So, you are craving a burger in the land famous for ramen and sushi. I totally get it. I love a good burger and I’m here to share my top 10 Tokyo burgers. This is not meant to be a top 10 Tokyo burgers list of all-time though, but rather some of our favorite burger picks. If you had 10 kids, would you be able to order and rank them by your favorites? We don’t have the heart to either; we love them all in their own unique way.

So let’s get started with an amazing selection of burger restaurants that put the fast-food chains to shame.

Henry’s Daikanyama – Daikanyama

To start the top 10 Tokyo burgers list off right, we have Henry’s Daikanyama, famous for using grade A5 wagyu meat in their burgers. From the very first bite, you’ll know that this meat was never frozen, mass-produced, nor stuffed with filler. This is what a burger is SUPPOSED to taste like. Fast food burgers will just offend you after having a burger like this.

According to their website, “Henry” was the name the owner, Kentaro Nakahara, went by when he was living in California. You might notice the sauce they use has a slight similarity to the sauce from In-N-Out Burger. While seemingly influenced by the west coast burger, Henry has his own “7 Commitments” to burgers as posted on their website. Some people can’t handle that many commitments in their life. I’ll trust Henry with this burger any day.

Wagyu to Worldwide – Kachidoki

Next up on our list is Wagyu to Worldwide. Located in Kachidoki, Wagyu to Worldwide takes pride in its 100% Kuroge Wagyu and 100% Matsusaka beef specialty burgers that are freshly delivered to the store at the beginning of every day. Wagyu to Worldwide’s burger patties are supplied by Takeuchi Farm, Japan’s #1 producer of wagyu beef. Every part of Wagyu to Worldwide’s burgers are made with the highest quality ingredients, including freshly baked brioche buns from a nearby bakery and their homemade burger sauce with no artificial chemical seasonings or additives.

Wagyu to Worldwide’s goal is to deliver the wonderfulness of Japan’s top-tier meat to visitors from all over the world. It is a good option for those who want to try premium quality Kobe beef but don’t want to break the bank!

Shogun Burger – Shinjuku

Shogun Burger in Shinjuku is located in the seedy, shady streets of Kabukicho. As long as you go during the daytime, you’ll have nothing to fear. You’ll be able to avoid the drunken crowds of tourists and touts inviting you to a nearby bar; however, if you are one of those late-night drunkards coming from Golden Gai, Shogun Burger is a great place to grab a late-night bite if you can make it before 1 AM. But enough about that, let’s talk about meat.

Shogun Burger is another burger joint that features 100% wagyu beef that is never frozen. They are filling, juicy, and will sit perfectly on buns with their freshly stamped logo. Improve your burger by grabbing a beer. Pricing is, of course, expensive due to location.

Coasters – Setagaya

Coasters is a craft beer and burger bar in Setagaya just outside of central Tokyo. You’ll find a very cozy chill vibe for drinking and eating, their slogan is – Good Beer. Good Food. Good People. – and you’ll find exactly that.

If you’re looking for craft beer, it’s a great place to visit and try their selection of the week along with fries. The burgers are again on the pricier side with their Avocado, Bacon Cheeseburger at 1600 yen ($15). The meat may not be graded wagyu, but it is definitely higher grade than your typical diner or bar. They also had some of the best buns we’ve had on a burger. Coasters also has a southern fried chicken burger and pulled pork burger, which is rare to see in Tokyo.

Jack 37 Burger – Nihombashi

Juicy burgers with a few unique flavors, Jack 37 Burger in Nihombashi is one of our favorites. They have their own set of “Balinese Burgers” that include their homemade sweet and spicy sambal sauce. Their standard burger selection is also legit; you can add toppings like thick-cut bacon, pepper-jack cheese, and mozzarella cheese.

It’s safe to bring your vegetarian friends and family with their vegetarian patty that’s made with egg, avocado, cucumber, and mozzarella instead of mystery veggie patty. Not feeling burgers? They have a nice selection of hot dogs too!

McLean Burger Stand – Sumida River

What else could make a burger more enjoyable than having a nice riverfront view? McLean already serves up a delicious gourmet burger, but you can take it to go and enjoy a nice view of the river just around the corner.

