Seoul Cheap Eats: 기똥찬 수제 햄버거 (Fantastic Homemade Hamburger)

No really, that’s what they call themselves. The main thing that attracted me to this place was the cheap prices for a burger joint that wasn’t your typical fast food place, so I had to try it. I wasn’t going to cry over 2500 won if it turned out bad, and I’ve been wanting a burger that wasn’t as mass produced as McDonald’s or Lotteria. I went to a location somewhat in the middle of nowhere between Shillim Station (신림역) and Sindaebang Station (신대방역), but there are many other locations.

 

Cheeseburger (치즈버거) – 2500 won

I was coming back from lunch, so I only took a quick bite and opted for a cheeseburger. From top to bottom it was comprised of a toasted sesame bun, ketchup, cheese, burger patty, thousand island dressing, 5 or so pickles, lettuce, and mustard. The good thing about this place is that all burgers are made to order!

My first thought when I saw the bun go into a conventional toaster instead of the griddle was, “This can’t be good”, but I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. This burger was quite a saucy mess though with 3 different sauces, 2 I could do without. I couldn’t tell the quality of the burger as there was way too much sauce, but it was still quite satisfying. The ingredients seemed quite fresh, especially the lettuce. One thing I did note was that the burger patty was rather red, even though it tasted pretty cooked.

The cheese was also not melted on the patty, so I was a bit disappointed by that as well. Other than that, the burger proved quite a step up from a conventional fast food place. I’ll try to order it without so many filler topics to determine the quality of the primary ingredients next time.

It may not be on par to quality American fast food like In-N-Out burger or Shakeshack, nor obviously to a gourmet burger, but it is a decent choice in a country that doesn’t quite specialize in such a western cultural item. I’ll be back to try the rice burger bowls and other unique items when I have time!

If you have any other good affordable burger recommendations, please let me know in the comments below!