Spécimen Burger

As always with smashed burgers in Paris: a very frustrating experience. Burger components are great, delicious bun, good sauce and cheese, except for one key element: the meat, sad and tasteless. Fries and sauce are okay.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good tasting burger, but Spécimen (like most smashed burgers joints in Paris are, although slightly less so) feels like it’s more invested in curating a mood than perfecting the plate: the smashed burger trend, Devialet speakers, a polished interior, etc.

The fundamentals are there, but the meat, the soul of a smashed burger, falls flat, forgettable. You will have a good meal, but one that leans on aesthetics rather than flavor to stand out, especially at such a high price point.