The Hamburger Foundation - Pâquis

I had noticed this place having many good reviews and decided to visit for dinner during one of my work trips. When I reached the restaurant before going in, I thought a bit whether I wanted indeed to go in or not. The place does not make you want to go in as it is nor fancy or seems appealing to be honest. It has this old American restaurant vibe though much less appealing and really simple decorated inside. The menu obviously only contains burgers. Once I had my burger and tasted it, all previous concerns went away. This is a really tasty burger and I definitely did not regret going in. I wouldn’t mind a few options for starter courses though which seemed really poor on the menu. It is worth a visit if you want a tasty burger on a very good price considering the prices in Geneva but be prepared that you are visiting only for the good burger, which at the end of the day that’s what it is about.

Delicious burger, cooked slightly under to leave a pink middle. Was delicious. Staff extremely friendly and they had gluten free buns which was excellent. Fries tasted fresh. Would highly recommend! Price is pretty good/standard for Switzerland too! Bravo all round👏

Excellent burger, so juicy and tasty. Nice chips and onion rings also.

Ordered the chicken burger. It was okay. The fries were okay as well but they come as extras so you have to pay for it. The price was 24 CHF. Maybe this is normal Swiss price.

Good place for gourmet burgers and beers in the Paquis neighbourhood of Geneva.

Comfortable, cozy and delicious! The Hamburger Foundation has two restaurants and two trucks in Geneva city centre so whether you are on the go or want to enjoy a meal sitting down, there is always an option to get your hands on their delicious burgers. The story behind their success revolves around three guy’s passion and love for burgers and their ambition to open up their own place, serving what they know about best, a good burger! The Pâquis is based in the centre of Geneva which offers table service, cocktails and a cool urban outdoor seating area, great for friends to hang out. If you are lucky enough to eat here you have got to try the founders burger. Definitely worth the visit for a great burger experience with the best fresh and local ingredients.

First time that having the hamburger in Europe. It’s tasty and the sweet potato fries are excellent❤️ Outdoor seats are comfortable and chill,lovely.

This a nice burger joint tucked in an alley. The first time I had their burger was 5 years ago. It was tasty, fresh, and satisfying. Very cool to see them again maintaining their level of excellence. I'm getting a burger at this place every time I drop a visit to Geneva.

If you're craving some American food, this is "the place" in Geneva. They really know what they're doing here and do it very well. Perfectly cooked burgers with Swiss cheese and thick bacon, crispy fries, and greasy good thick breaded onion rings. The guy taking our order at the cash wasn't the friendliest and helpful but the guy serving us the food was very nice. Prices are a bit high, 42 Swiss francs for a Coke Zero, beer, burger, fries, and onion rings, but it was well worth it!

After 10 days in Italy and now Geneva, really wanted just a burger and fries. Found THF walking around town. Staff accommodating , food outstanding!! Seating outside perfect for people watching.

What a little gem! The food was so good! The fries were perfectly cooked and the burgers we all got were really tasty. Fantastic service! We ate here the day we arrived so we were tired and hungry and this place was a great find. Loved the outside seating area. We would definitely stop here again.

TLDR: Good burger / Small portion / Expensive We tried this place as part of our recent stay in Geneva (Nov 2022). We were craving for some good American style hamburgers and after reading the reviews we decided to give it a shot. Well, one of the reason was a short walking distance from our hotel (lol). Place was humming and buzzing. There was a party going on in one section so it was closed off to regular patrons. The place isn't too big so felt a bit tight. You have to order cafe style at the counter and then food is delivered to your table. The lady taking our order was very nice and helpful. She even recommended a "student" meal deal for our daughter (knowing very well that she wasn't a local). Service was pretty good. Our food came pretty quick ... buns are more "black" in color rather typical bread in North America. Patty was cooked more on medium side (even though we had asked for well done). Taste wasn't bad but not In-N-Out quality. For two people we paid close to $50 USD which included 2x cans of Coke, 1x sweet potato fries, student meal deal and a regular hamburger. Man ... that was expensive. But then Geneva is more on a $$$ side. Was it worth our craving ... hmm not sure. There are definitely better food options in Geneva, which are not only cost effective but also taste awesome. Geneva has a pretty large Middle Eastern / Turkish population and I would highly recommend shawarma / chawarma / gyro from one of these places. Fulfill burger craving back at home (USA)!!

