The Great Burger, Tokyo

Rob's colleagues told him that they had the best burgers *ever* at The Great Burger in Shibuya. The fact that his colleagues hail from New York City gives credit that they would at least know a good burger if they came across one. Needless to say, Rob was willing to bend his diet a little bit to allow a burger meal at this little out-of-the-way-but-very-popular eatery (or is it burgery?). Myself, as I've previously proclaimed, I'm not big on burgers, but I was happy to go for the "best burger" experience. It must be noted that this burger place is not of the fast-food variety, but more of the gourmet types. Photos were taken using Rob's iPhone.



There was a queue when we arrived around 2pm on a Sunday afternoon. The place is quite small and fits perhaps 25 at one time. I think we must have waited 20-30minutes before we got a table, but they took our order while we were in the queue so we waited only maybe 10minutes after being seated before our food was served. Rob ordered the Drink Set from the weekend/holiday lunch menu, where for an additional 200yen you get a drink with your meal (a drink costs 500yen or more). He got the Hamburger (950yen) with fried egg (+100yen), mozzarella (+150yen) and bacon (+150yen), and ginger ale. Rob certainly likes his burgers with 'the lot', adding as much ingredients as is practical (sometimes to the point of impractical eating). Rob really enjoyed the burger, and while I am no burger gourmand, it did taste pretty darn good. The patty was well-done which meant that it was a little on the dry side, but it was assembled well with fresh burger bun and vegetables.

Since I'd snacked on the way to lunch (which was a late lunch for me at 2pm), I wanted something light and relatively healthy so I got the Grilled Chicken Sandwich (1050yen) with wholewheat bread (choice of white, wholewheat or brown - whatever 'brown' means). I like that we could choose the type of bread we preferred, which is not the norm in Japan (white is preferred and usually served).The chicken sandwich was also quite good, with a delicious seasoning in the shredded chicken filling. Both burger and sandwich were enjoyed without needing the extra tomato sauce/ketchup or mustard provided on the table.

Hamburger (with extras); and Grilled Chicken Sandwich:


Worth a try if you're willing to shell out more money for a burger than at a fast food joint.