Best Burgers in Tokyo: Shibuya to Fussa

The best burgers in Tokyo are spread across the districts on or near the JR Yamanote Line: Shibuya, Ebisu, Harajuku and Omotesando, and Roppongi, with Shimokitazawa and Nakameguro a short train ride away. For American diner burgers, head west to Fussa, where shops along Route 16 face the US Yokota Air Base.

Tokyo has its own burger history. Japan’s first McDonald’s opened inside the Ginza Mitsukoshi department store on 20 July 1971. A year later MOS Burger opened its first shop in Narimasu, in Itabashi ward, and in 1973 it put the teriyaki burger on its menu, the first Japanese chain to do so. Independent shops treat the burger as a craft, from the beef blend to the bun, and many hand it over in a paper wrapper so a tall stack can be eaten by hand without falling apart.

Burgers in Tokyo: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: Shibuya, Ebisu, Harajuku and Omotesando, Roppongi, Shimokitazawa, Nakameguro and Fussa.
• Local invention: the teriyaki burger, launched by MOS Burger in 1973.
• First McDonald’s in Japan: Ginza, 20 July 1971.
• How it is served: often in a paper wrapper, to eat by hand.
• Currency: the Japanese yen (JPY), used in Tokyo as across Japan.
• Getting around: the JR Yamanote Line loop links Shibuya, Ebisu and Harajuku; Fussa is on the JR Ome Line.

Every guide we publish on Tokyo is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. Compare Tokyo with Osaka and other cities in our burger restaurant guides.