Hi everyone
Get ready to tantalise your taste buds with Gibbon Travelogue’s guide to the top 10 dining destinations in Sapporo!
From savoury pork bowls at Tokachi Butadon Ippin to the freshest sushi at Nemuro Hanamaru, we’ve uncovered the city’s culinary gems.
Dive into the rich flavors of Shimi jimi and Aji No Karyu Ramen at Ramen Alley, then satisfy your ramen cravings at Ramen Rokugo Guts.
Experience the unique fusion of flavors at Shihachi Sengyoten Restaurant and indulge in the hearty Yamaokaya Miso Ramen at Tanukikoji.
Save room for dessert at Initial before savouring the mouthwatering Yakiniku Horumone Fuhdo.
Finally, treat yourself to a feast fit for royalty at Hyosetsu-no-Mon King Crabs Restaurant.
Don’t miss out on these unforgettable dining experiences in Sapporo – your taste buds will thank you!
Gilbert & Lilian
@gibbontravelogue689
@flyscoot
Welcome to another episode of Gibbon Travelogue and today, we are at Sapporo, the largest city and also the capital of Hokkaido. In this video, we are embarking on a mouth-watering journey to explore the top 10 places to eat in this vibrant city.
Kicking off our list is Tokachi Butadon Ippin, nestled in the heart of Sapporo Station. When you are here, indulge in their super awesome Butazanmai, an enhanced version of the flavourful and fragrant “butadon” or rice bowl dish with pork. The dish combines domestically produced pork grilled over binchotan, a high-grade charcoal,
And a sauce developed over many years by Sorachi, the famed soy sauce manufacturer. The Butazanmai is extremely popular and is limited to just 50 meals each for lunch and for dinner. This restaurant is located on the 6th floor of JR Tower Stellar Place. We highly recommended it, but do expect long queues.
Next stop, Nemuro Hanamaru, which is also located at Sapporo Station. Dive into the freshest seafood with their delectable sushi offerings that will tantalise your taste buds. This restaurant is also extremely popular in Sapporo and you could tell by the long queue waiting outside. Nemuro Hanamaru is a kaiten-zushi or “conveyor belt” restaurant on
The 6th floor of JR Tower Stellar Place. Usually at kaiten-zushi restaurants, it is always better to order directly from the chefs for the freshest and best sushi. For those new to the kaiten-zushi concept, the plates of sushi are color-coded by price. And the prices range from Y130
To Y380. I think what really differentiated Nemuro Hanamaru from other sushi restaurants is value-for-money. The sushi is super delicious and probably, among the best that we have taken. So, this restaurant is highly recommended but once again, do expect to wait. Fortunately, for us,
We stayed in a hotel just next to Sapporo station and since they have an automated queue system, we would just get a number, return to our room and then monitor the queue time from our phone. Ramen Alley located in Sapporo’s trendy Susukino area, is a great place to eat ramen.
Locally known as Ganso Ramen Yokocho, there are 17 ramen shops along this alley. Even though they essentially sell the same product, miso ramen, each restaurant has its own distinct flavour and characteristics. These ramen shops open super long hours, making them perfect for lunch, dinner as well as a late-night supper.
Once again, this place is exceptionally popular with both local and tourists. And due to the limited size of each shop, a long wait for your ramen is inevitable. One of our favourite shops is Shimijimi, known for its clam soup and basil oil.
Shimijimi is a specialty shop that uses soup stock made with clams. Clams are said to contain an amino acid that aids liver function and prevents hangovers. That’s probably the reason why you get a lot of Japanese coming here after a night out in town.
The most popular dish here is Assari Shijimi Shio Ramen, light-style clam and salt ramen. Assari has a lightly refreshing flavour, enabling the delicate umami taste of the soup stock to come through strongly. Another ramen shop that we visited at the Ramen Ally is Aji No Karyu,
Which promises a symphony of flavours in every bowl of their ramen, showcasing the best of Chinese and Japanese culinary traditions. Aji No Karyu is known for its ‘Real Sapporo Ramen’, an excellent Miso Ramen. It has a rich and salty taste, yet it is also subtly sweet.
The chicken and pork broths combined with the miso paste are full of depth yet not too salty. Ramen lovers, rejoice! Ramen Rokugo Guts is your haven for soul-warming bowls of ramen that will leave you craving for more. I believe Rokugo Guts falls under a type of Ramen called Ramen Jiro,
Which is known for its large portions and its distinctly flavoured broth, which fans call ‘Jirolian style’. This style is characterised by a salty shoyu and tonkotsu soup base. One more thing, Jiro-style ramen stores somehow have the reputation of being blunt and brutal. But the staff here are friendly and welcoming.