Good food. Good service. Sat outside on a nice evening and enjoyed the surroundings.

Absolutely amazing. The French fries/ frites are amazing. The food is arrives fast and they have a variety of obtains to choose from.

Location of the restaurant is in a good approximate to the hotels along side of Quai du Mont-Blanc Service was a bit slow, and we started with a typical green leaf salad with a basic dressing which I did not like at all and they should consider to improve it or take out from the service I ordered double cheese Beef Burger's medium well and was just perfect, bacon is normally served with bacon, all burgers are served with a nice fries and very tasty coleslaw salad The price was a bit high but this is normal in this part of the world

It's all burgers here ladies and gentlemen. So, come here ready for the great American speciality. There is a decent wine (by the glass and the bottle, white, rose, and red) and beer selection (blond, wheat and a "local" beer) and there are at least five deserts on the menu, though I Must admit that I did not have dessert. Good service, a nice atmosphere, and simply solid food. The salad starter is dressed w/a shiitake-mushroom-soy dressing which is fantastic. The burgers come w/lettuce, tomato, pickles and you get your own American-style squeeze bottle of ketchup, mustard, and mayo. Outdoor seating when it's warm! And on price--folks, you are here in Switzerland, the most expensive country on planet Earth next to Norway, so if you want a meal where you are in a nice setting and you have a human being waiting on you and bringing your food, then you will pay for it. As other reviewers said, if you don't like it, go down the street in the Paquis and get yourself a $22 pizza!

21 Swiss francs for a bacon cheeseburger plate. That is about 22 dollars. Kind of ridiculous when you think about it but I think this place has the market cornered when it comes to quality burgers in Geneva. We arrived at noon and sat outside in the spring sun and by 1230 they were slammed. They have a beautiful patio with plenty of outdoor seating and tables with patio umbrellas. Let's start with the salad. A healthy sized serving of a mesclun mix tossed with a vinaigrette that had a hint of soy sauce. Pretty tasty. The burger arrived meat is fresh and tasty but pretty tiny. There is definitely a meat to bun ratio discrepancy. They use gruyère for their cheese which is very tasty but gives the burger a slight stinky nose feel. I liked it but I could see some Americans being turned off by this. The bacon was not really what we're used to but for 1 franc more it is worth the add. They also offer a good selection of hot sauces so make sure you ask but no guarantee that your server will remember. Our server was overwhelmed and forgot after we asked twice. The fries were on point. Seemed like they were fried in peanut oil but I'm not positive. Guess all in all this was A-Ok but I'd rather try something different next time.

I've spent several months in Geneva, combined, and I can say without a doubt that this is the best burger I've had in the city. It's also entirely affordable: CHF 21 for a well-sized bacon cheeseburger, a green salad, french fries, and a side of cole slaw. For an extra CHF 2 you can add toppings (caramelized onions, etc). There's a cool vibe in the restaurant, too. I went on a weeknight with two friends and we were seated almost immediately. My understanding is that there is often a wait, so I suppose we got lucky. Even so, it's a cozy placed. The walls are decorated with American-type art, but fittingly the burgers come with a small Swiss flag planted on top. I'm told they have delicious desserts but we were stuffed from the burgers. I'll definitely be back!

Warning: To save your time and money, go to Macdonald's or burger kings, they taste better and are away cheaper.. We order a house burger which comes with a side green salad, fries, and coleslaw and we order a homemade lemonade and a strawberry milkshake.. The green Salad taste was terrible as the lattice has a bitter taste with a greasy dressing. The burger taste awful as it has rubbery cartilages that I could not chew and had to take it out from my mouth. The fries was tasteless, you will regret the high calories and increasing your cholesterol level after eating it. The coleslaw fall in the same category of the terrible taste as you feel it sunk in mayo-water sauce.. The drinks was awful as well, as the home made lemonade has a bitter taste and the strawberry milkshake was too sweet with a whipped cream taste. In summary, this is not the place you go for even if you are starving and about to die. I was planning to give them one star but I added one more as their staff was friendly, they open late, and the decorations is cheerful.

