Saturdays are usually a very busy day for me. I work until 2:00 p.m. so there was a certain place in Tsukuba I didn't get to try because of my busy schedule. Fortunately, last Saturday I was off. I decided to drive to Tsukuba to get my cheeseburger on at Drool Diner!
Drool Diner
It was quite a drive from Tsuchiura to Drool Diner. This burger place is located in the middle of nowhere in Tsukuba. There are a bunch of houses everywhere and a small gas station, I think. If you want to try this place out, I highly recommend going by car. I arrived at Drool Diner at around 12:30 and was taken aback by how small the restaurant was. Inside, the restaurant can seat a maximum of 8 people if I am not mistaken. There is outside seating as well but I decided to eat inside since it was practically empty when I got there. (I was extremely lucky in that regard. This place fills up quick.)
When I walked inside, a few things surprised me. One big surprise was the staff. Drool Diner seems to be an all female staff burger place. That is quite rare in Japan and really awesome. I was also surprised by the schedule which is on the left wall of the restaurant. Drool Diner is open from 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This made me cry a little. If this place was amazing, of course I would want to come back. But when can I? I am working during those hours. The next surprise was the menu.
The Menu
So many cheeses! What shall I do!? I can't choose! The menu at Drool Diner is all about the cheese. You first order what cheese you want to have on your burger. After that you can order any topping you want on your burger. You customize your burger to your liking. The burgers all come with fries and a drink. If you want a beer that will be extra.
I am sure I have stated my affinity for cheese before in past posts. But these choices made it impossible choose! I sat there for five minutes stressing out about what I should order because everything sounded great. Then, an idea came to my mind. I opened up Facebook and went to Drool Diner's page. I then showed this picture to the waitress.
I pointed to the burger on the bottom right. The waitress said "Oh! That is the Colby Jack Cheese and Chili burger." Hearing that sweet name made me want the burger even more. I asked "can I add bacon?" The waitress replied that I could and took down my order. She apologized and said I would have to wait 20 minutes. That was not an issue for me, it was my day off and I had no other plans that day. I asked the waitress if Drool Diner recently opened and she explained that they have been open for half a year but they have had a lot of customers since opening.
After the waitress took my order, more and more people started coming in. So many people came that the inside tables and the outside tables were all taken. Some people ordered take out while others waited for a free table. "This place must be great," I thought to myself after seeing all the customers. Then my burger came.
Colby Jack Cheese with Chili and Bacon Burger
My burger finally arrived and I was excited. The fries were wedges and they were good. Nothing amazing but a good side to the burger. When I looked at my burger, I touched the wooden plate and gently spun it to get a 360 degree angle view of it. (That's right, the plates spin.) I was kind of disappointed in the size. I quietly said to myself "this isn't as big as some other burgers I have had." I then took a bite out of my burger and regretted what I had just said.
I am not sure where the staff of Drool Diner came from but I have a theory. I believe these ladies are the goddesses of burgers who have come down to our plane of existence to serve these outstanding burgers. Every time I took a bite out of my burger I kept thinking "holy @#$% this is good." The beef patty was thick, juicy and perfect. The Colby Jack cheese mixed with the chili was something only these burger goddesses could have created to perfection. I was in burger heaven the whole time. The burger is greasy and messy but even the grease tasted amazing. I had gotten some chili on my shirt but I was in so much bliss that I didn't even care. The burger also had a piece of butter under the top bun which, to my surprise, enhanced the flavor. I dare to say this but this burger may rival that of my beloved Hi-5 Burgers.
I was really sad when I finished my burger because my trip to burger heaven had ended. I was also really full. When can I come back here!? I need to come back here! I need to try the rest of these burgers! More people were waiting for a seat so I thanked the goddesses for the amazing burger, paid and left. Oh my way back home, I just kept thinking about when I would be able to come back. I definitely need to bring the wife there. I might not be able to go back until December! I still have the rest of the menu to try.
If you are a cheeseburger lover, you have to give Drool Diner a chance. It is the holy site of cheeseburgers in Ibaraki. I highly recommend you take a drive to this amazing burger place and try one of their delicious cheeseburgers. Who knows, you might see me there, the only problem is I don't know when!
Enjoy!
I want to give a very big thank you to Nori Heese in the Food for Tsukuba Residents Group for the recommendation. Amazing recommendation!
For more information on Drool Diner, check out their Facebook page:
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