Bioburger (CLOSED)

This sparky organic burger joint, new in 2012, is set in the Passage Choiseul, one of the less well-maintained of Paris’s 18th-century glass-roofed shopping galleries: rather than the designer boutiques of Galerie Vivienne or the collector’s bookstores of the Passage des Panoramas, Bioburger’s neighbours are discount shoe shops and down-at-heel sushi bars. But the location is no less charming for all that, and the smart outfit provides the gallery with a much-appreciated shot of entrepreneurial verve.

Neatly side-stepping both fast food nasties and any hippyish organic food vibe, Bioburger’s all-organic menu (using only certified French producers) is succinct: seven burgers (cheese, bacon, pepper, vege, chicken, steak and the MB with beef, cheese, bacon, onions and mustard) plus occasional specials. The €10 menu option with burger, fries and a drink represents good value for money given the quality; there are also a range of organic desserts, including yoghurts and homemade pastries.

Of course, the fact of being 100% organic isn’t by itself enough to draw the crowds, but at lunchtime this tiny venue (a few spaces at the bar next to the counter; 20 or so cramped tables up the tight spiral staircase to the rear) is fairly rammed; the MB burger we tried came quickly and with plenty of smiles, and was a luscious, strongly-flavoured hit of firm meat, crispy bacon and earthy cheese, only let down by slightly soggy chips. When you’re done, you tidy your debris away into the right recycling categories; the only reminder that the excellent burger you’ve just eaten come from people who really care about the provenance of their ingredients and the business’s impact on the environment.