Eighth Beef: The Search For Japan's Best Burger Continues

Japan is known for a lot of delicious food like sushi, convenience store chicken, and all sorts of delicious candy bars. One thing it is not known for is burgers. There are some wild fast food options, but fancy gourmet burgers are not as widespread as they are in America. We’ve tried some quality burgers in Kobe, and have made it our mission to find the very best of our city and perhaps the entire country if we don’t get meat and cheese poisoning first.

This past week was Eriko’s birthday. Last year on her birthday, we went out for fancy burgers in Osaka before hitting up the piggy cafe, and this year she decided to continue the tradition. “Eat hamburger and watch Dune movie,” was her exact plan. We made our way to Eighth Beef at Kobe Harborland Mosaic, one of the top burger joints in town and a place we’ve really enjoyed in the past.

Eighth Beef has a pristine atmosphere and is a very clean and modern-looking restaurant. The whole place is adorned with fun signs and the staff is friendly. They also follow strict COVID protocols and take your temperature as you come in.

There’s a salad buffet that comes with some entrees, and they serve alcohol and espresso drinks to go with steak and burgers. Though we are in Kobe, there is no Kobe Beef available. It’s definitely got the feel of a high-end burger joint, a place you go to treat yourself.

I guess the big question is… why is the restaurant called Eighth Beef? Do they only sell burgers in 1/8 kg patties?

The name has something to do with the restaurant’s “Eight Unique Our Qualities.” I have read them several times, and… yeah, I’m still not quite sure why it’s called Eighth Beef. Their English may not be 100%, but at least they’re trying.

The lunch menu had a good selection of both cheap and expensive cuts of steak and several burger options. Eriko went with a burger topped with gorgonzola cheese, which she says is a rare item in Japan. I got the second-most expensive steak because my digestive system is a minefield of despair and I figured a steak was the least likely thing to make me have to run to the bathroom during a 2 1/2-hour movie. I also got a latte that was just okay (probably from an automatic machine) and Eriko got an orange juice that was honestly massive.

So, how was the food? Read on, my child, and you shall learn!

The steak was… rather disappointing. It was a thin piece of meat, and unevenly seasoned. It honestly had the appearance of a cheap diner steak, and for $25, I expected better (especially since we’re in Kobe, where you can get lesser cuts of Kobe Beef for that price). The garlic chips added a bit when put on the steak. The mashed potatoes were cold but tasted okay, and the corn was who cares it’s corn. Overall, I was disappointed in my choice….

But oh, that jus.

The little cup of jus in the picture above? It was AMAZING. All the seasoning and depth of flavor lacking in the steak was put into that jus. Dipping the meat into it turned a bland steak into a vast cosmos of energy and vaginas. I considered chugging it at the end of the meal but didn’t because I’m a gentleman. The jus wasn’t quite enough to make me happy about dropping 25 bucks on a mediocre steak, but it was really good.

Eriko made a much better choice. The gorgonzola paired with her burger beautifully, and everything was in proper proportion to give it a mighty flavor. The patty was a bit overcooked for my taste; however, we’ve been here before and not had that experience, so I think the chef today was just a bit off, and it didn’t ruin the burger. The fries were crispy and salty and delicious and there were a lot of them. Eighth Beef is definitely better at burgers than steak.

We concluded that overall, while Eighth Beef is a great place to get lunch, the burger wasn’t as good as Grateful’s, which is still the Kobe king for the time being. I think this series of burger posts is going to continue as an excuse to eat more hamburgers as we search for the greatest burger in Japan. Join us, won’t you?