Krispy Kreme adds doughnut burgers to its menu in Japan

Glazed original doughnuts get American fillings at select locations.

Back in 2006, the first Krispy Kreme store in Japan opened up at Shinjuku Southern Terrace in Yoyogi, Tokyo, with queues of people waiting for hours to get a taste of the chain’s famous glazed doughnuts.

Eleven years later, that first store closed its stores, and the chain began sizing down, limiting its locations to big cities like Tokyo. It’s been a hard slog for Krispy Kreme to keep pleasing customers in Japan, especially with local chain Mister Donut dominating the market, but if their latest menu offering is anything to go by, they haven’t given up the fight.

Our reporter Mr Sato came across the new offering on the menu when passing by the eat-in branch of Krispy Kreme at Shibuya Cine Tower. It was an exciting discovery that immediately made his taste buds form question marks in his mouth, so he headed inside to try it out.

▼ It’s called the “Doughnuts Burger“, and it’s available from 11:00 a.m.

Mr Sato had heard about doughnut burgers before, but these…these were in a league of their own. Each one contained a very American flavour, sandwiched inside a glazed doughnut. 

That’s right — this Krispy Kreme had a Sloppy Joe doughnut and a Mac ‘n Cheese doughnut on the menu. According to staff, this fantastic duo was first introduced at the 27 August opening of the largest flagship store in Japan, the Tokyo International Forum store, and has been on sale at the Shibuya location since 14 September.

▼ Priced at 638 yen (US$4.35) each for eat-in customers, the doughnuts can also be purchased together as a “double combo” with a drink for 1,573 yen.

Sitting down with his double combo, Mr Sato decided to start with the Sloppy Joe, which had cheese and meat sauce peeking out from between the original glazed halves of the doughnut.

Lifting the top half of the doughnut revealed a very meaty filling, with plenty of tomato sauce and a slice of cheese. How well would this savoury filling pair with a sweet doughnut? Well, there was only one way to find out.

Biting into the doughnut revealed it to be very sweet. In fact, sweetness was the first note to hit the taste buds, and it permeated the palate from the very beginning. However, the sweetness was soon taken over by the flavourful meat, and the acidity of the tomato sauce cut through the sweetness with satisfying aplomb.

This was definitely a new taste sensation, and one that Mr Sato was keen to continue with the Mac ‘N Cheese version.

This one flew the flag for America from the outset, with a bright yellow macaroni and cheese filling sitting atop a slice of fried bacon.  

It looked fantastic, and tasted even better, with the salty bacon complementing the richness of the mac ‘n cheese. This salty, creamy, moreish filling stood up beautifully to the sweetness of the doughnut, creating a perfect harmony that was as surprising as it was delicious.

Both these doughnut burgers stimulated Mr Sato’s taste buds in a way they haven’t been stimulated since he tried the Tempura Udon Dog. They’re weird yet wonderful, and although you might feel guilty after eating two of them, they’re still a lot less sinful than the double-doughnut burgers that appeared at Mister Donut earlier this year.

Store information
Krispy Kreme Donuts Shibuya Cine Tower Store / クリスピー・クリーム・ドーナツ 渋谷シネタワー店
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Dogenzaka 2-6-17, Shibuto Cine Tower 1F
東京都渋谷区道玄坂2-6-17 渋東シネタワー1F
Open 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.

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