The Team Behind Breakfast Champ Mike & Patty’s Is Now Slinging Smash Burgers and Fried Chicken Sandwiches in JP

Breakfast sandwich extraordinaire Mike & Patty’s has launched a new brand out of its Jamaica Plain storefront: Up & Down, a smash burger and fried chicken sandwich spot that is now open Thursday through Sunday evenings at 388 Centre Street, according to an announcement posted on the restaurant’s Instagram account.

So, how does one of the city’s foremost sandwich experts approach a smash burger? The classic route includes two beef patties, cheese, lettuce, onions, pickles, and kewpie mayo on a milk roll made at the group’s own bakery, Flourhouse. There’s also a “Savage Burger,” a twist on the classic that adds raw and caramelized onions and “phuct” sauce. (It’s mayo-based and “could be vaguely compared to a thousand island style dressing or a typical burger sauce,” according to a description on Up & Down’s Instagram stories.) A few other renditions include the Goddess, slicked with green goddess sauce, and the taki melt, with beef patties, a fried cheese patty, salsa roja, and tangy taki dust.

The fried chicken sandwich starts with pickles, lettuce, and kewpie mayo all tucked into a puffy milk roll, and gets more elaborate from there, including spicy chili and taki-dusted options. A chopped salad and fries served classic or “savage-style” (drenched in housemade cheese whiz, “phuct” sauce, and caramelized onions) round out the menu.

Erika Adams/Eater Boston

If this all sounds a bit like a certain West Coast burger chain with a cult following, well, they just don’t know what you’re talking about. In an FAQ posted on Up & Down’s Instagram stories on Thursday, they ended every answer with some version of this cheeky disclaimer: “Any relation or similarity to the name of another burger concept is totally coincidental. In fact, we have absolutely no idea what you’re even talking about!”

Bradley Ellis of Breakthrough, a marketing agency that orchestrates the campaigns for Mike & Patty’s and its associated brands, says that the Up & Down launch has been “a long time coming” for the company, and the side-wink towards In & Out was part of an “edgy but fun” positioning for the brand. “It’s very much a tongue-in-cheek branding, with In & Out being the inspiration,” Ellis says.

Mike & Patty’s has long ruled Boston’s breakfast sandwich game, starting from its original, shoebox-sized shop in Bay Village that opened in 2008 and expanding to the five locations it now runs. The team also runs a handful of other brands out of a few of its storefronts, including Hot Box, which sells South Shore bar pizzas and North Shore roast beef sandwiches in Somerville’s Bow Market, and Hall Pass, a cheesesteak spot in downtown Boston’s food hall High Street Place. (To note: Hall Pass is temporarily closed while the team makes menu adjustments.)

Up & Down is located at 388 Centre Street, in Jamaica Plain. It is open Thursday through Sunday, 4 to 10 p.m.

Update: July 5, 2023, 5:00 p.m.: This article was updated to include comments from Bradley Ellis.