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For those of you who don’t live here, you’re probably scratching your heads as who in their right minds would want a hamburger in Paris. If you’re a visitor, you probably don’t come to Paris in search of a burger (unless you’ve got kids in tow). But Parisians, as well as the rest of us, often get the craving for a nice, juicy patty on a big, fluffy bun, and I’m happy to help in our quest to find the best of the lot.

Here’s a list of the places that were suggested by helpful readers in the comments of my post on the burgers at Hippopotamus. I was pretty bowled over with the choices out there and look forward to trying some, or all, of them out.

Please note that I haven’t been to all of these places (yet), and I can’t personally vouch for them.

Hence I’m trusting you guys on these…so they’d better be good! : )


UPDATE: Since I started this list, the number of places in Paris, including many cafés, now serve hamburgers. So in addition to this list, you’ll likely find many around town. Not all are great, but I’ve been adding to this list as I go and included reader suggestions.

Breakfast in America

Two locations in Paris

(I’ve been a few times and they burgers aren’t bad, but not exceptional either. Still, it’s a pretty authentic place. Think the burgers & fries that you get in a basket at the beach.)

PDG
20, Rue Ponthieu (8th)
Tél: 01 42 56 19 10
and
5, rue Dragon (6th)
Tél: 01 45 48 94 40
(Just off the Champs-Elysées. Le Parisien newspaper named these “les meilleurs hamburger de Paris” in 2006.)

Charlie Birdy
Four addresses in Paris
(I was surprised to see a huge selection of les burgers on their menu, online. Live music, too.)

Le Murmure
108, rue Convention (15th)
Tél: 01 45 54 40 18

Henry’s
189, rue de la Pompe (16th)
Tél: 01 47 27 25 75
(I couldn’t find anything about this place online, then reader TJ sent coordinates, but noted that they’ve changed owners since the initial recommendation.)

Coffee Parisien
4, rue Princesse (6th)
Tél: 01 43 54 18 18
and
7, rue Gustave Courbet (16th)
Tél: 01 45 54 17 17
(A few readers recommended this place, one saying the burgers were “incroyable!” You can read about my visit to Coffee Parisien, too.)

Joe Allen
30, rue Pierre Lescot (1st)
Tél: 01 42 36 70 13
(Rumor has it Joe Allen has great ribs, too. But I think they can’t be better than mine.)

Tropical Café
5, Place
Parmentier, 92200 Neuilly-Sur-Seine (Near Porte Maillot)
Tél: 01 47 45 15 55
(A French reader suggested this, and said I should look at the menu, which I did. Twenty four burgers! From the Curnonsky burger to a “cream” burger, which I’ll skip. But the rest sound good, and each is available as a beef or chicken burger.)

Restaurant le Floors
100 rue Myrha (18th)
Tél: 01 42 62 08 08
(Picture here. Ashalama, the commenter, said, “It’s quite expensive but everything is handmade and the choice is amazing so it’s worth paying for!”)

Le Camion Qui Fume
The first hamburger food truck rolls into Paris, with great burgers and fries. Check website for locations.

L’authre Bistro
22, rue des Ecoles
Tél: 01 43 54 44 57
(A helpful hint was left on my Flickr page about this place, with a link to a picture of their burgers.)

Le Hamburger
(Couldn’t find any info online about this place. Googling ‘hamburger’ and ‘Paris’ only brought up pictures of Paris Hilton eating a burger—which isn’t exactly appetizing.)

Le Café Marly
93, rue de Rivoli (1st)
Tél: 01 49 26 06 60
(Just across from the Louvre, the terrace overlooks the museum.)

Le Castiglione
235, rue St. Honore (1st)
Tél: 01 42 60 68 22
(One website noted the hamburger was 22€. Just a head’s up.)

Cool’in Irish Pub
15, rue Clément (Marché St. Germain)
(Found nothing about this place online, but we know they have good beer.)

Frog and Rosbif
Four locations in Paris: St. Germain, Bercy, Les Halles & Biblioteque.

Hard Rock Café
(I’ve never been into a Hard Rock Café, and am not sure I’m ready to start. But who knows? After all, I did go to l’Hippo…)

L’Envol Pub
rue Lacépède (near place Monge)
(Hmmm. I hope none of you are trying to send me on a wild goose chase. I couldn’t find anything about this place, either.)

