Freshness Burger

The first Freshness Burger opened in December 1992 in Tomigaya, a quiet corner of Shibuya in Tokyo. It was pitched as the opposite of a noisy fast-food counter: a burger café where adults could sit down and relax over a coffee, which is still how the company describes itself.

The menu mixes American-style burgers with very Japanese touches. The house bun is tinted yellow with Hokkaido kabocha pumpkin, the teriyaki sauce hides a little soy koji, and the premium line uses thick slices of red cheddar. Some branches even sell burgers you cannot get anywhere else, like a gyoza burger in Utsunomiya, Japan’s dumpling capital.

Around two hundred restaurants, almost all in Japan.

• Frank Burger (South Korea, since 2019). South Korea’s biggest craft-burger chain, grilling American-style patties to order alongside bulgogi and hanwoo burgers. Also built on beef and cheese.
• Minute Burger (Philippines, since 1982). The Philippine burger kiosk where every order comes as Buy 1 Take 1. Also built on beef and cheese.
• No Brand Burger (South Korea, since 2019). A Korean burger chain built on a supermarket’s budget label. Also built on beef and cheese.
• Burger Bangor (Indonesia, since 2019). Indonesia’s fast-growing local burger chain, started by a basketball star, with burgers named after social ranks. Also built on beef and cheese.