Kraze Burger (pronounced as Kraz-Say Burger, not Crazy Burger) is a fast food burger joint in Korea. Guess you could derive the fascination with the letter “K” with anything Korean. I gotta say, the burger at Kraze is actually really good.
People often compare it to an In-N-Out burger, but I would compare it more to a burger from 5 Guys Burgers’. The bun is fresh with crisp lettuce and juicy tomatoes round it out to complete the burger experience. The burger meat is savory and tasty. I would probably order a double the next time around. I really liked the burger.
I also go chili cheese fries to remind me to the comfort food from home. The fries were crispy. But I didn’t really like the chili. I think it could have been a bit more saltier.
I didn’t really like the pickles. But it seems pickles are everywhere – including pizza. But I did like the jalapeno peppers. The heat kinda helps on cold days. . . and probably offers Koreans their spicy needed kick.
My buddy, Mr. B, doesn’t really like Kraze. He thinks the burgers are too sweet, since the ketchup in Korea is sweet. Understandably the other gripe might be the 7300+ won (or about USD 7.30+) per burger. This pricing seems a bit high. Yeah, with my Mega bit burger, chili cheese fries, and coke – I paid almost USD 17 for my meal. . .yeah kinda high for fast food.
Anyways. . .I am not sure I would return again, since the price is high. But I did enjoy a taste of decent burger. I might have been influenced by my lack of American food, being that I’ve been back to LA since last August.
What to Order: A burger – probably a double might be better
What not to Order: chili cheese fries – regular fries are fine. The chili is ok
Rating
2 Pigs
Price Range 2 $/¥/NT
Kraze Burger
Many locations
kraze.co.kr
Popularity: 15% [?]
chalk it up to Koreans for bastardizing, and raising the price, on YET another non-Korean food. Geebuz man.. That country really needs some help with the food marketing.
SinoSoul recently posted..Boozing SOS- Chaya Brasserie’s Spiced Apple Cider Sangria
Mr. SinoSoul . . . I totally agree. . .but the burger wasn’t all that bad.
The Thirsty Pig recently posted..Galbi Jjim at 강남면옥 Gangnam-myeonok in Seoul
This place sucks. Plain and simple. When i first moved to Korea I sought refuge here for burgers because I didn’t know any better. Now that I know better, I try to stay away from this place. However, the thing to keep in mind here, from an objective stand-point, is that this is indeed “bastardized” but it’s more of a localization of the taste. I grew up in California so this totally isn’t my taste, but it matches the taste of Koreans.
Koreans like their burgers saucy and sweet. That’s why the bun has that sweet asian-bread taste, the pickles are sweet and the the sauce is heavy and sweet. If you’re from California like me, you prefer sour pickles to sweet pickles among other things.
This chain does extremely well in Seoul and has several branches throughout Asia. The significant thing about this place is it’s mostly girls. You definitely don’t hear dudes ranting and raving about Kraze– it’s mostly the girls, so it’s sorta suited to their taste. The men here would rather grab a hearty soup or stew for lunch, while girls opt for sweeter, chewier, lighter meals.
btw, the whole “leave it to the Koreans… ” comment smells a little offensive to me. If you mean to suggest that Koreans have a propensity to habitually bastardize food, again, I think that’s a narrow-minded perspective that doesn’t consider localization of tastes. Don’t get me wrong, I agree Kraze tastes like shit, but then again, a Carl’s Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburger tastes like shit to a Korean (BBQ sauce is not a familiar taste here).