Have you ever heard of a hamburger chain called Lucky Pierrot? Lucky Pierrot is a hamburger chain that only exists in Hakodate. city in the southern part of Hokkaido, and it’s popular among locals. The family behind the chain never opens a restaurant outside of Hakodate, and they don’t even have one in Sapporo. Because of this, many Japanese people say that a visit to Lucky Pierrot is a must when visiting Hakodate. Here’s what we had to say about our visit.
1. Lucky Pierrot Location
I visited the Lucky Pierrot Hakodate Station branch. Before visiting this branch, I had visited the Lucky Pierrot around the Akarenga Warehouse, one of the famous tourist spots in Hakodate. But I left right away because it was too crowded.
So, after some deliberation, I found the Lucky Pierrot near Hakodate Station because I didn’t have much time left on my train to Sapporo. Unfortunately, the wait was quite long here too. I think it was because it was a Saturday weekend and it was just lunchtime. So there was a lot of waiting.
2. Lucky Pierrot wait Line
Lucky Pierrot is a Hakodate-only chain, so it seems to be a must-visit for many local Japanese travelers to Hakodate. When I went, it seemed like most of the customers waiting were Japanese locals. And I was able to place my order after waiting for over 40 minutes. On a side note, the same line should have been for takeout. Which is a shame because they have a separate line for takeout and I was in a hurry so I took takeout.
Lucky Pierrot has several locations in Hakodate, so if you visit one of their branches outside of the center of Hakodate (which is where I went). So if you avoid meal times, you shouldn’t have too much of a wait. When I left with my takeout, the line was still pretty short. Probably because it was the end of the lunch hour.
3. Lucky Pierrot Store
The interior of the store is very colorful and unique, just like the Pierrot in the name. It was fun to see such a unique interior.
There is also a souvenir shop inside the store, selling not only sweets and drinks. But also bags and other items.
First up was the menu, which had some English on it, but not all of it was translated, so it was a bit hard to read. However, there were pictures of each item, so ordering didn’t seem to be a problem.
The most popular menu item at Lucky Pierrot is the Chinese chicken burger, which is why they also have a Chinese burger set menu. The set menu comes with cheese fries and oolong tea with the burger. I was curious about the combination of burger and oolong tea. But unfortunately, I didn’t think I could eat it in the restaurant due to the long waiting time. So I just ordered the Chinese chicken burger to go.
By the way, they don’t just sell burgers, they also sell meal items like curry, omelet rice, and yakisoba. The local Japanese people seemed to order a lot of meal items, so if you’re eating at the restaurant, I recommend trying the meal items besides the burger.
As I was leaving the restaurant, I couldn’t get enough of the burger, so I grabbed a guarana drink from the vending machine at the entrance. It’s a drink that originated in Brazil, but it’s also popular in Hokkaido.
5. Chinese Chicken Burger
As soon as I got my chicken, I rushed to Hakodate station and made it to the train on time. The train was surprisingly empty, and the seat next to me was vacant, so I was able to eat my burger in comfort.
The burger had a larger chicken patty than I expected, and the chicken was covered in a sweet soy sauce that was quite tasty on its own. The burger bun was studded with sesame seeds, and the lettuce was huge, which went really well with the chicken. I wouldn’t say it was a special burger, but it was an appealing flavor that I’ll think about from time to time.
The guarana drink was a sweet drink that I’ve never had before, and while it had a unique flavor, it wasn’t really my cup of tea. lol.
So far, I’ve introduced Lucky Pierrot, Hakodate’s representative hamburger restaurant. It’s a hamburger that can only be tasted in Hakodate, and it had a very attractive flavor. I wouldn’t say it’s the kind of flavor that requires you to stand in line for a portion like I did. But if you’re traveling to Hakodate, there are several branches of the chain in the area. So if you see one while passing by, I recommend stopping by.