Le Palmier de Lorette
19 Rue Châteaudun (9th)
Tél: 01 48 78 34 41
(Christophe, the reader who recommended this place, noted how good the burger was, in spite of the “unusual” sauce.)

Indiana Burger
Several locations in Paris.
(I’ve walked by the one in my neighborhood a gazillion times but have never been tempted. Too many ‘taco salads’ in tortilla bowls on the tables. One reader wrote that it was one of the few places in Paris he got a decent gin and tonic, which to me, begs for cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off. Still a burger might not be a bad second choice.)

La Montagne
13, rue du Pot de Fer (5th)
Tél: 01 43 36 61 52
Respectable burger with outstanding house-made French fries, cooked until deep-golden brown. My burger could have used a bit more salt but it was served juicy and almost rare.

Café Charlot
38, rue de Bretagne (3rd)
A decidedly bobo café, which I was miffed about since they took over where a lovely old bread bakery was. But their redeeming quality is a very good (American) cheese burger with excellent, crisp thin-cut fries.

Hôtel Amour
8, rue Navarin (9th)
Tél: 01 48 78 31 80
The burgers in this hip restaurant are quite good, and juicy! Edmond Fallot mustard shares the condiment shelf with Hellman’s mayonnaise and Heinz ketchup, and the fries are a good accompaniment. The outdoor terrace is packed during the warm months, so reserve.

Schwartz’s Deli
16, rue des Ecouffes (4th)
Tél: 01 48 87 31 29
Trying to be a New York-style Jewish deli, most of the guests are eating the piled-high pastrami sandwiches or the burgers, made of good quality beef (rather than the usual frozen patties). The hamburger was enormous, and good, but the buns were standard. (This visit made me wonder why, in a city full of great bread, people use packaged supermarket rolls?) Decent fries.

Le Floréal
73, rue de Faubourg du Temple (10th)
Tél: 01 42 08 81 03
I haven’t tried this one yet, but a trusted source recommended it (linked here) and it’s next on my list.

UPDATE: A few excellent burger places opened in 2011-12 worth noting!

Le Mal Barré
47, rue Lucien Sampaix (10th)

American Bistrot
74, rue de la Folie Mericourt (11th)

Big Fernand
55, rue du Fabourg Poissonière (9th)
Tél: 01 47 70 54 72
Great burgers and friendly service. Excellent fries, too.

Blend
44, rue d’Argout (2nd)
Housemade buns and sweet potato fries are specialties here, along with excellent desserts.


If you’re in Paris, and looking for a good, honest beef and fries fix, I recommend le Relais de l’Entrecôte (20, rue St. Benoît). There’s no choices on the menu: just tell the no-nonsense serveuse how you want your meat cooked, and enjoy a leafy salad with walnuts while you await your slices of beef, which are served tableside with herbed butter sauce and some of the best frites in town. Seconds are offered, on the house. The profiteroles and vacherin are textbook examples of classic French pastries, and big enough to split. I always stick with the house red which, like most house wine at moderate restaurants, is well-matched to the cuisine.

Related Links and Posts

Paris Restaurants

Burger Cravings in Paris (Gridskipper)

Le Severo

My Paris

Paris Restaurant Round-Up

Is American Food Better Than French?

Where to Find the Best Steak Frites in Paris

My Burger (In French)

Favorite Paris Dining & Travel Guides

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37 comments

    • Alex

    A little correction about the Cool’in – it’s marché St-Germain not St-Honoré. I found their site once, but it seems to be down now:

    • David

    Alex: No wonder I couldn’t find it either!

    • Elodie

    David, it’s L’ENVOL rue Lacépède, just off Place Monge – and it’s a bar québécois (from Québec, Canada).
    Great place ;-)

    Oops. Ok, will fix that. But I didn’t know Canadians were famous for their burgers, too! ; ) -dl

    • Polly-Vous Francais

    Thanks for a great list, David!

    It took me a year of living in Paris before I could bear to eat a bite of American cuisine — I wanted only traditional French!. And my intro to American food in Paris was at Le Coffee Parisien. Immediately I was a total convert — the best burger I have ever tasted, here or in the States. They take the notion of diner food, which I adore, and elevate it to an art.

