Looking for a good hamburger in Japan

[prasantrin]

There's a little burger shack (literally, a little shack) in Nishinomiya, Hyogo that has excellent burgers. The buns are always fresh, the burgers are flavourful and moist...the grilled onions would be good if I liked grilled onions, and they use real cheddar cheese on their cheeseburger! I actually prefer it to Kua'Aina, since Kua'Aina is inconsistent (lately, the burgers have been lukewarm and dry, and the buns stale at the location I usually go to).

It's called Awajishima Burger--just in case anyone happens to be around JR Nishinomiya Station sometime soon.

[Pouncy]

Here on base in Yokosuka we have an A&W (and a couple more fast foods I haven't seen in town). If anyone wants to visit, drop me an email - pouncy, gmail, etc.

[Craig Bayliss]

Possibly the best burger I've ever eaten....

You can probably work out where it was

[raji]

My other favorites from living there were Kui'ana, there's one in right near Aoyama-Gakuin on Aoyama-dori

Did I get the spelling and location correct?

They are SICK there - how much was it again?

[torakris]

My other favorites from living there were Kui'ana, there's one in right near Aoyama-Gakuin on Aoyama-dori

Did I get the spelling and location correct?

They are SICK there - how much was it again?

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You almost got the spelling right. Kua'aina

There are a couple shops in Tokyo including the Aoyama one.

The hamburger prices start at 820 yen for the 1/3 lb plain burger and 1030 yen for the 1/2lb plain one. they go up top 1240 yen for 1/2lb with either bacon or avocado.

They have a good weekday lunch set for only 980 yen for the 1/3lb plain burger plus fries and a drink.

locations and menu can be found here

EDIT

In case anyone couldn't figure it out Craig's picture is a Kua'aina burger and it has made me very hungry!

Edited December 3, 2007 by torakris (log)

[_john]

Kua'Aina is inconsistent (lately, the burgers have been lukewarm and dry, and the buns stale at the location I usually go to).

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I have never been to Kua'Aina but all this talk about burgers has made me want to check it out. I'm guessing you are talking about the one in Namba Parks? Is it still hit and miss?

Usually when I want a good burger in Japan I make it at home. I grill it on a あみ (what is the english word for this? stove-top fish grill?). I made a kind of flexible tube that you sometimes see at yakiniku places so I can suck the smoke out of my kitchen with the exhaust fan more efficiently. Hopefully the fire department won't pay me a visit.

evidence:

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

Johnny Rockets near Roppongi Kosaten

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I've been to Johnny Rockets once, a location in CA, and if that burger is representative of the entire chain, I'm not impressed.

Those Kua'aina burgers look like they're worth the money, keeping in mind that theses days a combo meal at McD's here in CA is over $5.

[prasantrin]

I have never been to Kua'Aina but all this talk about burgers has made me want to check it out. I'm guessing you are talking about the one in Namba Parks? Is it still hit and miss?

Yup, the Namba Parks one. That's the only one in Kansai I've been to, but I think there might be others in Kansai. They used to have one at USJ, but I don't know if it's still there. The last time I was there (early Sept.), it wasn't so good. But the thing about Kua'Aina is that you never know if you're burger is going to be good or not.

I make my own burgers, too, but since I found Awajishima Burger, I haven't felt the need to. Their burgers are much better than any burger I've made, and I really like my own burgers. My burgers are like Kua'Aina burgers, but with a better bun (mine, I mean, not theirs). Awajishima burgers are on a different level. They look almost exactly like the burgers Magus is making over in the Heartland forum. There's something very comforting about them.

ETA: I check Kua'Aina's website, and the Namba Parks location is the only one in Japan outside the Kanto area, plus the have the two in Hawaii. I thought I had read they were planning to open one in LA, but I don't know if that's true.

Edited December 3, 2007 by prasantrin (log)

[Hiroyuki]

OK, so will someone enlighten me as to what a good hamburger is?

The bun should be (for example, crispy)...

The patty should be (for example, 100% beef)...

[prasantrin]

OK, so will someone enlighten me as to what a good hamburger is?

The bun should be (for example, crispy)...

The patty should be (for example, 100% beef)...

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That's a very difficult question to answer, as people's tastes vary widely. Just take a look at this topic and all the topics it links to, and you'll see hundreds of ideas for what makes a perfect burger.

