West Park Cafe

When choosing a place to live in Tokyo, the Yoyogi area has to be considered. It is near Shinjuku and Shibuya, which means that the location is very accessible. If you are a foreigner, you will feel comfortable, because there are lots of foreign people living in that area. It is also near the Yoyogi-Park, meaning that you can enjoy jogging or other sports activities as well as enjoying the cherry blossoms in the park. This week's restaurant, West Park Café, is located near the Yoyogi-Uehara station. It is about five minute walk from the station, so be sure to print a map to the restaurant before you head out to get a good hamburger.

This restaurant prides itself for being the first to introduce rotisserie chicken to Japan. Beside from the hamburgers, they serve west-coast inspired food, such as the Chinese Chicken Salad. No wonder, the Yoyogi-Uehara restaurant is designed to have the feel of Santa Monica atmosphere. It is a restaurant for hanging out with family and friends, so the food they server are huge, with sharing in mind. The waiters and waitresses are able to speak English, so even if your Japanese skills are below average, don't hesitate to go into the restaurant. Finally, good news for non-smokers; it has designated non-smoking seats, so you can enjoy your food and liquor smoke-free.

It is also located in Marunouchi and Akasaka, popular places for the foreign business people hang out in Tokyo after work. This restaurant is focused on bringing authentic American food to people who live in Tokyo. If you go to any of the restaurants, there will be more than a few non-Japanese people enjoying liquor and having a good time.

Now, let's focus on hamburgers. Since the hamburgers they serve are very large, they offer to have it cut, so that you can share one hamburger with multiple people. There are six kinds of hamburgers, with the basic one being the WPC (West Park Café) burger.

The WPC burger

The hamburger is huge. The beef patty itself weighs 200 grams, far more than the average of the non-fast-food hamburgers in Japan. It is 100% pure beef, and it can be cooked to your preference. I had mine medium-rare, and it was awesome. The outside of the patty was nicely cooked, and the inside is pure pink, with mouth-watering rich meat juice. While it is a very meaty hamburger, the taste itself is very light; you will be able to enjoy the pure taste of finely cooked beef. If you want something tastier, you might want to put in some ketchup or mustard to spice up the flavor.

The Bacon Cheeseburger.

This is the classic combination; hamburger with bacon and American cheese. The bacons are not cooked to be crispy. It still maintains the juiciness, and with each bite you will taste the rich flavor of the bacon. The rather salty taste of the bacon and cheese makes this hamburger perfect. Unlike the ordinary WPC burger, there is no need to add ketchup or mustard. Just dig in…

The Habanero Burger

Habanero pepper, which is a pepper from Mexico, is labeled as the hottest pepper in the world. It became popular in Japan because of a snack labeled after it. This burger uses the Habanero purée to spice up the flavor. Before eating this hamburger, I thought it would be a very hot hamburger, but instead it was a mild hamburger with a hint of Habanero. It was like a hamburger with salsa, so it is pretty much like the Mexican hamburger served in many restaurants.

The West Park Café also sells the buns they use for the hamburgers. Since it is pretty hard to find the hamburger buns selling in Tokyo, if you are planning to have a barbeque party and planning to make some hamburgers, you should visit this restaurant just for the hamburger buns.

----SHOP INFORMATION----

Official Homepage: http://maysfood.com/wpc/wpc_yoyogi.html

Business Hours ( Mon - Fri ) : 11:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Business Hours ( Sat, Sun & Holidays ) : 10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Lunch（ Mon - Fri ) : 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Tea Time（ Mon - Fri ) : 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Dinner（ 7 days a week ) : 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM (LO 10:00 PM)
Brunch ( Sat, Sun & Holidays ) : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Happy Hour ( Mon - Fri ) : 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Address: Park Yoyogiuehara 1F, 23-11 Motoyoyogi-cho, Shibuya-ku,
            Tokyo 151-0062 Japan

Nearest station: Yoyogi-Uehara Station (Odakyu / Tokyo Metro Chiyoda-line)

Map