TOP 5 Foreign Run Restaurants in JAPAN from 2023

Super meaty! Bacon! Smokey, yummy, yummy! It’s very authentic. The meat is really juicy. So, I want a good blend of both, a good experience, and a great burger. I know it’s a bit of like kind of gimmick, I’m an American making a burger in Japan, I understand that. But I also embraced that.

I don’t think I’m better than anybody else, I try to maintain a humble lifestyle as Japanese do, but try to bring in an American feeling, so they feel like even they are on lunch break, just 30 minutes, they got to go to California. Time to open up! Text the bakery.

Tell them I’m coming now to get the buns. That’s why I have a note. Please go to the following address: (Bakery Address) My bread guy, I met through the French Yatai, Remy-san, the owner. I just met him on accident one night.

And he turned me on to it, he said that it’s one of the best bakers, I think, in Fukuoka. Makes a really good french baguette and white bread. The place on the card is a bakery, so we pick up the bread, and make a return-trip to Daimyo. Heyho! Welcome! Hi guys!

How are you? You good? Good, good. This is Sato-san. I believe he is a typical American, though I don’t have much to compare him to. It’s only us two working in the shop here, so we do not do delivery. So as a condition for making Jim-sans custom buns,

we said there will be no delivery. But we will bake him original buns, which we do not even sell here in our shop. So he gets the quality and a recipe only for him. Many shops here do delivery and takeout. Those food delivery. I don’t do it.

I don’t think I ever will. Because, I don’t think if the customer’s first experience, and his first time tasting my burger, is 20 minutes late, and old, because of food delivery, Then it’s not a good experience and they don’t return.

My wife’s Japanese. You know she followed me for 20 years, so I’ll follow her wherever she wants. She said ‘ I wanna go home’. So I said, okay, let’s do this. So I sold everything. I just opened (this restaurant) for fun.

Since I didn’t speak the language, I had to do most of all the design and stuff on my own. And I just took stuff I brought from home, and made the shop. So, fire is starting now and ’bout ready to put the bacon.

This is pork belly meat, and then I put the salt, pepper, maple. Yeah this is my original homemade bacon. It’s properly cured for anywhere from seven to fourteen days. Depending on the bacon. The bacon tells me when it’s ready. And when it’s ready it goes out on my smoker outside.

And smoke for about five hours with Sakura. What makes it a good smoky good flavor. Wait to cool down. Yeah, it’s a long process, but it’s worth it. It’s the best. Thank you, see you tomorrow! This is the meat for today. This is all 100% Angus beef, imported from America.

And I cut it everyday, and then grind it fresh, every day. It’s a Chuck brisket mix. It’s my own blend. I have no restaurant experience and no business experience and I don’t speak Japanese. So I did what I know how to do and that was stand downstairs in front of the shop,

So I stand out there for a long time every day, rainy day, hot day cold day, with an umbrella, the menu and shop card, and with no Japanese I just say ‘come on come on come on’! ‘Delicious burger I make’.

And then I learned words like ‘handmade’, and ‘the real thing’, and ‘homemade’. So, that’s how it started. Ah, Kazuma! Morning! When he came to me I was impressed that he had enough fortitude to come forward and ask me for an actual job.

So that was a good point for me right off the bat. And so far so good, he really works out and we have a really good relationship now, and we work together well. Hardworker, good guy. It started with me asking him, over there, after eating, if he’d let me work here.

I was actually quite nervous then. But when working together, doing small-talk with so many different customers is really fun, and I feel that his friendliness is different from that of Japanese people. Hello! Hi! Do you speak English? A little bit? I can speak English. A little bit? Alight.

Is my Japanese okay? Yeah! Yay, thank you! So for the burgers, we have single and double. I’ll take the bacon topping, and potato fries too. Something to drink? Ginger ale please! Spicy or sweet? Spicy! Okay! I always look on Google Maps and the photos and ratings of restaurants.

And I saw the pics of this place and though it looked delish, so I came here. Yes! Smokey, yummy, yummy, yummy! Smoked bacon. You smell it? Bacon! Is it good? Yeah!! So good! Really? It’s super meaty! Here you go! Thank you! Do you take pictures? Yeah! Okay. Thank you!

