LapLap

This used to be the repository for burger recommendations, but is rather out of date now (no more Zats cafe Sasebo burger in a Yoyogi, alas).

A friend recently recommended Jack37 Burgers. https://www.jack37burger.com/menu
Since this isn't necessarily about chains, anyone think we should start a new thread to give us a leg up into the next decade?

And it’s done! Thanks armagebedar!

lobsterdog

Sure, a burger thread is a nice idea!

Jack 37 seems to specialize in "Indonesian" burgers, and the sambal sauce and onions kind of overpower the meat flavor.

evergrn

This is specific to Hakodate, but I was really impressed by this local chain up there called Lucky Piero.
Apparently the number one thing to do in Hakodate is to visit Lucky Piero.
So we did, and the place looked all touristy and gimicky. But everything we ordered was actually really good.
This is from 3 years ago, so I'm not sure what kind of burger this was. But this is what I ordered and it was out of this world. And I'm not even much of a burger lover.

armagebedar

I’ve split out this thread given the old one was approaching 10 (!) years old.

Regards,
armagebedar
Japan forum moderator

lobsterdog

Here are my favorite 8 burger joints in Tokyo.

rustykettel

I've only eaten at Munch's Burger Shack among the lot but I thought it was a pretty good burger overall and wife liked it too.

The previously hived off burger thread was interesting. English menus seem to be far more common than they were 10+ years ago.

RichardInSF

Been a while, but I liked Kua'Aina, with a bunch of Tokyo locations and at least one in Yokohama.

LapLap

A particularly useful Kua-Aina location for visitors is the branch within the Ikspiari shopping Mall.
Near Maihama station and close to the Tokyo Disney Parks (on the walking route to Disney Sea).
Great for Lilo & Stitch Fans.

LapLap

The burger place making the biggest blip on my radar at the moment is
Firehouse Burgers. FIRE HOUSE BURGERS �y�{��3���ځ@�t�@�C�A�[�n�E�X�z

Any one have an opinion? mjm, I’m glancing hardest at you.

mjm

Firehouse is a great burger. Very straightforward American style burger. Perhaps a bit too much black pepper in the meat mix but a fantastic eat anyway. Hongo is a bit of hike for me so I go too seldom but enjoy it every time. Chefs (if we can use that for burger joints) start there and make great places afterwards, for example "Authentic" in Akasaka (another great burger!).

Good burger places:

Best in town IMO is Fellows in Omotesando. Freshly cut beef and jsut always booming with flavor.
EAT (next to Bell Commons) used to be fantastic but he got involved with trying to mass market the chain and it went very south after Hikarie opened.
Munches is a classic great burger shack, shame about Trump being find of it. Still well worth visiting.
Brozers did a very good job when I went.
Authentic (see above comment)

On my radar next: FATZ in Koenji. Have heard good things.

Fair to merely average burger places.

Blacows near Ebisu. Really a ball rather than a patty and the cows skulls lining the wall are a bit off-putting. And who serves salad with a burger? Not saying salad is not a desirable thing per se, but burgers usually command fries not wedges and a salad.
Hungry Heaven
Martiniburger
AS Burger
Kua'Aina

Avoid at all costs:

Shake Shack - typical NY greasy chain burger

The city is rife with great burger places. They really take it seriously here. I do not miss home for burgers at all.
Also remember that when reading the above, asking a Californian about hamburgers is akin to asking a German about beer. I acknowledge everyone has different tastes, but the list above can be a good start.

Gradfly

I second MJM's comment and it does American style burgers very well. Their cheeseburger was really good. Meat was juicy but not going into greasy territory. Not sure if you are aware but they have a couple of delivery/carryout locations. The one I went to is pretty close to Shimbashi and Shiodome stations. Location. At least for this location, they can had a bench if you want to sit and eat. During my trip we stumbled upon this website, Tokyobestburgers, and that how's we found out about Firehouse.

groovbusta

My favorite burger joints, in alphabetical order:

Authentic (Akasaka)
BLACOWS (Ebisu)
Fellows (Omotesando)
The Great Burger (Harajuku)
Henry's Burger (Daikanyama and Akihabara)
SASA (Daikanyama)

mjm

Oh good call on Henry's = The pedigree of that place is off the charts good.
Great Burger s another Firehouse alum. I believe.
Sasa is fun and not at all bad for sure.

lobsterdog

While we're on the topic of burgers, does anyone have an opinion on Shake Shack vs. Fatburger?

I'm guessing that we'll eventually be seeing more Fatburgers in town if the Shibuya branch does well....

groovbusta

I'd say Henry's is tough to compare to most other burger joints; it's almost like a steak burger. The only problem I have is that the Daikanyama location only has 4 counter stools, which are usually full, so you end up having to take it somewhere to eat, which is not ideal. I've ordered Henry's via Uber Eats and while still very tasty, not ideal either. The Akihabara location has plenty of seats, but not a part of town I go to regularly, so I have to do without more than I like.

Really want to try Firehouse, but as you can see, I'm lazy and don't like to travel far for my burgers...