The burger championship: franchises in Japan
Lotteria. McDonalds. MOS burger. Shake shack.
Mentioned list is the burger chains I've tried in Japan but which one is my ultimate favorite? Let me take you through the burgers before revealing the answers.
commonly found well known franchise, McDonalds!
During our trip to Japan, McDonalds was having this burger battle between Tokyo roast beef burger (440 Yen) vs Osaka beef katsu burger (390 Yen) but it was a bummer they sold out of the Osaka version (yes the Osaka version won but not sure if its cheaper price played a part). So we had to make do with the double patty cheese burger (320 Yen) AND also the roast beef burger.
How did it taste? The cheese burger was pretty normal/standard. It's a good thing I suppose, meaning they kept their quality/taste control pretty well despite the country you're buying it from. Whereas for the Tokyo roast beef burger, not a big fan. Felt like it was just a slab of ham on top of another slab of patty-like-ham.
Don't think I will need to elaborate on the fries and drinks.
To be consistent, we had to get the Lottery cheeseburger (240 Yen) and on the right, we had the shrimp burger (360 Yen).
The cheeseburger here was more towards the peppery side. Not to say it's good or if that's bad. I guess it's personal preference but I felt like it was missing out on some pickles of some sort. Whereas that shrimp burger, mmmmmmmm! Love it! It was piping hot when we got it, so good. (but I reckon the shrimp katsu from the one I had at Yanesen mentioned in this write up is still better, link here!)
Was it worth it? Well check out the attached video. I went all out and ordered the shack stack which is basically cheeseburger AND a mushroom burger combined. My oh my, it is not just any shroom' burger. That oozing cheese from the crisp-fried portobello mushroom was insane. However, it is on the pricier side. Shack stack alone was 1,230 Yen, with no drinks nor fries.
On the left we had the hamburger (370 Yen). By far my favourite classic hamburger compared across the different franchise. The patty tasted very "original". What I mean by that is that you can really taste the authentic meaty flavour. Not at all overwhelming with seasoning and extremely scrumptious. Check out that slab/slice of tomato they placed in the burger on top of the bed of onions and tomato sauce. Again, you can clearly see that the tomato sauce isn't just any tomato sauce, it felt so "original". Like it hasn't gone through multiple manufacturing processes to reach the state that it was.
On the right we had the teriyaki chicken burger (360 Yen). Meat was so well marinated! It's so tender and well cooked, every bite you take it's bursting with juice. That fresh crisp lettuce sure as hell complimented the burger 101%. Also, I have conceded that onion does magic.
Mentioned list is the burger chains I've tried in Japan but which one is my ultimate favorite? Let me take you through the burgers before revealing the answers.
McDonald's
First stop, let's start with the most
During our trip to Japan, McDonalds was having this burger battle between Tokyo roast beef burger (440 Yen) vs Osaka beef katsu burger (390 Yen) but it was a bummer they sold out of the Osaka version (yes the Osaka version won but not sure if its cheaper price played a part). So we had to make do with the double patty cheese burger (320 Yen) AND also the roast beef burger.
How did it taste? The cheese burger was pretty normal/standard. It's a good thing I suppose, meaning they kept their quality/taste control pretty well despite the country you're buying it from. Whereas for the Tokyo roast beef burger, not a big fan. Felt like it was just a slab of ham on top of another slab of patty-like-ham.
Don't think I will need to elaborate on the fries and drinks.
Lotteria
My source of reference (aka Wikipedia) has indicated that Lotteria originated from Tokyo Japan and was established back in September 1972. It has expanded to countries like South Korea, Indonesia and etc.
The cheeseburger here was more towards the peppery side. Not to say it's good or if that's bad. I guess it's personal preference but I felt like it was missing out on some pickles of some sort. Whereas that shrimp burger, mmmmmmmm! Love it! It was piping hot when we got it, so good. (but I reckon the shrimp katsu from the one I had at Yanesen mentioned in this write up is still better, link here!)
Shake Shack
Shake Shack is an American fast food chain. I knew I wasn't going U.S anytime soon so I was beyond excited when I heard they were going to expand to Japan and I was going to be in town around the same time as their grand-opening time (back in March'16)! I had to wait in line for almost an hour...
Was it worth it? Well check out the attached video. I went all out and ordered the shack stack which is basically cheeseburger AND a mushroom burger combined. My oh my, it is not just any shroom' burger. That oozing cheese from the crisp-fried portobello mushroom was insane. However, it is on the pricier side. Shack stack alone was 1,230 Yen, with no drinks nor fries.
MOS
MOS burger has always been my all time favourite even before trying them out in Japan. So when I was in Japan, it is only natural that I made sure to pay it a visit. We ended up going to MOS burger, not once but twice! So I guess it's clear who's my ultimate favourite.
On the left we had the hamburger (370 Yen). By far my favourite classic hamburger compared across the different franchise. The patty tasted very "original". What I mean by that is that you can really taste the authentic meaty flavour. Not at all overwhelming with seasoning and extremely scrumptious. Check out that slab/slice of tomato they placed in the burger on top of the bed of onions and tomato sauce. Again, you can clearly see that the tomato sauce isn't just any tomato sauce, it felt so "original". Like it hasn't gone through multiple manufacturing processes to reach the state that it was.
On the right we had the teriyaki chicken burger (360 Yen). Meat was so well marinated! It's so tender and well cooked, every bite you take it's bursting with juice. That fresh crisp lettuce sure as hell complimented the burger 101%. Also, I have conceded that onion does magic.
During our second round of MOS-run, we got the ebi katsu burger (390 Yen) and cheeseburger (440 Yen). I have to be honest and admit that the ebi katsu in MOS burger was the least tasty one amongst all the ebi katsu that we've had. Had too much batter instead of the shrimp. Last but not least, cheeseburger. No doubt it was good but personally preferred the ones with tomato filling showed above.
So who won?
MOS burger is the champion of all burgers! Followed by possibly a tie between Lotteria and Shake Shack. Guess we know who lost?
