Pizza chain jumps on a viral trend, taking fried sandwiches to new extremes. 

It’s been a tough time for pizza chains in Japan, with Domino’s recently closing a number of its stores due to rising prices, which have impacted the business while also forcing customers to tighten their purse-strings. In order to stay ahead of the competition, the chain now aims to streamline its lunchtime options, reducing its “solo lunch” menu options from 60 to just 9, and rebranding it as “DomiLunch”, with a brand new product called the “Crispizzaburger” as the star attraction.

Of the nine available lunch options, six will consist of the existing “Pizza Bento” items, while the remaining three slots will be taken up by the “Crispizzaburger” range. Set to become available on 7 July, we were able to get a taste of the new Crispizzaburger before it was released, so we could find out how the crispy burger pizza elements melded together.

Originally sold by Domino’s Pizza in Australia, the “Crispizzaburger”has been adapted for local tastes in Japan, with three flavours to choose from — the classic “Garlic Bacon Cheese”, “Teriyaki Cheese”, and the limited-time “Double Cheese Beef”. Each variety comes with a side, and is available for takeout from the time of opening until 4 p.m., priced at 790 yen (US$5.47) each.

Reasonably priced for the Japanese lunch market, we can see this becoming a popular item with customers, especially as the folded style is well-suited to one-hand eating.

So what make a “Crispizzaburger” a “Crispizzaburger”? Well, it gets its name from the crispy fried pizza crust, which is topped with ingredients, folded over, sprinkled with parmesan cheese, and baked to form a delicious meal that’s part-pizza, part-cheeseburger.

We tried the “Garlic Bacon Cheese”, and when we bit into it, the satisfying crunch of the crispy crust stole the show, creating an exciting mouthfeel that was packed with flavour. The cheese and bacon had a delicious richness that paired well with the thin crust, and the way it was all folded together helped the cheese stay gooey and melty.

Although it was folded, we wouldn’t go so far as to say it has a burger-like feel, because the thinness of the crust makes it feel more like a crispy fried sandwich.

Still, with fried sandwiches going viral on social media, Domino’s has done well to take pizza into this territory, and we have a feeling it’ll find itself a legion of fans when it’s released on 7 July.

Those wanting a different type of pizza experience, however, can still seek out the ONE HANDomino’s, which is so exclusive it can only be found at one store in all of Japan.

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