Bulgogi Burger Face Off in Korea!

By:

Austin Johnson

Published:

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McDonalds

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I bought one of these babies on a weekday during lunch time. It was a McDonald’s up on the third level of a the mall in (HomePlus). Like the Big Mac, it was not very good. It was a basic hamburger with bulgogi sauce. The whole burger consisted of 2 slices of McDonald’s hamburger buns, patty, lettuce, and bulgogi sauce. The sauce was sweet and savory. The burger itself was pitiful because there were more toppings than meat. It was like eating a piece of bread with lettuce and sauce, with a tiny patty in the center. The beef patty was very thin. The inside of the patty had a white color. It freaked me out a bit, but I ate the entire thing. I was not happy with my purchase and it will be the first and only time I will ever buy a bulgogi burger from McDonalds. Rating: 3/10

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Burger King

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Burger King has had the best tasting burgers out of the three so far. I expected the bulgogi burger to be pretty good (all things considered). I went out on a Sunday afternoon with my wife for a little afternoon date. For starters, at Burger King, the bulgogi burger set costed 5,000 won (including in the set was regular Coke, regular fries, and bulgogi burger). Not bad a way to spend 5,000 won and be semi-satisfied. With that being said, it is time to review the lovely Burger King Bulgogi Burger! It was a pretty basic burger (lettuce, mayo, bulgogi sauce, 2 buns, 1 beef patty). The sauce was far superior to McDonald’s bulgogi sauce. Also the beef patty was not white in the middle and it also tasted like a hamburger (which is a plus). This burger was good enough to order again. For only 5,000 won (little under $5 USD), not a bad way to spend $5 in a pinch. Rating: 6.9/10

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Lotteria

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Today after a nice day of shopping at HomePlus, I decided to grab a bulgogi burger from Lotteria. I did not get the set (combo), just the burger. The combo set will run you about 5200 won or 3200 won just for the burger. It was a standard burger with 2 buns, a beef patty, mayo, lettuce, and bulgogi sauce. The sauce was by far the best out of the three, but the burger was not up to par. The buns were too fluffy, which it made for the eating experience less about the burger and more about the bread (especially when you already have a small beef patty to begin with). This burger, out of the three was neither the worst, nor the best. It was mediocre at best and something I will never order again. Rating: 4.5/10

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Bonus Round! New Mexican Culture! (New Mexico is in the US!) Blake’s Lotaburger

This spot is for people who have never been to New Mexico (or have never heard of Blake’s). This fast food restaurant is one of the best in all of New Mexico. They have delicious tasting food at a reasonable price. Though, they don’t have bulgogi burgers, they have something unique to New Mexico. They have the Lota burger! They best Lota burger is a Lota burger with cheese, green chili and bacon. This is a standard fare burger that comes with two buns, lettuce, tomato, mustard, onions, green chili, bacon, and cheese. This little beauty is quite delicious. Everyone that visits New Mexico should try this at least once. I grew up on the West Coast, and I have visited the East Coast, so I have been around to many fast food restaurants over the years. This burger is on my top tier of great tasting fast food burgers. It may not dethrone the In and Out burger (many try, but none succeed), but it does outshine White Castle’s burger. Rating: 9/10

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Austin Johnson

Hi! My name is Austin Thomas Hyun Sei Johnson. I am a junior at the University of New Mexico, pursuing a double major in History and Asian Studies. I am studying abroad in Seoul, South Korea at Dongguk University from spring 2015 to fall 2015. My goal is to finish up my Asian Studies major while over in Korea. I was adopted from South Korea when I was six months old. I grew up in California, later moving to Idaho and then to New Mexico. I chose to study in South Korea because it has always been a dream of mine to visit the place of my birth. I plan on visiting the orphanage where I was adopted from and the hospital where I was born. I am excited to experience the South Korean culture and history. I plan on going for my Masters in Korean History after I graduate the following year. My plan is to teach Korean History at a University. Studying abroad will help enhance my knowledge and give me great cultural experiences that I can use later in my academic career. I look forward to learning the Korean language in the intensive language course offered at Dongguk University. One of my other goals is to be proficient in the Korean language so I may teach it to my future children. Also, I am super excited about eating all the wonderful and delicious tasting Korean food!