Yamamoto’s Hamburg opens in Singapore at Lau Pa Sat helmed by the team behind the viral Hikiniku to Come
Been keeping track of all the big overseas brands opening in Singapore? Then you’d probably remember the fanfare when viral Japanese hamburg brand Hikiniku to Come opened in May.
If you already tried Hikiniku to Come’s Singapore outlet at VivoCity, or haven’t gotten round to it owing to the queues, here’s another concept to try: Yamamoto’s Hamburg, a brand from the same founder, which has just arrived in Singapore.
The restaurant will open officially to the public tomorrow (September 22) in its soft-launch phase, with its grand opening slated for October 5.
While Hikiniku to Come is located inside VivoCity shopping centre, Yamamoto’s Hamburg’s first Singapore outlet is in a rather peculiar location — inside our iconic hawker centre, Lau Pa Sat.
Unlike the snazzy Hikiniku to Come outlet, Yamamoto’s Hamburg’s Singapore outlet is a small one that doesn’t have many bells and whistles.
It feels more homely and cosy, and is just the spot for a quick meal — which is probably what its usual office-worker demographic is after.
The Yamamoto’s Hamburg brand, which also focuses on hamburgs, also originates from Japan, and has built up a domestic footprint of 20 outlets since it was founded in 2025.
Its outlet in Singapore is its first one here, but internationally, it already has outlets in other Asian cities including Hong Kong and Taipei.
Some of you may be wondering: If both brands sell hamburgs and are opened by the same person, then what is the difference?
According to founder Shohei Yamamoto:“Yamamoto Hamburg was born from the kind of food I grew up eating at home.”
Basically, the new concept is one that endeavours to serve comforting, homely family-style cuisine, while Hikiniku to Come is solely devoted to perfecting the art of hamburg on rice.
What’s on Yamamoto’s Hamburg menu in Singapore
If you’re wondering what are the must-orders on Yamamoto’s Hamburg menu, you’ll be surprised to hear that one of our top picks was actually a plate of potatoes.
More specifically, it’s the anchovy butter potatoes (S$4.90), which are soft golden potato wedges tossed in butter and anchovies.
As unassuming as it looks, this was an immensely decadent affair that involved oodles of buttery fragrance and sharp anchovy umami. Given how indulgent it is, it’s probably a good idea to share this!
Moving on to the hamburgs: Unlike Hikiniku to Come, where there is only one hamburg option, Yamamoto’s Hamburg in Singapore actually has quite a decent variety of styles to choose from.
If this is your first encounter with the brand, the team strongly recommends the signature Yamamoto hamburg (S$19.90).
The namesake dish is doused in a thick and rich demi-glace that is crafted with miso and Japanese dashi, giving it a good mix of sweetness and depth of flavour.
Cutting open the hamburg also reveals a little secret: It’s stuffed with gorgonzola cheese and mushroom sauce!
Overall, the hamburg is juicy with a nice crumbliness and the flavours — while not as memorable as Hikiniku to Come’s binchotan-grilled patties — mesh very well together and make for a very satisfying experience.
Although its beef patty is what the brand is known for, Yamamoto’s Hamburg has also introduced a chicken patty, that’s exclusive to Singapore.
We tried it as the jikasei hamburg (S$17.90) option, which is simply a combination of a hamburg patty with housemade demi-glace.
What’s surprising is that we ended up enjoying the chicken patty a bit more than the beef variation.
What charmed us was the texture of the chicken patty. Compared to the heavier beef patty, the chicken patty was so soft and cut apart without needing much effort!
Besides the classic demi glace pairing, Yamamoto’s Hamburg also has less conventional creations on its menu, including the goma yuzu ponzu hamburg (sesame and yuzu ponzu, S$15.90) and tomato hamburg (S$15.90).
Our interest was piqued in particular by the unique kimchi cheese hamburg (S$19.90), where the patty comes topped with melted cheese and submerged in a kimchi broth.
While we won’t say the kimchi broth is topping any Korean food listicles, it is still solidly comforting, with a good amount of acidity to contrast against the heavier-tasting beef patty and cheese!
Ultimately, Yamamoto’s Hamburg delivers on the homely and comforting flavours it promises.
It might not be as sophisticated as Hikiniku to Come, but it’ll be a great option for the CBD lunch crowd who are after a good, fuss-free meal that satisfies.
Also, don’t forget to order the anchovy butter potatoes if you decide to go!
This was a hosted tasting.
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the newest bakes joint by a Masterchef runner-up and the first instalment of our ulu food finds series!
- Raffles Place
- Downtown
- Telok Ayer
- Shenton Way
Evan started off writing about food on Instagram, before joining outlets such as Buro and Confirm Good to pursue his passion. His best work usually comes after his first whisky shot in the morning.
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