Street Food : Burgers, bagels & hot dogs

Fancy one of the best burgers in Paris? Forget your posh napkins, tablecloths and seating, the Camion Qui Fume is Paris’s first American-style burger truck, run by Californian Kristin Frederick; and you only have to look at the long lines of salivating bobos to know that the burgers here are good. The secret lies in the ingredients: baker-made bread, top quality meat, hand-cut fries and real cheddar (for just €10). The truck’s nomadic concept is quirky too: driven to a different spot everyday (often place de la Madeleine, Porte Maillot, the Canal St-Martin, MK2 Bibliothèque and in front of the Musée d’Orsay), its whereabouts is confirmed...

A brilliant little burger joint, which takes the traditional American burger and gives it the French terroir treatment. Nowhere’s been left out, with regional specialities from all over France wedged between delicious sesame seed buns from the bakery next door. There’s fourme cheese from Ambert, tomme cheese from Savoie, Saint-Nectaire cheese, Charolais and Blonde d’Aquitaine beef and more.The menu lists five house burgers, but you can also build your own. Choose from beef, chicken, lamb and veal and then add cheese, grilled vegetables, streaky bacon, sauces, herbs or spices...

Over the last 12-months Parisians have gone USA crazy: After the burger trend that saw the opening of new joints like Big Fernand and Blend (see our Best Burger feature), and arrival of food trucks like the 104’s pizza van, it’s ‘chien chaud’ (hotdog) time at the new H*** Hot Dog House. Choose between three types of topping – pickled cabbage, chilli or caramelized onions – all served in squidgy white baps with mustard, ketchup and fried onions. The beef sausages are thin, but meaty and ample for ‘normal’ appetites – but hungry hounds should order two, or opt for a full menu, which includes crisps and desserts...

Fresh ingredients, home made chips and French beef have been on offer at the Camion Gourmand since December 2012. Fresh ingredients are bought and cooked on the same day, making up their selection of incredibly generous burgers. They come in four versions: classic, Seguin with goat’s cheese and honey, the Vicomte with comté cheese and pepper sauce, a vegetarian burger, and a daily special that changes according to the chef’s mood – it could include foie gras, bacon or raclette cheese. The house onion compote adds a welcome sweet note, and the meat is brilliant...

Paris is gripped by a new trend. All it took was for one Californian to set up a burger van, and before you can say ‘viande hachée’, more and more food trucks are beetling around the crisscrossing streets of the capital. Cantine California, the new van from chef Jordan Feilders, is a gourmet slice of America on four wheels, and the Parisians are crazy for it. And perhaps you’d have to be crazy to stand in a queue for 40 minutes of your lunch hour, just to pay €11 for a burger. But, such is the power of the street, the new chic.Feilders’ menu covers burgers and tacos, including a Tex-Mex burger...

Meuh! Rrrrr! Bzzzz! Bêêêê! Thus reads the menu at Little Fernand, the upstart progeny of fast food success Big Fernand. While you might be unfamiliar with French farm animal noises (in English: Moo! Grrrr! Bzzzz! Baaaa!), you’ll have no trouble with the product. While Fernand senior concentrates on gourmet burgers, the focus here is all luxuriously pimped hot dogs, rolling in quality goat’s cheese, Fourme d’Ambert and Vache Qui Rit.It’s an attractive idea, but before you get to try it out you’ll have to brave the endless queues, with little chance of getting hold of one of the tiny venue’s 15 seats...

Parisians have officially gone burger bonkers: After the Camion qui Fume (a mobile gourmet burger van) and Big Fernand (an über-trendy take-away burger joint in the 10th), Blend has opened its doors, in the bobo quarters of Etienne Marcel. And if the queues are anything to go by, this modern, 24-seater burger bar is going to be relished for a long time. The secret is in the ingredients: Made with hand-cut veal and beef mince, provided by star butcher Yves-Marie le Bourdonnec, burgers are succulent and flavoursome, and marry wonderfully with the fresh toppings (think bacon, bleu d‘Auvergne cheese...

Goodbye burgers, hello to a food truck specialising in bagels. Every day, four different versions are on offer: classic pastrami, smoked turkey, roast chicken breast and smoked salmon. Everything comes with all the necessary cream cheese and salad, toasted and served warm: a joy. Depending on the day, you can also find a vegetarian version (based on home made aubergine caviar), chicken and avocado (with red onion), and different types of bread (with onions or olives). The ingredients come from independent traders hailing from the Rue des Rosiers to the Ardèche, and their quality shows...