8610 am see, Uster

A lake side eatery on the Greifensee in the city of Uster. 8610 am See is located right by a jetty on the lake at the crossing of a bike, hiking and roller blade path, on the lake side.  The organization 8610 am See sponsors and supports the local community of people with disabilities. They provide a series of services with education, job training, work opportunities and housing support services. This food stall is tied to a restaurant which is fancier and is for sit-down meals. The food stall attached serves two things, a burger and a sausage, which are made to order right in front of you, in addition there are quite a few snacks, sweet condiments, drinks and beers. The system is simple you go to the main counter make your order, and then walk out to the patio give your ticket and your order is made on the spot. On a sunny day, there can be a decent line and as only one person mans the station it can take sometime.  Remarkably they are quick, and the fresh taste and seeing your own burger made right in front of you gives a nice touch to the experience,

The burger is a fresh patty of locally produced beef from the region, and grilled on a gas grill. The bun is lightly grilled and the condiments are fresh onions, lettuce, tomato and pickle with the option of mayo, mustard, and ketch up. You tell what you want  on the burger and how much, this is then put in a paper food pocket and you are ready to go. The grilled taste is wonderful, and being so freshly made the simplicity of the process gives this a positive atmosphere. I like the grilled bun touch which gives a light crispy taste to the burger and with the combination of the onions, lettuce, tomato and pickle these compliment nicely the whole fresh flavor and taste.  The patty is grilled and not overdone but enough juice to give it a real flavor of being fresh. The simplicity, informalness, and being right there as it gets made for you, adds to the atmosphere. The staff are always patient, efficient and helpful considering how busy it gets. The added bonus is the setting right on the Greifensee, and on a sunny day a good place to take a break from the endless cycling options around the lake and the villages in the region. Restlessburger gives 8610 am see a 9! Simple, to the point, no frills, and what it should be tasty, juicy, and complimented with the counter taste of fresh condiments. A place which I return to on a regular basis.

Gaul Burger Harbrucken Zurich

http://www.zumgaul.ch/  Geroldstrasse 35, 8005 Zürich is tucked under a highway overpass and one of Zurich's main train stations Hardbrücke. With an outside patio, bar and  green awning for when it rains,  The location is right in the criss cross of the bussel of cars, pedestrians, cyclists and train traffic. The setting is quite relaxing and an added bonus is the very friendly staff . There is a good selection of beers. It is self serve at the bar and the menu is small with a focus on local and regional product and an emphasis on bio meats. 

 Their burger served on a sesame bun, with a generous bio swiss ground beef patty. This complemented by a bed of shredded red cabbage, lettuce, spinach leaves, and onion and tomato with a paprika mayo/mustard. Served with a side of shredded red cabbage, carrots, red radish and excellent fries with paprika salt instead of salt. The burger was freshly cooked on order, and the 20 minute wait was well worth it. Sitting in the urban environment, the burger tasted very fresh, and the shredded red cabbage gave a nice crunch taste to the condiments. The sauce was a little to sweet for my own taste, but did not spoil the experience or drown itself over everything else. The portion was decent. The bun did a good job of keeping everything in as the condiments where served fresh so the bun did not get soggy. Throughout the meal everything complimented the other, be it the crispy vegetables or juicy fresh cut tomato. The fries were excellent.

Definitely a great spot for vibe, food, and price. The service and sitting outside in a sheltered little haven, surrounded by urban sounds, brought a lot of atmosphere to the meal and it was fun just hanging there for a couple hours.  The pricing is quite reasonable. Restless burger gives the Zum Gaul bio burger an 8.5. A unique place, unexpected find, and a must go back to. Well worth the visit on a sunny afternoon when you have a couple hours to chill.