The first French fast-food was born in the 2e arrondissement of Paris, in 1961: it was the French version of the Wimpy brand, created in Chicago. Since then, the capital has seen a succession of trends and pretty much everything and anything between its buns. Because the burger is a mutant product. Popularized in France by McDonald’s and Quick, it embodied junk food for a long time before being first adopted by bistros, then by great French chefs at the beginning of the 21st century.e century. Joël Robuchon and Eric Frechon dared to team up with the American emblem with foie gras, Alain Ducasse tried a big boudin burger and a more classic beef, covered with Béarnaise sauce.
One would have thought that the Parisian history of the burger would end with this gourmet cultural appropriation. It was without counting on a new generation of small establishments (Blend, Dumbo, Sold Out, Cuties Burger, Blossom Burgers, etc.) decided to return to their roots by taking their example from American chains such as Shake Shack, Five Guys or In-N- Out. Better still, some mad scientists are now daring to create unprecedented cultural mixes: Asian version (at Shiso Burger), Peruvian (APU) or African (at Bomaye).
Our selection attempts to highlight these different facets of the fast food star. You can try them all if you feel like it… and if you have a strong stomach!
Dumbo
Boom! At Dumbo, the cooks play mole-slapper with the barbecue! The ball of matured ground beef, from the meticulous butcher Huguenin, is skilfully squashed on the cooking plate to form a thin patty. That’s what we call spike meat. The advantage? When it’s oily enough (and it is here), it browns to a fabulous crisp. The rest of the formula? A Parisian potato bun (brioche bun made from potato, designed by Bread Shop), homemade pickles, American cheese (a melted dough similar to cheddar), mustard and ketchup. This cheeseburger (10 euros) is the only reference on the menu, with a vegetarian version, the earth burger (13 euros), a little less convincing. The formula is minimal, the two addresses too small to take it easy, and Dumbo, created in 2019, is now closely followed by very serious competitors (like Echo or Bikini). But the brand remains a timeless headquarters for street food lovers and “the” benchmark for smash burgers in the capital. And poof!
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