Nestled between a battered old bridge and a motorbike repair shop, New York-style burger restaurant Big Corner is an unlikely addition to the slightly down-at-heel Avenue Jean Jaurès. Its arty, pared-back look with leather padded settees and a bright colour scheme certainly sets it apart from the neighbours, but doesn’t whiff too strongly of gentrification.
Prices are reasonable: huge burgers, flanked by chips and a seasoned salad, are €11.50-€13.50, soft drinks €3 and Budweiser €3. There are six different burgers to choose from, none of them diet fodder but all made with fresh ingredients. Check out the Mozza, which comes loaded with beef, rocket, tender mozzarella, creamy pesto and avocado, each ingredient playing off each other but with no single flavour overpowering the rest (a shame about the excessively dense sesame and poppy seed bun). The Chicken is made with lighter bread, and generously stuffed with big slabs of meat.
You can also order fish and chips (€13), a hot dog with chicken sausage, club sandwiches (€9.50-€12) and salads (€11-€13.50). The house chips have properly crispy skins. Desserts are things like a tasty cheesecake (€4.50) or the ‘cookie of the day’ (€2.50). So Big Corner doesn’t deliver groundbreaking grub, but it’ll definitely keep you going for a day or so.