Kyung Hee University apple burger set with Kirin draft: 1986 Shibuya

This is Prague. There's a handmade burger spot near Kyung Hee University with seriously thick patties. It's located on the Kyung Hee University restaurant strip, so it's packed with students — a great-value handmade burger place. Just being on a university street tells you it's going to be "budget-friendly." There's a school near me that my kid attends, so we often go on food adventures together, and now my kid can polish off a whole handmade burger on their own.

As you can see in the photo, the size of these handmade burgers is no joke, right? Handmade burger prices these days are honestly terrifying, but 1986 Shibuya Burger near Kyung Hee University has the perfect combo — thick patty, crunchy veggies, and a soft burger bun. Most of their solo burgers are under ₩10,000, which is such a steal. Plenty of items are in the ₩7,000–8,000 range too. And instead of cola, you can get Trevi, a bottled mineral water, which was such a nice touch.

Where is 1986 Shibuya Burger, and what are the hours?

1986 Shibuya Burger is at 5 Gyeonghuidae-ro1ga-gil, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 1st floor, South Korea, 668m from Hoegi Station Exit 1. It's open daily from 11:00 to 21:00.

• Location: 5 Gyeonghuidae-ro1ga-gil, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1st floor
• 668m from Hoegi Station Exit 1
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00

Inside 1986 Shibuya Burger: seating and the free self-serve snack corner

Inside 1986 Shibuya Burger, there are lots of cute Japanese-style posters and character props, and the seating is a nice mix of 2-person and 4-person tables. There's a clean restroom inside, plus coffee and snacks set out for customers. If you visit around lunchtime, I'd definitely recommend trying the Starbucks Dolce Gusto capsule coffee too.

You can also help yourself to all kinds of jellies, candy, and more for free. Being on a university street, the portions were seriously generous. Since it was Friday, I walked over with my kid, and the moment they spotted the snacks it was chaos haha. There were free snacks of every kind that kids would love, all up for grabs.

There were also cookies and free potato chips. If you're not ordering fries separately, grabbing chips from the self-serve corner is a great move. Maybe because they were freshly fried, they were really crispy and savory.

What we ordered: Shibuya Classic Burger set and Apple Burger set

At 1986 Shibuya Burger, we ordered the Shibuya Classic Burger set and the Shibuya Apple Burger set. The Shibuya Classic Burger is just ₩6,700 solo, and the Shibuya Apple Burger is ₩9,500 solo. I went with the classic option. The fluffy, thick burger bun really stood out. For a handmade burger, that's genuinely cheap. Both can be upgraded to a set for ₩4,000 more, and the set lets you choose a side — ricotta cheese salad, fries, wedge potatoes, and more — plus swap the drink.

For the Apple Burger set, I paid ₩3,000 extra for a chilled 300ml Kirin Ichiban draft beer. Friday burger-and-beer was so good haha. The Kirin Ichiban on draft definitely tasted richer and better than the canned version. Just ₩3,000 extra on top of the set gets you Kirin Ichiban or Asahi draft.

And I swapped the fries for a ricotta cheese salad side. I've always thought "it'd be nice to swap fries for salad whenever I eat burgers" but never actually did it — and when I finally did, it was so good. Having salad as an actual side option was really satisfying.

Shibuya Classic Burger, 6,700 won

The Shibuya Classic Burger, at ₩6,700 solo, seems to be the best-seller at 1986 Shibuya Burger. The classic burger comes with a thick patty, melty cheese, onion, and pickles. Since this one was for my kid, I asked for just one pickle slice.

For the kids' set, I chose Trevi for the drink and wedge potatoes for the side. Cola's available, but if Trevi's on the menu, Trevi wins every time!! Pairing sparkling water with a handmade burger — the ma~gic that turns even a burger into a healthy meal.

Shibuya Apple Burger, 9,500 won

Look at the thickness of this burger. Seriously wow. The one I ordered was the Apple Burger, which comes with lettuce, tomato, and apple. You could taste the freshness of the ingredients from the very first bite. It was half veggie, half meat, which I loved. The meat patty was definitely thick and delivered that full meaty flavor of a proper handmade burger.

Can you see how thick that meat patty is? A genuinely great-value spot that really loads up on patty. The vegetables were all fresh, and the bread — which really matters for a burger — was so soft. With a variety of free snacks on offer and, above all, burgers with proper thick, meaty patties and plenty of side options, this was a great visit.