Eat Well: Great Lakes - Takadanobaba
Great Lakes is a 100% vegan burger restaurant about a 10-minute walk from Takadanobaba station. There isn’t a lot of seating, but they have chairs outside to wait until a table is free. And believe us, it’s worth the wait. We love the casual vibe of the restaurant with its open kitchen and the cool mural we saw as soon as we entered. There’s also a television that occasionally plays shows and movies to keep guests entertained if dining alone. It was pretty busy when we visited, so we sat at the counter. It was fun watching the cooks at work preparing our food. No matter where you sit, though, you’ll be sure to have a good time. The staff was so friendly and offered suggestions on their favorite options. The staff and the menu are bilingual so ordering is easy in Japanese and English.
Great Lakes offers three kinds of burgers, two sides, and a milkshake with seasonal flavors. You can get the burgers as doubles or singles with or without cheese. Let’s dig in!
The superior burger, named after Lake Superior, is this restaurant’s top recommendation and after you eat it you’ll understand why. The Superior burger has a great balance and contrast of flavors. It‘s filled with mayo, house-made cheese sauce, grilled red onion, arugula, tomato jam, and their signature burger patty. The bu is soft without being mushy and lends a nice texture to the overall eating experience - and this is coming from someone who doesn’t really enjoy eating bread. We decided to try this burger with tater tots to please our inner child. The tots were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, just like they should be. This is a great starter burger for your first time dining in because it feels like a classic burger with a little twist.
Next on our burger adventure in the Michigan burger, of course named after Lake Michigan. This is our favorite burger and the one we order most often from Great Lakes. It also comes with the house-made patty, but the difference lies in the toppings. - caramelized onions and cheese sauce. Even though it doesn’t boat a variety of ingredients like the other two burgers, the Michigan packs a lot of flavor. It’s just a pile of savory goodness that warms the heart and fills the stomach. Due to its minimal toppings there isn’t a lot of textural variety but eating it with some french fries on the side helps round it out as a satisfying meal.
We finished of the meal with a Biscoff cookie milkshake, which has definitely changed by the time of posting this review. We like eating this cookie as a snack already, so we knew we had to try it in shake form. It was absolutely delicious. The milkshake was thick, but not so thick that we couldn’t drink it through a straw. The whipped cream on top added an extra layer of creaminess without making this dessert too sweet. Of course, we already loved the flavor because we love the cookie but blending it with vanilla ice cream helped enhance the caramel flavor that this speculoos cookie is so well known for. There was even a Biscoff cookie nestled on top of the whipped cream as a garnish to drive the consistency home. It’s a good thing this milkshake isn’t on the regular menu because we would order it every time.
If you’re looking for a fantastic burger place in Tokyo, we can’t recommend Great Lakes enough. The simple but delicious menu that’s 100% vegan makes it the perfect place to satisfy your craving for this American classic. As we try new menu items we will update this post to help you know what to expect. For now, eat well and travel often.