In a city that often makes you feel like you're getting ripped off when you eat out, this joint actually makes me feel quite alright about parting with my francs. For CHF 21, I got a well-made bacon cheeseburger, a lovely green salad, delicious French fries, and a side of (forgettable) coleslaw (Dear Management - replace this with a nice artisanal pickle and you're golden). They also serve Brooklyn Lagers and their own brewed IPA, which was quite nice. Went here with a rather large group after having drinks by the lake and it was no trouble at all find a comfortable seat. Oh one last plus point: They're open EVERY. DAY. OF. THE. WEEK. In Geneva, that's GOLD. I'll definitely be back!

Nice place. Good burgers. Food: Free tap water. Nice deserts. Burger with good bread, decent meat, well cooked. Didn't enjoy the entree salad, was not so fresh. Decent fries. Had a strange taste, maybe the oil they used. Attention: nice and quick. Ambient: really enjoyed the location and the terrace. Overall is a good experience for 20 CHF.

After spending a lot of time overseas, and never finding a burger that actually tastes like an American burger, this place is pretty dang close. Hand pressed patty that is more rare than med rare (thumbs up from me on that) with fries, salad and Cole slaw. The slaw is not great; it's as if they can't decide to go with sweet or vinegary slaw, so they end up with tasteless. The burger could definitely be more substantive, but flavor wise, it was quite good, as were the fries, salad and the white beer I had with it. For 20 francs, it's also a bargain. Will come back and try the milkshake next time.

Yes, yes & more yes! I've been traveling for work for a while and wanted something classically American--this hit the spot. The burger was cooked well with all the classic fixings. I got mine to go with fries that were perfectly crisp. The cole slaw is a bit lack luster--but I added it to my burger which topped things off quite nicely. It is reasonably priced and the service is pretty quick.

Recently featured in the Twisper list of the world best hamburgers, i decided to give it a try with my girlfriend. And i wasnt disapointed. The burgers are really juicy, and full of taste, although a little bit small for my big appetite. Burgers are served with a salad, some coleslaw and some fries, and have, of course, to be accompanied with a beer, inside or on their huge pavement area. The only problem is, but this goes for all gourmet burgers places, that the prices are a little bit high. Although, this seems like the perfect spot for a burger with friends ! P.s. Honorable mention for the bun. It is soft. But tight. But soft. Amazing !

Best burger in Geneva, hands down. The owners got it right. The burger is smaller than that Holy place in town, but the meat is 100% better. The bun is nice soft seeded bun and the burger is topped with lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, mustard, mayo and ketchup..perfectly made, perfect flavor. They have thin crispy fries. Also served with your burger is a mouthful of cole slaw and a green salad....a lot of food in amount and for the price, 20chf. The place was packed inside and out so service was slightly slow, but its new. The decor inside was very well done and cool looking. They have a few brunchie items as well. We sat outside on picnic benches in the sun, the servers were super nice, bringing us water and menus right away. I will go back for a burger again and it might be the only place for me to have a burger from now on.

Above average burger. Good meat to bun ratio and cooked well, but it lacked flavor and juiciness. The milkshake was a bit of a let down. Nice ambiance and service was on point.

Excellent, simple food...exactly what we were looking for. Very small menu, but fantastic quality and taste. Geneva is pricey but this place gives you the bang for your buck. Good pour on the drinks and yummy desserts.

I LOVED THIS RESTAURANT. I ordered the cheeseburger and it comes with a green salad, cole slaw, and fries for 20 swiss francs. This is a bit pricey, but a pretty good deal in Geneva. The burger was juicy and the fries tasted like thrashers or boardwalk fries for a comparison (yum). They also had many choices for sauces. Would definitely recommend!!

Great burgers. You can choose different sizes depending on your appetite. Little salad as complimentary starter was a nice surprise.

