2022 Burger Baka Report

Another Burger Baka has come and gone, and this year was its biggest year yet. New location, amazing weather, live music, and new burgers to try. This is the 2022 Burger Baka report.

Burger Baka

This year Burger Baka was in Kasama's Geijutsunomori park. This park has way more space than the original location in Naka city. I usually go at it alone at Burger Baka, but this year I was not alone. My wife and a friend of ours joined the burger adventure. We were all able to share our burgers, which allowed us to try five different burgers. We got our burgers, set up our portable hammock, and chowed down on Ibaraki's best burgers while enjoying the sunny day.

Cafe Arco-Iris

I have talked about Cafe Arco-Iris before on Ibaraki Eats. The cafe is located in Mito and has one of the biggest burgers I have ever had the pleasure of trying.

The owner of this lovely cafe always comes to Burger Baka. He grills burgers and does magic tricks for kids. The burgers he grills are a lot smaller than what he serves at the cafe, but they are still very tasty. The best part of the burger is the beef patty. Inside you got some chopped onions, salt and pepper, and some other seasoning that makes this burger fantastic. You should definitely give this burger a try, either at Burger Baka or at the cafe.

Chashu Burger

Want to try an interesting burger? Then you need to give Chashu Burger a chance. This burger doesn't have a beef patty, but a big piece of pork chashu instead. Chashu Burger used to have a restaurant in Mito, but unfortunately the restaurant has been closed down for quite a while. Now, Chashu Burger is a food car that does events and parks. You can usually find them at Kairakuen in Mito during the plum blossom festival.

So how was the chashu burger? Fantastic. A slightly toasted bun with a piece of soft and tender chashu in the middle. It is genius. Such an original idea deserves everyone in Ibaraki giving it a chance.

Emy's

This is an Oarai burger joint that the Ibaraki Eats Duo has yet to visit. When I looked up the restaurant on Google, it is listed as a tex mex place. Sounds interesting and I would love to try their other menu items at their restaurant. As soon as the Ibaraki Eats Duo tries this place, you can be sure that it will be posted up on Ibaraki Eats.

What about the burger? Well, I found this burger to be the weakest out of everything else I tried at Burger Baka. The burger being precooked and wrapped didn't help things. Usually, the burger shops at Burger Baka cook up your burger after you order it but Emy's had it ready for me. It is nice to get the burger quickly, but it was a cold burger. The patty was Hitachi gyu and it was coated in a sweet sauce which was a nice addition to the burger.

Nemonas Burger

Another place the Ibaraki Eats Duo has not been to is Kashima's own Nemonas Burger. It seems to have great reviews in Kashima and we can't wait to head on over to try some of their burgers at the restaurant.

Nemonas' cheese burger was delicious. A little hard to hold onto because it was a bit of a sloppy mess, but delicious all the same. What really impressed me were the buns. Probably the best burger buns I had had all day.

Peace Grill's Special Burger

Ok, I messed up a little with Peace Grill. I forgot to take a picture of their stand. I am still kicking myself over that mistake because I love Peace Grill. They are my first go to burger stop in Burger Baka every year. I have written about them before and how great the burger chef is. This year, Tsukuba's Hi-5 burger master was helping out at Peace Grill. It was great to see both Peace Grill's chef and Hi-5's chef working together to cook up some master pieces.

The first burger you see is Peace Grill's special for Burger Baka. It was completely covered in cheese and sauce so it was a messy burger, but that didn't matter. This burger won the day. Only those two geniuses behind the grill could have thought of this wonderfully delicious burger. I want to say the sauce was a mix of honey mustard and something else. The burger also came with grilled mushrooms that were heavenly. Everything in that burger was perfection and it is my number one pick for this year's Burger Baka.

Peace Grill's Jalapeno Cheese Burger

Our friend ended up getting Peace Grill's jalapeno cheese burger. A spicy fantastic burger for all those who want an extra kick to their burger. Everything on that burger was fresh and delicious. The jalapenos were spicy and tasty. An overall fantastic burger from one of the best burger places in Ibaraki.

The Most Popular

So who had the longest lines at Burger Baka? Two places that I have talked about before, Chronic Burger and Drool Diner.

The food car, Chronic Burger, is the king of the Kandatsu and Ishioka area. Chronic Burger dishes out sauce covered cheese burgers that are out of this world.

Drool Diner is the burger jewell of Tsukuba. Run by burger goddesses that make some of the best cheese burgers I have ever had.

Unfortunately, due to time and stomach constraints, the Ibaraki Eats Duo could not try either. But, the Drunken Duck's very own Jamie did try both that day and gave them the thumbs up.

After we had finished our burger festivities, we left Burger Baka barely able to walk. Everyone in our group was beyond full but we were all extremely happy.

Until next year Burger Baka! Thanks for all the tasty burgers.

But wait, there's more.

Honorable Mention:

Hi-5 Cheese Burger

This guy ate a ton of burgers on Sunday, there is no way he ate more burgers on Monday. Yes, this guy did eat more burgers on Monday. You see, my wife's nephew could not attend Burger Baka this year. So the Ibaraki Eats Duo took him to Tsukuba's Coffee Factory in Doho Park. On certain days, Hi-5 Burger sets up shop behind the Coffee Factory. Hi-5 was there that day, and after the initial "long time no see" joke, we all ordered burgers and sat by Doho Park's pond to have lunch.

My wife and nephew ordered the regular cheese burger, which as always, was fantastic. Delicious gooey cheese melted and wrapped around the beef patty. Just pure perfection.

Hi-5 Double Bacon and Cheese

I ordered the biggest burger Hi-5 had to offer. The double bacon and cheese burger. It came with bacon, two patties, and a fried egg. Look at that burger. It should be shown at all the great art galleries around the world. It belongs in the Louvre. Truly a work of art and delicious.

What a great way to end a three day weekend. At Doho Park's pond enjoying great coffee from the Coffee Factory and amazing burgers from Hi-5 Burgers. After all the burgers I have consumed over that long weekend, I can confidently say, that I am a Burger Baka.