Marty's Meats Smash Burgers describes itself as "where real food meets real hustle," born in an industrial corner of Nelson and raised by a community of burger-lovers willing to wait in the cold for the good stuff. The business has since levelled up into a full dine-in experience at Morrison Square, with the same iconic taste in a bigger kitchen.
Everything is hand-made on site: NZ grass-fed beef from Pure South is 55-day wet-aged and freshly minced daily in house, with fries cut fresh from Agria potatoes and fried in premium beef tallow, sauces cooked for 10 hours, and cookies made with real ingredients. Nothing is frozen and there are no shortcuts. The beef burger range includes the Mr. Special, Bad Boy, Purist Cheese, Classic Cheeseburger, Spicy Mama and Burnt Butter, all built around a 100g aged smash patty on a butter-toasted brioche bun, with a double option on every burger. There's also the Kamikaze Chicken, made with house-made fried garlic-ginger free range chicken thighs.
All burgers can be made gluten free, with coeliac-safe preparation available on request by asking at the till or by phone. Marty's also sells its own sauces — Burnt Pineapple Ketchup, Marty's Burger Sauce, and the original Chilli Bourbon Sauce — in 350ml bottles, available to buy in-store.
Marty's Meats Smash Burgers sums up its own philosophy in one line: "where real food meets real hustle." Born in an industrial corner of Nelson and built up by a community of burger-lovers willing to queue in the cold for it, the business has since grown into a full dine-in experience at Morrison Square — same iconic taste, bigger kitchen, bigger energy.
What sets Marty's apart, by its own account, is how much of the process happens on site. NZ grass-fed beef from Pure South arrives as 55-day wet-aged prime cuts, and the whole process — cutting, drying, mincing, balling — happens inside the shop's own chiller at 2 degrees. Fries are freshly cut from Agria potatoes every day, never frozen, and fried in premium beef tallow. House-made sauces are cooked for 10 hours, and even the cookies are made with real ingredients. It's a simple promise: no shortcuts, nothing frozen, no BS.
Every beef burger starts from the same base: a 100g aged smash patty, smashed to order, on a butter-toasted brioche bun, with a double-patty option available on every single burger. From there, the range splits into distinct personalities. The Mr. Special layers triple cheese, signature burger sauce and beef tallow fried onions. The Bad Boy adds Pestell's bacon and McClure's pickles alongside diced onion and the same signature sauce. The Purist Cheese keeps things simple with triple cheese and nothing else, while the Classic Cheeseburger brings mustard, Burnt Pineapple Ketchup, diced onion and pickles into the mix. For heat, the Spicy Mama pairs the Chilli Bourbon Sauce with three different treatments of onion — caramelised jalapeño, diced, and fried — and the Burnt Butter burger finishes with a slab of secret burnt garlic herb butter.
For something other than beef, the Kamikaze Chicken uses house-made fried garlic-ginger free range chicken thighs, layered with avocado, pickled slaw, toasted sesame seeds, a hoisin, sriracha and kewpie mayo blend, coriander and fried onions on brioche — a burger only available as a double.
On the side, Marty's signature handcut Agria fries are fried in beef tallow and finished with sea salt, and are gluten free. The house sauces — Burnt Pineapple Ketchup, Marty's Burger Sauce, and the original Chilli Bourbon Sauce — are also sold to take home in 350ml bottles, in-store only, and are described as 100% natural and low in sugar with no nasties. For a full meal, the combo option lets guests pick a burger, one side, one sauce and a drink, available all day, while The Steal Deal — a single cheeseburger with small fries — runs as a lunchtime special between 12pm and 3pm.
Every burger on the menu can be made gluten free, and guests needing coeliac-safe preparation can request it directly at the till or over the phone when ordering.
Marty's runs on a call-ahead, pick-up model — guests are encouraged to call in to order and collect whenever suits them. The shop is open Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm to 8pm, closed Monday and Tuesday, with the kitchen taking a short break for cooking prep between 3:00pm and 3:30pm each open day.