When we think of the best hamburgers in Sapporo, Jacksonville is serious contender. Jacksonville classifies themselves as an “American” burger restaurant.

Jacksonville is just north of Odori park, northwest of Odori station. It’s a small shop with about about eight tables. It gets busy around lunch on work days, and is very busy for lunch on weekends (on at least one such occasion, we ordered the burgers to go, and took them to the park – which is not a bad plan).

Jacksonville has all the basic (or what they call “classic” burgers), and they do grilled chicken “burgers” also, but it is their “gourmet” burgers that set them on the upper tier of special places to eat when you’re in Sapporo.

For my part, and this may be my Southern California roots, but Jacksonville makes a Special Mexican Burger that is fantastic, one of my favorite hamburgers of my life. In general, you can really feels the high quality ingredients, starting with the bun. The Mexican burger has salsa on it (which is a great flavor for a burger), but it’s the sour cream that make the burger almost decadent, and the avocado that puts it over the top. さいこう, ですよ。

And if you look closely, you might see some tortilla chips tucked under the lettuce that gives it a surprising crunch.

My favorite “Me-ki-shi-ko” burger is ¥1650. If you’d like to bring that price down a little, like many places in Sapporo, they have a lunch menu. Most of the gourmet burgers aren’t available on that menu, but you can have the Jacksonville experience for ¥1000-¥1100.

While it’s perfect for lunch, I’ve eaten here maybe “100 times,” and it’s a nice choice for dinner too. I have had some late-night summer dinners here, with one of their craft beers, and then walked back to Odori station though the park, enjoying the warm summer air and watching the skateboarders do tricks by the fountain.

As an added benefit (and I was reminded of this when I came back recently), they have some excellent lo-key, mostly-instrumental hip hop playing in the background. This is a local spot, mostly Japanese people eating here, but the vibe reminds me of a independent burger shop in a college town; good vibes.

There is also a collection of cookies available at the counter, as you check out. For another ¥300, you can have a chocolate chip cookie to munch on as you wander back through the park.

Great experience. Highly recommended.

The post Jacksonville, Sapporo appeared first on Sapporo is ICHIBAN NO MACHI.