If you've ever wished you could take a bite of Tokyo without leaving Manila, Hamburg Yoshi—the beloved Japanese hamburger steak spot from Aoyama and Omotesando—just answered your cravings. 

Now open at Bonifacio Global City’s Verve 1, this cult favorite brings with it not just Japan’s signature take on hamburg steak, but a full-sensory dining experience rooted in authenticity and detail.

For Cecile Zamora, bringing Hamburg Yoshi to the Philippines was a passion project. A frequent Tokyo visitor, she first discovered the original by chance. “As a kid, I preferred burgers with rice instead of a bun. This felt familiar, but elevated,” she recalls. 

Determined to recreate the experience, she meticulously brought in details—from the Harajuku-inspired playlist to the self-service drawers and even a Japanese toilet. “I wanted people to feel like they had stepped into a place in Tokyo,” she says. To ensure authenticity, five staff members trained in Japan, and Mr. Yoshi himself helped with the launch.

Yasukawa Yoshinori—known simply as Yoshi—pivoted to hamburg steak after the pandemic disrupted his 24-year yakiniku business in Sapporo. He envisioned a concept that was fast, hot, and solo diner-friendly, launching in Tokyo’s Omotesando district to instant success. “We grind our meat in-house every morning,” he explains. “We buy whole cuts, grind them ourselves, and grill over charcoal to enhance flavor while cutting excess fat.”

Yoshinori Yasukawa | Photo: Hamburg Yoshi PH

The BGC menu mirrors Tokyo’s offerings: Regular Beef Patty, Wagyu Hamburg, Skirt Steak, and the surprising bestseller, Beef Tongue Hamburg. Each set includes hot miso soup, pickles, a raw egg, and unlimited servings of Japanese rice, cooked traditionally in imported hagama pots. “The rice is a standout,” Zamora says. The raw egg is for tamago kake gohan, a Japanese ritual of mixing egg and soy sauce into hot rice. “It’s not for everyone, but worth trying at least once.”

A Regular Hamburg Patty | Photo: Hamburg Yoshi PH

Despite trends favoring local adaptations, Yoshi insists on consistency. “We don’t change the flavor,” he says. “Even in Taiwan and Korea, we use the same demi-glace sauce.” Zamora agrees: “Even though sweet sauces are popular here, we’re staying faithful to the original recipe.”

Choosing BGC as the first Philippine location was intentional. “BGC reminds me of Omotesando,” Yoshi says, citing its modern design and high-end energy. Zamora adds, “Filipinos love Japanese food, but I feel like most places don’t capture the Tokyo I know—the small, cool spots in between.”

BGC reminds Yoshi of Omotesando | Photo: Hamburg Yoshi PH

While launching hasn’t been without challenges. “We had some exhaust issues,” Zamora admits her team’s extensive experience with restaurant air management helped them adjust quickly.

With successful expansions in Taiwan and Korea and a new branch planned in Thailand, Hamburg Yoshi is going global. But Yoshi’s philosophy remains simple: “What we offer is the authentic taste of Yoshi.”

In Manila, it’s working. The queues are forming, and the flavor remains undeniably Tokyo. “We want people to experience Japan,” Yoshi says, “even if they’ve never been there.”

People queuing up outside Hamburg Yoshi | Photo: Hamburg Yoshi PH

If you love beef and Japanese flavors, Hamburg Yoshi is definitely worth the trip to BGC. The menu is short and curated, but choosing which kind of beef patty to enjoy could still feel a bit like Sophie’s Choice. We arrived on a busy Saturday evening, so the choice was pretty much made for us with their sold out menu. 

We had the Hamburg Regular Beef Patty Set Meal, which comes with a choice of three or four patties, all the Japanese steamed rice you can eat, one onsen tamago (but you can buy additional eggs, if you want—and you should), and various condiments that you should definitely explore. The beef patty was so tender and flavorful, gently falling apart with just the use of a chopstick. 

A set meal | Photo: Hamburg Yoshi PH

We were instructed to separate the egg yolk from the whites and mix the yolk with the steaming rice, creating a golden kake gohan and turning the rice creamy. The brown sauce (slightly sweet and potent with soy sauce) adds a subtle sweetness to the umami-rich beef and gives a new depth of flavor to the rice. The yolk and the beef alone already makes for a flavorful mouthful, so you can go easy on the even more flavorful demi glace (which they can serve with cheese to be melted right in front of you over your very own grill). 

Take our advice and ask for extra onsen tamago | Photo: Ching Dee

As for the condiments, the salted pickled lemon beautifully cuts through the richness of everything, providing a much needed brightness in between bites that you might need when you’re on your third or fourth beef patty or nth bowl of rice. And again, I could not stress this enough: spring for the extra onsen tamago. You deserve it.

Hamburg Yoshi is now open at Bonifacio High Street South, Ground Floor, Verve 1, 26th Street corner 8th Avenue, BGC. Follow them on Instagram at @hamburgyoshi.ph.