Monster Sun Hamburger, Sapporo

And now, for another shop that is guaranteed to make our list of the best hamburgers in Sapporo, we present Grill and Hamburger Monster Sun in Sapporo.

I was actually trying to confirm the location of ちさい Jacksonville in Maruyama, when I came across Monster Sun Hamburgers (they are not that far away from each other).  I had actually seen this restaurant a long time ago, but as it is on a block I don’t walk past often, I had forgotten about it.

Hamburger Monster Sun is located about less than five minutes from Nishi 18 station.  It’s on 2F, in a five story building.  The man who owns Monster Sun burger shop owns the whole building, including the golf stores that operate on the upper floors.  The building is a kind of tribute to things he likes; golf and good hamburgers. And since he likes dogs too, Monster Sun is dog friendly too.

As you walk up to the second floor, you’ll find the front door, and you’ll peer in a surprisingly stylish shop.  We love Sapporo.  It is the best city in the world (after all), but it is not always overly concerned with style.  And while Monster Sun is not over-done, it is more put together than most of Sapporo; it feels more like Tokyo than most of this city.

The interior is new, but has a “vintage, 1970s, American living room” feel to it. It is the color palette of green and brown, and the choice “modernist” touches that give Monster Sun a “throw back” feel, like someone with bell bottom jeans might walk in, or maybe the cast of Sesame Street might stop by for a burger and beer.  It’s all of that, but new.  And as someone that might have a bit of personal experience with the 70s, the interior creates a pleasant “time warp” feeling.

Looking at the menu, it’s not just hamburgers, but it’s mostly hamburgers.  And for ¥1200 you can have a burger and fries at Monster Sun in Maryuama.  That price is a screaming good deal. And the experience at Grill and Hamburgers Monster Sun in Sapporo goes way beyond “good value,” the taste is excellent.

The burgers are not big, but the set is a great meal and I left happy.

We can tempt you with some photos.  And we’ll weight in with our personal opinion that they make a top-ranking hamburger. So much so, we’ve already been back since our first visit.

Everything at Monster Sun beats expectations.  We love the decor, the place is cool.  And the burger is not gigantic, but it is put together with love.  And the salad, is just a bonus.  It’s beautiful and tastes excellent. Maybe a mayonnaise (miso?) based dressing?  That is a guess, but I liked it.

There is no beer on tap. So Monster Sun cannot be included in our best beer bars in Sapporo, but you can buy a beer to go with your meal (thank you!).  And when I was there, I had that Suntory.  Which was good, and helped make for a well rounded night.  If you do the timing right, you could also have a burger here, and then walk a block or so to the east (toward downtown), and have a beer at Beer Cellar (which is very close by).

My first trip was such a good experience, I was excited to come back.  There was one thing on the menu I didn’t get to, and we didn’t think this review would be complete without it:

If you look at the menu, you may notice at steak sandwich.  Hmmmm, I wondered; “Exactly how delicious is the steak sandwich at Monster Sun?”  As we run the best restaurant and bar review website in Sapporo, we felt we owed it to you to find out.  So less than week later…

We came back to Monster Sun burger restaurant again to try the steak sandwich.  And it was… a very good idea.

You can see for yourself, that is a good looking sandwich.  The bread was toasted, and the steak came with some brown mustard.  Delicious indeed.  If I was to order it again, I personally would have the steak cooked a little more (but I think most Japanese would not).  Personal choice, a great sandwich either way.

And finally, there is the “dog thing;” you can bring your dog to Monster Sun in Sapporo.  Like, inside.

This is what happens when somebody cool is in charge.  I’m not saying you have to be into dogs (and the Japanese don’t have dogs like we do in America, so I understand if “the dog restaurant” isn’t considered normal).  What I am saying is, when it’s your place, and you’re cool, and you love dogs… well, dog are welcome.

There is a section of the restaurant that is tiled (if you can imagine all the various ups and downs that dogs might bring, a tiled floor is a good idea).  And these “dog hooks” (sounds sinister, but I assure you they are not) or installed in several places so you can leash your dog up while you eat (without the danger of an excited pooch dragging a chair or table across the room).

There is even a dog menu.  And for ¥700, you can buy your dog a burger.  Okay.

And I can’t specifically remember this, but my notes also say; “Hip hop, pop music playing in the background.”  I am sure I liked it, or I would have added some insulting comment (which I did not).

Is there anything bad about Sapporo’s Monster Sun Hamburger restaurant?  Well, they close a bit early.  As I recall, they are open until seven PM, with last order at 6:30.  I believe the sign out front may say six PM. And Google maps (which is a terrible source of information in Japan, generally) says eight PM, but that is certainly wrong.  Lunch is always solid.

Sticking to to the basics: Absolutely delicious burger, and one of the most comfortable settings in Sapporo.  Go get some.

Highly recommended.

It is not written yet (as of the day of this post), but we are sure Monster Sun deserves a place on our “Absolute Best Hamburgers in Sapporo” list.  Until then, we can make some recommendations…

While we do NOT like the very mediocre burger at Bearfoot (review coming soon), we very much like the burger at Hamburger Shop Tack (which doesn’t photograph as well, but that place is great).  Just a few blocks away from this spot, is Maruyama Rana Burger, which does a wagu beef burger (a little more expensive, but delicious).  For the best “sit down,” nice, restaurant level experience, The Meat Shop Sapporo makes a near perfect burger (try their special smoked bacon).  And, the top of our list for hamburgers in Sapporo is Jacksonville.  We have two reviews for the Jacksonville American Hamburgers online, including the original Odori Jacksonville hamburgers and the new Moyuk Jacksonville hamburgers, (with the little ちさい Jacksonville in Maruyama review coming soon.)

For something totally different: In this same neighborhood you’ll find 酒場ニューチャベス New Chavez Sapporo, which is a very cool izakaya. And a few blocks down the street (closer to Nishi 11 station) you’ll find delicious Indian food at アマン Aman Indian Curry Sapporo.

Monster Sun is such a great spot.  It’s not fancy, but it is excellent.  And it is another highlight of the good life here in Sapporo.  One of so many reason to be happy to spend time in this beautiful city.