Stoney Tony’s Smashed Burgers doesn’t have a dining room, a permanent kitchen or even a traditional restaurant address.

What it does have is “Stoney’s Magic Buns,” an ever-changing menu, a devoted following and, most recently, the title of “Best Burger” in Style Magazine’s 2026 Best of the Best readers’ poll.

Owner Anthony “Tony” Bates has a pretty simple explanation for what he does.

“I’m just a dude who smashes some burgers and has a good time,” Tony says.

There is, however, a little more going on behind the griddle, starting with the bread.

“The bread is our own recipe, available nowhere else,” Tony says.

Every burger comes on a bun made from an original recipe created by Tony’s wife and bread maker, Morgan Bates. Tony describes it as a cross between brioche and Japanese milk bread.

Morgan is the force behind much of what makes Stoney Tony’s distinctive. She makes the buns, pretzels and house seasoning from original recipes and runs the business’s Facebook page, where customers can find an ever-changing lineup of specialty burgers and other creations.

“My wife is the backbone of the business,” Tony says. “She’s my hero.”

Tony handles the griddle and TikTok, where his point-of-view cooking videos give followers a look at exactly what happens once Stoney Tony’s opens for business.

The name itself dates back more than a decade. While working at City Fire about 12 years ago, Tony told bartender Alan Lauder that if he ever started a business, he would call it Stoney Tony’s.

The idea became real in 2024 after Tony endured several difficult years marked by profound personal loss and unexpected change. When he lost his job at Brick & Barrel that February, he decided it was time to bet on himself.

“The next morning, I woke up and heard my mom’s voice saying, ‘Do it on your own,’” Tony says.

With a growing family at home, Tony hit the ground running. His best friend, Amador Hernandez, donated the original grill, pans and much of what he needed to build a small outdoor kitchen. For the first year, the entire operation traveled in the back of Tony’s pickup truck.

Stoney Tony’s planted itself outside MÜV Dispensary in Lady Lake before moving to Steve’s Package & Lounge, where Tony spent the next two years serving burgers outside the bar. In July, the business moved to Shamrock Lounge.

Along the way, Stoney Tony’s has developed a brand built around Tony’s personality, Morgan’s recipes and a menu that rarely stays the same for long. Specialty burgers and other food items rotate regularly, but Tony says one thing doesn’t change: nothing costs more than $8.

That philosophy comes from his love of the 1997 movie “Good Burger.”

From an outdoor kitchen hauled around in a pickup truck to a Best of the Best readers’ choice, Tony knows his unconventional burger business has taken on a life of its own.

“I caught lightning in a bottle,” Tony says. “I want this community to be known for something great. Our goal is to make the best burgers in America.”

Photos: Gina Horan