    Now I can’t wait to try out the other spots, too. This list could go on the expat Hall of Fame.

    • Rachael

    What, no veggie burgers? For shame! I would love to have a good veggie burger as I had some great ones at home in Aus and in London (and in Hanoi of all places) but couldn’t find anything in Paris. Any help, anyone? I’m desperate!

    • Lynn @ theVintageNest

    These were a staple in my home as a child. Inexpensive to make and tasty. Haven’t had them in years but I think it’s time to make some again. I like the addition of the peanuts.

    • David

    Rachael: Breakfast in America does have vegetarian burgers but I can’t vouch for them. Paris isn’t known for it vegetarian cuisine, unfortunately.

    (I featured a post, Vegetarian Dining in Paris, that might yield some other places, too.)

    • pascale

    Please don’t go to Joe Allen, it is really not very good. I’ve tried several times and I’ll never go back. Bises.

    • Belle

    Is your friend Romain the same Romain as the chef at Le Relais Du Parc?
    The burgers @ Hard Rock are dry and tasteless (as is most of their food.)
    Good luck on your burger quest!

    • Katina

    Dear David,
    I found your info. very helpful,thank you. I really wish I could come meet you and spend the day baking. I took two years of culinary arts in high school and wanted to fallow with going to France for more. But the true love story of girl meets boy and marries forgets her dreams of college over him. Doctors said I couldn’t have children so we kept trying fora while til 1 and 1/2 yrs til we did.

    Now I have two beautiful girls and working on my second divorce. And still have the dream of Paris. The cool thing is so does my daughters. They love to bake with me. I collect bundt pans and love to make new recipes. I have to look for a job now and get a lawyer to free again to finally free. My heart is so broken right now all I do is cry. But this morning I saw you on the t.v. and you gave me a light that I needed. You should me that dreams can come true. and to keep blogging. I blog on my myspace cause its good therapy. Both of my parents are dying slow painful deaths in front of me and I can’t do anything to stop it. My dads had 5 stokes in 4 years. And mom has heart probs and lung cancer along bacteria in her stomach that’s had her sick for 4 months. sorry for all this drama. Well your just a new inspiration for me. I’m going to that kitchen and start baking my butt off again. Eclairs are my fav. too….. That’s what I made for my bridal shower. They were little mini’s, but I can’t share my recipe.

    • Christophe

    Hi, David,
    I was in Paris last year and had the hamburger craving. I found L’Hippo OK, but IMO the best cheeseburger can be found at Le Palmier de Lorette, 19 Rue Châteaudun, in the 9th arr. It’s not a totally “American” burger experience as they use an unusual sauce (which I can’t remember the name of now), but I found it to be one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten. I wish I had one right now – and I’m back in the states! Their website and menu – http://palmierdelorette.com/?page_id=3

    Cheers,
    Christophe

    • jonah

    The moose,
    Canadian place near Odeon.

    • lee

    i loved joe allen! the bacon cheeseburger was delicious. breakfast in america i’ve been to about 9 times (they give you a card that they stamp and on the 10th time you go you get a free meal). don’t judge me – i was a study abroad student for a year!

    • Micki

    Super-nature, in the 9th, has really good burgers! (and everything else)

    • natalia

    ferdi’s near concorde, can’t believe they haven’t been mentioned… hands down the best around, and we’ve tested them all!!

    • dave

    the best hamburger I’ve ever eaten was the one I had at Pub St. Germain a few years ago. Sadly I haven’t been back since and I can’t vouch for their burgers these days but if they’re as good now as they were then, they are sublime. A thick, juicy patty of meat with a bun just big enough to keep your fingers from getting greasy. Outstanding.

    • Rebecca

    The best burger in Paris?
    Coco&Co.
    An english muffin topped with two delicious beef patties stuffed with a mélange of spices and pine nuts, then topped with cheddar cheese, a special sauce and a fried egg. Served with potatoes and salad. C’est DELICIEUX. I highly recommend.

    • sarah k

    i was just checking out another paris food blogger and she had some other recs for burgers in paris. i remember you lamenting your search for a good burger and thought i’d post the link.

    good luck!

    http://mufoo.net/?p=35#more-35

    • Mark Kamins

    David,
    The burger at Cafe Ruc is slamming!! They’re part of the Hotel Costes Group.

