In the center of Ibaraki there are two cities which I visit quite often. One city is the capital of Ibaraki, Mito. The other which is just a five minute train ride from Mito is Hitachinaka. Both of these cities have a place that I have been going to for years. A place that every time I have gone, it has been a great experience. I have met new people, made life long friends, eaten awesome food, attended great events and just overall have had a really good time. That place is called The Drunken Duck.
Hitachinaka location
10 years ago, I still had hair!
Mito Location
I love both locations of the Drunken Duck but I mostly frequent the Hitachinaka location. The reason being is because back in my hometown, I never had MY bar if you know what I mean. A bar where they know your name, they know what you like, you can meet up with friends and have a good time . With the Drunken Duck Hitachinaka location, I finally got that feeling. I am not saying you cannot get that same feeling with the Mito location but the Mito location feels more like a restaurant to me. The Mito location is bigger than the Hitachinaka location and it is where they have most of their events, like their famous Halloween parties, St. Patrick Day parties, Australia day parties, New Year countdown parties and other fun events. (The Hitachainaka location also holds events but not as much as the Mito location.) The Mito location also has a patio area which I like. So if it is a nice sunny day and you feel like having a beer outside, then head on out to the patio.
St. Patrick's Day event Halloween Party (I am Master Roshi)
I have talked about the locations and the events but let's get into the food. The Drunken Duck is the well know gaijin (foreigner) bar in the area, so the food isn't Japanese. The owner, a jolly Australian guy named Jamie, has a set menu that includes different cuisines from around the globe. You want Mexican food? No problem, the set menu has enchiladas and chicken fajitas. You want to feel like you are back home in the states or the UK, not a problem. They have fish and chips and many different types of burgers you can choose from. The fries are very tasty too (chips for my non-Americans). Want to be bold and try crocodile? Order the deep fried crocodile. "I feel like having a bit of German cuisine today," no worries, the Duck has you covered. Try the mixed sausage platter.
I have tried a lot of those menu items and I have liked them all. But my go to food at the Drunken Duck is the burgers. I love burgers, so when I saw the different types of burgers that the Duck has on their menu, my eyes lit up.
Bacon Avocado Burger
Blue Cheese Burger Aussie Burger
The most popular burger at the Duck is the Aussie burger. The burger comes with cheese, bacon, onion, an egg and 100% beef patty. It really is a good burger, all the ingredients mesh well with each other and the beef is delicious. The buns are great as well. A lot of places in Japan get burger buns wrong in my opinion but the Duck does it well.
Recently, I was able to try the bacon avocado burger and was delightedly surprised. It comes with fried avocado and mozzarella cheese but the surprise was how the avocado was wrapped around the bacon. When you bite into the bacon, the avocado flavor jumps at you in a surprisingly pleasant way. This burger might be my new favorite.
I also like the blue cheese burger. The patty is loaded with blue cheese and on top of the patty are onion rings. The burger has two great things that I love, onion rings and blue cheese, what more can I ask for.
For you chicken lovers out there, the Duck has you covered with a jerk chicken burger. I have not tried it yet but I hope I will soon. While we are talking about the Duck's burgers, I cannot leave out their big and awesome burger event in the summer, Burger Fair.
The burger fair is a delicious fun event. During the burger fair, the Duck rolls out 6 or 7 new burgers to try for a month (usually in June). During the World Cup, the Duck made burgers for each country and it was set up like a tournament. The most popular burger would win the tournament and possibly earn a place on the set menu. The tournament was a while ago so I do not remember which burger won that tournament. But I do remember how tasty all the burgers were. The Brazilian burger was one of my favorites, instead of a pattie it had carne asada. Carne Asada is grilled and sliced beef which is marinated. It was a lot of fun to try the different burgers that the Duck cooked up and I hope to try the new burgers again this year. Unfortunately, due to the current pandemic, I am not sure if the Burger Fair will be happening again this year. But once I know, I will most definitely let everyone who reads this blog know as well.
The Duck also has a special menu which they usually change monthly. A lot of the special menu items are wonderful and a delight to try. Depending on the month or upcoming holiday, the Duck will have a St, Patrick's Day special menu, Christmas special menu or just something that they want to try out. One time they had a special menu item that was a huge burger. I wanted to eat it myself but I was with friends so...I had to share.
Guinness Beef Stew
Pastrami Platter
That burger is huge!
Myself and Santa Jamie
Christmas Dinner
I really do recommend trying the special menu items. I have tried so many that it will take a lot more blog posts to talk about them and the menu is always changing so I still have a lot more to try. The Christmas dinner is one of my favorites. Everyone who lives in Japan knows that KFC rules Christmas here with an iron fist. Most Japanese people are eating Kentucky fried chicken during Christmas, so I was really sad I couldn't get turkey or ham. But the Duck's Christmas dinner has both! Plus, mashed potatoes and gravy, that is rare in Japan, so I was so happy when I got to eat it during the holidays.
For all of us Americans in Ibaraki, if you are home sick during Thanksgiving and really want to have a Thanksgiving dinner, the Duck is the place to be. The Thanksgiving dinner is available during the week of Thanksgiving and it is delicious. It has a lot of the things that the Christmas dinner has but with some small changes like cranberry sauce.
Strawberry Cheesecake
Don't forget about dessert! One of my favorite desserts at the Drunken Duck is their cheesecake. It is so rich and creamy, and the Duck has different kinds of cheesecake as well. I really liked their strawberry cheesecake and hope I can eat it again soon. Desserts are also on the special menu, like fired oreos which were amazing. During November, close to Thanksgiving, the special dessert menu included pumpkin pie and I was so happy to have it because I love pumpkin pie, especially on Thanksgiving.
I have a lot to thank the Drunken Duck for. Because of this wonderful place I have great memories, awesome friends, have tried an amazing assortment of food and I met the love of my life there. Some of those amazing experiences I can't remember because well, it is a bar, and I haven't always come out walking sober but every time I have gone it was always a great night or day. I hope after reading this, you decide to give the Drunken Duck a chance and experience what I experience every time I go there. And who knows, I might be sitting at the opposite table from you. So if you see me, let's have a drink together.
Enjoy!
If you would like to check out there website, here is the link:
Update: The Duck is open! Ibaraki lifted the state of emergency this week so it is possible to eat in. The Drunken Duck highly recommends calling before hand as they must follow social distancing rules. Take out is also available and delicious.
Mito location: 029-232-3999
Hitachinaka location: 029-274-3999
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