It’s not every day there’s a ninja painted on the wall of the women’s restroom.
But, then again, Katsu Burger is not an everyday experience.
The Japanese-themed burger joint serves up breaded, deep-fried hamburgers.
This is not like getting breaded, fried butter at the state fair, but the place has that fun atmosphere.
It is bright and vibrant. The walls are purple, with a theme of “Godzilla” and “Star Wars.”
Katsu Burger is in the strip plaza between Regal Alderwood Stadium 7 movie theaters and Asian grocer H Mart. You can’t miss its shining glow in the corner spot, beckoning you to come in.
Japanese sodas and Pocky biscuit sticks are among the mesmerizing colorful treats in the glass cabinet by the order counter.
Burgers come in beef, chicken, pork and tofu patties. Our party of four ordered one of each: Katsu curry ($7.95) pork cutlet with American cheese, curry mayonnaise and tonkatsu sauce; Teriyaki Chicken ($8.75) with pineapple, Japanese mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce; Miso Honey Tofu ($6.95) with miso honey mustard; and Wabi Wasabi ($7.55), a chicken patty with pepper jack and wasabi mayonnaise.
It was tempting to order the Mt. Fuji ($18.95), a mountain of beef, pork and chicken, cheeses, fried egg, bacon and so on.
For fries $(2.35), we tried nori seaweed and curry seasonings. The wasabi cole slaw ($2.15) looked too good to pass up (and it tasted as good as it looked).
Orders are made fresh and take about 10 minutes. There are Japanese magazines to flip through if you get tired of gazing at the decor (I didn’t). Dining is at tables and bar stools.
The burgers arrived neatly wrapped in white paper, concealing the 5-inch wonders inside.
OMG! Size-wise it was like two Big Macs stacked on top of each other. A couple inches was shredded cole slaw.
I wasn’t sure how to eat this thing … but I ate the whole thing. I couldn’t stop. My Wabi Wasabi was spicy and crunchy and chewy. The whole enchilada. Plus I ate about 50 of the skinny, seasoned fries.
My son, Ian, who lived in Japan, is a fan of the Katsu Burger, which opened in July in Lynnwood. It’s the third location, with others in Seattle and the Factoria area of Bellevue. He and his Japanese wife, Ayako, are glad they don’t have to drive to King County to get their katsu fix.
“The katsu curry burger is my favorite food on a bun,” Ian said. “It’s really unique because the inside is crunchy. Usually with a hamburger the inside is soft meat.”
Ayako chose the teriyaki chicken. “The chicken was soft and the vegetables and pineapple fresh,” she said. “The shredded cabbage is usually a side dish. It’s cool that they put it on top.”
The milkshakes have a Japanese twist. On a previous visit, Ayako had a shake with black sesame and kinako, a soybean flour. “Very filling,” she said.
She praised more than the food.
“Even the trash cans are cute,” she said.
She also liked the map where people can put a pushpin of where they’re from.
As Ian put it: “This is the perfect restaurant for food snobs and food slobs. It’s cool Japanese food served in an all-American style.”
Burgers come with pickle, red onion and tomato. Condiments include ketchup, hot sauces and spicy mayonnaise.
Grab a stack of napkins and dig in.
An online reviewer wrote: “If you’re like me, and like your burgers huge and messy and delicious, this is the spot for you.”
Andrea Brown at 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.
Katsu Burger
3333 184th St. SW, No. B; 425-622-4500; www.katsuburger.com.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Alcohol: None
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