The Best Burger in Kobe

Here's the deal. I live in Japan and I really love Japanese food. Japanese food is simply wonderful, but as a Canadian, sometimes I crave the food I know best. I crave things I used to eat when I lived back in Canuckistan!

As a stereotypical male, I love eating flame broiled beef! Yep, I love steak and hamburgers. Sometimes I really just want to enjoy a nice juicy cheeseburger. These days, it's fairly easy to get a cheeseburger in a place like Japan, but the challenge is to find a good one!

McDonald's sucks, Wendy's will do in a pinch, but for a TRUE cheeseburger, I know a place.

If you need a meat fix for a great price, hit Polo Dog in Sannomiya, the main shopping area of Kobe. Polo Dog is a pub located on the second floor of a building behind Uniqlo, Seiden, etc. I believe it is mentioned in the Lonely Planet Japan.


Here you can see the outside of the pub and the signboards. What is really great about this pub is the price of food! Eating in Japan can be expensive as can drinking. The regular price for the cheeseburger platter is 600¥, which is about $7.00 Canadian. That is a really low price. Also, a pint of Kirin draft beer is only 500¥...that's VERY cheap in Japan.


Check this baby out! It is a thick beef paddy that is seasoned very well. It comes with fresh tomato and lettuce as well as potato wedges and onion rings. The burger is juicy and makes you want to come back again and again!

I've tried some other pubs and restaurants in the Kansai area and no burger holds a candle to this one in my opinion. Normally, an equivalent meal at a pub in Japan will set you back 1,200¥ (double Polo Dog's price) and only be half as good.


So, why does Polo Dog have the best cheeseburger in Kobe (if not Kansai):
1. It tastes great!
2. At 600¥, the price is amazing (that includes potato wedges and onion rings).
3. The drinks are cheap too!
4. the staff is SUPER friendly and nice.