Hamburger Steaks are one of those classic homemade Japanese dishes that you often find in Japanese homes or at restaurants in Japan, but you almost never see in a Japanese restaurant overseas. It's a simple, not very aesthetically pleasing dish, and hard to get wrong, but also hard to get right. Tokura gets it really really right.
To us, a mark of a good hamburger steak is the juiciness of the meat, the fluffiness of the patty, and the natural taste of the meat. The moment you even poke into the hamburger steak at Tokura, the juices start overflowing out non-stop. It's both delectable and alarming at the same time. The meat is extremely juicy, the patty is not dense, and has a good texture when you bite into it, and even without any sauce, captures the natural sweetness of the meat well. It really had that "wow factor" when we ate it for the first time.
Size-wise, for most people we would recommend getting the 180g version. The 300g version might be overwhelming for most people, unless they are a big meat-eater. We will admit though, that the first time we ate it, the 180g one was so good, we ended up ordering a second 180g one as well.
Sauce-wise, it can be rather hard to choose from one of the 16 available options. It was something we struggled with for very long as well. In the end, we felt like the wafu (和風, Wafū, Japanese-style)-style sauces tended to be a bit lighter and less heavy, and so we opted for the Teriyaki Kinoko Hamburg. If you're never had a hamburger steak before, it might be good to try the Original Hamburg to get a taste for what the classic version tastes like.
To us, Tokura is one of those places that we can visit over and over again. It's a very simple, affordable, and heartwarming dish, and it's no wonder that there are so many locals who head down to eat it for their everyday meals. Not to mention, those potato wedges that come on the side are absolutely amazing, with a light and crispy exterior, and a sweet and fluffy interior. If you want to dine like a local, then don't miss out on Tokura.
