Before departing on his trip to the United States, our Japanese reporter Yoshio told us that he was looking forward to eating a real American burger. What that meant to him, apparently, was a 50% ground beef and 50% ground bacon patty wedged between two glazed donuts and skewered on a steak knife.

Are you happy now, America? Japan associates you with bacon and glazed donuts. Actually, that sounds about right…

Check out Yoshio’s taste report below!

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Sold at Slater’s 50/50, a local hamburger chain in southern California, the “Donut Burger” ($9.95) is a hamburger that takes the whole “creative hamburger” concept too far by swapping out the buns for donuts. I’m not even sure why someone would think of adding this to the menu in the first place, but, strangely enough, I had no second thoughts over traveling to the San Diego restaurant to order one for myself.

Reading the menu, I learned that the Donut Burger is only offered as a part of Slater’s 9am-12am breakfast menu during the American football season from September to February.

The burger itself is simple in construction, made of Slater’s signature 50% ground beef and 50% ground bacon patty topped with an egg sunny-side up and housed between two fluffy glazed donuts. The staff will even provide you with strawberry jam on request.

So how did it taste? Let’s just say that this is one burger that I never want to eat again. When I crave something sweet, I eat sweet foods. When I crave something salty, I eat salty foods.

Sure, on their own, the glazed donuts were fluffy and sweet, the hamburger patty hearty and delicious. I’m sure the components were of high quality and worth the price in their own right. But together, they become a bastard burger with no home on the plates of good, food-loving people.

For my fellow Japanese and non-American friends who are interested in trying the Donut Burger themselves, I would advise against travelling all the way to America just to do so. While you may not be able to emulate the hamburger patty, I’m sure you should have no problem buying a pair of glazed donuts and assembling something similar yourself. Just don’t forget the strawberry jam.

Photos, original article: Yoshio


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