Hamburg steak is a very popular food in Japan. Enjoyed by all generations and especially popular amongst children, hamburg steak is very much a comfort food throughout Japan.

It’s basically a meat pattie consisting of a combination of both ground pork and ground beef, sauteed onions, egg to bind everything together, and bread crumbs. This combination creates the juicy and tender Japanese hamburg steak.

The sauce generally consists of a blend of Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and Japanese sake creating a flavorful sauce to coat the hamburg steak.

Sides generally include potato salad and /or rice.

Grill Ron

Hamburg steak was not something that I had eaten in many years. With it being so popular in Japan it was available at many different locations and one night it just sounded really good and I was able to find Grill Ron’s in Osaka.

Located in the basement level of the Osaka Hankyu Sanban-gai, a large mall near Osaka Station, Grill Ron has been in business for nearly half a century. It’s a small restaurant and there was about a 20-minute queue when I went around 6pm. It’s quite convenient that they have stools lining the front of the restuarant so you can sit while you wait, which after a long day of touring is quite nice and very welcome!

I came here for the hamburg steak and it’s certainly a prominent item on their menu. They have a few different options to choose from three different sets with different sides to choose from. Having an English menu was also a huge plus!

I went with the A Set which included a hamburg steak, fried shrimp, and croquette (1,250 yen, $7.77 USD). This also included a side of rice and miso soup. Quite a deal for $7.77!

The Food

The presentation on the plate is quite nice with the hamburg steak, croquette, and fried shrimp all lined up nicely. By American terms, the hamburg steak is a little small, BUT I mean, we tend to over do things food related, so this hamburg steak is probably sized correctly lol. It did however stand out to me initially.

The hamburg steak was really lean and extremely juicy. It paired well with that brown Worcestershire, ketchup, and Japanese sake sauce which was a little a sweet, a little savory. It was quite tasty.

The croquette ended up being potato, with a perfectly crispy exterior and mushy inside. The contrast between both the exterior and interior was fantastic. It was really like a deep fried mashed potato pancake. Dipped in some of that sauce really made it quite tasty as well!

Finally, the shrimp. First off, the shrimp was quite large. Fried to perfection, it was nice and crispy and the shrimp was very swee. Definitely a nice addition to this set. It comes with what is basically tarter sauce for dipping sauce.

Is It Worth A Visit?

Overall, this was a good meal, especially for the price. I liked the different combination of flavors and textures with the fried shrimp, hamburg steak, and potato croquette. Throw in some potato salad, some cabbage, rice, and miso soup, and this was quite a lot of food (yes, even with the “smaller” hamburg steak!)

Grill Ron has been around for a very long time and they know what they’re doing. If you’re in the area and craving a hamburg steak it’s certainly worth stopping by and grabbing a delicious, budget conscious meal.

Grill Ron

Address: 1 Chome-1-3 Shibata, Kita Ward, Osaka, 530-0012, Japan

Hours

Monday	11 AM–10 PM
Tuesday	11 AM–10 PM
Wednesday	11 AM–10 PM
Thursday	11 AM–10 PM
Friday	11 AM–10 PM
Saturday	11 AM–10 PM
Sunday	11 AM–10 PM