Burger Mania Ebisu — Restaurant in Tokyo

This is a cozy burger specialty shop with a vintage industrial butcher shop aesthetic: painted concrete, exposed pipes and ductwork, old tables and chairs with cast iron legs and bases. There is a breezy overhead fan and they play reggae music.

I sat in the back corner and had a nice view of the whole place. They handed me four different menus. Drinks. Burgers. Beer. And a big glossy photo of the "monthly burger."

I ordered the monthly burger: corn butter soy burger. I also ordered something off the craft beer menu: Sour fruit ale.

The server suggested I order my burger medium, so I did. Good choice. The sour beer was delicious. Very sour and fruity. But also light bodied and refreshing.

Let me tell you about the burger: it had a great texture. Somewhere between the American ground beef style and the Japanese hand chopped beef style. The corn and butter were sweet and rich, exactly as you'd imagine. The soy added a robust and salty umami that not only provided great contrast with the butter and corn, but also accentuated the tomato flavors. I appreciated the super thin sliced onions, cut into small pieces. They provide a crisp bite without any allium, and weren't so big that they came off the sandwich as soon as I tried to bite through them. I have nothing to say about the lettuce, would've been the same sandwich without it. The cheese is gooey and elastic, mostly texture and no flavor, like flavorless mozzarella. I think the flavorlessness is a good thing, there's already enough going on here. The bun is perfect, pillow soft but with substantial gluten chew. It was toasted with butter, as all good burger buns should be.

Fries were fine. In Tokyo, it seems like you either get the same frozen fries that are served everywhere, or handcut baby potatoes. Both are good. Neither are exceptional. Just a side dish that doesn't distract from the burger.

I'd happily visit Burger Mania again. It's one of the best burgers I've...

Final verdict- not bad, but I won't come back. 🍔Burger- 3 stars. The slogan is "the best burgers in Tokyo," and I was anticipating an amazing burger when she actually asked how well done I wanted my burger, but it was unfortunately underwhelming. The meat was fine, but not really amazing. The bun and cheese were nice! I got the rosemary lemon burger; the rosemary amount wasn't bad, but the lemon seemed to be a literal lemon wedge on the side you're supposed to squeeze on yourself. I thought it might have been infused into something. It really should just be called the rosemary burger. 🍟Fries- 1 star. They were thick and crunchy on the outside, but kind of dry and mealy on the inside. They also didn't bring ketchup. 🍗Chicken nuggets- 5 stars. They were homemade, and that showed! It felt like real chicken! They honey BBQ sauce was well made as well. 🥞Pancakes- 5 stars. They were really solid, classic pancakes. No weird undercooked soufflé feeling there. 🥓Bacon- 4 stars. The bacon on my friend's burger was good for bacon in Japan. Not crispy, but nice quality. 🫖They have real milk, not creamer, with the tea! 💁Service- 2 stars. They weren't rude, but they were clearly young. One waitress tried to force the door open very aggressively when my friend was in there; if it's locked it's occupied! That was strange. I came in to meet my friend after she'd already ordered, and even though it wasn't crowded and they saw me, they didn't acknowledge me for several minutes until I finally got their attention. They never refilled our waters even once. 🪑Atmosphere- 3 stars. A retro-Americana dim vibe, it's nice, but a bit dark. 🎶Music- 4 stars. They were playing jazz and other music with actual character, a nice change from the usual bland nonsense in restaurants,...

As an American, I have certain expectations for what qualifies as a good cheeseburger. I believe a great burger is fairly simple to make if you know the basic elements. I found this place on Google and decided to try it out based on its high ratings and the fact that they offered a Wagyu burger, something I had been wanting to try.

Upon entering, I was immediately seated, which was nice since it wasn't very busy. The restaurant is small, with about eight two-person tables. It had a feel reminiscent of an old western cowboy bar mixed with a British pub.

To my surprise, they had a Kobe burger that the waitress recommended, so I decided to give it a try. The meal came with fries, which I was expecting. However, when the burger arrived, I noticed that the fries were not the shoestring variety featured on the menu. Instead, they were smaller potato wedges.

The burger was supposed to be cooked medium, but it arrived well done and a bit more charred than I prefer. I had high hopes for this burger since Kobe beef is known for its quality, but I was disappointed. The burger lacked flavor and seasoning, and I could taste the onions more than the meat. There was no lettuce, tomato, or mayonnaise on the burger.

After the server dropped off my food, she didn’t return to check on me at all. I had to catch the attention of another server, who was helping someone else who had gotten tired of being ignored and had to go to the front of the restaurant to ask for assistance. As someone who regularly enjoys cheeseburgers, I would say that if you're looking for something comparable to the average American cheeseburger, this place is not the one for you. Furthermore, if you're expecting the Kobe Burger to be one of the best burgers you've had, you will be...