Best Burgers in Nara: Where to Look

For the best burgers in Nara, focus on the compact centre between JR Nara Station and Kintetsu Nara Station, along Sanjō-dōri and the Higashimuki covered arcade, then walk south into Naramachi, the old merchant quarter. Nara Park and its temples start just east of these streets, so most restaurants are within walking distance of the main sights.

Nara has little documented burger history of its own. Most visitors see it on a day trip from Osaka or Kyoto, under an hour away by train, and its food identity is much older: kakinoha-zushi, sushi wrapped in persimmon leaves, and narazuke, vegetables pickled in sake lees. Burger options therefore follow the walking routes, around the two stations, along the arcades that lead to the park, and in the wooden machiya townhouses of Naramachi, many of them now cafés and restaurants.

Burgers in Nara: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: Kintetsu Nara Station, JR Nara Station, Sanjō-dōri, the Higashimuki arcade and Naramachi.
• Local specialties: kakinoha-zushi and narazuke pickles, not burgers.
• Getting there: Kintetsu trains from Osaka-Namba and Kyoto stop at Kintetsu Nara, the station closest to the park.
• Getting around: the centre is walkable; city buses loop out to the outer temples.
• Currency: Japanese yen (JPY), the only currency in our Nara price checks.

Every guide we publish on Nara is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. Kyoto, Osaka and other cities each have their own hub in our burger restaurants section.