The Best 11 Places to Eat in Hokkaido, Japan

Hokkaido is the large island in the very northern part of Japan. The area of the island is 1/5 of the entire land in Japan. There are meadows, farms on the vast land and abundant fish in the sea. Nowadays, the foreign visitors have increased because of the development of LCC (Low Cost Carrier) and the Hokkaido Bullet Train Line. I’m introducing to you the popular local gourmets you should taste when you are on your trip to Hokkaido.

1. Daruma

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The Lamb which is grilled on the specially made iron-skillet is called, “Genghis Khan” and is very familiar to people in Hokkaido just like the grilled beef. Lamb has substances to decrease one’s cholesterol, so it is recommended to people who are on a diet, but want to eat delicious meat!

In Hokkaido, there are 2 different types of “Genghis Khan”, such as the grilled lamb which has been soaked in the sauce in advance and the one without being soaked. Both of them don’t have a strong smell, so even if you challenge it for the first time, you’ll be fine.

The strongly recommended shop is the “Daruma” which is 60 years old. They have grilled the tender lamb with their secret sauce since they opened on the specially made iron-skillet. Once you order a set menu, everything will be done by a shop-assistant. So, what you need to do is “wait and then eat”!

The price is very reasonable at this shop, but as you can’t book a table, you need to be prepared to stand in a queue. I suggest that you should visit immediately after its opening time.

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2. Sapporo Beer Garden

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The “Sapporo Beer” is internationally famous as one of the Japanese major beers. Sapporo Bee Garden is a big hall next to the former factory built with the red bricks.

The gigantic pot which used to be used for brewing beer, called “Kessel” which was produced in the 1st year of the Taisho-era (1912) has been a big attraction for visitors.

The shop provides the buffet-styled local cuisine. You can enjoy the freshly brewed draft with it. The Sapporo Beer Museum is next to this hall. The admission is free of charge, so why don’t you drop in at the museum? Enjoy the famous beer!

3. Hokkaido Ramen Kyowakoku

As one of the Hokkaido Gourmets, you can’t ignore ramens. You can enjoy various types of ramen in different areas. The so called “Hokkaido 3 big ramens” are the miso-taste (in the Sapporo-city), the soy-taste (in the Asahikawa-city) and the salt-taste (in the Hakodate-city) ones. The common factor among them is the soup-stock which is made from sea products.

In Sapporo-city alone, there are more than 300 ramen shops are trying to attract customers. If you can’t decide which one you should go to, I recommend the “Hokkaido Ramen Kyowakoku”. It is a complex site which is next to the Sapporo station and has 8 famous ramen shops concentrated in a small place.

You can taste the miso-taste ramen at the “Shirakabasanso” (in the Sapporo-city), the salt-taste one with clear and plain soup at the “Ajisai” (in the Hakodate-city) and the pork-bone and fish-taste one at the “Baikoken” (in the Asahikawa-city) in this one space.

The floor of the Ramen Kyowakoku has the nostalgic image of the Showa-era and the SL (Steam Locomotive) has been displayed. It is a nice spot for a photo opportunity.

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→The 10 Best Ramen Shops You Must Eat in Sapporo, Hokkaido

4. Soup Curry GARAKU

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The soup curry is a quite new food which was created in Sapporo. It started being fashionable in 2000 and it has settled down as one of the Sapporo cuisines. The curry soup has medicinal herbs and the various spices from Eastern Asia. It has a rich and spicy flavor.

The largely cut ingredients are all fried, so it is really filling. You can choose the flavor to be your favorite one, selecting the optional toppings. You put some rice on your spoon and dip it in the soup.

The “Soup Curry GARAKU” has the Japanese-styled soup-stock as well. They use more than 20 different types of spice.

The popular menu is the “Tender chicken leg and vegetables” which has one chicken leg. The curry with a lot of Hokkaido ingredients has the rich and spicy flavor as well as the refreshing taste. You may get addicted to it in the end.

5. Yukijirushi Parlor Sapporo Honten

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You have the image of Hokkaido with the vast meadows and the fresh milk, don’t you? In Hokkaido, there are innumerable ice-cream and soft ice-cream shops, thanks to the delicious milk. The locals love ice-cream to taste in warm rooms in the bitterly cold winter. The consumption of ice-cream in Hokkaido is No. 1 in Japan.

The “Yukijirushi Parlor Sapporo Honten” which has been directly managed by the Japanese representative dairy food maker, Yukijirushi is highly recommended. They have variety in the menu, such as various types of parfaits and the original pan-cakes made from the fresh milk and butter.

Especially, the “Snow Royal Special” is recommended. It was created especially for the Emperor. It has 16% of butterfat which can’t be tasted in any other place. Please try the high butterfat ice-cream at this shop. It is really mouth-watering!

