If you ever find yourself in Kōenji, and if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the albeit delicious Japanese food you’ve been having, you might want to drop by at Fatz’s to have a burger because honestly, what could go wrong with a delicious, juicy burger?
First off, with its bright red Coca-Cola bench sitting outside the restaurant and the walls inside and outside painted in the same shade of red, it gives out a rather retro vibe. Step in and you will probably have to take off your jacket; it’s a small place that is not that well ventilated, but that’s okay because it contributes to the whole experience, trust me. You’ll then be greeted by the formerly Californian owner who is fluent in both Japanese and English, and is always ready to explain to you how the menu works.
Here you get to fully customise your burger from head to toe. All entrees come with bread, fries and coleslaw at the base price of 350 yen. I wasn’t feeling too adventurous so I had the hamburger bun with the veggies set (lettuce, tomato and onions), the 120g beef patty with honey mustard. For the toppings I opted for cheddar cheese and bacon. I am salivating as I’m type this.
Because Fatz’s is practically a one-man show, it does take a little while for your food to arrive but fret not, in the meantime there is a combination of rock, punk and rap music playing in the restaurant for you to enjoy while you wait. Bonus: the burger is grilled and prepared in front of your eyes.
When the burger arrived I couldn’t wait to take a bite. Although I used a fork and knife to eat my burger, a nice little touch is that Fatz’s provides paper burger pockets for you to put your burger in it to reduce the messiness should you choose to eat with your hands.
I am happy to report that the burger did not disappoint. The patty was juicy and just so, meaty. The bacon added so much flavour, the cheese was excellent and the honey mustard really gave the flavours a kick. The fries and coleslaw were decent but the star was clearly the burger.
Other than burgers, you could also get starters like nachos and onion rings and for drinks, milkshakes are available as well beer, wine and cocktails.
I had a tiny bit of a problem finding Fatz’s because it’s not exactly on the side of the road, but then again that might be due to me being absolutely terrible with directions. If you don't get lost finding the restaurant, it will take you around five minutes to get to the there from Kōenji Station's North exit.
A word of advice though: ingredients tend to run out before closing time so to be extra safe, check out their Facebook page for any updates before heading there.
