Sapporo Food Guide: 30 Restaurants Ranked by a Local Trip

“I want to eat well in Sapporo, but I don’t know where to go.”

For anyone thinking that: I spent 9 of my 20 days in Hokkaido in Sapporo and ate through 30+ restaurants. I’m based in Japan, so this is a real, first-hand ranking — including which places delivered and which disappointed, with no punches pulled.

Contents

What you’ll get from this guide
Sapporo food basics
🥩 Genghis Khan: the two big names compared
🍛 Soup curry: Sapporo’s big three
🍜 Ramen: two hugely popular Sapporo shops
1. #1: Menya Saimi (king of Sapporo miso ramen)
2. #2: Ramen Sapporo Ichiryuan
🍣 Sushi: casual and good in Sapporo
1. Machi-no-Sushiya Shikihanamaru (Clock Tower branch)
🐑 Lamb shabu: Sapporo’s under-the-radar specialty
1. Kudo Yonikuten (private-room paper-thin lamb shabu, Branch 3)
🍺 Sapporo Beer Garden & Museum
1. Sapporo Beer Museum (free admission!)
2. Sapporo Beer Garden (Kaitakushikan)
🍰 Five great Sapporo sweets
🐷 Bonus: Butadon Meijin (Tokachi pork bowl in Sapporo)
🎁 Five Sapporo souvenirs worth buying
Things to watch out for
Overall Sapporo food top 10
A golden one-day food + sightseeing plan
Where to stay in Sapporo
Conclusion: Sapporo is more than jingisukan and miso ramen
1. Related guides

What you’ll get from this guide

Sapporo food rankings by genre
Head-to-head comparisons: Genghis Khan, soup curry, ramen, sushi, lamb shabu
Sweets and souvenirs worth buying
How to enjoy the Sapporo Beer Garden
The actual price we paid at each place

Sapporo food basics

Item	Details
My stay	9 days (2 early + 7 later)
Restaurants tried	30+
Daily food spend (for two)	~¥7,500 avg.
Main areas	Susukino, Odori, around Sapporo Station

A quick note on “Genghis Khan” (jingisukan): it’s Hokkaido’s signature dish of grilled lamb (and mutton), cooked on a dome-shaped skillet. Nothing to do with the food of Mongolia — just the local name.

🥩 Genghis Khan: the two big names compared

#1: Hyottoko (Sapporo’s best jingisukan)

The peak of all the grilled lamb on this trip.

Item	Details
Price	¥7,100 for two
Area	Central Sapporo
Atmosphere	Deep, smoke-filled room
Signature	Sear it lightly, eat it rare — remarkably tender

The room fills with smoke — a wonderfully deep, no-frills place. Sear the lamb lightly and eat it slightly rare: tender, clean, delicious. Not a date spot (the smoke soaks into your clothes), but absolutely worth it.

#2: Darumaotoshi (Susukino main branch)

Item	Details
Price	¥7,205 for two
Area	Susukino
Signature	Spicy jingisukan

The spicy jingisukan is delicious, with an unusually smooth garlic paste that pairs perfectly. Note: “Daruma” and “Darumaotoshi” are different lineages — Darumaotoshi is the one strong on spicy dishes.

Tips for enjoying jingisukan

Balance meat with vegetables (all-meat gets heavy)
Try both the sauce and salt
Drink Sapporo Classic beer for the authentic feel
Your clothes will smell of smoke — wear something washable

🍛 Soup curry: Sapporo’s big three

Sapporo is a birthplace of soup curry, with a reputed 200+ shops.

#1 (in Sapporo): SOUP CURRY TREASURE

Item	Details
Price	¥3,578 for two
Character	Subtly sweet broth, mild heat
Verdict	You can drink the whole bowl

A balanced, mild bowl — perfect if you want to try soup curry but don’t love heat. The broth is gentle enough to finish entirely.

#2: Soup Curry GARAKU (Sapporo main branch)

Item	Details
Price	¥1,763 for two
Character	Spice-forward, classic
Note	Very crowded; people line up before opening

GARAKU is a Sapporo soup-curry icon, hugely popular with tourists — 1–2 hour lunchtime waits happen. Double-check the opening time or you may miss it (I did, once).

Soup curry comparison

Shop	Heat	Broth	Depth	Veg	Overall
TREASURE	Mild	Sweet	★★★★	★★★	★★★★★
GARAKU	Medium	Spicy	★★★	★★★	★★★★
Begiramah (Hakodate)	Medium	Deep	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★

My overall #1 is Begiramah (Hakodate), but for Sapporo alone, TREASURE wins.

🍜 Ramen: two hugely popular Sapporo shops

#1: Menya Saimi (king of Sapporo miso ramen)

Item	Details
Price	¥1,600 (miso ramen)
Wait	Long queue (expect 30+ min)
Character	Ginger-forward, rich miso broth

You freeze while queueing — then the warmth of the miso ramen hits perfectly. Ginger-accented, rich, delicious; the completed form of Sapporo miso ramen. Best on a cold or rainy day. Line up 30 minutes before opening.

#2: Ramen Sapporo Ichiryuan

Item	Details
Price	¥1,580
Character	Rich, mildly spicy, loaded with toppings

Rich, a little spicy, and hearty — an easier place to get into than Saimi. A good backup if Saimi’s line is too long.