Thank you, see you tomorrow! See you tomorrow! I came here before once, and it was so delicious, so I came again today, and brought him along. My wife is Japanese. Happy wife, happy life. Listen, remember: Happy wife, happy life. It’s super delicious!

I do events, yeah. I do barbecue and home style food events, Sunday nights sometimes. But if I’m doing like a public food event I will announce it on Instagram. And then it’s usually reservations.

Because every time it’s sold out. I do Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, buffet style, I do four or five a year, and those are always sold out. The meat is really juicy. The bacon too, was crunchy and really delicious.

It’s great that he makes each and every burger fresh for the customers. We’re from Hiroshima. We came to eat here. It feels just really authentic.

As far as my Japanese customers, I’m really appreciative that they’ve embraced me and take the time to come and try it and give me honest opinions. And so far everybody that I’ve met in Japan has been really really nice, real comforting and honest.

(When I first came here) it was delicious, so I came to eat again on that same day, and today is my third time eating here. It really is delicious, you should definitely come and try yourself. Can you make it a double? It’s a very American taste. (laugh)

I think it’s the most delicious burger in Fukuoka. He makes the meat himself, and the bacon is exceptional too. Here you go. So I’m about the experience and also about the food. So I want a good blend of both. A good experience, and a great burger.

I’ve come to Japan 30, 31 years ago. My friend from college told me ‘I’m going to Japan next month, wanna come with?’. And I was like, why not? And with that, of 1 year became 31. In the beginning, I worked part-time doing dishes at an Izakaya, to learn Japanese.

The owner back then taught me a lot. I’m really glad I’ve come to Beppu . If I’d gone to Tokyo, I bet I would have gone back home within a year. To me now, Japan feels a lot cheaper, and more comfortable to live. Compared to Canada or America.

I went back to Canada in August for the first time in 6 years, and was surprised how expensive everything was! How does everyone survive? Only going for lunch and eating a Burger will cost around 6000 Yen! With the tip and everything, it’s really expensive.

For only eating and drinking a bit. what would probably cost you 2 to 3 thousand yen, is 6000 yen over there. These are chicken wings. This is heart, it’s not on the menu actually. You can only get about 4 skewers from a kilo, and everyone seems to throw them away. Such a waste.

The yakitori is made with a brand of chicken called Satsuma Akadori sent from Kagoshima every morning. It takes quite some time preparing the Yakitori, longer than our business hours! With 3 people, it takes around 7 to 8 hours every day.

The first 2 years, I did all of that by myself. I can’t imagine that now. Most of the time prep takes from 5am to 11am, and after a short break, we will do the rest of the prep from 2:30pm, and then open shop from 5:30pm to 11pm. And I head home around 12am.

This is “Kishu Binchotan”, the highest quality and most expensive charcoal in Japan. Using this, the outside of the meat will be crispy and the inside remains juicy. It’s 18,000 yen for a 15-kilogram package of Kishu Binchotan. For cheap regular charcoal, it is mostly 1,600 yen for 10 kg. 15 kg is 2,000 yen. Can you hear the sound? And they break easily. But the sound of Kishu Binchotan is like this. A sound like metal. And you cannot break it by hand. But only with something like this. It’s difficult to start the fire with Binchotan charcoal.

But once you have started the fire, it will last for a long time. And it’s quite powerful heat. I will cleanly line up the charcoal like this. If there is gaps, the flames will come up and burn the meat.

So you have to cleanly put them together like a puzzle, or else it will have bad effects on the cooking. He used to teach me English. When I was in grade school. Now he is fluent in English! since he had a great teacher! I think he joined the restaurant around 2 years ago?

Yes, 2 and a half years ago. He teaches me how to grill the Yakitori now. Since we knew each other from before. He seems like he is messing around, but is actually a really serious person. There’s only one flavor, but still, take your pick! Thank you! You’re welcome! Welcome!

Or you can pick one of the course on the next page. Wow, I had no idea! Thank you! Got it. Thank you very much! Hello, this is Yakitori ‘Kaede’. Hello hello! Yes Sa-chan! Sa-chan? No, Sachiko! How many times have we been here? Me, around 10 times.