For me, though, the burger patty itself should not be too thick or dense, and it should be lightly flavoured (it must have some flavouring--like salt or pepper). I generally prefer 100% beef, but I don't mind a bit of pork mixed in, as long as I can still taste the beef. But it should be only meat--no onions, egg, etc. mixed in.

The bun should be soft, but not so soft that it breaks apart while you're eating, plus it should be toasted, preferably on the same grill that the burger is cooked on. I like sesame or poppy seeds on my buns, but they aren't necessary (Kua'Aina's bun is poppy seed, and I always end up with poppy seeds sticking between my teeth, so I look like I have a million cavities).

There shouldn't be too many toppings or condiments, as they will squish out when you eat, and I hate messy burgers. And a good burger place will let you choose your condiments. At Awajishima Burger, they use barbeque sauce on their burgers, but I like ketchup. They are kind enough to let me substitute, but there are some burger places that won't. If you won't let me put ketchup on my burger, I ain't eatin' at your burger place.

Edited December 3, 2007 by prasantrin (log)

[_john]

OK, so will someone enlighten me as to what a good hamburger is?

The bun should be (for example, crispy)...

The patty should be (for example, 100% beef)...

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yes, that is a very difficult question. For me I am searching for the burgers of my childhood. All the things I could list here that make a burger "good" for me are largely personal. The biggest problem, even at home, is that Japanese bacon is not real bacon! And by real I mean what I am used to in the U.S. I make my own bacon here, which solves that problem, but it is a lot of effort for a burger . And then you have to start thinking about fries!

[raji]

Johnny Rockets near Roppongi Kosaten

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I've been to Johnny Rockets once, a location in CA, and if that burger is representative of the entire chain, I'm not impressed.

Those Kua'aina burgers look like they're worth the money, keeping in mind that theses days a combo meal at McD's here in CA is over $5.

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They have a Johnny Rockets here in NY, too. The one in Tokyo is a lot better, as are their fries and shakes, but also they stand out because there are so few really good burgers in Tokyo -

$5? That's a fucking steal. A combo meal in NY is more like $7-$8. Maybe it was $5 back in 2000. The beautiful thing is, though, when's the last time prices have changed in Japan? Totally stagnant.

[raji]

OK, so will someone enlighten me as to what a good hamburger is?

The bun should be (for example, crispy)...

The patty should be (for example, 100% beef)...

←

That's a very difficult question to answer, as people's tastes vary widely. Just take a look at this topic and all the topics it links to, and you'll see hundreds of ideas for what makes a perfect burger.

←

Thats right - that's an extremely personal question - there are as many burger variations in the USA as ramen variations in Japan, it's as much as a national dish as you can get, so the burger debate is definitely akin to the ramen debate.

Also, people will tell you that LA is a burger town vs. NY, but those people probably prefer skinnier fast-food style patties.

Personally I very rarely like those, and judging by popularity of burger joints in NYC, most NYers are with me - to them (and me) what makes a perfect burger is in fact a thick patty, 1/3-1/2lb, that is thick enough to show off how it's been cooked - i.e. medium-rare should be pink in the center. Skinny fast-food style patties can never do that.

On a sesame-seed or poppy-seed kaiser-style roll, or perhaps a potato roll that has been crisped up perhaps with a little butter, lettuce, tomato, thin-sliced half-sour pickles, onion, ketchup and mayo, (or perhaps a russian dressing)... mustard, rarely...

At the more luxe places you will find things like caramelized red onion, sauteed mushrooms, bleu cheese

I've reverse-engineered the formula a few of the top places are using. They use approximately 70% sirloin or chuck and 30% brisket. Fresh-grind the meat - if you don't have a meat grinder or food processor or something that will chop it up, witness a sushi-chef making negitoro and do likewise - a rough chop with a sharp knife should be fine.

Freshly ground meat will shock you how much better it tastes - ground meat from the supah takes on oxidation and the characteristic totally changes. The brisket adds fat content and bite in a very positive way.

Anyway, this is the formula places like Shake Shack, Burger Joint, and GoodBurger (there has been a burger war going on for about 3 years now here) use and I daresay my homemade burger was just as good made at home -

Report back if anyone tries this out!

[Hiroyuki]

Thanks for your replies, the three of you.

I'm a bit surprised that all of you stressed personal preferences rather than the very core of what a good hamburger should be, but I can see from your posts that there are some basic characteristics of a good hamburger that everyone will agree on, just like sushi has to meet some basic requirements to be called good (careful shigoto (work) on fresh neta, hitohada (human skin temp.) shari, a proper neta-to-shari ratio, etc.). The same goes for soba ("san tate" (three "just's", i.e., just ground, just made, and just boiled).

