Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in Sapporo for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Sapporo for grown-ups.
Nikka Whisky's Hokkaido flagship in Susukino, pouring rare expressions of Taketsuru, Yoichi and Miyagikyo from the company's own cellar warehouse.
DrinkTaketsuru Pure Malt flight
FoodBar snacks
TipReservations via Nikka site; the Yoichi single-cask flights need a week's notice.
Founded late 1950s by mixologist Tatsuro Yamazaki, Bar Yamazaki is one of Japan's classic Susukino cocktail bars; the Emperor's Imperial Prize landed in 1993.
DrinkSapporo (signature vodka-based cocktail)
FoodBar snacks
TipCounter only; order the signature Sapporo cocktail to start.
A Tanukikoji cocktail bar with the concept cocktails as liquid cuisine. Hokkaido-foraged ingredients across a rotating menu; quiet 14-seat counter.
DrinkHokkaido-foraged ingredient cocktails
FoodSmall bites
TipCounter only; phone reservations strongly recommended for Friday and Saturday.
A Susukino whisky bar with a one-piece wooden counter and exceptional Japanese whisky inventory. The Suntory bottle bar of the city's neon spine.
DrinkSuntory Yamazaki 18
FoodBar snacks
TipCounter only; reservations preferred for Friday and Saturday late seats.
A Susukino sake bar stocking nearly 300 Hokkaido-produced sake bottles. Otokoyama, Kunimare and Chitosetsuru pour by the glass alongside cellar-only labels.
DrinkOtokoyama junmai daiginjo
FoodHokkaido seafood small plates
TipFlight of three Hokkaido junmais is the easy intro; closed Sundays.
Directly run by the North Island brewery on the outskirts of Sapporo, pouring six original house craft beers. The brewer joins bar staff on Fridays.
DrinkNorth Island brewery six-tap rotation
FoodBar snacks
TipFriday evening is the brewery's own staff night; expect a Q-and-A welcome.
Moon and Sun Brewing opened 2014 as Sapporo's downtown brewpub with in-store brewing kit. Beers using 100-percent Hokkaido hops and seasonal-fruit one-offs.
Drink100-percent Hokkaido hop pale ale
FoodHokkaido pizza and snacks
TipOrder a tasting flight to test the rotating lineup; pizza pairs well.
A small Susukino sake counter pouring exclusively Hokkaido sake. Twenty-plus producers by the glass; sashimi and grilled fish from the open kitchen.
DrinkKunimare junmai daiginjo by the glass
FoodSashimi platters
TipCounter only; staff speak basic English and will tailor a flight.
75 minutes
Enjoy an intimate tasting at a local bar in Sapporo. Sample 3 Japanese sakes and 2 Japanese whiskies with Japanese appetizers, hosted in a relaxed small-group setting.
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