Adorable mini-size hamburgers come to fast food chain Lotteria in three delightful flavors including their signature shrimp burger! 

Sliders may be common fare in the U.S., but they’re not really widely known in Japan, despite the popularity of hamburgers in the country. So the American-style miniature burgers currently being offered by Lotteria could very well attract the attention of Japanese consumers as a fast food novelty. But even if you’re already familiar with sliders, we think you’re bound to find these bite-sized burgers endearing.

Just look at them, in an adorable size small enough to fit on the palm of your hands! Of course we had to try them!

The Lotteria Sliders, which went on sale last week, are made with buns measuring a mere six centimeters (just under 2.5 inches) and come in three varieties: the Shrimp Burger, the Zeppin (“absolutely superb”) Cheeseburger and the Teriyaki Burger.

The sliders are actually not sold individually, and if you want to try them, you can choose between the Lotteria Slider Set (850 yen [US$7.65]) that comes with 2 sliders of your choice plus flavored fries and a medium-sized drink, and the Lotteria Slider Box (980 yen) which includes all three sliders plus small fries and onion rings.

Natturally, we wanted to try all three varieties, so we ordered a Lotteria Slider Box. And since we also wanted to compare the sliders to their regular sized counterparts, we purchased each of the three burgers in the regular size as well, which came to 1,040 yen.

▼ Here’s the Lotteria Slider Box. The package gives the meal a fun, party-like feel.

When we opened the box, we were thoroughly delighted with the cute appearance of the small burgers decorated with miniature flags! They’re guaranteed to be a hit with kids and, this time of year in Japan, they should also be perfect for cherry blossom viewing parties.

▼ The sliders looked adorable!

We then proceeded to compare the weights of the sliders with the regular burgers. While the three regular-sized burgers weighed a total of  433 grams (15 ounces), the three sliders weighed in at 210 grams (7.4 ounces), just under half the weight. Considering that the Slider Box comes in a special container with fries and onion rings, we thought that 980 yen was an appropriate  price.

▼ We weighed the regular-sized burgers…

▼ …and the sliders to compare their weights.

And now we were ready to actually taste the burgers. Our verdict? Both the regular burgers and sliders were definitely tasty! Visually, when we compared the cross-section of the burgers and sliders cut in half, the proportion of the buns to the patty looked slightly different, but they tasted basically the same.

▼ Here’s a cross-section view of the Shrimp Burger Slider. Many Japanese fast food chains now offer shrimp burgers with a fried shrimp patty, but did you know that Lotteria was the first to offer the item in 1977?

▼ You can see the regular burgers and sliders look almost the same. Here’s the shrimp burger in the two sizes.

▼ Here’s the regular and slider size Teriyaki Burger.

▼ And here’s the Zeppin Cheeseburger in the regular and slider size.

So, what did you think of the unique sliders from Lotteria? We think they’d be great for sharing at parties and a whole lot of fun, especially when you open the box and see the presentation of the cute little burgers. If you’re in Japan and planning to grab some of the sliders, supply is apparently limited, so you may want to get to a Lotteria near you sooner rather than later!

Reference: Lotteria
Photos: ©RocketNews24

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