Koji Burger started as a concept by Chefs Brendon Miller and Zackary Weiner. As co-owners of Jollity, they developed the idea during the 2022 Miami Valley Restaurant Association Winter Restaurant Week and have since launched it as a pop-up and now as

of Tues, Oct 14th it will be a standalone restaurant. Their mission is to serve elevated smash burgers using a unique aging process with koji, a Japanese ingredient.

The burgers are made using “shio koji,” a Japanese marinade made from fermented koji, water, and salt. This process tenderizes the meat and adds a rich, umami flavor. There focus on craftsmanship—especially the in-house beef process—results in a burger that’s more flavorful, juicy, and fresh compared to what you’d find at most typical fast-casual burger restaurants.

Here’s a peek at the menu:

Sides include crispy spuds, fried brussels, onion rings, chopped salad and loaded spuds.There’s a grab and go cooler stocked with beer, sake, and some unique NA beverages and some coke products that’s available all day and the cocktail bar opens daily at 3pm. The lead bartender, Andrew, worked closely with Kelli Nikanowicz to develop a cocktail program that’s both approachable and affordable. Co-owner Zacary says, “our happy hour will look a little different from the standard one. We’re on a mission to find some of the best whiskeys and bourbons we can source and sell them to our guests at cost. We’re kicking things off this week with Suntory’s The Yamazaki, but the selection will change as each bottle runs out.”