Roppongi Hamburger Inn

[Mulboyne]

The Hamburger Inn, opened by John S. Wettstein in 1950, was Japan's original burger bar. In its first year near Iikura Katamachi, the burgers were served between slices of white bread with the crusts removed since there were no buns available. When they finally sourced a supply, they retained the square patties. In 1964, the restaurant opened further up the road (near the current location of the Roppongi Don Quijote) and it is there that the last burger was flipped when it finally closed its doors in October last year. As featured in Robert Whiting's "Tokyo Underworld", the restaurant's 24-hour business made it a place where the US military rubbed shoulders with civilian FGs, Japanese politicians and entertainers. Wrestler Rikidozan was a regular there. In an attempt to keep the memories alive, Ebisu company Bunch has licensed the name and logo and will produce a range of T-shirts and original menu tags from next month.

[Taro Toporific]

I'd love to wax nazukashii about it, but it was a very marginal place...it was already an nostalgic relic in the mid 80s. Oh, and their micro-burgers sucked.

[Mulboyne]

It was definitely looking seedy. Some people liked the burgers - I don't think I ever ate one - but they must have been under pressure over the last 20 years with all the new restaurants opening around them. They were occupying a prime piece of real estate too.

[GuyJean]

I'd love to wax nazukashii about it, but it was a very marginal place...it was already an nostalgic relic in the mid 80s. Oh, and their micro-burgers sucked.

Never tried the burgers, but the beer was cheap.. The clientele was.. 'interesting'.. Seemed to be a cross between young salaryman and Roppongi 'entertainers'..

Snapped this shot of their closing sign.. It was kind of a sad moment]http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=432&stc=1&d=1140245324[/IMG]

GJ

[Mulboyne]

N.B. The image of that old matchbook comes from this site. It looks familiar so may well have appeared here before.

[Greji]

[quote="GuyJean"]It was kind of a sad moment]

It was known as the branch amongst the fellas. We buzzards used to perch there in the early AM and wait for something to die!

[emperor]

I only went once about 3 years ago; looked like they hadnt changed the decor in a long time and the food wasnt anything special.
If they gave it a fresh lick of paint and a new menu&chef theyd still be in business.
Whats (gonna be) there now? A Mos-burger? Yoshinoya?

[GomiGirl]

Wonder what they got as an incentive for giving up their "prime real estate". I doubt they just packed their bats and balls and went home without some nice compensatory parachute...

[Captain Japan]

Snapped this shot of their closing sign.. It was kind of a sad moment]http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=432&stc=1&d=1140245324[/IMG]

GJ, have a few drinks before shooting this photo?

[Greji]

GJ, have a few drinks before shooting this photo?

You didn't know Capt'n? That's GJ's normal focus. It only gets clear after he's had a few!

[Greji]

If any of you frequent Nobu's, you probably know, but they will close on October the 30th in their present location. According to a note, I got from the old boy, they will re-open on the first floor of the new building being built by the Okura Hotel in January. He requests everybody come and bring lots of money. That leaves Mulboyne out since he never cares anything small enough to just be considered "lots". His co-owner, a certain Mr. R. De Niro may also show up, but they're currently checking on his schedule to see if that it will work.

[Mulboyne]

If any of you frequent Nobu's, you probably know, but they will close on October the 30th in their present location.

Aha! From this thread:

One of the other buildings rumoured for redevelopment is, apparently Nobu Tokyo

De Niro had considered selling his stake in the restaurants (since denied) and that would have been pertinent information for a potential buyer. I never really took to the place. They used to want to keep turnover high and limited diners to two-hour slots. That's fair enough but any restaurant with such a policy needs to make sure that orders are taken and food brought out promptly which often wasn't the case. To make it worse, some waiters would remind you of the time after 90 minutes which is not acceptable at the prices they charge.

One bloke I heard about wasn't very impressed by that and waved the waiter away who then thought there must have been a communication breakdown and decided to explain the situation to the bloke's Japanese guest. That's a cardinal sin for a business restaurant. It's not uncommon for waiters and chefs to primarily address the Japanese in any mixed group not matter how good your language skills are. They aren't trying to be rude: it's hardwired. But if you are entertaining a business guest, you can't let that happen because it can be undermining. Any decent waiter in an upscale joint should know that.

[Mulboyne]

The Hamburger Inn has reopened today in Nishi Azabu.

[Captain Japan]

Here's the Web page, which tells me that the company is incorporated at 10 million yen but doesn't give the damned address for the store. Blog is here.

[Mulboyne]

[GuyJean]

[quote="Mulboyne"]Nishi Azabu 1-11-4. It's on the first floor of the Hotel Mentels Roppongi (ホ]"Where are you staying?"
"At the Mentel Hotel, right above Hamburger Inn."
".... ?"



GJ

[Greji]

"Where are you staying?"
"At the Mentel Hotel, right above Hamburger Inn."
".... ?"



GJ

Did you help them move Muly? I certainly hope they didn't forget to move the cockroaches. The new place needs to retain the flavor of the old one. They had some cockroaches running around in the old digs that were bigger than cocker spanials!

[Mulboyne]

The company behind the Hamburger Inn has just opened "Ichi Ban Tokyo Hamburger". From Nishi Azabu crossing, it's on Roppongi Dori on the third floor of a building on the right-hand side as you head towards Shibuya. It's an upscale joint with a standard burger at around 2,200 yen and a 10,000 yen steak, foie gras and champagne course.

