Restaurants in Hokkaidō
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A
Rāmen Yokochō
This famous alleyway in the Susukino entertainment district is crammed with dozens of rāmen shops, and you'll most likely wind up here in a noble attempt to vanquish your hangover. Anyone with a yen for rāmen shouldn't miss it, but it can be difficult to find. Take the Nanboku line to Susukino and walk south to the first crossroad. Turn left (east); Rāmen Yokochō is halfway down on the right. If you can't find it just ask – it's one place people will know. Hours vary for different shops, though prices are consistently cheap, with a bowl of noodles setting you back no more than ¥1000.
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Shōjin Restaurant Yō
Macrobiotic, organic and vegan fare that's attractively presented and very tasty. The shop is beautifully done with brown-paper lanterns, a sushi-style bar and Zen-style flower arrangements. To get here, take the Nanboku line and get off at Horohirabashi. Go left out of the station and veer right at the first traffic signal. The road curves, passing a park (on the right). Go straight through the next signal and turn left when you hit the next one (at the tram line); the restaurant is a few doors down on the right.
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Aji-no-Ichiba
Rishiri-tō is a great place for fresh seafood of all kinds, but uni (sea urchin) is mouthwatering. People have been known to travel all the way from Tokyo simply to eat it here. The stall Aji-no-Ichiba serves seafood straight from the local fishing boats to your mouth, sometimes with no cooking in between. Look for a small, nondescript building next to a warehouse with an uni tank and Coca-Cola vending machine; exit to the right from the Oshidomari ferry terminal.
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California Baby
Just around the corner from Nishi-Hatoba, this place has 'the best American coffee' and a variety of inexpensive dishes, such as California sandwiches and 'Sysco Rice', a popular favourite - rice, sausages, and Italian meat sauce. Get off at Suehiro-chō and backtrack to the first stoplight. Turn left (towards the water) and look for the teddy bear museum, then turn right and look for the bright yellow sign.
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B
Esta
Fussy eaters who like to window shop should head straight to this giant restaurant floor that forms part of the Paseo Shopping Centre at JR Sapporo Station; one major path to the subway leads right through it. Listen for the singsong 'Ikagadeshou~~ka?' (Take a look?) and you'll know you've arrived.
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Hakodate Beer
Next to the Hakodate Kokusai Hotel (函館国際ホテル), this expansive brick building has live music and boisterous crowds. Scan the English menu, and choose from a variety of microbrews – from cold ales and golden wheat beers to dark stouts – to complement homemade pizzas and various items from the grill including fresh-caught squid and locally made sausages.
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C
Kushidori
A famous Sapporo-only chain serving a variety of yakitori (skewers of grilled chicken) and grilled vegetables, Kushidori is usually packed with boisterous college kids and 20-somethings. While there is no English menu, you can simply point at what you want, and the chef will grill it for you – choose from either tare (sauce) or shio (salt). There are locations all around the city, including one just a few blocks north of JR Sapporo Station (look for the English sign).
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Uoisshin
Uoisshin is one of several kaiten-zushi shops, places where you get to watch your food zip around the room on a conveyor belt before you eat it. Pay per plate; the waitress will count them at the end.
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Minshuku Shiretoko
Has great views of the water and the presiding Rishiri-zan beyond. The owner is a fisherman and prides himself on hand-catching the evening's meal. To get here just get off the bus at the Shiretoko stop.
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Ebi-kani Gassen
Most people come here for crab, one of Hokkaidō's best-known specialities, but the restaurant serves other items as well. Try to sit by a window if you get the chance, to enjoy the view.
reviewed
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Ryōuntei
Not far from the new Goryōkaku tower, this place has fresh seafood and a choice of counter or tatami seating. No English, but a picture menu makes ordering a straightforward affair.
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Hakodate Rāmen Kamome
A famous noodle shop (just look for the blue awning) where you can put your culinary skills to the test – you can start with a basic bowl of miso rāmen (¥580), and add kani (crab), ebi (shrimp), ika (squid), hotate (scallops) and/or uni for a few hundred extra yen. The shop is located across the street from the fish market, so you can be reassured that everything here is fresh.
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Soup Curry Kōbō Hirihiri-dō
On the opposite end of the scale to the upmarket offerings of other restaurants, this casual but clean place has fiery curry soup, in a variety of spices and options.
