- Name: Awaji-Shima Burger 淡路島バーガー
- Cuisine: Hamburger
- Cost: ¥ (¥600+)
- Bargain: Very Good
- Payment: Cash
- Size: Tiny; 6 counter seats
- Wait: 15+ minutes
- Area: Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
- Station: JR Nishinomiya
This is one of foodie friend’s favorite burger place in Japan. To him, it’s the best burger in Kansai or, maybe even, in Japan. I was finally able to try it with him today.
It’s pretty easy to find. It’s less than 10 minutes down the street from Nishinomiya Station. Just follow your nose. You could smell the grilled onions from around the corner.
I was surprised to find out that the restaurant is just a small rustic-looking shack. It looked like something from post-war Japan. There was a short queue outside but they were all waiting for their take-out orders. So we were able to get seated immediately. Inside, it’s even tinier. There are only six counter seats. The other half of the shack is the kitchen/grill. The owner was busy pumping out the orders.
Their menu is very simple:
- Burger
- Regular burger ¥600
- Large burger ¥700
- Extra toppings ¥100
- cheese
- bacon
- egg
- onion rings
- Side ¥160
- French Fries
- Onion rings
- Drinks
I got their L burger (¥700) with bacon (¥100) with a side of onion rings (¥160) and Coke (¥160) to drink.
Our Coke came in the classic glass bottles. So old school. It really adds to the charm. There’s something wonderful and nostalgic about drinking Coke from an ice-cold bottle.
The buns were grilled but fluffy. I think they make their own buns because they cut each bun when they make each burger. The burger came with grilled (Awaji?) onions, a slice of tomato, and some iceberg lettuce. The sauce was a balsamic vinegar? or Worcestershire-based barbecue sauce or something. It was a bit tart. Personally, I don’t like it too saucy. The hamburger patty was moist and flavorful. The bacon topping that I added didn’t add much to the burger, IMHO. I wish the bacon was more crispy. 
As for the onion rings, they were super crispy. I would’ve liked some ketchup with them though.
Overall, very good. Very good price for a quality burger. This kind of burger can easily cost more than ¥1,000 at some restaurant in a department store. Also ¥160 for quality American-style onion rings is also unheard of in Japan.
Overall: 
TL;DR: High quality burger for a very reasonable price
Recommend: Highly Recommend
Website: http://www.web-joho.com/awaji/
Address: 兵庫県 西宮市 池田町4-1
