I went back to Japan to explore Hokkaido this time around, and I’m already hatching plans to go back! Give yourself plenty of time if you are connecting in Tokyo. My friend and I missed our original connection because 2 hours was not enough time. We stood in insanely long lines (~1.5 hrs) to speak to an agent to get us on the next flight to Sapporo, but the food made it all worth it!
Repeating traditions from my last trip, I started each day with a quick small breakfast run at 7-Eleven consisting of a small cup of coffee or smoothie, pickled veggies, and a sandwich or onigiri.
- Hokkaido Hairy Crab
- Browse the Nijo market and you’ll see multiple stands displaying a variety of crabs. The stand that we bought from offered to steam it for us and had a small seating area: Kitchen Nagamori. Make sure you bring cash!
- Mermaid Coffee Roasters
- We found our favorite cafe in Sapporo here! Great place to work remote or bring back gifts. There is a self guided coffee tasting to try out their different blends available. Fun fact, all the sculptures and carvings are made by one of the talented workers there!
- We tried all the food and pastries available. They’re all delicious, but my favorite is the toast with cheese set. Toast sets are available from 8-11AM.
- If there are any seasonal drinks, try them – your tastebuds will thank you! While we were there, the special drinks were Bifuka Melon Latte and Densuke Watermelon Lemonade Soda.
- Soup Curry King
- If I had time to visit just one place in Sapporo, I would go here! The spices and flavors used for their soup curry are truly on another level. I have not found anything that resembles this back in the states.
- Sapporo Ramen Haruka
- Must get the regional specialty: miso butter corn ramen.
- Cash only! Go early to avoid long lines. We got there a bit later and waited ~1.5 hours.
- Sakanayano Daidokoro
- My friend and I both got their white fish lunch set – comes with soup and rice. We didn’t have a lot of options since we went later in the afternoon.
- d:matcha
- This is a wonderful spot for finding gifts and top-quality matcha. My friend and I joined the tea tasting, and we were amazed by the distinct flavors of the different matcha varieties.
- Milk Mura
- Indulge in soft serve ice cream like you’ve never tasted before. Their ice cream is homemade with high-quality Hokkaido milk. Perfect dessert spot.
- Kadoya
- This place always has a line, but it goes by fairly quickly. You can’t go wrong with any of their eel sets.
- Kagari Sapporo Susukino
- Truffle chicken paitan ramen is a must try. My friend who visited the Tokyo location years ago still thinks about it today. Definitely lives up to the hype.
- Location wise, this was difficult to find if you’re using google maps, but there are pictures of what the ramen bar looks like outside, which helped us pinpoint what we were looking for.
- 札幌海鮮丼専門店 すしどんぶり
- There is an all you can drink option here, but my friend and I were here for the chirashi bowls! Great value for fresh and delicious seafood. Ordering is very convenient with the QR code.
- Mont Jeli Cake Shop
- Try and assortment of cakes and baked goods. I loved their strawberry shortcake.
- Marumi Coffee
- Delicious toast and waffle sets that pair perfectly with your choice of coffee.
- Majisand
- Fruit sando heaven!
- Nukumi
- Kaiseki – Reservations required. “Chef Yamamoto moved his restaurant within Susukino once before settling into the current location in 2016, earning two and three Michelin stars in the restaurant’s life.”
- Sushisai Wakichi
- High-end Edomae-style sushi – Reservations required. “Perfection in every detail—Chef Tamura’s vivid imagination lifts sushi to an entirely new experience. At Wakichi, the two-star Sapporo restaurant, every dish is simple yet powerful, creating an unforgettable course of seasonal harvests through hidden techniques and mastery.”
What an exquisite trip with so much left to be explored. I’ll be back soon! いただきます and happy eating!
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