The Gourmet Burger Grand Prix 2016, a summer festival where restaurants in and around Roppongi Hills participate to vote for the most popular hamburger, will be held from July 16th to August 31st.

Last year's Gourmet Burger Grand Prix was a huge success, with a total of over 20,000 participants. This year, 27 restaurants and 32 different hamburger menus have announced their entries, vying for the title of most popular. A total of nine dishes have been entered in the "Regular Category," which features hamburgers normally served in restaurants, and a total of 23 dishes have been entered in the "Special Limited Menu Category," which has been created by talented restaurants just for this event, resulting in a wide variety of unique hamburger menus. The lineup of menu items is extremely luxurious, with 37 Steakhouse & Bar, the grand prize winner in the regular menu category last year, offering the "Original Burger with Avocado Topping" (1,800 yen including tax), made with 100% Australian beef slowly grilled over charcoal, something only a steakhouse can do, and Rigoletto Bar and Grill, the grand prize winner in the special limited menu category, offering the "Rigoletto Burger" (1,290 yen including tax), which brings out the flavor of the meat while making the most of the taste of the ingredients, such as poppy seeds.

There will also be a number of luxurious burgers made with high-quality ingredients that are not only incredibly expensive but also delicious, such as the "Hokkaido Kamui Beef Fillet Steak Burger" (4,980 yen including tax) from Teppanyaki Kaikaya, which uses thick fillet meat from Hokkaido Kamui beef; the "Club Beef Burger" (1,480 yen including tax) from TUSK, which combines the bounty of the sea and land with domestic snow crab and a thick patty; and the "Summer Truffle Mushroom Cheese Burger" (2,500 yen including tax) from ROTI ROPPONGI, which features a 200g 100% beef patty topped with mushrooms sautéed in fragrant truffle butter and Gruyere cheese, and comes with a choice of brioche or whole wheat buns. Other notable new hamburgers that are sure to make you want to share them on social media include the "Ice Burger" (2,402 yen including tax) from the Oak Door/Grand Hyatt Tokyo, a cold sweet burger with ice cream sandwiched in a brioche bun; the "Jekyll and Hyde" (1,080 yen including tax) from Pit Inn Club, a sweet burger filled with plenty of bean paste and whipped cream served with a choice of drink; and the "Pitch Black Burger" (1,380 yen) from Museum Cafe & Restaurant THE SUN & THE MOON, which is finished jet black with the addition of bamboo charcoal. Additionally, Roppongi Hills offers a diverse lineup of burgers, including the "Kale Burger with Cold-Pressed Juice" (1,382 yen, tax included) from El Cafe, a celebrity favorite made with charcoal and kale, recommended for those concerned about metabolic syndrome; the "Household Salsiccia and Plenty of Vegetables Super Spicy Arrabbiata Burger" (1,620 yen, tax included), an adult-oriented burger made with pork savory flavor and spiciness to complement white wine; and the "Doppelburger" (2,138 yen, tax included) from Franziskaner Bar & Grill, a beer lover's favorite, made with salty coarsely ground pork, the tartness of German sauerkraut, and the sweet and spicy flavor of honey mustard, paired with a dark beer. As an added bonus, although not a participating menu item in the Burger Grand Prix, AS Classics Diner will also be introducing the "Special Burger" (6,480 yen, tax included), a tower burger measuring approximately 40cm high and serving five. Details of all the burgers entered in the Gourmet Burger Grand Prix 2016 will be published on the official website, which is scheduled to be launched on July 16th. The Grand Prix winner will be announced on the Roppongi Hills official website in September.