Gimmicks

Japan Gets Burgers That Use Tomatoes Instead of Buns

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You say “tomato,” MOS Burger says “bun.” Photo: Courtesy of Mos Burger

The Japanese will not be fazed by your black or red burger buns anymore, even if you conspicuously shove a deep-fried frog in between, so what’s a fast-food chain gotta do around Tokyo these days to get attention? It looks like MOS Burger’s answer was to put in a bulk order for giant tomatoes and wait.

The Tomami Burger, which just became available this week for about $7, is a limited-time offering at the chain’s Osaki location, and it has all the appearances of a Weight Watchers Double Down involving typical burger trappings sandwiched between not bread but two halves of a cold, freakishly large tomato. And yes, the meal includes a side of Caprese salad in a cup.

In the grand scheme of things in Japan’s odd, gimmicky food universe, though, the Tomami Burger scores points for novelty while staying on the less-insane, way-healthier side — and RocketNews24’s taste-testers gave the IRL version a thumbs-up, writing that despite a huge amount of sauce, “It left a clean feeling in the mouth and we actually felt healthy after eating it!”

[RocketNews24]

Japan Gets Burgers That Use Tomatoes Instead of Buns