The verdict? McLean is often rated one of the best burgers in Tokyo and on some days, they sell out early and have to close shop. They have a selection of sauces such as sweet chili, sour cream, bleu cheese, and Mexican salsa that you won’t find at other burger joints. Another great gourmet burger with gourmet prices, but if you’re looking for something more, there is also the McLean Burger Diner just a few blocks away.

The McLean Diner has the same great burgers, but also additional specialties and a selection of sandwiches, rice plates, and pancakes. The unique burgers you won’t find anywhere else are the Peanut Butter and Eggman as well as the Happy Cream Burger. The sandwiches are no joke too. They have jerk chicken, pastrami, and Philly cheese just to name a few. Are you sold yet?

Intermission

How’s it going? Hungry? Did you make it this far without making plans to hit one of the top 10 Tokyo burgers joints for lunch or dinner yet? Let’s keep going, but we won’t mind if you stopped reading to go get something to eat. 🍔

Cafe Hohokam – Harajuku

Cafe Hohokan’s quality of the burgers here are good, but they are not quite top tier or “line up around the corner and wait” worthy. So why add them to the top 10 Tokyo burgers? The diner itself is an amazing experience.

After all the cultural sites, shrines, gardens, and crazy shopping streets that Tokyo has to offer, you’ll find it a little strange to find this diner, tucked away in the back streets of Harajuku. It’s like taking a step back in time into a 1970s-80s American diner… or perhaps what the Japanese imagined a diner would look like from back then.

If you are a fan of interior design, you’ll enjoy the attention to detail this restaurant has, from the seating benches, coasters, and even the way the toilet paper is stacked and organized in the bathroom.

Village Vanguard Diner – Kichijoji

Village Vanguard Diner is a restaurant chain related to the popular Village Vanguard, a book store that sells a lot more than books such as clothing, snacks, and pop culture knick-knacks. The Village Vanguard Diner was started by a former manager of a Village Vanguard store. He wanted to create a “fusion between food and books” and started by launching the restaurant starting with burgers.

You’ll find the standard fare of diner burgers to choose from as well as some specialty flavors such as Avocado Wasabi burger and limited specialties such as the “Deep Forest Burger”. They also have fluffy pancakes for those with a sweet tooth. If you don’t know about fluffy pancakes in Japan, I suggest you read “A Happy Pancake” right now.

Village Vanguard is a solid spot to have a burger after a nice day out in Kichijoji shopping or visiting Inokashira park and the Ghibli museum.

Bashi Burger Chance – Ikebukuro

Another hip burger spot in another hip small neighborhood is Bashi Burger Chance. The Ikebukuro location is small and cozy with an English-friendly menu. The burgers and beer here are more affordable than the other gourmet burgers on this list, but they definitely are not lacking.

If you’re overloaded with beef after eating through this list, Bashi Burger also has a selection of chicken and fish burgers that are worth trying.

Blacows – Shibuya

Another wagyu burger spot. Another delicious creation. The thing about Japanese burger joints is that you’ll find all the good ones pay attention to every ingredient and prepare the burger beautifully (if one can call a burger beautiful).

Blacows is no different. The meat is 100% wagyu beef, the buns are specially prepared by Maison Kayser, the eggs are from Kyoto, and the BBQ sauce is homemade. Their website even states that their bacon “is made with enzyme-fed Chiba Nadeshiko Pork, abundant in oleic acid which has been shown to have positive effects on beauty and health.”

The next time you’re with a friend or your special someone that wants to eat “healthy,” you can let them know about a burger will make you healthy and beautiful.

Special Mentions

Burger Revolution Tokyo – Roppongi

We can’t forget to talk about Burger Revolution! Found only a 3-minute walk from Roppongi Station, Burger Revolution offers two different types of premium beef: 100% Kobe beef and 100% Ibusana beef. Its buns are also baked fresh every day with 100% milk from “La Baguette”, a bakery that also serves a number of Michelin-starred restaurants in Japan. However, their signature secret sauce is known to be the taste of the shop. It is made from an exquisite balance of umami, sweetness, and aroma.

Burger Revolution also offers a variety of alcohol options including wine, local beer, and more.

Closing

Were you counting? As I said, it’s tough to pick the top 10 Tokyo burgers when there are so many good places. As a reward for making it to the end of the list, here is our current list of burger spots on a map. Be on the go with this collection.

Our Google Maps List: https://goo.gl/maps/J6ACmJo6qzkbkUww5

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