What’s not to like about a backstreet Tokyo burger joint called Whoopi Goldburger? Where the burgers are called things like the Kevin Bacon Burger, the Helena Bonham Burger and the Stephen Soderburger?
Unfortunately, what’s not to like is the actual burger. Despite really wanting to like this place, I came away disappointed. At first glance, I thought this would be fantastic. It’s somewhat hidden, but still conveniently close to Shibuya Station. The decor is cool, and the plates look great. It would let me be pretentious about burgers – what could be better? “Oh yeah, I could explain it to you but you’d never find it. No, it’s not that side of the station. Maybe some day I’ll show you if I have time.” It’s the Williamsburg of Shibuya. Alas, the burgers themselves were quite disappointing (hmmm, maybe it really is like Williamsburg).
Reminding me of the burgers I experienced five years ago when I first started paying attention to Tokyo burgers, there’s something wrong with the grind or the meat here. The texture is all wrong – chewy in places, soft in others, a bit of gristle instead of fat. The taste is okay, but I couldn’t get past the texture.
You can choose to replace the fries with the recommended mashed potatoes with bits of bacon, but I’d recommend sticking with the fries. I tried both, and I liked the somewhat average under-seasoned fries more than the lukewarm mashed potatoes.
Such a disappointment. Maybe it’s worth a journey just to find out what a Sarah Jessica Burger tastes like, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Ambience 7/10, Burger 4/10, Fries 6/10