In the quaint streets of Tanukikoji, discover Shihachi Sengyoten Restaurant within the premise of Tanuki Comichi, where tradition meets creativity in every mouthful of their savoury dishes. Tanukikoji Shopping Street is a popular tourist attraction in Sapporo, with its many souvenir shops and drugstores.
In Tanukikoji 2-chome, lies a food court called Tanuki Comichi with its many eateries, ranging from sushi and soba shops to burger joints. Tanukikoji Comichi was only opened in Aug 2022 and consists of 20 eateries, fruit and vegetable shops spanning two floors.
Delve into the diverse food culture of Hokkaido as you walk around and sample them all. Among the many shops, we highly recommend Shihachi Sengyoten. Shihachi Sengyoten is famous for Kaisen don, or bowls of the fish market’s freshest raw fish over a bowl of rice. I especially recommend trying the Higawari,
Which is a menu item that changes every day based on whatever the catch of the day is. Shihachi Sengyoten is operated by a fish market connected to the restaurant so you can go right next door to choose the seafood of your favourite seafood and they will prepare it right there on the spot.
Craving authentic miso ramen? Look no further than Yamaokaya. Their rich, flavourful broth is a true taste of Hokkaido. Ramen Yamaokaya is a huge chain of ramen restaurants all throughout Japan. In Hokkaido, there are around thirty that are located in the major cities. Ramen Yamaokaya is highly recognisable by its red facade.
The soup at Yamaokaya is made of pork bones and is brewed for three days before arriving at the table. The green onions that are used in their bowl of ramen are freshly produced through contract farmers. The cool thing about Yamaokaya is that they bring a special menu every month.
These menus are in tandem with the changing of the seasons. The regular menu has 27 different types of ramen to choose from. I recommend going for the special miso ramen, it’s super awesome! Indulge your sweet tooth at Initial, where delectable desserts are crafted
With precision and passion, leaving you in a state of pure bliss. The parfait is a dessert that originated in France and has become highly popular in Japan. While the original French parfait was more of a custard, the iconic dessert enjoyed in Japan today,
Is actually based on the American parfait. Today, a parfait can be enjoyed in a wide variety of places, from specialty sweets shops to family restaurants. Japan has access to some wonderful dairy products thanks to Hokkaido, which specialises in dairy farming. Fragrant ice
Cream made from farm-fresh milk and pure cream will take you to to parfait heaven. We come to Initial Sapporo, a popular shop for Sapporo-style parfaits made with seasonal fresh fruits and original ideas. The store uses plenty of fresh fruits to deliver original edible art.
The retro and modern atmosphere of the shop is ideal for a lazy afternoon, indulging in delicious parfaits, and for those who seek good taste, great aesthetics and a moment of healing. Meat lovers, rejoice! Yakiniku Horumone Fuhdo offers an unforgettable grilling experience with premium cuts of meat cooked to perfection.
Fuhdo is a popular charcoal-grilled meat restaurant, offering a wide variety of delicious Hokkaido meat. This restaurant is our favourite and is sure to leave you feeling satisfied. In fact, we were so drawn to the restaurant that we had to come back for more, just the very next day.
The meat and rice were exceptionally great. Beyond the food, what made the experience even more memorable, was the dedicated staff. They work hard to ensure each customer enjoys not just the food but also the overall dining experience. This is one our favourite dining experience in Sapporo.
And last, but certainly not least, treat yourself to the ultimate seafood feast at Hyosetsu No Mon King Crabs Restaurant, where succulent king crabs reign supreme. This well-established restaurant is a go-to in Sapporo and specialises in crab dishes As much a Sapporo institution as it is an eatery, this long-running crab restaurant
Boasts the longest history in all of Sapporo. With premium Japanese king crabs, snow crabs, and horse crabs always in stock, they serve some 30 different crab dishes, including crab sashimi, charcoal grills, shabu-shabu and tempura. Crab dishes are very popular in Hokkaido. Like many of the good
Restaurants in Sapporo, you will have to make a reservation way in advance. The Hyosetsu No Mon restaurant is located in Susukino, downtown Sapporo. During our lunch there, we had the Luxury Crab lunch which consists of king crab and snow crab sashimi, snow crab steam dumpling, steam snow crab and a crab cream croquette.
We also had a Crab Dosanko Lunch, which besides crab dishes, also has Surf Clam Sashimi and Red Salmon and Saffron Cod. The ambience of the restaurant was fabulous. We had a nice private Japanese style room and a hospitable server who constantly interacted with us.
We would highly recommend Hyosetsu No Mon King Crabs Restaurant if you are looking for high quality and delicious crab dishes in Sapporo. With its diverse culinary landscape, Sapporo truly captivates the hearts and palates of food enthusiasts from around the world.
Which of these top 11 places will you be adding to your must-visit list?
2 Comments
The Kaiten-zushi place looks interesting. 😊
Thank you is really very informative ❤