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6. Nanda

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The winter in Hokkaido is severe, but thanks to the climate, the taste of the crabs is enriched and they become more delicious. To people who want to eat a lot of seasonal crabs, the “all-you-can-eat crabs” is recommended.

Besides the crabs, you can have also the “all you-can-eat vegetables”. Everyone eats them with concentration and no talking at all! They are that delicious!

The “Nanda” is very famous for the “all-you-can-eat king-crabs, horse-crabs, snow-crabs”. They offer the black-beef, the tuna, the live scallops and the red flesh melons.

You may think that you can taste almost all the Hokkaido ingredients there. It is just right for people who want to eat crabs, tempura and sushi at once. It is the “all-you-can-eat famous food in Hokkaido”.

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7. Tokachi Ippin

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The Tokachi Plain has occupied the vast area in the southeast part of Hokkaido. It is well known as the agricultural region. Since a long time ago, the area has been prospering with the pig industry.

So, the famous food in the area is the pork-don (pot). Nowadays, it is eaten everywhere in Hokkaido. The pot is filled with the grilled pork and the salty-sweet sauce on rice. It will give you a great amount of stamina.

The “Tokachi Ippin” is a nice choice to taste the “Tokachi pork-don”. It has been run by the famous Genghis Khan sauce maker “Sorachi”. They have 5 shops in Hokkaido alone. The pork which is grilled with their proud sauce, using the charcoal, drops an excessive fat.

So, you can enjoy the concentrated pork’s original taste. The pork and the rice are both produced in Hokkaido. Please enjoy the exquisite pork-don.

8. Hotei

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The Hokkaido famous cuisine, “Zanki” is the fried chicken. It is a very popular and familiar food at home and taverns in Hokkaido. The crispy fried chicken with the rich flavor is just right as the main dish as well as the side dish which goes well with a glass of beer.

The Zanki shop, “Hotei” is so popular that it is bustling with customers every day. The tender chicken cuts which are soaked in the soy-sauce with ginger flavor are fried 3 times to create the rich taste, which is their signature dish, Zanki.

The substantial Zanki set menu is also popular. I’d like you to be brave and taste it.

9. Kaisendon-no-Urashima

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One of the reasons of the popularity of Hokkaido is that you can taste the delicious sea products. The Kaisen-don has salmon-roes, crabs, prawns and scallops which are arranged beautifully on the rice.

Its look alone will make you feel excited to taste it. The hungry people who want to eat the fresh sea products all at once should visit this shop to taste their Kaisen-don”.

Amongst many Kaisen-don shops, the “Kaisendon-no-Urashima” is especially popular. It is in central Sapporo, Susukino.

They have variety in the menu, such as quality sea-urchins, the marinated salmon-roes in the soy-sauce and the raw snow-crabs. The rice of the Kaisen-don is the Hokkaido product, Yumepirika. So, the delicious taste is always promised.

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10. Coffee & Sandwiches Saera

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Do you know that the sandwiches have been gradually gaining their popularity as a new famous food in Sapporo-city. Each sandwich shop is closely contesting for originality, such as the crispy pork sandwiches and the sweet sandwiches with some fresh cream. Their sandwiches are beautiful to the eye and delicious to the palate.

The “Coffee & Sandwiches” shop’s signature menu is their “King-crab sandwiches and the fruits sandwiches. They are freshly made immediately after they receive an order.

The king-crab sandwiches have a lot of crab flesh and the fruit sandwiches have the rich fresh cream. They are not only beautiful but also very delicious! The shop is always crowded and they close the shop when all are sold out. I suggest that you should go immediately after they open their shop in the morning.

11. Kaitenzushi Nemuro Hanamaru

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You can’t ignore sushi when you want to enjoy the sea products in Hokkaido. But you may hesitate to order some sushi at the counter of a sushi shop in an unfamiliar place. However, the rotating conveyor belt sushi bar is casual and is friendly to your wallet.

There are many of this type of sushi bar which offer sushi of good quality as the ones at the usual sushi-shop, just like Hokkaido can offer. The “Kaitenzushi Nemuro Hanamaru” is so popular that they own 10 shops in Hokkaido.

The fresh scallop or the king-crab sushi going round on the belt cost from ￥120 – ￥250 at an average up to ￥500 per plate. Despite the reasonable prices, the freshness and the taste are superb! They don’t seem to be the sushi of the rotating conveyor belt sushi bar! You shouldn’t miss them!

Let’s Taste the Delicious Foods in Hokkaido!

Have you found any interesting cuisines in these articles? I have introduced the recommended local cuisines. But they are just a sample of the delicious foods in Hokkaido. In Hokkaido, which has been blessed with the sea and the land, you can find most shops which offer tasty foods. Please experience some of them until your stomach is fully satisfied.