Last Updated on October 19, 2025
Bold flavours and big hits at Victoria’s new burger spot
4.5 out of 5.0 stars‘Wonderful hamburger’ is the English translation of the name of Victoria’s hippest new burger joint, Hanbaagaasuuteeki, on Buckingham Palace Road, a few steps away from some of London’s most famous burger chains. ‘Suteeki’ in Japanese can also be translated as steak, showing how this new Asian-inspired burger restaurant is seeking to tap into the ‘steak hamburger’ trend popular in Japan.
A considered and expansive menu captures flavours from across the east, giving a tour de force of pan-Asian flavours all within the distinctly western burger format. With a painted sign outside and a straightforward layout of a large central table surrounded by bar-style seating around the sides, Hanbaagaasuuteeki presents as a throwback to a more traditional era of burger joints – there are no giant screens to impersonally select your toppings. Manager Jackson chats with diners and offers tips and advice on the menu, building a personable relationship with customers, which is rare in fast food. A happy group of diners thanked staff personally after the meal, very impressed with their burgers and fries and promised to bring more friends back. It is these interactions and the support of the customers and pride in the business shown by the staff that make Hanbaagaasuuteeki stand out as much as the innovative and delicious burgers.
On to the menu at Hanbaagaasuuteeki – each burger offers a taste of a different Asian country, travelling across China, Korea, Thailand, Japan, and a homage to the origin of the modern hamburger with ‘Another double cheese burger’.
We started off with the Shrimp Kong Baga, beef patty and melted cheese with crispy shrimp. Based on a surf ‘n turf, this burger was fantastic with a punchy, tangy sauce that complemented the crispy smash patty. Hearty chunks of shrimp were generous, making this a decadent mouthful every time. The Kong Baga alone is worth a return visit, my companion and I decided.
Accompanying this first burger, we enjoyed the Honey Gochu Sticks. Halloumi-style cheese sticks are deep fried and immersed in a sweet homemade gochujang honey sauce before being topped with chopped spring onion, crispy seaweed flakes and pieces of kimchi – also homemade. The thick sauce clung to the cheese sticks as they were lifted off the plate, with each bite bringing through the sweetness of the honey.
Our next burger was one of the most popular on the Hanbaagaasuuteeki menu, the Szechuan Chicken Baga. The large chicken breast was fried to a deep brown colour but remained moist and flavourful inside – well balanced. The burger is a bold and vibrant option – the famous mouth-tingling Szechuan peppers are unmistakable and addictive.
The Yuzu match chicken burger is a new addition, not yet on the full menu we were handed as we arrived, and features the same dark brown deep-fried chicken with Japanese matcha sauce paired with mint. Matcha fries were also enjoyable, generously piled high and intended to accompany the burger with its wakame kelp and chilli flakes on top.
Next, Thailand, and the San Burger with ‘Thai herb from Isan with holy basil’ is another burger bursting with new flavours and featuring the famous Southeast Asian herb krapow (also known as holy basil) along with other ‘secret’ spices. The Korean burger lets the excellent homemade kimchi take centre stage and is also recommended for its unique balance of flavours. Hanbaagaasuuteeki makes its own Japanese ketchup, which we are informed has a different pH level to American recipes and so has a different Maillard reaction with the burger patty, creating distinct flavours. Alongside the dashi vingarette and onions, a new flavour profile is on offer here, elevating the experience to one not being replicated at the many burger joints targeting tourists and office workers in the Victoria area.
Last but not least, we rounded off a remarkable demonstration of burger creativity with the classic American double cheese. A test of an innovative restaurant in any genre is often about how well they can deliver the ‘basics’, and Hanbaagaasuuteeki passed with flying colours, the classic smash cheeseburger delivered with rich juices and a soft bun.
Clearly deserving of its already blossoming reputation, Hanbaagaasuuteeki hits the spot as a burger destination able to deliver on the classics but also take diners on a rounded and adventurous journey of pan-Asian flavours. For those passing through the area, or who work or live locally, this is one to get your burger fix at next.
Hanbaagaasuuteeki
36 Buckingham Palace Rd,
Victoria
London
SW1W 0RE
+447785773987
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