The next burger place I wanted to try in Tokyo was a restaurant called Whoopi Goldburger (W.P.G.B.) in Shibuya.
Obviously a name parody on the comedian but all the other burgers are similar to certain celebrities. And immediately reading about this made me think about Red Robin and Chubby’s restaurants with the celebrity photos on the walls.
But sure enough, Whoopi Goldburger is nothing like that and in a way, I’m all good with that.
The location was a bit far from what I was expecting and with no signs around, I was expecting something along the lines of Munch’s Burger Shack, Fellows or something with a name right out in front but it’s literally a restaurant right down to the ground.
And in this instance, I have to give google Maps credit for taking me on the right direction. If anything, google Map’s kept saying the location was there, but it didn’t look like the usual Tokyo burger shop. So, I had to knock on the door and found out that it was the place. But it was not yet open.
Whoopi Goldburger opens at 12 – 2:30 p.m. and from 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. and they are closed on Tuesdays.
Oh and I did find a sign…
But once they opened, I was looking forward to trying their burger!
And I have to say, the interior is nothing like any other burger place in Tokyo.
I kind of liken it to my friends who are skateboarders or surfers when I was younger and imagined of what if they wanted to create their own burger shop, play punk music, skate videos on the television and put as many stickers all over the walls.
For the most part, customer service was good and the wait wasn’t long to be seated after opening. The seats are counter seats, not table (unless you go outside).
Speaking of the walls….
As I looked at the menu, you have a choice of the Whoopi Goldburger (plain) for Y900, Helena Bonham Burger (Avocado) for Y1100, Barbecue Beef Burger for Y1100, Teriyaki Burger for Y1100, Sarah Jessica Burger (Double Patty with cheese) for Y1300, Cuban Bacon for Y1300, Sunny Side Cuban Bacon Burger for Y1400 and the Charlotte Gainsburger (Triple patty with cheese) for Y1550. And the burgers do come with fries.
But if you want onion rings or fries, it’s an additional Y500.
Suffice to say, the prices are cheaper than most burger places than Tokyo.
I decided to go for the Helena Bonham Burger with an egg and orange juice.
As for condiments, you have the ketchup, mayo and the wax paper, right in front of you indoor and outdoors.
And then my Helena Bonham burger arrived!
As for my thoughts on the burger, reading reviews on Yelp, I noticed people complaining about the gristle. I didn’t have that problem and as you can see from the photos, the actual grill was cleaned when I got there for the early evening opening.
I actually shot video and was watching and the cook was making sure the patties and the buns were alternated every few seconds on the grill.
So, you get a crisp bun, which is a plus.
Now I believe there are different ways to cook a burger and there those who don’t mind their patties with the oil and there are those who prefer it without, so they are a bit dry and typically in the US, I’ve seen diners who do this and put a lot of mayo or sauce to balance things out.
I personally believe the fat keeps burgers juicy, but in the case of the burger I had, I wanted to try it without ketchup and without any sauces and just experience it as it is. Because I like the egg yolk dripping on the burger. But I found the patty a bit dry for my taste. Again, this is subjective and it depends on preference and I prefer juicy with the oil than without.
While I have my top 10 for burger shops in Tokyo, I’m always up to discovering new places that I have not been to and I have heard about Whoopi Goldburger for it’s fresh vibe and punk music and it was one of the primary reasons why I wanted to experience the restaurant, because from reading it, it already makes it stand out compared to other burger shops.
Whoopi Goldburger as a restaurant has a cool vibe but for its burgers, it was OK!
