One of the best place to get some Japanese beer in NYC is Izakaya Juraku. Ever since our first visit, we became a massive fan! They have all sorts of craft beer from all over Japan, and their food is pretty amazing too. In the Summertime, we heard about Burger Ya, offering authentic Japanese burgers, but it is fully digital restaurant. We didn’t live close enough for the delivery, which we were really sad about…but then, we discovered that you can get the burgers from Burger Ya at Izakaya Juraku on weekends! So, we went back to Izakaya Juraku for some Japanese burgers and beer. We ordered Hitachino Nest Yuzu Lager ($12) and Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Ale ($12), both by Kiuchi Brewery from Ibaraki. Yuzu beer had a really nice yuzu flavor, which is kind of a mix of orange and grapefruit. Refreshing and delightful! Real Ginger Beer was great too, it had a bit of sweetness to it, with notes of caramel. So tasty!

• 

• 

Then, the Burger Ya menu… My goodness, they had so many burgers to choose from, and they all sounded amazing! Naturally, it was not easy to choose, but we finally decided on Karaage Burger ($12) and Miyagi Fried Fish Burger ($12), with side of fries $7). Let me first talk about the fries… Their fries are double fried, so they are crispy, but still soft and potato-y in the inside. You get to choose the dipping sauce, and we went with Mentai Mayo, and Curry. Mentai Mayo was amazing, totally loved it. Curry one was good too, but a bit too watery to be used as dipping sauce.

• 

Karaage Burger ($12) is made with crisp Japanese fried chicken with lettuce, tomato, and Japanese spicy mayo on a potato bun. was slightly different from what I imagined it to be. I thought it will have a few pieces of Karaage, or Japanese Fried Chicken, between the burger buns. Instead, it had one large Karaage piece, which made it easier to eat.

• 

• 

The Chicken was really juicy and tender, lightly fried so it was not greasy. Seasoning was on point, and spicy mayo added extra flavor that went great with the chicken. Potato buns were soft and airy, doing its best to hold large piece of chicken and fresh lettuce and tomato. We so enjoyed it!

• 

• 

Miyagi Fried Fish Burger ($12) is made with crispy fried Aji fillet with lettuce, tomato, and house-made tartar sauce on a potato bun. Aji fish is a Japanese Horse Mackerel, and it certainly is great when it is fried. It is one of the best companion to beer…yum! This one was again, a bit different from what I expected. I thought it will come with just one piece of fried Aji filled, but no, it came with two large ones! They were fried to perfection, not greasy, fresh and delicious. The tartar sauce was great too.

• 

• 

My goodness, Burger Ya knows how to do Japanese burgers right, it brought back fond (and tasty) memories… We enjoyed each bite, and loved from the first bite to the last.

We loved them so much, we went back for more a few months later. I tell you, it is not easy to order just the Burger Ya menu items, as Izakaya Juraku has an amazing food as well, but we just had to try a few more burgers.

This time, we started off with Lucky Dog ($14) by Kizakura Co. from Kyoto. It was a light IPA but packed with smooth flavor. Second one was recommended by the general manager here, Kiyo, who knows everything there is to know about these Japanese beers. He told us about Hitachino Nest XH beer, which is matured in sake casks. How interesting! It had notes of sour cherry or sour plum, very unique and strong flavor, but goes down smooth with clean aftertaste.

• 

• 

We knew we wanted to order side of fries, but then, general manager Kiyo told us of his super fun idea he has going on with their fries. He told us he created some seasoning mixes, using Furikake, and you get to shake up the fries in a paper bag with the choice of seasoning. It was fun and creative, and yes, with tasty result! He had Wasabi, Mentaiko, and Shiso seasonings, and they all were very tasty, we enjoyed them all! They are now added to the Izakaya Juraku menu for $8 each. Are you wanting to shake things up? Well, head over to Izakaya Juraku and shake up some fries with tasty, special, delicate seasonings!

• 

• 

Now, the burgers. One of my favorite burgers at McDonald’s in Japan (among other unique ones) is Teriyaki Burger. I almost always have one teriyaki burger from McDonald when I go visit Japan…LOL. But guess what, I can also get one from Burger Ya too! They offer Tokyo Teriyaki Burger ($12), a house burger with lettuce, tomato, homemade teriyaki sauce, and Japanese mayo on a potato bun. It was glistening and just calling me to bite into it… It was really great, certainly made me think of fun times at McDonald’s in Japan with my family. A true classic!

• 

• 

Then, we chose something different and unique for your second burger. It is called Masumoto Wasabi Burger ($12), and it is a house burger with lettuce, tomato, pickled wasabi flower, and Japanese wasabi mayo on a potato bun. When I read the name of this burger, I imagined it to be a burger with wasabi sauce of some kind. But no, it was so much more unique! They took the wasabi flower and plant, picked them, and added on top of the burger bun. Unlike the regular wasabi, the plant and flower does not have that spicy flavor, but just a bit of a punch. It has a nice acidic flavor that balanced the sweetness of the burger bun, making each bite more addicting. Nicely done!

• 

• 

We had a long day, so we were a bit more hungry than our last visit. So, we decided to add one of Izakaya Juraku’s “Fried” menu offerings. We went with Takoyaki ($10), which are fried octopus balls with tonkatsu sauce, mayo, aonori, and bonito. Takoyaki is not usually fried, but they fry them here. It makes the exterior more crunchy and crispy, while keeping the inside slightly mushy and moist. It came out super hot, and yes, very tasty!

• 

• 

After having so much delicious food, we ended up getting another treat. Kiyo told us about their interesting dessert item, called Matcha IPA Float ($14). It is made with matcha ice cream topped with Kyoto Matcha IPA. We tried Matcha IPA at Izakaya Juraku before, so we were familiar with it, but never thought of having it over matcha ice cream! Kiyo is really creative with food!

• 

• 

This dessert reminded me of Matcha Affogato at Prime Meat Rokko, which we really enjoyed. This is a bit different, as it uses matcha ice cream instead of vanilla, and cold beer instead of hot matcha. By using the matcha ice cream, it gave a stronger matcha flavor. The bitter flavor of the matcha beer and sweetness of ice cream was match made in heaven. A perfect way to end a tasty meal!

• 

• 

Needless to say, we enjoyed the burgers from Burger Ya, and it is so great that we can get them at Izakaya Juraku! If you want to try some Japanese burgers, head over to Izakaya Juraku on weekend for tasty brunch!

Burger Ya at Izakaya Juraku (バーガー屋　居酒屋じゅらく) – 121 Ludlow St, New York, NY 10002