We eat a burger with crabs for buns in Tokyo

A crunchy new take on a crab burger.

We’re constantly on the hunt for unusual burgers around Japan, and while our search has taken us to presidential favourites and varieties filled with blueberries and cheese, this week we stumbled upon one of the most visually stunning burgers we’ve ever seen.

Simply called the Kani Burger (“Crab Burger”), this little beauty is being served up at a rather unlikely location: a brewery in Tokyo called Tokyo Aleworks Taproom.

The Taproom is located a short five-minute walk from Itabashi Station, which is just a ten-minute train ride away from Shinjuku Station.

And while whispers in the foodie world led us here for the crab burger, we weren’t about to let the opportunity to try some of their craft beers pass us by.

▼ The Taproom has a wide selection of beers on the menu.

We wet our whistle before the main event with a 1,400-yen (US$13) beer flight, containing the following selection of beers, which we highly recommend: Back to Basics: The Kölsch; Irish Red; 307 IPA (Sitra); Flagon Filler Extra Strong Bitter.

The beers all tasted fantastic, and kept us busy while we waited for the main star of the show to arrive. And it didn’t take long before the wait was over and the burger was set down before us, giving us a feast for the eyes.

There was no mistaking the fact that this was a crab burger, as the whole thing was sandwiched in between two crabs!

We weren’t entirely sure whether these crab “buns” were edible or if they were just there for display. However, after asking the waitress, we were told that these soft-shell crabs are entirely edible, and should be eaten together with the filling, like an ordinary burger.

▼ Inside, there was lettuce, cheese, a thick slice of onion and tomato, and a juicy crab patty.

If you love crab, you will fall head over heels in love with this burger. The satisfying crunch of the crab buns as you bite into it is a fantastic prelude to the burger, and when combined with the moist and juicy crab patty inside, the flavours meld together to create a delectable shellfish treat. The cheese adds just the right amount of creaminess to the mix, while the vegetables lift the meal with a hit of freshness.

The crab burger is only available in limited quantities, but if you miss out they have a rotating roster of other interesting burgers on the menu to try. Here’s hoping they experiment with sushi flavours soon, like Kura Burger, because a burger with two slices of raw fish for buns is a burger we’d love to see!

Restaurant information
Tokyo Aleworks Taproom / 東京エールワークス タップルーム
Address: Tokyo-to, Itabashi-ku, Itabashi, 1−8−4
東京都板橋区板橋1-8-4
Open 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Lunch Tue-Fri); 5:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m. (Dinner Tues-Fri); 11:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m. (Sat); 11:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m. (Sun)
Closed Mondays
Website

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