[DrP]

God that looks awful - like a cross between a Junior High School cafeteria and a prison rec room. Japanese design has really taken the 'Formica Modern' thing a bit too far. I wouldn't pay $6 to eat any burger there.

[Captain Japan]

God that looks awful - like a cross between a Junior High School cafeteria and a prison rec room. Japanese design has really taken the 'Formica Modern' thing a bit too far. I wouldn't pay $6 to eat any burger there.

You are not alone. I saw last week that they had shut down.

[Captain Japan]

You are not alone. I saw last week that they had shut down.

It would seem that this store was only temporary. They have a new one further towards Shibuya on 246. Info is here. It seems to be shooting for a much classier feel. A guidebook I was reading indicated that it offers lobster, lamb chops, and a sirloin burger.

[omae mona]

It would seem that this store was only temporary. They have a new one further towards Shibuya on 246. Info is here. It seems to be shooting for a much classier feel. A guidebook I was reading indicated that it offers lobster, lamb chops, and a sirloin burger.

I can't find it now, but I remember something led me to believe that store, too, was closed. I probably just made this up, though.

They are, though, quite definitely operating this sausage truck on Cat Street between Omotesando and Shibuya. I've walked past it but didn't try it out. Too many apostrophe's for my taste.

[Yokohammer]

Yeah, when I was on a student visa I got a work permit and it specifically listed the types of jobs you weren't allowed to do on the back. The list included hostess clubs, soaplands, fashion healths, bars/restaurants with lighting below X lux (can't remember the exact number), love hotels, and handing out or stuffing mail boxes with fliers.

[threadjack]
This reminds me of something the old guy who used to run the Hamburger Inn in Roppongi once told me.

(How many of you kiddies remember the Hamburger Inn?)

The place had big windows onto the street, so it was never what you'd call really dark. And it was a hamburger joint, for chrissake! They even had a juke box, but the place was way too narrow for any kind of dancing.

Anyway, whenever the cops/authorities wanted to be a pain in the arse they'd come in with a lux meter and measure the light levels below the freakin' counter! Straight up harassment.
[/threadjack]

[Samurai_Jerk]

Yeah, when I was on a student visa I got a work permit and it specifically listed the types of jobs you weren't allowed to do on the back. The list included hostess clubs, soaplands, fashion healths, bars/restaurants with lighting below X lux (can't remember the exact number), love hotels, and handing out or stuffing mail boxes with fliers.

[threadjack]
This reminds me of something the old guy who used to run the Hamburger Inn in Roppongi once told me.

(How many of you kiddies remember the Hamburger Inn?)

The place had big windows onto the street, so it was never what you'd call really dark. And it was a hamburger joint, for chrissake! They even had a juke box, but the place was way too narrow for any kind of dancing.

Anyway, whenever the cops/authorities wanted to be a pain in the arse they'd come in with a lux meter and measure the light levels below the freakin' counter! Straight up harassment.
[/threadjack]

Wasn't the Hamburger Inn still around till the mid 2000s? You don't have to that old to remember.

[Yokohammer]

Wasn't the Hamburger Inn still around till the mid 2000s? You don't have to that old to remember.

Was it?
I thought it disappeared sometime in the early to mid nineties. Haven't hung out in Roppongi for a looong time.

Anyway, I'm talking about the Hamburger Inn in the 70's. There was a photo somewhere that I'm currently searching for, but I'm still searching ...

EDIT: Looks like you're right: http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14348
According to date of the thread and content it closed in 2005.

[Yokohammer]

Found the photo!

One of my old classmates from Tokyo in the late 60's posted this on FB. The photo would have been taken in the early 70's, when the Inn was "home" to a bunch of unruly gaijin teens.

That's the Hamburger Inn on the corner on the left as it was at the time.

554495_5000809610943_1677547997_n.jpg

[matsuki]

Yeah, when I was on a student visa I got a work permit and it specifically listed the types of jobs you weren't allowed to do on the back. The list included hostess clubs, soaplands, fashion healths, bars/restaurants with lighting below X lux (can't remember the exact number), love hotels, and handing out or stuffing mail boxes with fliers.

[threadjack]
This reminds me of something the old guy who used to run the Hamburger Inn in Roppongi once told me.

(How many of you kiddies remember the Hamburger Inn?)

The place had big windows onto the street, so it was never what you'd call really dark. And it was a hamburger joint, for chrissake! They even had a juke box, but the place was way too narrow for any kind of dancing.

Anyway, whenever the cops/authorities wanted to be a pain in the arse they'd come in with a lux meter and measure the light levels below the freakin' counter! Straight up harassment.
[/threadjack]

Below the counter? I'm sure the local cops hate the proliferation of cell phone cams...well, except when they want to use them for upskirts. I'm surprised more shit like this doesn't go viral on Youtube though...

[Yokohammer]

You woulda been hard pressed to find a cell phone in 1972.

[matsuki]

You woulda been hard pressed to find a cell phone in 1972.

Indeed....but have the cops/laws changed since then?

[GomiGirl]

Found the photo!

One of my old classmates from Tokyo in the late 60's posted this on FB. The photo would have been taken in the early 70's, when the Inn was "home" to a bunch of unruly gaijin teens.

That's the Hamburger Inn on the corner on the left as it was at the time.

554495_5000809610943_1677547997_n.jpg

WOW - that is beyond awesome 'Hammer.

BTW did you see this old thread about the Hamburger Inn.