Good Eats: Blacows (Tokyo)

You’ll know from my last Good Eats post that meat has not always been a part of my diet. Which is probably why it still surprises me just a little to have burger cravings. And I don’t mean “head to the Mickey D’s or Mos Burger on the corner and pick up a little patty on a thin bun” kinda cravings. Nope. I mean “sink your teeth into it, man that’s a damn good patty” kind of cravings.

I make a pretty good burger myself, both vegetarian and meat options. However, I am chief cook nearly every single day at home, which is why it’s such a treat to get a weekend away where someone else makes me a burger. And on my last solo weekend in Tokyo, that someone else was Blacows.

The name alone was intriguing enough to draw my attention, though a bit of investigative research led me to the knowledge that “blacows” is the Englishization (like that word? :P) of the Japanese black wagyu beef from which their meat is sourced. And no amount of toppings in the world can save a sandwich that doesn’t start with good beef. Thankfully, Blacows hit the spot on that account, with a juicy burger seasoned enough to make me sit up and take notice but not so much to overpower my tastebuds.

I don’t mind eating my burgers adorned with toppings, so I opted for thevegetable and avocado options. The menu (typed up in both English and Japanese ) is fairly straightforward. A hamburger is ¥1000. A cheeseburger is ¥1200. An avocado and cheese burger is ¥1400, and if you wanted to order a plain hamburger and just add cheese and avocado from the topping list, you pay the same price. All burgers come with onions and a special sauce but I opted to add the “vegetable set” to mine, which included lettuce, tomato and grilled onions for ¥200. It’s certainly not the cheapest burger I’ve ever eaten, but with the addition of the fries and pickles, I’d say it was a pretty good value for a gourmet burger in Tokyo.

Blacows is fairly easy to reach as well. It’s a short, 5 minute stroll from Ebisu station and the map on their website is pretty clear on how to get there. If you need to assuage some serious burger cravings during your time in Tokyo, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by Blacows.