I used to come here as a customer, became an employee, and now I’m normally visiting again Of course, the taste is good, but above all, the owner is just very fun. With his strong Oita dialect.

Even when meeting for the first time, it feels like you have been friends for a long time. He’s just really fun! A really fun Canadian uncle! Both, the food and the owner are great. It’s super delicious right.

Of course the food is great, but it’s not just about the food being good, it’s also about his interesting personality. A fun old guy! Here are your chicken wings. It’s fun, but it’s also very strange! For him to speak in Oita dialect so fluently is really funny!

He is the most fluent of us in the local dialect. That’s confusing. (laugh) But super fun! He makes a lot of jokes during work, and creates a fun work atmoshpere. I don’t think there many places in the restaurant industry where you can have fun like this.

I have been running this shop for 7 years, I have been in Japan for 30 years. I’m from Canada! And it’s my first time to come to this restaurant, and Oita my second time. And I am really enjoying it. I love the city, I love the feel. And this restaurant is just amazing.

He is an amazing person, and he is an amazing chef. So I am very happy for his success. What a wonderful time, what a great time I’m having, thank you so much! Thanks! It’s delicious! The one with liver, escargot and cream cheese. It’s cute! Right, it’s cute!

This is my first time coming here. For me, the most impressive was the escargot. Where I am from, you don’t get to eat escargot normally. Why are you laughing so much! (laugh) Watching how Dave works, and how he communicates with the customers, and learning from that. The best! The most delicious!

Drinking super cold beer after a days work! I think I’ve stayed here because I like this kind of life in Japan, the food culture is great, the sake is great… Give me five! Thank you! Be careful! I’m a super Ghibli fan! And I’ve always wanted to come to Japan.

And when I got here I saw the Yatai culture, and I stayed. I started at Remi-san’s place (another Yatai in Fukuoka), On my second day working there, a beautiful customer came to the Yatai, they hit on me, and we have been married for 3 years now! That was you hitting on them right?

No no! Before, I wanted to open my own restaurant. But now I think Yatai are better. I can drink everyday and have fun. Nice people get together. Yatai are better. It’s super exciting and super nice. That doesn’t happen at normal restaurants. Convenience stores are the best! (laugh)

There’s nothing you can’t get at a Conbini. You can buy cigarettes anytime, pay your rent, it’s really amazing. I can already let him be in charge. Since he has the skills and the feels. He’s great with the customers too. He’s really good at service, with that smile. You’re nervous aren’t you?

Wouldn’t it be strange if I weren’t? When I started, I got this apron from the boss. I’ve always wanted one like this. When I quit the last place, the boss gave me this. It was supposed to be a birthday present. But he was half a year late. (laugh)

Everyone’s telling me it’s a strange hat, but I like it. Good work today! Thanks boss! It’s not like he is a forgiving person per se, but he has a soft spot for me. Anyone should try this kind of job, it’s really fun! All the customers are super kind people, I really love them.

Roast pork! With the bosses secret sauce. The pork is really delicious, you should try it later! Where are you from? Germany! (translating to Japanese) She’s from Germany! I learned a toast in German before! That’s ‘Prost’! So, Prost! Means ‘Cheers’ in German. Yeah, yeah! So cheeky! (laugh) Pork roast, got it!

I always come here after work. It’s a great place to get away from the work blues! It’s the best. So good! I’m from Scotland! Go to that Yatai! The Yatai is exceptional! This is beautiful, look at it! Everyday I’m here! Every morning, I get up, I drink my coffee here!

This is the best Yatai! You have to come here! I’ll make Ravioli later. It’s a bit like making Gyoza, but also very different. (laugh) Fukuoka is a really nice city to live. Everyone is incredibly cheerful, a bit like Italians. That’s why I opened my shop here. This (the pasta machine) is my grandmas. I remember her every time I use it.

It’s very nostalgic. I am an engineer. I went to college in Milano, and went to London to work. I worked as an consultant in many different countries. But I have always had an interest in cooking. When studying Japanese, you realize there is many similar words. Like ‘kaisetsu’, ‘kaihatsu’, ‘kaiketsu’.