I had a 200-yen chicken tatsuta age burger in the cafeteria in a local supermarket for lunch today, which wasn't bad by my standards, wondering what you would all say about this and other Japanese-style burgers.

[prasantrin]

My favourite burger place--just a 20-minute bike ride from my house!

It's called Awaji Burger, and it really is a little shack! They mostly do take-out, as they only have a small counter that seats six (and the counter is too high for the plastic lawn chairs they use for seating). During the winter the plastic wrap around the front helps keep the heat in (they just have a kerosene heater, plus the heat from the fryer and grill), but during the summer the front is completely open with just the bamboo shades to keep the sun out.

The onions and eggs they use are from Awaji, hence the name, but I'm not sure about the beef (or whatever it is they use in their burgers--it might be a beef and pork mix).

Yesterday I went all out (for me) and ordered a bacon cheese burger. I'm always wary of Japanese bacon (I prefer crispy American-style bacon), but this was really good. They use real cheese, which is definitely a plus. They put mayonnaise and barbecue sauce on their burgers, but I always get ketchup instead of the barbecue sauce.

It's very messy to eat, but I love it! The burger plus the panko-coated onion rings in the back cost Y850 (the burger is Y500, cheese and bacon Y100 each, and onion rings were Y150). You can also get your burger topped with onion rings or an egg.

The bike ride back to my place helps burn off some of the calories from the meal...

Edited March 6, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

Looks good! Not a bad price for burger + onion rings, even by American standards.

[_john]

That burger looks great.

Has anyone else seen that hamburger mook (magazine book) at book stores recently? I tried to take a picture of it but the staff made a big batsu sign over his head

[torakris]

That burger looks great.

Has anyone else seen that hamburger mook (magazine book) at book stores recently? I tried to take a picture of it but the staff made a big batsu sign over his head 

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What kind of magazine/book is it? Is it about hamburger places or a cookbook? I can't even remember the last time I was in a book store it has been that long...

I think it is time to check one out.

Rona,

that hamburger is mouthwatering! it is 11:51 am and I am starving and have I feel like eating in the house. That picture is torture.

[prasantrin]

Rona,

that hamburger is mouthwatering! it is 11:51 am and I am starving and have I feel like eating in the house. That picture is torture.

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It was really good, but really really messy. I could barely find the bun under the burger, so it kind of fell apart about midway through, and I had to take out some of the onions and the lettuce so I could fit the thing in my mouth. I read that if you order it with all the extras, it's about 20cm in height. I have this thing about messy food--I hate getting messy when I eat--so I think I'll have to stick to my regular cheeseburger.

But it's still my favourite! It whips Kua'Aina's a***!!!

[_john]

What kind of magazine/book is it? Is it about hamburger places or a cookbook? I can't even remember the last time I was in a book store it has been that long...

I think it is time to check one out.

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It was a book about hamburger places in Japan. Lots of listings in the Tokyo area and Sasebo of course. It might have been this one.

[MoGa]

Here's an amazing burger blog by someone who seems to be based in Tokyo. I dread to think what his cholesterol level has to be now.

http://palstage.blog.ocn.ne.jp/palog/2006/01/post_aab3.html

My own favorite is this one:

http://palstage.blog.ocn.ne.jp/palog/2007/...r_caf_c745.html

Zats Cafe, which sells Sasebo burgers* and is near the East Exit of Yoyogi Station (next to the train tracks).

My fish burger was excellent, but I have to go on my husband's opinion of the massive Sasebo burger with avocado. It was huge, it was delicious, and what made it a very Japanese burger was that he didn't feel sick afterwards. The ladies who worked there made up the nicest burger crew I've ever come across. Even sitting in the tiny veranda with the Clock Tower above Takashimaya and the Yamanote line and Narita Express trains forming part of a constant rumbling and clanging backdrop was a delightfully unique experience. I can't wait to return!

My husband likes Kua'Aina burgers very much, but this was unquestionably better.

(Sasebo is a town in the south of Japan which has a fine reputation for burgers - introduced in WWII and adopted as the local delicacy. I believe Sasebo burgers have some kind of trademark on them.)

Link to our own photos (taken Oct. 2007)

Big Sasebo Burger

Burger & Tower

Edited March 20, 2008 by MoGa (log)