food shelter. It’s an easy stroll across the bridge from the Thonglor Pier if you take the Klong Boat Taxi, or if taking the BTS get off at the Thonglor BTS station and take a taxi or red bus shuttle service that takes you directly there (10 baht).
A little fun…
I was so impressed with my visit to STAX Burger and eager to share it with burger enthusiasts that follow this blog that I created a contest on the Chow Traveller Facebook page. The objective was to figure out where I ate lunch BEFORE this article was published and the prize was me treating them to lunch.
I really thought I made it challenging. I completely underestimated how savvy many of my readers are about the Bangkok food scene. This particular fan answered the challenge correctly in just a couple of minutes after I posted it. Should I ever be on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and the category of “Bangkok Foodies” comes up I want this fella on my speed dial in case I need a life line. I’m looking forward to meeting him over some seriously tasty smash burgers!
I intend to offer more challenges in the future to folks who like/follow the blog, so if you’d like to join in the fun please check out the Chow Traveller Facebook page and consider giving it a like/follow. It’s the best way I can think of to connect directly to you, dear reader, and share some of my foodie finds with you.
I want to hear from you!
Should you decide to visit STAX Burger I’d love to hear your feedback in the comment section below, directly to me, or via message on either the Chow Traveller Facebook page or Chow Traveller Instagram. However you choose, I’d love to hear from you!
Loved reading this article! I have also recently tried the stax burgers at saphan 55 and loved them! soo good! and the price is almost too cheap, seriously the 200 baht set (2 burgers w/ fries) is the perfect amount.
great write up Chow!
LK,
Thanks for the praise! I really appreciate your feedback. I’m glad you feel they’re a great deal–a dang good burger too, I hope.
I really enjoy what they’re doing there at Saphan 55. They’ve curated a great collection of vendors to showcase amazing Thai street food at street Thai food prices. If you haven’t tried them yet, there’s an amazing phed kra pao crispy pork belly vendor (to the left of STAX), and a fantastic stewed pork leg vendor (make sure to get the chilly sauce with it!) as soon as you enter the Saphan 55 area. During yesterday’s visit I noticed they had a new vendor which I’ve heard has AMAZING crab fried rice. I plan to go there next week to check them out!
Best regards,
Paul
Amazing article! Got my mouth watering! I have to check it out!!!
Amir,
As a burger enthusiast I think you’re going to dig this place and the venue. There’s some GREAT vendors at Saphan 55…maybe sometime next month we can plan a little get together there with the usual cohorts as there’s something there for EVERYONE and it doesn’t break the bank. 🙂
Best regards,
Paul
I’m going to take you up on that offer!
I’m a big burger fan, I’m even up for a burger crawl!