I was just sitting here thinking about Hawaii and how I would really love to live there. I feel Hawaiian inside. The last meal that I had was at the Honolulu airport at Gordon Biersch. I had an excellent beer, a burger and some garlic fries with the wife. Good memories. Now...once I get some time I'll be showing you some of my favorite other Hawaiian eats. Ok..now back to work. Dan

Written and Photographed by Troy Zitzelberger M Burger Itaewon For weeks now I have been searching for a real burger. I have been looking for something juicy and delicious instead of these bland overly sauced burgers that lack bite.  When a new burger joint opens I am always a bit critical, but on a stroll on a glorious Seoul afternoon I stumbled upon M-Burger. It is located where the old Fat Panda Chinese takeout place used to be.  Now you may be wondering; what does the M stand for? Massive, monstrous, mars, miscellaneous, mamacita, or perhaps mashisoyo: honestly, I have no idea. M Burger Itaewon But however you decide to spin it, the burger that I ate was all of those things and more gently placed in a bun: with two wooden spikes holding it together. After sitting down on the veranda, we were greeted by the owner Michael, a kind and ambitious LA native. His menu is creative and exciting. I was particularly drawn to the Juicy Luicy: a burger stuffed with cheese i...

Hi, my name is Dan and I am a burger snob. But I think that is totally expected right? These days I have been checking out burger places in hopes that I will find that magical burger. Jacoby's is now...meh. I went to Green Chili Burger...too spicy and topped with mozzarella cheese. Bistro Corner took a turn for the worst. Now Dillinger's had this half priced burger special on Tuesday night and I decided I had nothing to lose. I went with a friend and she had the bacon cheeseburger (7,000 won). I had the regular burger (5,000) and was pleasantly surprised. It was big, juicy and beefy. The bun was soft and had body. The burger wasn't dressed with sauces and veggies- they were put on the side. It was a sumptuous burger that had bite and was seasoned just right. I recommend you go check it out any day of the week. Dan

This is not a burger from Burger Tex, but from Rookies in Seoul When I get an impassioned letter from a reader, I have to take notice. Here is a letter from 金在龍 about a burger joint in Sinchon called Burger Tex. I hope the place hasn't closed yet. Sincerely, Dan Hello There. I'm a New Yorker here in Seoul.  And I've found a burger shop here I think you should know about. I've spent a few years working with some of the top chefs in NYC.  over 6 years of living in seoul, and after searching high and low for the 'best burger' myself, i came across your top 10 list. If you've ever been to Corner Bistro in the West Village in NY, that's pretty much what i'd consider a 'perfect' burger.  no surprises, just a sizable portion of perfectly grilled beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and whatever condiments i feel in the mood for. no bullshit. As in NY, my experience in Seoul, is that everyone has their own take on what a 'good...

Mac 'N Cheese Cheeseburger from Dillon's Irish Pub in Hollywood. It's a good thing that I live in Korea because I would weigh a million pounds in the states. This burger is all that is wonderful from my childhood and I would like to enjoy it with a mug of Hawaiian punch. It's located in LA on sunset strip. Next time I'm in LA, I'll have to stop by. Via Seriouseats

First of all, what do you think of the new layout? Blogger has really tweaked their blogging software so even an idiot like me can have a cool looking blog. I'm working on improving it more and more, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know. Over the weekend, I was invited by Two Broz. Hamburger Joint to come in and take pictures of their burgers because they will be new advertisers in Groove Magazine (thanks guys). So after taking pictures, I was lucky enough to taste what they had. The food is good. I mean, they are a new burger place and so they have the growing pains that all new places have. The interior is clean and diner-like. The prices are very reasonable (5,800 won for the regular hamburger) and they have have great fries with Swiss seasoning salt.. Oh- and they also have free refills on their cokes. Here's the Egg Burger. I love the sunny-side up egg yolk on the thick all beef patty. It's a good chunk of meat. Their buns and other ingredients are ...

