Gabutto Burger to open this spring on Randall Road in Elgin

Burgers with a Japanese twist are coming soon to the Randall Road corridor.

Gabutto Burger, which will serve up Japanese-style fast food in a fun atmosphere, is expected to open this spring in Elgin at 2502 Randall Road, just north of the tollway at Northwest Parkway and Randall Road.

For the past few years, owners Masaru Wachi and Chitaka Nishikiori have been running Gabutto Burger in Rolling Meadows.

However, they recently closed that location after more than three years in business, and are moving the entire Gabutto Burger operation to Elgin, near Village Pizza and next to Chipotle. For this venture, they've added a new partner, Kenny Edwards.

Work is underway on the new spot, with renovations expected to be complete soon. Wachi said the targeted opening date is mid March.

“Kenny lives in the area and saw construction start for the Watermark apartments, and made an inquiry to the developer and was told that there will also be commercial retail spots built later,” Wachi said.

From there, they followed their dream of bringing Gabutto Burger to the Randall Road corridor and to a whole new set of customers.

Diners will find burgers inside with a special style at Gabutto Burger. The burgers are a blend of ground beef, pork and then breading. However, if diners prefer, there also are tofu, seafood and rice burgers on the menu, along with chicken.

To flavor their burgers, Gabutto Burger adds their secret recipe sauces, such as a demi-glace sauce or a Japanese-style terriaki sauce. The burgers, they said, are prepared slowly over a low flame until it brings out the umami flavor.

Gabutto Burgers are served between specialty home baked buns. However, customers can also choose naan bread, rice patties or lettuce to wrap their burgers.

In addition to burgers, Gabutto Burger also will have fries, wings, drinks and more.

Wachi said the best-selling burger in Rolling Meadows was the shrimp burger. It is made with ground white shrimp and chopped black tiger shrimp, and then breaded and fried.

The new Elgin location will have many of the old favorites that kept Rolling Meadows area customers coming back, as well as some new gastro ideas that they will add to the menu, he said.

Wachi said they are excited to bring their concept to the Randall Road corridor.

“We hope everyone can experience great tasting food with various flavors infused into each sandwich, as well as a place to come and enjoy a nice Japanese or craft beer,” he said.

“Although, we say Japanese twists, our burgers have borderless tastes — there are Korean, Thai, Italian, etc.”

• Amy Williams' column covers all the news of business along the Randall Road corridor from Batavia to Crystal Lake. Contact her at randallbiz@comcast.net or (847) 894-5036.