New burgers mark the grand opening of a new branch at Tokyo’s historic amusement park.

There are a LOT of fast food burger joints in Japan, but only one can lay claim as being the first-ever home-grown hamburger chain: Dom Dom Burger. Since its humble beginnings in 1970, back before McDonald’s or Mos Burger became a thing in Japan, this burger chain prided itself on offering “delicious food and fast service at great value”, and that still rings true today at Dom Dom’s 70-plus locations around the country.

Now, Japan’s oldest hamburger chain is teaming up with Japan’s oldest amusement park for the opening of a brand new Dom Dom location in Tokyo’s historic Asakusa district. And what makes this store different from the others is not just the location but the menu, which includes a few exclusive offerings you won’t find anywhere else.

▼ Hanayashiki, Japan’s oldest amusement park, first opened as a flower park in 1853, towards the end of the Edo period (1603-1867).

▼ The new Dom Dom branch will open on the grounds of Hanayashiki on 19 September.

We stopped by for a quick look at the store before its official opening and found that you don’t actually have to enter the amusement park to order a burger, as this Dom Dom branch also has a window facing out onto the street outside.

Looking at the menu reveals four burgers familiar to Dom Dom customers nationwide, plus two special burgers only available at this branch, marked with a blue sticker at the top left.

First-time diners at Dom Dom won’t be disappointed with the popular Big Dom (500 yen [US$4.77]), a recommended standard menu item which delivers a cheesy hit of meat with fresh tomato and lettuce.

Fans of the chain who want to try something new will definitely want to try the Asakusa-exclusive Big Dom Teriyaki (450 yen), which contains two beef patties smothered in teriyaki sauce.

We were really impressed with this saucy burger, and wanted to know what the inspiration was for making this an Asakusa-exclusive menu item. Luckily, Mr Asada from the chain’s product development team was on hand to answer our questions, saying:

“Japanese taste is evident at Asakusa’s Hanayashiki so we thought the original menu should also showcase Japanese flavours. That’s why we decided to give Dom Dom’s popular classic menu item, the Big Dom, some Japanese-style teriyaki.”

Hearing this explanation made the burger taste even more delicious, and reminded us to look around and soak up our very Japanese surroundings while we ate it.

▼ The other exclusive burger is the Asakusa Croquette Burger (350 yen).

Dom Dom is known for its croquette burgers, but this one is said to be different from those at other locations, as it contains Japanese black beef instead of ordinary beef. It also comes with a mound of fresh cabbage for a beautiful textural contrast and a hit of freshness, creating a burger with a more refined taste, due to the higher quality ingredients.

The burger grabbing the spotlight at the moment, however, is the Whole!! Crab Burger (990 yen), which, as the name suggests, contains a whole fried soft-shelled crab and embellishes it with cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise and onion. This is a showstopper in terms of looks, and when it comes to taste, it’s a winner as well, releasing a great depth of flavour with every bite.

▼ The new crab burger is being released to celebrate the opening of the new branch, and will be available at all Dom Dom locations from 19 September.

Staff say the menu at Asakusa will change from time to time to keep diners interested, but for now, those with a sweet tooth will be able to enjoy Asakusa-exclusive exclusive fried dough cake steamed buns for 150 yen each.

The new branch will also be delivering from October to cater to fans unable to visit the store. Those who do visit the store, however, will be glad they did, because it’s a rare chance to enjoy a taste of Japan’s first burger chain at Japan’s first amusement park. And to top it off, it’s a short walk away from Japan’s first tempura restaurant as well.

Photos © SoraNews24
Promotional images: PR Times
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