Hikiniku to Come (Shibuya)

Great hamburger patty experience - 3 juicy hamburger patties over Japanese rice with condiments including raw Japanese egg. Options include add-on patties, some choice sides and small selection of beers and soft drinks. 2 ‘island’ sitting with great views of chefs and staff in action grilling the 3 patties per meal sets. Refillable rice just adds more value to the entire experience. Online Reservations required. I made the Advanced Reservation and was not disappointed. Overall highly recommended …

TLDR - The food was great but it's challenging to take nice photos. Thank goodness their renovations were completed when I wanted to visit. The location is not the easiest to find, as it is quite well hidden in that alley, and you need to queue up the stairs to get in. You need to get an online reservation when visiting the Shibuya outlet, and you will need to prepay for 1 set which consists of 3 patties that are served one by one. They have different suggestions for eating each one. There are also some other sides and drinks you can order on the day itself.

Wow! Just wow! I did not know how good a plain hamburger could taste until our visit to Hikiniku to Kome (Shibuya). We visited on their reopening of this location on November 1st. Having seen so many reels on instagram we were a little scared we would be disappointed…. We were not! The food, ambiance and service was great. We will be back next time we are in Tokyo (or Kyoto). Given the popularity of the place you definitely need a reservation. Regular reservations open online a week in advance.

Made a reservation for 4 at 6:30pm on a Tuesday night. The host and most of the servers and cooks spoke english. When I went they were fully booked and not taking any reservations. The seats are at a high chair and table counter surrounding the grill where cooks are constantly grilling juicy patties. They provide a variety of sauces to try with their patties. There is also a sheet they provide that explains their recommendation on how to eat everything and what sauces they have. The patty was so juicy, it was gushing when I would poke it. I especially liked the ponzu sauce with radish and mixed it with the sauce that had green chilis with oil. You can get as many bowls of rice that you need with no additional charge. This was an amazing experience, when I was done eating, there was a line out the door.

Went to Hikiniku Shibuya branch for lunch and pleasantly indulged in their 3 patties set menu. The food was delicious, having a wide range of sauces and toppings for the patties which were perfectly chargrilled. Having a lovely smokey flavour and juicy which flavoured their delicious rice. The service inside was outstanding, although despite making an online reservation and payment for the reservation, we still had to wait 15-20 minutes. So keep in mind the reservation was moreso to be able to queue whilst waiting for your reservation. I did notice two interactions the waitress had with two locals who were fortunate to skip the queue. One local gentleman who was a bit on the chubbier end who seemed quite hangry (hungry + angry) was able to firmly stand his ground that he did not want to wait as he made a reservation online. The waitress was so kind and friendly that she was able to accommodate his passive aggressive behaviour and have him seated before all the other patrons who were waiting in line. This was an interesting culture to experience. The atmosphere was pleasant and welcoming upon sitting down. The waiter and chef were very friendly and helped with preferred methods of eating the patties.

We came here our second day in Japan, and it is still my favorite meal consumed. Made reservations online and only waited about 10 minutes. It’s a tough place to find if you don’t know where to look hence the door photos; we ended up having to ask some people outside to make sure we were in the right spot. Once you get in and climb the stairs, you have to check in with the staff don’t just wait in line! Amazing food, great service, and they even have a glass closet to hang your coat to avoid the grill smell. Will be eating here again on the next trip.

The vibe at the restaurant is like your usual hangout spot - friendly and familiar. Everyone had a warm smile on their faces. The hamburg is impeccable. Having 3 is simply not enough! Looking forward to visit again in my next trip.

The insane hype for this restaurant has finally passed - it seems Asian tourists have mostly moved on - as is common with Japanese trends, it seems now the Western tourists are becoming aware of this place. In any case, I have avoided the hype of this place for years until this last trip, when the reservations are much easier to get. While I have heard this restaurant is located in a building very ill-suited for such hype, i did not expect how hidden this place is. While waiting to get in there was a small line of people stuffed into the small stairway, all steaming in the heat and stuffiness of the tight space. The food itself is not bad at all, but I just don't see how much amazement or ingenuity can one really expect from just minced meat and rice. In a way I feel the huge selection of condiments is a sign that the flavors come from your creativity with those rather than the meat or rice themselves. Overall, I wouldn't recommend going out of the way for this place. If you want a quick hamburg+rice meal, there are options elsewhere. But if you can make an easy reservation or you're in the area, you wouldn't walk away angry either. But there are just too many options in Shibuya for me to come back anytime soon.