First of all -- a far better, infinitely better, hamburger restaurant in Geneva is Inglewood. Hamburger Foundation and Inglewood aren't really comparable but Inglewood is simply less well known by the apparent expats and tourists that abound at hamburger foundation and bother to write on yelp. Second, I know what I get when I go to hamburger foundation as I live nearby the paquis location and go relatively often. It's not good food but it's food and while preferred restaurants are closed thf is open. However, I recently had two tables of families surrounding my table, their children were throwing French fries around the area I was sitting - attracting the many many pigeons in the area - and then chasing the pigeons - which then flew all around my food and in fact sht on my head. On top of that the bread was clearly a day old. Two burgers, two beers, uncontrolled children, birds and apparently an incompetent staff all below the age of 20. 57 chf. I'll never go back.

Very cool spot. Burgers are big and juicy and hosts were all very nice. Wanted to have a good burger after being in Switzerland for over two weeks and this place reminded me of being back home in the states.

3 stars, had dinner not to long ago a simple burger with salade. I don't know what it was, but had a bad reaction to the salad. My face and neck was red and itchy. Show the girl who was working there and didn't care much about it. I was suffering from what I ate. She said it's a secret recipe can not tell you what's in the salad dressing. Something was secret alright that gave me a rash. I have not been there since then and I don't recommend any of my family or friends to go there. Keep your secret to your self. And I'll take my business s

Best burger in Europe! Open 7/7. Weekend home made American brunches! Hospitality level is incredibly high and the place looks really nice with its beautiful bar (good cocktails).

Amazing burgers. They have the Americans approval. However the food isn't cheap. For a cheeseburger you pay 20 Swiss francs. The burger comes with fries and a salad. I'd definitely recommend anyone to come here. The meat was of a good quality and fresh. Make sure to have francs on you as the exchange rate within the restaurant is awful. I only had euros and paid the same price :/

This burger was delicious! We came here last night after enjoying drinks at the lake and the service was fabulous, the burgers are perfectly cooked, the prices are reasonable for Geneva and they have plenty of outdoor seating. They have 3 burgers on the menu - regular, cheeseburger and bacon cheeseburger. Each burger comes with coleslaw, thin fries, bun, tomatoes pickles, onions etc. They also have a burger cart that is at different spots in the city where you can order the same items! On Sunday the burger cart is at Plainpalais market.

It's the finest foundation in Geneva! Our "In-N-Out" with great burgers, fine fries and friendly service!

We enjoyed the restaurant and thought it was delicious, but coming as an American that was excited about the prospect of a pseudo American burger restaurant, I was a bit disappointed. The servings were small (especially the cole slaw) and he fries were fine. If you're feeling a burger, I would recommend going here, but it don't expect super American authenticity.

I've had the burgers from their food-truck and they're ok but not exceptional. Though considering they're half the price of the restaurant burgers maybe the ones they serve at the restaurant are better quality. For about the same price though, I'd pick Holy Cow over the Foundation food truck.

This place was great. Great burgers and cold beer. Felt right at home. The staff was very friendly and helpful as well, they all spoke great English and recommended a few other places we should check out on our last night in Geneva.

Pretty decent option in a challenging context. The burgers are good - sort of Shake Shack, but up a notch. The "standard" meal adds good fries, cole slaw, and a salad, all for around CF20. A steal by Geneva standards. Pleasant seating outside if the weather is nice.

Being from Chicago, I know good burgers. After reading the reviews I had expected a solid burger, but the bacon cheese burger was outstanding and exceeded expectations. Cooked perfectly and lots of flavor on the burger, a great bun choice, and good fries. About as good as anything you could get stateside.

Like Chez Ma Cousine but with hamburgers. In summer they have seating outside.

Great burger and salad... Fries were a bit overcooked. For Geneva the price was a reasonable 24 Swiss francs for a burger, fries, slaw, salad and a coke. Definitely should try.

The food here is pretty good. It's not the best burger I've ever had, but it was fairly priced for Geneva and the fries were nice.