They sound so similar, but the meaning is completely different, so I always get confused. (laugh) My name is Chris, I am Swiss. I met Giovanna many years ago. We were working on the same project, and we became friends. So I decided to come and lend a hand with this venture of Giovanna.

She is a perfectionist, so she is never happy with what she cooks. She always says ‘ Oh no, this is not good enough’. She always strives to do better and better. My name is Malta, and I am Italian. I came to Fukuoka city 1 month ago. Giovanna always works hard everyday,

For the many customers coming. Thanks to Giovanna, this restaurant has a really great atmosphere. Eating together is super important. My family eats togther as much as possible. And Italians altogether, for example college students too, young people will say “Let’s eat together!”, and eat a simple pasta dish and drink wine.

Japanese people like wine quite a lot, I didn’t expect that. In the past, most people probably drank more Shochu or Sake, but nowadays wine is really popular. That makes me really happy. The owner, Giovanna, makes real local cuisine from Italy, but the dishes also perfectly fit the Japanese taste.

My recommendation is the pasta. Leaving the ingredients to her! The way she uses herbs for example – it’s a very gentle taste. It’s not too salty either. And Giovanna is a super interesting person! She always tells a lot of jokes! For example, she knows that we always only drink wine,

But she’ll joke and say “Today you get Highball and Shochu!” We have been coming here a lot, since it opened around July last year. I like the focaccia, it’s the speciality of this place. Japan is beautiful. Everyone is kind and earnest. And because I found it interesting, I wanted to learn more.

About the culture for example. I wanted to know why Japanese people are so different. The wine really fits the cooking too – such bliss! Cheers! It’s as if we were in Italy. This right here might be Italy. We love it here, and have been here so many times.

I put semolina in, yellow semolina, only a few hundred grams. So they become a bit pasta-like. I dress completely in white for this. Only for when I am making the noodles. My usual. I always drink coffee after eating. Always. I’ll feel sick if I don’t drink it.

I’ll be 57 soon, and my wife is 54. As long as you have the energy, you should do all the things you want to do. You should definitely do it as long as you can. This is pork, oil and Italian sausage. And this is mozzarella cheese. I’ll make this into meat dumplings.

This is just the usual dumpling dough. Salsicca Gyoza. Salsicca! It means “Italian Sausage”. My dishes always consist 50/50 of Japanese and Italian ingredients. For this, the outside is Japanese and the inside is Italian. Folding them just like this. I’ll be 57 next month!

I sometimes can’t believe I’ve been living in Japan for one-third of my life already. Long time no see! Stay healthy! Welcome! Parmesan cheese. He’s like my step-son? His dishes are delicious! The taste changed slowly over time, and now is the best! He’s such a hard worker.

I thought Italians were less serious, but he is a real hard worker. I guess there are exceptions like him. (laugh) A big portion of Rome Mixed Soba, please! Here you go! We’ve come a few times before, and felt like eating here again today! It was delish, I really love cheese!

It’s a taste you can only get here! With Italian ham and everything! Delicious! Gianni is super fun! This place has a great atmosphere and is delish! Really great! Where did Gianni get his inspiration for the menu? so advertising him being Italian through the menu as well had a great impact.

Here are our Top 5 foreign run restaurants that we enjoyed from our videos from 2023! We hope you will fondly remember watching this fantastic selection of restaurants run by foreigners in Japan!

🏠 Restaurant Name: U.S.Burger https://youtu.be/4yTpLEeDXS4?feature=shared
📍Location on Google Maps: https://bit.ly/42K7r2i

🏠 Restaurant Name: Yakitori Kaede　※Closed September 2023

🏠 Restaurant Name: Yatai Aka-chochin https://youtu.be/m_gKypiVznQ?feature=shared
📍Location on Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/RSYdbCbhuctULVDQA

🏠 Restaurant Name: TIPICO https://youtu.be/p7SO8s-1jbI?feature=shared
📍Location on Google Maps: https://bit.ly/3JcUarH

🏠 Restaurant Name: Ippachitei https://youtu.be/7lM28havMSY?feature=shared
📍Location on Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/WQDTXTy3QyYyCFMMA

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