What should I eat for lunch today?
How about our No.1 favorite — the Hamburg Rice?
AOI is a small restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, known for its delicious hamburg steaks!
What is AOI?
AOI began in 1996 as a small bento shop tucked away in a back street of Chiba City.
Over time, we gradually powered up, shifting our business style until we reached our current form.
Although we had hamburg steaks on our menu from the very beginning, they didn’t sell well as a brasserie dish. While we were wondering what direction to take, one of our suppliers asked us,
“What’s your best dish?”
When we answered, “Our hamburg steak,”
they responded decisively,
“Then let’s make your place a restaurant known for great hamburg steak.”
It felt like a bit of a leap, but we took the advice and boldly transformed ourselves into a specialty hamburg steak restaurant.
That decision finally set our business on the right track.
We also offer take-out hamburg steak bento and burgers!
Our Commitment at AOI
・Our Commitment to Onions
Our hamburg steaks are made with lots of slowly sautéed onions.
We carefully select onions from different regions depending on the season and cook them for 7–8 hours until they turn perfectly golden and sweet.
Slowly sautéing them brings out a deep sweetness and rich umami.
Then we mix in a generous amount of these onions to create a hamburg steak that’s tender and naturally sweet.
・Our Commitment to Meat
We use domestic Japanese beef shank.
Beef shank is naturally tough, but it’s full of flavor.
By blending in a large amount of onions, the patty becomes incredibly soft while still retaining its rich taste.
Shank is also more affordable than other cuts.
We believe that using humble ingredients and bringing out their best flavor is the true mark of a professional.
・Our Commitment to Sauce
AOI’s top recommendation is our “Super Savory Japanese-Style Sauce.” It’s used on our Hamburg Rice, Double Hamburg, and Zeitaku Double Hamburg. This bold, punchy sauce is made from 18 carefully selected ingredients, with garlic and ginger as key accents. In fact, this sauce is based on a hidden recipe that owner Iwai used during his training days at a French restaurant in Roppongi. This secret flavor has now become the signature sauce that brings out the best in our hamburg steaks.
Take a look at our menu, filled with all of our special touches.
