The last entry for Burger Month is a small burger place located in the Togashira area of Toride. I worked in Toride for quite a while, and during that time was told about this place numerous times. I never got a chance to go until recently, on a hot day in early July. I finally got to check out Big Smile Burger.
Big Smile
When I first got to Big Smile, I had no idea where the parking area was. I had to drive past Big Smile and turn into a very rocky lot. Big Smile's parking spots are numbered, 1-4. When I walked up to Big Smile, I could tell this place has been around for a while. The big sign was coming apart and everything else in front of the shop looked faded from the sun and time.
Inside
The inside is really fun. There are hundreds of pictures on the walls with what I assume are past customers. There is a lot of American stuff and a lot of burger posters. There was even a magazine cut out of Burger King from the 90's. This place is a bit of a tight squeeze. There is a counter area and two tables. I think 15 people can fit in here, max. I met the owner who was grilling patties when I walked in. He was a really nice guy who explained how the menu works.
Menu
The owner explained that I could order the hamburger, then I can pick one of four sauces; BBQ, Teriyaki, Red Hot Chili, or Sweet Chili. That day I chose BBQ. Next, he told me to look at the toppings menu and order any extra toppings I wanted on it. That day I chose avocados, cheese and bacon.
The Hot Dog menu has the same sauces and the same rules.
If you want to try Big Smile's original burgers, you can order the Top Fuel which brings a patty, the usual burger vegetables, bacon, egg, and pineapple (I think pineapple).
Or you can have the Smile burger which has bacon instead of a beef patty. The description for the Smile Burger at the end says "healthy?" Probably not.
The drinks menu is pretty cheap, only 100 yen. The drinks are Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero, Ginger Ale, Dr. Pepper (wow, that's rare) and tea.
For 200 yen you can get ice coffee or ice tea.
My Custom Burger with Hash Browns
When my burger came out, the first thing I thought was "hash browns?!" I was surprised because most burger places in Ibaraki do not serve hash browns. I took a bite out of one and I loved it. It was crispy and a bit salty. It was perfect with that awesome hash brown crunch. I had to control myself to not eat all of them at once.
On to the burger. It looked great, I couldn't wait to try it. I took a bite out of it and there was an audible crunch, from the top bun. I was extremely weirded out and confused. Why is the bun hard? It's like biting into a huge cracker. The middle of the burger was great. The patty was delicious, the avocados were soft and warm, and it had melted gooey cheese. The bacon was even crispier than usual bacon served in Japan. But the bun really took me out of the zone. I think buns should be way softer and not remind me of crackers. I will say this though, the bun held the burger up quite well. Even till my last bite, nothing fell out.
This burger wasn't bad, but I don't think a hard bun is my cup of tea.
After eating my burger and fantastic hash browns, I headed back out into the grueling summer heat thinking of Big Smile's bacon and hash browns. I enjoyed my experience at Big Smile. The hash browns were great but I wasn't a huge fan of the burger buns.
So if you feel like having some hash browns and a burger in Toride, why don't you check out Big Smile. Who knows, you might see me there, eating my hash browns in pure bliss.
Enjoy!
For more information on Big Smile, check out their Retty page:
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