Tasting menus, Michelin stars and the chefs redefining Sapporo.
Tasting menus, Michelin stars, and the kitchens redefining what fine dining means in Sapporo.
Three Michelin stars in the 2017 Hokkaido guide, the only sushi at that tier in Hokkaido. Seven seats, two seatings (17:00 and 19:30), omakase only.
Order: The omakase: aged tuna progression and Hokkaido uni nigiri are the season-defining courses.
Tip: Reservations open through Tableall the first day of each month for the month two months out; closed Wednesdays.
Ezomae omakase counter since 2000 at the south edge of Susukino. Two course menus, Kiwami and Miyabi, both lean on Hokkaido seafood with light aging.
Order: Kiwami evening omakase with the aged tuna progression and uni-on-rice.
Tip: Book direct through the operator site; counter only, no private rooms.
A Susukino omakase counter opened 2012 using nearly all-Hokkaido seafood. Ten seats at a single cypress slab, a short walk from Hosui Susukino subway.
Order: Sushi-only omakase, no small dishes between, the way Saiko prefers it.
Tip: Book through Tableall; reservations open four weeks before the date.
Chef Hidetaka trained at the Michelin-starred Sushi Zen before opening this eight-seat cypress counter in Susukino. Led by chef Hidetaka Yamada.
Order: Aged tuna nigiri progression; the room runs two-week, three-week and five-week-aged cuts.
Tip: Counter only; reservations open six weeks ahead. Cash or card accepted.
The Daimaru branch of Sushi Zen, the Sapporo house founded 1971 whose Maruyama honten earned one Michelin star in 2017. Located in Sapporo Station.
Order: Hokkaido-only omakase with Otaru bafun uni, Esashi mackerel and Hidaka kombu rice.
Tip: Lunch sets are the most accessible price point on the omakase progression.
Five-seat counter in Susukino mixing Italian, French and Japanese techniques on Hokkaido produce. Around ten dishes including four amuse-bouche, pasta.
Order: Seasonal tasting menu; ingredients shift weekly with the chef's family farms.
Tip: Book via Tableall four weeks ahead; pairings double the bill.
Chef Toshifumi Tanaka's rustic northern-Italian dining room, opened 2017 on the Odori central avenue. Priced at ¥¥¥¥. Tasting menu ¥15,000-22,000.
Order: Aged Tokachi wagyu primal cut with house-made mozzarella di Okoppe.
Tip: Reserve in advance; the Friuli-Venezia Giulia influence shows in the antipasti.
The city's reference crab restaurant since 1964, seven floors south of Sapporo Station. Course menus across king, snow and hairy crab, tax-free service.
Order: Kegani course: hairy crab steamed whole, plus crab sashimi and a chawanmushi.
Tip: Susukino branch closed 2022; Honten is the principal Sapporo address now.
Susukino's other heavyweight crab house. Six floors, course menus across all three Hokkaido crabs plus a third-floor sushi counter and private tatami rooms.
Order: Sankan three-crab course: one whole king-crab leg, hairy-crab sashimi and snow-crab nabe.
Tip: Tax-free service for international visitors; window tables on the fifth floor face Susukino.
Chef Yasutomo Tanaka opened this Susukino counter in 2017 at age 30 and switched to all-nigiri omakase on the fourth anniversary. Priced at ¥¥¥¥.
Order: Omakase nigiri progression; the chef builds the run from the morning's catch.
Tip: Reservations via Tableall; counter only.
Manager Kazuo Ito's high-grade yakiniku room opened 2011, one minute from Susukino subway. Priced at ¥¥¥¥. Tasting menu ¥6,000-15,000. Book 4 weeks ahead.
Order: Cut-to-order seasonal omakase: shin-shin, kainomi and rare offal in single-slice portions.
Tip: Reservations via autoreserve.com; walk-in only after 22:00. Closed Wednesdays.
The Sapporo outpost of the Azabu-Juban one-Michelin-star Tenpura Yokota, opened as a sushi-and-tempura counter on Susukino's Daimex Plaza. Priced at ¥¥¥¥.
Order: Sushi-and-tempura omakase with Hokkaido shirako, botan ebi and seasonal matsutake.
Tip: Counter only; reservations open three weeks ahead.
Chef Akira Tanaka's Maruyama-area sushi counter, opened 2003, with a nine-seat single-plank hinoki bar from 500-year-old Kiso cypress. Priced at ¥¥¥¥.
Order: Omakase nigiri progression with the small-rice signature; uni and aged tuna lead.
Tip: Counter only; reservations only through the restaurant's official website.
Editor picks in Sapporo include Sushi Miyakawa, Sushiya no Saito, Sushi Saiko, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.