CENTER4 Hamburgers is a small wood-panelled diner just off the main shopping street, run by a Takayama family obsessed with American roadhouse food. The signature dish is the Hida-beef cheeseburger — a half-pound patty of the local wagyu, cooked to order. The burgers come with thick-cut fries and home-made buns; cold local beer on tap; the diner counter fills up fast at lunchtime.
A pleasantly unexpected break from soba and ramen, and the best example of how Takayama treats Hida beef as a daily ingredient, not just a luxury.