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Nishi Hatoba Restaurants
A new, fairly trendy place to dine is Nishi Hatoba waterfront district, which has a variety of eateries in converted warehouses and English-style buildings.
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D
Yosora-no-Jingisukan
Genghis Khan is on the menu everywhere, though at this speciality restaurant, located on the 10th floor of the My Plaza building, across from a 7-Eleven, you can grill up tender slices of locally raised lamb, as well as more exotic cuts from Australia and Iceland. There is no English, though the handy picture menu makes ordering a breeze.
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E
Uminekoya
Housed in a crumbling brick warehouse laced with vines of ivy, this famous bar-restaurant across from the museum has been the setting for several novels of Japanese literary fame. The English menu helps with the ordering, though it's best to ask the waiter for their osusume (recommendation), as the catch of the day and some local sake is generally what you're after here.
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Tenkin
One of the oldest izakaya in town, Tenkin is a box-shaped hall with wood trim that is marked by large golden characters. The menu is broad, but the recurring themes are winter warmers such as nabe (stew cooked in a cast-iron pot) as well as all manner of seafood – check out the tanks near the entrance to see what's fresh.
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Takechan
This is a famous Wakkanai restaurant where you can sample tako-shabu (¥1575), an octopus variant of traditional shabu-shabu. Steady your chopsticks, and then slowly dip slices of tentacle into steaming broth. For the squeamish, there is safety in sōyakurōshi, a strip steak carved from Japan's northernmost free-range cows. Exit JR Wakkanai Station, walk straight through the first light and then turn right at the next corner. Walk for two more blocks and you'll see a white wooden building with black trim on your left-hand side.
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Saroma-ko To Barō-mura
Come here for the freshest seafood prepared with care by a chef who's not afraid to close the restaurant if the shellfish doesn't meet his finicky standards. Try the hotate-no-sashimi (scallop sashimi; ¥900) or the kaki-no-sakemushi (oysters steamed in sake; ¥1100). Prices vary depending on the quality and the season. The restaurant is easily found by looking for the string of traditional Japanese lanterns.
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Otaru Sushi-kō
For Japanese travellers, eating Otaru is all about sushi – local specialities include sake (salmon), ikura (salmon roe), uni and kani. Inside this grey-brick warehouse (look for the English sign) about 500m east of the canal along Ironai Ōdōri, there are just six seats at the counter, ensuring personalised attention from the supremely skilled sushi chef.
If you're the type of person who enjoys scouting out good eateries before sitting down at the table, check out the Denuki-kōji, located on the southern banks of Asakusa-bashi. This tourist-friendly complex contains a dozen or so restaurants spanning a variety of cuisines – most have plastic models out the front to he…
reviewed
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Niseko Pizza
This authentic family-run pizzeria headed by the affable Cezar is a popular late-night spot. Classic pies cater to big appetites, while gourmet variations and pastas suit more discerning palettes. Bonus: Niseko Pizza delivers, so no need to brave the cold if you suddenly develop a hankering for melted mozzarella! The pizzeria is in a brick building with English signage across from the Park Hotel in Hirafu.
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Ni-jō Ichiba
The fish market is one of the best places in town for sushi and sashimi so fresh it's still twitching.
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Narazushi
One block southwest of Takechan you will find this sushi spot, which is easily identified by the giant shrimp stamped on the exterior curtain. From the picture menu, you can choose between a variety of house specialities, each featuring various combinations of coldwater fish, crustaceans and echinoderms (think: sea urchins) brought from Japan's northern seas.
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Murakami
Two blocks east and one block south of the Central Hotel is this small sushi bar (look for the red-and-blue sign), which is locally famous for its high-quality fish. The owner changes the menu daily based on what's fresh from the boat, so it's best to just ask for his osusume.
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Mikuni Sapporo
Classical French with a subtle Japanese twist is de rigueur at this much-celebrated restaurant, located on the 9th floor of the JR Tower at Sapporo Station. Seasonality dictates the menu, with the culinary palette spanning from sun-ripened produce to winter hauls of snow crab. Although it's pricey to call forth a bottle, Mikuni has one of the largest and most extensive wine cellars in the city. There is French but no English on the menu – non-Francophones can select a course based on price. Stop by for lunch if you want a reasonable splurge.
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