    • PETE

    cafe beaux arts corner of rue bonaparte and quai malaquais

    • Grandin Donovan

    Joe Allen for my money. The naysayer above says nothing to back it up their claim.

    I’ve been in Paris for over 3 years now, and I come from New York where bar-burgers are taken very, very seriously. Joe Allen is my go-to place. PDG is OK. I found BIA rather unexciting. Floors is decent, but overwrought. Only Joe Allen has the perfect blend of quality bacon, cheese, char, and an interior bien saignant. The fries are good, but the pickles, my god. The closest I’ve found to a Bubbies pickle in France. Order an extra side of them.

    Let me also put it this way: my old office wasn’t far from Joe Allen. After one visit for lunch with about a dozen French coworkers, they were hooked. Now that our office is across town, there are some nights, following after-work drinks, that upwards of 16 of them will make the trek down to Etienne Marcel JUST FOR THIS BURGER.

    • Lindsey

    I wanted to recommend the restaurant SuperNature on 12 rue Trevise in the 10th. It’s completely organic, with very healthy options and probably the juiciest and best burger I’ve ever had!

    http://super-nature.fr/supernature.html

    If you haven’t checked it out, it’s definitely worth it.

    • Deirdre

    I am going to be in Paris on Christmas day with my husband and seven year old son. Any chance you can recommend a restaurant close to the Bastille Opera House that will be open for dinner? Thanks so much. Deirdre

    • David

    Paul: Cool! Thanks, and feel free to add any one that you find… dl

    • lxlloyd

    The love burger at cafe Etienne Marcel. It has killed all other burgers for me. Fantastic chips and milkshakes, and the cocktails are strong! tad pricy for studenty me but so worth it.

    • Stacey

    The best burger I have tried in Paris is definitely at Café Crème (4 Rue Dupetit-Thouars 75003). They are served on a chopping board with really good fries. If you like Shake Shack burgers you’ll like these!

    • Jeff

    Great burgers & wings at The Great Canadian, Quai des Grands Augustins. Wings are fantastic too.

    • Aracely

    Hi David,

    Do you have an update on your quest to finding the best burger?

    I’ve only tried BIA and I have to say that I am not a fan.

    From what I have read here and on other food blogs the top five are:
    Coffee Parisien rue Princesse
    PDG 20, Rue Ponthieu, 75008
    Joe Allen 30, rue Pierre Lescot 75001
    Etienne Marcel
    Ferdi, 32 rue Mont Thabor, 75001.

    What is your opinion?

    @Paul, great map! Thanks for taking the time and sharing =)

    • Elen

    I would recommend the hamburgers from the Monkey’s in Belleville.
    They are very inventive and use the ingredients from the asian neighbourhood plus the bread is made by a local boulanger. Very tasty!
    http://www.monkeysbar.com/pages/restaurant.html

    • Soumendu nandi

    Well the best hamburger(actually what you americans call a cheeseburger) i had was in Charbon rouge.Pretty good malbec to go with it too.Its on rue Marbeuf in the 8th eme.

    • Eric

    I did get to try the Cheeseburger of Charbon Rouge after reading this article
    It is simply awesome!

    • Slicker

    Still looking for a great burger in paris… Been living here about a year now.

    I can say, in Versailles a place called ‘La Cantine’ has great burgers, I highly recommend it.

    Not a big fan of Joe Allens.

    • Slicker

    BIA is good for brunch, their burgers didnt look too good when I was there… but as far as brunch goes you get a lot for 15€ (compared to 20€+ at Joe allen and most others),

    plenty of food and is rather good (diner good).

    • david r

    I think you should try the blue cheese burger at carré du pou volant, 55 rue de bretagne in the 3rd arrondissement .
    their burgers are fantastic .
    they also have more classic burgers like cheeseburgers and baconburgers for only 13,50 euros, not bad at all

    • Paddy Arnold

    The Lizard Lounge in the Marais is actually worth a mention too David. No danger of them being dry patties as they will cook it as you want it – saw a few people around me asking for bleu! Comes with nice roast potatoes and a salad for a tenner so worth checking out

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      It’s amazing how many hamburger places (and places serving hamburgers) have opened in Paris since I started this list. Thanks for the tip, another to add to my growing list of places to try.

A

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