Lotteria Hawaiian Mozzarella Burger Review [Korean Food]

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Korean fast-food chains have been leaning hard into chef collaborations lately, and Lotteria sits right at the front of that trend. Its latest is the Lotteria Hawaiian Mozzarella Burger, released in June 2026 as a second team-up with Chef Lee Chan-yang, the self-styled “crooked genius.” It pairs whole pineapple with a thick fried mozzarella patty for a sweet-and-savory summer twist. Pineapple on a burger might sound off-putting, thanks to the whole Hawaiian-pizza debate. Still, this is far more than a gimmick built for buzz, because it genuinely tastes pretty good. At 8,800 won for a single in-store, and with Lotteria’s chef collabs hitting a solid track record so far, I had to see how this one stacks up.

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📋 At a Glance

Product: Lotteria Hawaiian Mozzarella Burger
Brand/Store: Lotteria (Lotte GRS)
Price: 8,800 won, single in-store (set 10,700 won)
Main components: whole fried mozzarella patty, meat patty, whole pineapple, Napolitan sauce, lettuce
Bun: tornado-shaped brioche bun (soft, layer-by-layer pastry texture)
Launch: June 18, 2026 (Chef Lee Chan-yang’s second collab)
Promotion: 18% off in-store combo pack, June 18–24
Verdict: ★4.0 — a sweet-savory pineapple combo that works better than you’d expect!

Lotteria Hawaiian Mozzarella Burger Price: 8,800 Won

The mozzarella burger and the burnt beef burger both turned heads on release, handing Lotteria a real viral hit early on. Now the chain has rolled out its third chef-collaboration burger. This one is the second menu item Lotteria has built with Chef Lee Chan-yang, following that burnt beef burger. The concept leans into a playful “crooked genius vs. Napoli Matfia” framing, a nod to two stars of Netflix’s Korean cooking competition. Meanwhile, the pineapple is clearly there to stir up a little controversy too. So let’s start with the price.

Hawaiian Mozzarella Burger in-store price: single 8,800 won, set 10,700 won
Hawaiian Mozzarella Burger delivery price: single 9,700 won, set 12,100 won

It comes in just slightly cheaper than the earlier Napoli Mozzarella Burger. From June 18 to 24, there’s also an 18% discount on the in-store combo pack, so it’s worth timing a visit around that window. For what it’s worth, it doesn’t appear to be part of the Ria Lunch menu.

I kept things simple and ordered the basic Hawaiian Mozzarella Burger set. Like the burnt beef burger before it, this one doesn’t come with any separate dipping sauce. As I mentioned, Lotteria seems to have designed fresh packaging so it could run the promotion alongside the existing Napoli Mozzarella Burger. One funny thing, though: I’d assumed this was Korea’s first-ever Hawaiian burger, yet it turns out Burger King already launched one a while back. That genuinely caught me off guard, haha.

What’s Inside the Hawaiian Mozzarella Burger?

Let’s dig into what you actually get. Like the last release, it arrives in a paper box. Lift the lid and the slightly odd-looking bun is the first thing you notice. The wrapper even carries a warning: “Pineapple juice may drip, so please be careful when eating.”

The Tornado Brioche Bun, an Industry First

Every time a chef series drops, Lotteria seems almost compelled to invent an unusual bun, and this menu is no exception with its swirl-shaped top. Rather than an ordinary burger roll, they went with a brioche bun. It’s billed as an industry first, engineered to deliver that soft, layer-by-layer texture you’d expect from a pastry instead of plain bread.

Looking at it from the side, the thick fried mozzarella patty and the pineapple topping immediately stand out. Maybe that’s why it sits noticeably taller than your average burger. That said, the bun and the fillings don’t quite match up in size, so the whole stack looks a little unstable. We’ll let that slide, though.

A Look Under the Bun

Cut it in half and the build is simpler than expected. From the top down you get lettuce, pineapple, Napolitan sauce, the meat patty, and the whole mozzarella patty. Aside from the lettuce, there are no extra vegetables, and there doesn’t seem to be any salad dressing either. I half-expected grilled pineapple, yet it isn’t fully fresh fruit — it looks like processed pineapple instead. So how does it actually taste?

Even so, the dense, chunky texture that’s signature to Lotteria’s whole mozzarella patty holds up nicely here. The Napolitan sauce that brings the sweet-savory kick has a distinctive character too. It has nothing to do with Naples, mind you — it’s most likely a ketchup-based house sauce, much like the sauce on Napolitan spaghetti.

Taste Test: What the Hawaiian Mozzarella Burger Is Really Like

Now for the part that matters: the taste. Despite that slightly precarious look, where the bun and the fillings don’t line up, it barely wobbled when I cut it or picked it up by hand. As long as you watch out for the slightly slippery pineapple, it isn’t a particularly messy burger to eat.

First Bite: Balancing Sweet and Savory

On the first bite, the sweet-savory combination clearly sets it apart from the usual burgers I’ve had. Despite my pineapple-burger skepticism, the fruit’s flavor and aroma weren’t all that jarring. Real fresh pineapple would probably have given off a far stronger scent. Because they used processed pineapple, however, the effect feels a touch more subdued. On top of that, the Napolitan sauce — salty yet somehow faintly sweet — pairs nicely with the beef patty.

Chef collaboration summer limited edition

True to a Lotteria mozzarella burger, it covers the basics just fine. Honestly, it landed better than I expected, haha. When I hear “Hawaiian burger,” my mind jumps straight to the Big Kahuna Burger from that Quentin Tarantino movie, so actual pineapple was the last thing I pictured. The nutty, savory cheese and the overall mix of ingredients come together pretty well. Nothing about it felt off-putting, either.

Processed Pineapple Instead of Fresh — a Smart Move?

Plenty of people were probably hoping for grilled pineapple, given how central the fruit is here. Personally, I suspect fresh pineapple really would have needed a good char to make the flavor sing… Then again, that bold flavor could just as easily have drowned out everything else. In a way, sticking with lightly processed pineapple is exactly what lets the overall combination work as well as it does.

Final Verdict: Who Should Try It?

Now, the obvious caveat: if you sit down expecting a “traditional burger” — heavy beefy aroma, salty cheese, a sweet sauce — you might take one bite and think, “wait, what is this?” For anyone who enjoys a slightly unconventional burger, though, this could be right up your alley. If you’re even a little curious, or if you’ve been happy with Lotteria’s past seasonal menus, it’s well worth a try. I genuinely enjoyed it, haha. And if you ever find yourself in Korea over the summer, it’s an easy one to grab at any Lotteria location while it lasts.

You can find the launch details and the background on the Chef Lee Chan-yang collaboration in this (Korean source) Hankyung report.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How much does the Lotteria Hawaiian Mozzarella Burger cost?

A single runs 8,800 won in-store, with the set at 10,700 won. Delivery comes to 9,700 won for the single and 12,100 won for the set. There’s also an 18% combo-pack discount in stores from June 18 to 24.

Q. What makes the tornado brioche bun different?

It’s billed as an industry-first brioche bun with a swirl shape. Layer by layer, it pulls apart with a soft, pastry-like texture rather than the chew of a standard burger roll. The look is unusual, but it still holds the fillings together fine.

Q. Is the Hawaiian Mozzarella Burger worth trying?

Personally, yes — as long as you like burgers that break from tradition. The sweet-savory mix of mozzarella, pineapple, and Napolitan sauce comes together better than the concept suggests. That said, fans of a classic, beef-forward burger may find it polarizing.

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