Authentic

Four years ago, Mr Sato – a devotee of burgers and music, first opened this burger shop in Akasaka. Authentic’s burger patties are made from 80% red meat and 20% prized, fatty wagyu beef seasoned only with pepper and salt and made without a binder. To add to the succulence of the burgers, they make their own sauce aurore in-house and source tender, bite-friendly soft buns from a bakery in Shimbashi, bringing perfect balance to the burgers.

Authentic’s showpiece burger is their Broccoli Cheese Burger (¥1,270), which brings crunchy broccoli together with creamy Monterey Jack cheese. At the end of 2009, they also introduced a new burger, called the Peache Burger (¥1,200), made using yellow peaches in syrup: try this once, and you will be back again for more. Needless to say, this shop has its own unique character, tasty burgers, and because of the combined power of location and good food, attracts quite a few foreigners in the process. Authentic is closed only for the New Year holiday and during the Fuji Rock Festival (so says Mr Sato with a smile), and adds that he wants his customers to enjoy their time at his shop. Customers are encouraged to use the point card system where they can accumulate points for every ¥700 spent at Authentic.