It's summertime and you know what that means, time to hit the beach! There are a lot of beaches in Ibaraki to choose from. You got Hokota Beach in southeastern Ibaraki, Oarai Beach near Mito, and Ajigaura Beach near Hitachinaka. Further north, you also have the city of Hitachi. There is a beach in that city called Kawarago Beach. The beach is pretty small but it is nice. My wife and I want to avoid crowds this year so we decided to hit that beach instead of the popular Oarai beach. But that wasn't the only reason I wanted to go to Kawarago Beach. I had seen on Google that that is where Beach Burger 9 was. My first burger month post was about the Burger Baka event, I briefly talked about Beach Burger 9 and how I wanted to try their burgers again. Our plan for that day was to go for a swim, get a sun tan, and have some tasty burgers for lunch at Beach Burger 9.
Nice little burger place you got here!
Beach Burger 9 is literally a one-minute walk from the beach. You can park your car at the beach parking lot (which was free when we went a week ago) and just take a quick stroll to get your burger. Beach Burger 9 or BB9 is in a small wooden beach house by the entrance to the beach. When you get there, the first thing you realize is there is no way to go into the beach house. The beach house only houses the kitchen. You order outside and you eat outside which is fine by me. We can enjoy the nice ocean breeze while having our lunch.
The menu
Time to take a look at the menu! Sort of good news for my non-Japanese speakers. BB9 does have an English menu, but it is not as extensive as the Japanese menu. The English menu does not have what smoothies are available, like pink raspberry, banana orange strawberry, mango strawberry orange, and many more. The English menu also does not show coffee and what different types of coffee they serve. The BLT burger, the beef salsa burger, and the mozzarella burger are missing from the English menu as well.
Bit of a wait
We went on a Thursday so we were able to get the lunch set deal which is 990 yen. This deal is a weekday deal only. My wife and I were super hungry and couldn't wait to order, but we did have to wait a few minutes before we made it to the ordering window. BB9 was extremely busy that afternoon. My wife decided on the salsa burger set with waffle fries and a smoothie. I decided on the beach burger set with the same fries and ginger ale. We also got a separate order of onion rings. I asked if the beach burger was the same one that I had had at the Burger Baka event last year. They said it was but the one at the event was a different variation of the beach burger that they do not make now. I sadly asked, "No BBQ sauce or cheese sauce for dipping?" The staff replied, "No, but we can put cheddar cheese in your burger if you like." 'Yes please" I enthusiastically answered. The beach burger does not come with cheese. We were given our receipt with our order number and asked to wait.
The view
The eating area
As I explained earlier, BB9 is all about eating outside. There are some tables and chairs for you to choose from for you to enjoy your burger. If you would like to take your burger to the beach area and have your burger near the water, that is perfectly fine. BB9 does do take out of course, just be careful not to get sand in your burger. We got our table and waited. Finally, we head "number 4!" That was our number and I excitedly picked up our food.
Our bounty
The Beach Burger! (with cheddar cheese)
First off, you will notice that the buns are black. Only the beach burger comes with black buns. I honestly do not know why the beach burger has black buns but they were great. The beach burger comes with bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato (I ordered mine with no tomato), and a beef patty. You can see the cheddar cheese I ordered below the bacon in the picture. Unfortunately, I am not sure what the white sauce is, I believe it is mayo with some pepper flakes. I took one bite out of this burger and was sure that I wanted to have another beach burger. It was delicious. The cheese with the avocado was bliss. One thing I didn't like about the burger was it had too much lettuce. When I got to the middle of the burger and bit into it, the 5 slices of lettuce slid around like a hockey puck on ice. Once I finished the huge chunk of lettuce, it was bliss town again. The sound of the waves from the beach and this delicious burger were all I could ever ask for on a hot summer day.
The Salsa Burger
Next up, the salsa burger. My wife let me try her burger and I found it to be not too bad. I loved my beach burger but the salsa burger was good. It comes with salsa (obviously), avocado, lettuce, tomato, and a beef patty. The salsa surprised me. When I first bit into the burger, I didn't find the salsa spicy at all. But after I swallowed my delicious first bite, that is when the spice kicked in. It wasn't extremely spicy but it had a certain after kick to it that took me unawares. The avocados with the salsa worked well together and I enjoyed it. To my disappointment, there was no cheese, but I don't think this burger needs it. I did enjoy this burger but the beach burger is still my favorite.
The Waffle Fries
A rare site in Ibaraki, waffle fries. I haven't found waffle fries anywhere in Ibaraki so I was surprised to see them on the menu. After trying BB9's waffle fries I found them to be great. I am more of a French fires and wedges kind of guy but I did enjoy these waffle fries. This place may be the only place in Ibaraki that serves waffle fries. Unless, you the reader, know another place in Ibaraki that serves waffle fries. If that is so, I would love to hear from you.
The Onion Rings
I love onion rings. I believe I have stated that before. What I haven't said is that my wife loves them on another level that I will never reach. If we go to a burger place, she will insist on getting an order of onion rings. "Well, what did she think of BB9's onion rings?" I can hear you asking. She gives them a 7 out of 10. They were delicious but they don't beat the magical onion rings we had at Hi-5. I have to agree. They are great and I recommend trying them, but I still miss my Hi-5 onion rings.
Pineapple Orange Mango Smoothie
Last but not least the smoothie. This was my wife's smoothie but since she is a generous saint, she let me have some. It was a nice refreshing smoothie for a hot day. The blend of the fruits was really nice and it kept us cool. My wife and I both liked the smoothie and are planning to try some of BB9's other smoothies.
After we finished our lunch we went back to the beach for more swimming and sun tanning. I was extremely happy I was able to try BB9 again, and I got to try it in its intended setting. I felt so relaxed and happy to be sitting with a delicious burger while enjoying the beach scenery. I am definitely coming back to BB9 and will try some of their other burgers. However, I did love their beach burger so I might buckle and order that again.
Summer isn't over yet! You still have a chance to try one of these great burgers and go for a swim afterward. Who knows, you might see me there, eating a beach burger while rocking my sweet tan (that sounded better in my head).
Enjoy!
Beach Burger 9 does not have a website, so will post its phone number and google maps pin:
Phone number: 050-8012-9311
Beach Burger 9 is open all year round but their hours may differ when beach season is over. If you plan to go after summer, I highly suggest calling ahead to see if they are open that day. One more thing, Beach Burger 9 cannot handle large bills so try not to pay with 10,000 yen bills.
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