A note on the words: hamburg steak, called hambagu in Japan, is a Japanese-style minced-meat patty served without a bun, here said to be made from 100% pork. Onsen tamago is a soft slow-poached egg with a custard-like yolk and milky white, served here free of charge to break into the sauce midway through. Yuzu kosho is a spicy, fragrant paste made from chili peppers and yuzu citrus peel, offered as one of the house sauces alongside demi-glace and cream mustard. Nankotsu is cartilage, listed as one of the toppings.
Table of Contents hide
Hamburg Will on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. Near Shinjuku-gyoemmae Station there is a solid cluster of highly rated restaurants, and one of them is this hamburg steak shop, “Hamburg Will”. I had long wanted to check it out, but hearing word that the line gets quite long kept me from going. However, I happened to have a bit of free time and figured waiting in line for a bit would be fine, so I made my first visit!
The queue forms in two spots in front of the shop: on the left, and once that fills up, on the right.
By the time I arrived around ten minutes before opening, the left side was already full so I queued on the right. Even after opening, the line never broke! Impressive.
Plain — 1,380 yen
Coarse black pepper — 1,480 yen
Mozzarella cheese — 1,580 yen
Nankotsu (cartilage) — 1,580 yen
Pancetta bacon — 1,680 yen
Red-wine-braised hamburg — 1,780 yen
I managed to make it in on the first seating, which was a relief.
The sauce choices are yuzu kosho, demi-glace, and cream mustard sauce. A free onsen tamago is amazing hospitality!
This time I went with mozzarella cheese paired with cream mustard, and made it an A Course with salad and an iced coffee.
And so, the courses were served in turn.
Being cold, it is perfect for the hot season; well chilled, its crisp sweetness stands right out.
The salad, with its little bit of meat, is very nice.
Mmm, that looks delicious.
Cutting into it, cheese comes oozing out from within! It looks fantastic.
Taking a bite, yes, it is delicious. Apparently it is a 100% pork hamburg steak, and the richness of the fat comes through strongly. The sauce is a cream mustard where a pleasant tang provides a lovely accent. It goes very well with the cheese. However, since it is 100% pork, anyone who prefers a meatier, firmer texture in their hamburg steak might find it slightly lacking? Midway through, breaking the onsen tamago and swirling it into the sauce is delicious.
Here is the demi-glace sauce. The mildly sweet sauce is delicious.
With the line never ending, I felt there was no doubt about its popularity. While queuing makes me feel it might be better to go once the weather cools down a bit, it really is delicious, so I recommend anyone curious about a 100% pork hamburg steak give it a try.
Those who prefer a meatier hamburg steak might find it slightly lacking?
Hamburg Will (Hamburg steak / Shinjuku-gyoemmae Station, Sendagaya Station, Yotsuya-sanchome Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.4
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
