DUMBO, the Paris-born brand credited with pioneering the ‘smashburger’ in Europe, opened its second London restaurant this Autumn at 37 Berwick Street in Soho. Following the success of its Shoreditch debut last summer, the new address brings DUMBO’s cult-favourite smashburgers, perfectly cooked fries and crispy chicken nuggets to one of the world’s coolest food neighbourhoods.

The story began in Paris in 2019, with a tiny 17-square-metre kitchen on rue Jean-Baptiste Pigalle. There was no conventional dining room, just a stainless-steel counter, raw concrete walls and a window onto the street. Burgers were eaten standing up, perched on stools or makeshift seats outside, or simply taken away. The approach was deliberately democratic: a return to the original idea of fast food as something popular, uncomplicated and accessible, while giving the burger a more precise, considered treatment. Simple, yet efficient!

The name DUMBO refers to the Brooklyn neighbourhood, Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, that inspired its founders. There is, despite the name, no elephant involved.

The smashburger itself came from a different kind of inspiration. Rather than beginning with a pilgrimage across America, DUMBO’s founders discovered the style through the food culture of the internet: videos, images and endless scrolling. The appeal was immediate: beef pressed directly onto a fiercely hot flat-top, producing a thin, deeply caramelised crust while keeping the centre juicy.

In 2019, DUMBO brought that style to Europe at a time when the smashburger was still relatively unfamiliar. The restaurant quickly attracted attention, winning Best Burger from Le Fooding in its first year. Collaborations followed with restaurants including Septime and Folderol, alongside events and dinners connected to names such as Virgil Abloh, Nike, Jacquemus and Beyoncé. What started as a tiny Paris kitchen gradually became something of a cult among chefs, fashion crowds and burger obsessives.

From the outside, the Berwick Street restaurant has an almost cinematic quality. With its large windows looking directly onto the street and diners visible at their tables, it brings to mind Edward Hopper’s famous diner paintings, that familiar image of people sitting inside beneath artificial light, observed from the pavement outside.

Inside, the space is stripped-back, minimalist and highly efficient, with the kitchen at its centre. Wooden chairs, yellow plexiglass tables and a large bench create a casual, contemporary setting, while stainless steel, raw concrete and solid wood keep the aesthetic deliberately pared back. The yellow resin provides the main flash of colour.

The design comes from Parisian studios Rodaa and Uchronia (other projects include: Youza Ecolodge, Shabour, Tekés and Le Klay; Uchronia: Forest Paris, Créatures, Café Nuances, Sonia Rykiel, Café Shin, Forest Marseille and Unagi), whose work has helped shape DUMBO’s visual identity across its locations. The rooms combine a kind of diner nostalgia with raw contemporary materials: stainless steel, track lighting, solid wood, bare concrete and yellow resin. Here, the contrast is carefully controlled, with everything unnecessary removed so attention remains firmly on the kitchen.

On arrival, a library-green lamp sits alongside an Aesop hand sanitiser, while a DUMBO T-shirt from the original Paris restaurant is framed on the wall, featuring its original address at 64 rue Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, a subtle reference to the restaurant’s beginnings.

The open kitchen is arguably the room’s most important feature. It gives the restaurant an energetic atmosphere and puts the cooking directly in view. There is no barrier between the action and the dining room! And the food is just as straightforward.

The beef is aged for two weeks and sourced from butchers the brand knows and trusts: Aux Pâturages in Paris, HG Walter in London and La Granda in Milan. In Soho, the beef comes from HG Walter. Each patty is smashed to order on a burning-hot flat-top, creating the characteristic crisp, lacquered crust while keeping the meat juicy inside.

The burgers come in potato buns, baked by hand to DUMBO’s own recipe. Soft and lightly brioched, they have just enough sweetness to complement the beef. The cheese is selected specifically for its melting qualities, while dill pickles and Heinz ketchup provide the final accents.

Nothing is there simply because it is expected to be on a burger. The restraint is intentional. The aim is to make each element work rather than build an overloaded combination of toppings and sauces.

The menu is short by design. Alongside the burgers are DUMBO’s fries and crispy chicken nuggets, with a concise drinks selection including Asahi beer. That limited choice is part of the point: fewer items mean greater consistency, allowing every burger, basket of fries and nugget to be produced to the same standard, service after service, across Paris, Milan and now London.

The fries are particularly good, crisp, well seasoned and notably non-greasy, while the nuggets offer a satisfyingly crunchy alternative. There is nothing complicated about the food, but the execution is precise.

Food is available to eat in or take away, making the Berwick Street address equally suited to a quick lunch, an informal meal or a takeaway order. The clientele is young and, on a recent visit, noticeably female, giving the restaurant an energetic, fashion-conscious atmosphere that feels entirely at home in Soho.

DUMBO has now expanded beyond its original Paris kitchen, with London locations in Shoreditch and Soho followed by an address in Milan’s Isola district. Despite the growth, the concept remains remarkably consistent: every location is organised around its kitchen, every room is pared back to its essentials, and the food remains the focus.

Simple, efficient and very easy to like, DUMBO’s Soho opening feels less like a reinvention than a confident continuation of a formula that began with a tiny kitchen on rue Jean-Baptiste Pigalle.

–

Thanks to DUMBO and KLANTE