🍣 Sushi: casual and good in Sapporo

Machi-no-Sushiya Shikihanamaru (Clock Tower branch)

Item	Details
Price	¥3,465 for two
Character	Superb seared (aburi) sushi
Access	Walkable from the Clock Tower / Sapporo Station

We stumbled in on the way to the station; the seared sushi was so good I wished I’d ordered more. A casual chain where you can eat delicious sushi in Sapporo — good for tourists. Not the revelation that Otaru’s Masazushi is, but a great, easy option near the station.

🐑 Lamb shabu: Sapporo’s under-the-radar specialty

Kudo Yonikuten (private-room paper-thin lamb shabu, Branch 3)

Item	Details
Price	¥11,920 for two
Character	Paper-thin lamb shabu-shabu
Setting	Fully private rooms

Shabu-shabu with paper-thin lamb — a new sensation: zero gaminess, wonderfully tender. Even my lamb-skeptic partner was won over. Fully private rooms make it great for couples. At ~¥12,000 for two it’s a splurge, but ideal for a special occasion.

🍺 Sapporo Beer Garden & Museum

Sapporo Beer Museum (free admission!)

Free entry, ~1 hour, and you learn Japanese beer history — including that Sapporo and Asahi were once one company. The star mark is based on the North Star, a symbol of Hokkaido’s development. Paid tastings available.

Sapporo Beer Garden (Kaitakushikan)

¥2,910 for two: the garden-exclusive Sapporo Five Star beer, the eye-catching coiled lamb sausage, and German potatoes. The house salt was so good I bought some to take home (¥450).

🍰 Five great Sapporo sweets

Hokudai Marché Café & Labo — Hokkaido University milk pudding, made with milk the university developed. The pudding is superb (¥2,600 for two, inside the campus).
Gelateria Rimo Sapporo — award-winning gelato that stretches from the spoon; the caramello is especially good (¥650).
Sapporo Senshuan (main branch) — freshly baked “Northman” bean cake, crisp pastry with mild red-bean paste — a main-branch-only experience (¥200).
Bakeshop Chelsea (in Shiroi Koibito Park) — a crunchy mixed-berry stick mille-feuille (¥1,180).
Ryugetsu (Sanporoku slices) — chocolate-coated baumkuchen; also sold at the airport, a reliable souvenir (¥278).

🐷 Bonus: Butadon Meijin (Tokachi pork bowl in Sapporo)

The Tokachi-style pork bowl we’d meant to eat in Tokachi — had it inside New Chitose Airport instead. Sansho pepper adds a great accent (¥3,470 for two). You can get the real thing without going to Tokachi.

🎁 Five Sapporo souvenirs worth buying

SNOW CHEESE (Daimaru Sapporo) — sells out constantly in Tokyo; buyable here (¥2,592/box)
Sato Suisan (salmon ruibe) — salmon ruibe, scallops and salmon soy sauce set (¥3,250)
Royce’ Town-exclusive potato-chip chocolate — only at Royce’ Town (¥1,269)
Kokushimuso junmai daiginjo (Hokkaido-exclusive) — sake as a gift (¥1,320)
Rutao Tenoir — Otaru’s famous Rutao chocolate mousse cake (¥3,348)

Things to watch out for

Popular places always have queues — budget waiting time for Saimi and GARAKU
Jingisukan smoke soaks into clothes — wear washable layers; Hyottoko is especially smoky
Many shops have no lunch service — Kudo Yonikuten is dinner-only; check ahead
Susukino at night — safe overall, but avoid walking alone late
Winter ice — watch your footing between ramen shops; bring winter-grip shoes

Overall Sapporo food top 10

Rank	Restaurant	Genre	Price (2)
1	Hyottoko	Genghis Khan	¥7,100
2	Kudo Yonikuten	Lamb shabu	¥11,920
3	Menya Saimi	Ramen	¥3,200
4	SOUP CURRY TREASURE	Soup curry	¥3,578
5	Sapporo Beer Garden	Beer & sausage	¥2,910
6	Darumaotoshi (Susukino)	Genghis Khan	¥7,205
7	Hokudai Marché Café & Labo	Café	¥2,600
8	Machi-no-Sushiya Shikihanamaru	Sushi	¥3,465
9	Ramen Sapporo Ichiryuan	Ramen	¥1,580
10	Soup Curry GARAKU	Soup curry	¥1,763

A golden one-day food + sightseeing plan

8:00  Hotel breakfast, or a rice ball at Hokkaido Shikisaikan (inside Sapporo Station)
10:00 Sapporo Beer Museum (free)
12:00 Lunch at Menya Saimi (expect a queue)
14:00 Hokkaido University + Hokudai Marché Café & Labo
16:00 Fresh-baked Northman at Sapporo Senshuan
18:00 Jingisukan at Hyottoko
20:00 Stroll Susukino, or a bar for round two

Seven stops in a day of happy eating — it covers a lot of ground, so wear comfortable shoes.

Where to stay in Sapporo

Susukino and the area around Sapporo Station put you within walking distance of most of the food above. Base yourself centrally and you can eat your way across the city on foot.

🏨 Book your stay in Sapporo: Find & compare Sapporo hotels on Agoda →
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Conclusion: Sapporo is more than jingisukan and miso ramen

Sapporo is famous for Genghis Khan and miso ramen, but it also has lamb shabu (Kudo Yonikuten), soup curry (TREASURE), sushi (Shikihanamaru), and gelato (Rimo). Even in 9 days I couldn’t eat everything — go find your own favorite.