 Charbroiled, served with fries Melted Cheese, toasted bun Go in for a bite.

Wow...the Korea Herald gave me the entire page for the story. Here is the article with more pictures. Dan Today is the day that my diet begins. Finding and ranking the best hamburgers in Seoul has been a joy and a curse. Luckily, the restaurants have gotten better but there are more of them as well. Suffice it to say, hamburgers are not just a fad in Seoul; you'll find burger restaurants dotted all over the city. The first review that I did a year ago was received with an equal amount of praise and scrutiny. I found people are passionate about their burgers. For this review, I went to over 20 restaurants - a few more than once. This year I decided to not include franchise burgers to this list. Also, I decided to look at the signature burgers of each restaurant. My criteria for ranking were on the quality of meat, bun, toppings, service, and overall enjoyment. Slyders                10. "Slyders" from J...

You can see my full write-up at the Korea Herald.

Who will be number 1? Fresco Burger from Jacoby's The Wolfhound Burger Geckos The Aussie Shop The W-Burger Rookies Here is the infamous first review that I did http://www.seouleats.com/2008/10/review-hamburgers-in-seoul.html

From the December Issue of Groove Magazine. Written and Photographed by Ara Cho Although not your traditional sports grill in the American sense of the term, Rookies brings home cooking, comfort, and most of all great service to the Ichon area. With fabulous prices, dedication to quality ingredients, and amazing customer service, the owners promise (and deliver) an experience that cannot be beat. Located in foreigner-friendly Ichon, Rookies is easily accessible and cozy; by the looks of its full tables on a weekday night, it appears to already be a neighborhood favorite to foreign families, local students, and the American military. Rookies arose from co-owner Helen's brother's seven years spent in Denver, who wanted to bring the American sports bar scene to Korea. He opened the Samgakji branch two months ago, while Helen, who spent ten years in Switzerland, opened the Ichon branch a month ago. Their international experiences, combined with the skills of Chef Byberg, ...

by Hwang Hye Jung In a world where the word “naked” seems to become overused in marketing of products ranging from fruit juice to an actual chef, Johnny Lee of Naked Grill in Hannam Dong still believes in its class and marketability. “The word ‘naked’ is a concept----nothing hidden, everything fresh,” says Johnny as he proudly shows off his open kitchen in which diners see staff preparing sausages, lettuce, and all other details in plain sight. A young spunky Korean American who moved back to Korea for good four years ago, Johnny came from a family of restaurateurs, living and learning the culinary business as he grew up mostly in California. Johnny officially opened his own venture Naked Grill in September, however, before that he had an even more daring venture. “Burgers and tacos have always been my passion, before I found our present locale, I decided to launch the first-ever Taco truck in Korea six months ago. Our beef and chicken tacos, which feature typical L.A....

Does anyone have a stomach big enough for the King Kev? It's got 3 beef patties, cheddar, provolone, Swiss, bacon, grilled salami,  onions, pickles, tomatos and lettuce. Here is the Ranch Burger Here is my friend Maleka Try Kevin's Homemade Hot Sauce. It's tangy and spicy. Well, except Maleka needed something a bit hotter. Here is the chili burger. You should definitely check it out. Good burgers and great chili.

The Seoul Global Center is so cool. I just got this e-mail. I think it's perfect for anyone looking to make kimchi. And yes, that is kimchi on top of a burger. A Speciality in North Korea. Read more about that here. Dan Finally, in October, we will also be going to Soodo Cooking Academy for Kimchi making classes. There will be classes on October 6th, 12th, and 20th from 10am to 12pm and the classes are free of charge. Details for the Korean class registration and the other events can all be found in the News section of our website http://global.seoul.go.kr/ itaewon/  

The fries were thin and crisp like McDonalds, but actually tasted like potato. The Burger patty was oh-my-god amazing. The oatmeal and pumpkin seeds on the bun were scrumptious. Worth every penny (or if you are in Korea wonny). 25,000 at the W-Hotel in Seoul.