The next big trend in Fresno restaurants? Burgers. Here are 5 new places that have opened

Move over, fried chicken. There’s a new trend in town.

Burgers.

Hamburger restaurants are the latest trend to dominate the Fresno restaurant scene. They’re pushing aside the chicken restaurant movement that birthed a slew of Nashville hot chicken restaurants and Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers locations over that last couple of years.

At least five new hamburger restaurants have opened in Fresno in recent months.

Of course, burgers have been around for eons, so it’s technically more of a resurgence than a new trend. In-N-Out Burger and Five Guys, for example, along with locally owned burger joints like Triangle Drive In Burgers and Weekend Dreams Burgers & Grill, have paved the meaty road for these newcomers,

Burgers at the newly opened places are not your mama’s burger, however.

Each new restaurant has its own twist on the concept. Two specialize in smash burgers, the practice of smashing meat into the grill until it’s thin and crispy. Another literally injects cheese into the patty with a syringe. And yet another is morphing into a combination burger and Yemeni/Mediterranean restaurant.

Here’s a look at the new eats and where to find them.

Hammy’s Smash Burgers

The latest burger joint to open, Hammy’s Smash Burgers took over the former Chubby’s Diner on West Shaw Avenue in late October.

So what’s a smash burger? (And we’re not talking about the Smashburger chain of restaurants.)

Let’s have Hammy himself (owner Hamzah Ahmed) describe what happens after the ball of beef is placed on a hot griddle: “We take our press and smash it into the grill … so it gets crispy around the edges and the inside stays juicy. It pretty much locks in all the flavor.”

It’s the same amount of meat as a quarter-pound burger.

“It’s still four ounces, but it’s a spread out four ounces,” he said. “You always see the lacy edges sticking outside of the bun.”

Here, a smash burger at its purest is the patty with grilled onions, a sauce that’s similar to Thousand Island dressing, and a bun that Ahmed says is “amazing,” but won’t share details about.

You can also get smash burgers stacked with two or three patties. Or, burgers with bacon, onion rings or jalapeños on top.

Ahmed has worked at about 10 burger restaurants over the years. He started at age 14 at his aunt and uncle’s Frosty King in Corcoran. He’s been with Triangle Drive In Burgers for about 10 years.

“I know burgers basically,” he said.

Details: Hammy’s Smash Burgers is at 4388 W Shaw Ave. Order online at www.toasttab.com. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Firefly Burger

The restaurant in this new building on Blackstone Avenue opened last year as as Petra Mediterranean and is now Firefly Burger.

It opened in September and it specializes in burgers with something you don’t see very often: cheese injections.

Owner Rudy Alameri described the process, which involves a big metal “needle.”

“We inject the burger,” he said, “into the patty on the grill. Before we throw the burger together, we just inject it.”

You can see videos of this on its Instagram page, injected through the top of the bun, apparently for the added thrill of seeing melted cheese ooze down over a patty already topped with bacon.

What to get here: Alameri recommends the Firefly burger, a hamburger with onion rings, barbecue sauce, a slice of American cheese and an injection of the cheese sauce.

Several other types of burgers are on the menu, along with chicken, ice cream and fried food.

Details: Firefly Burger is at 5353 N. Blackstone Ave. Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays. 559-375-1993.

Firestone Burger

Just down the street from Community Regional Medical Center downtown is Firestone Burgers, which opened earlier this year.

There’s six kinds of burgers on the menu (more if you count the veggie burger).

Some highlights? The double bacon burger (yes, made with two burger patties and bacon) and the pastrami burger, says owner Yunes “Jack” Mohsen.

It also serves Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and a growing number of Mediterranean options.

Mohsen, whose background is Yemeni, notes that Mediterranean dishes are being added to the menu, such as chicken and beef shawarma, falafel, and lamb and chicken mandi.

That’s a dish from Yemen featuring tender meat cooked in a mix of spices and served atop an eye-catching bed of red and yellow rice.

In addition to ice cream, you can also get Mediterranean treats like baklava for dessert.

Details: Firestone Burger, 264 N. Fresno St. Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. 559-492-2326.

Flippin’ Daves

This is another smash burger restaurant that The Bee did a full story about when it opened this summer. Flippin’ Daves Burgers and Fries is in the same shopping center as Costco, just a few doors down from Chipotle.

It’s owned by the same person who owns the Angry Chickz restaurants in town.

Flippin’ Daves specializes in thin crispy patties smashed into the grill. They’re sometimes stacked three high and usually served with melted cheese and its house-made sauce.

It’s a limited menu with just a few burger combinations on the menu, loaded fries and grilled cheese.

Details: Flippin’ Daves is at 4434 W. Shaw Ave. Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Order online via DoorDash.

The Burger Shack

This burger spot opened last spring in the former Geno’s Sandwiches & Salads on Ashlan Avenue, just west of Blackstone Avenue.

The Burger Shack has several kinds of burgers on the menu: a bacon burger, pastrami burger, a Western burger, and a vegetarian option. And you can add toppings such as jalapeños, and even an entire chicken finger.

It sells sandwiches too, including Philly cheesesteaks, and chicken, fish and pastrami sandwiches.

Details: The Burger Shack is at 1615 E. Ashlan Ave. Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. 559- 228-9264.