We spent three nights and four days in Sapporo from August 18 to 21, 2026, and most of our plans revolved around food. This Sapporo food guide follows what we actually ate: soup curry, ramen, 50-yen skewers, sushi, grilled lamb and a lot of soft serve.
After 18 years of layovers, I’ve learned that food is one of the best ways to get to know a city. Sapporo made that easy: the center is walkable, and Hokkaido’s milk, seafood and lamb appear on menus everywhere. We enjoyed plenty of casual meals without reservations, though we booked our sushi lunch ahead.
Here is where we went, what I’d order again and what didn’t quite live up to the hype.
Day 1: Soup curry, coffee and 50-yen skewers
Lunch: Soup curry at Suage+
We landed, checked in at our hotel, and went straight to Suage+. We chose the branch closest to our hotel. Soup curry was born in Sapporo, and Suage+ is one of the most popular places for it. When you arrive, put your name on the waiting list using the tablet at the entrance.
Their famous dish is a big chicken leg, crispy on the outside, in a light and fragrant curry soup with grilled vegetables. You can choose the soup type, the spice level and the size of the rice. Squeeze the lemon on the rice. My tip: always add broccoli as a topping. Don’t skip it!
Coffee: Baristart Coffee
If you drink only one coffee in Sapporo, have a latte here. Baristart is a small coffee stand that uses Hokkaido milk, and you can choose which milk goes into your latte. It is really delicious and a must when you visit Sapporo. There is often a short line and only a few seats.
Dinner: 50-yen skewers at Shin-Jidai
For dinner, we headed to Shin-Jidai in Susukino. This izakaya chain is known for den-gushi, crispy chicken skin skewers advertised at 50 yen each during our August 2026 visit. Draft beer was listed at 190 yen. We ordered skewers, fried chicken and a hot cheese dish. It was an inexpensive, fun night.
On the way back, we stopped at a convenience store for Hokkaido-only snacks. Yubari melon sweets make a good souvenir.
Day 2: Ramen, Mermaid Coffee and yakitori
Late breakfast: Teshikaga Ramen in Ramen Alley
Ramen Alley in Susukino is a narrow street with many small ramen shops. Each shop has only about ten seats. We lined up at Teshikaga a little after 11am, before the lunch crowd. You order at the machine by the door, then sit at the counter and watch the cooks.
Sapporo is famous for miso ramen: a rich broth with butter, thick curly noodles, and corn on top. Order some gyoza too.
Afternoon: Tanukikoji and Mermaid Coffee Roasters
After ramen, we walked through covered Tanukikoji to Mermaid Coffee Roasters, where you can sample coffees from the tasting shelf before choosing beans you like. Later, we had more Hokkaido soft serve.
Dinner: Kushidori
Kushidori is a local yakitori chain. You can find it by the red lanterns at the door. They have many kinds of grilled skewers. Try the chicken thigh with green onion and the meatballs. We finished with a cold noodle salad, a nice light ending after eating so much that day.
Day 3: Sushi, sweets and jingisukan
Lunch: Sapporo Sushi Ginza Ichinomae
Many people come to Hokkaido for the seafood. Lunch can be a good value for sushi: some restaurants offer less expensive omakase courses at midday, though the menu may differ from dinner. We booked Sapporo Sushi Ginza Ichinomae on Tabelog because it had a high rating. It is the Sapporo branch of a sushi restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, and it opened here in June 2025. It is a quiet restaurant with a red curtain at the door, and we ate in a private room. Our lunch omakase started with small side dishes, then nigiri like tuna, scallop and mackerel, and ended with a cold dessert. The 14-course lunch was 8,980 yen per person on our August 2026 visit.
To be honest, the sushi was not as good as I expected from the rating. It was not bad, but for the price and the score, I hoped for more. A high rating does not always mean a great meal for you.
What is Tabelog? Tabelog is Japan’s biggest restaurant review website, like a Japanese version of Yelp. Restaurants get a score out of 5 from users’ reviews. The scores are strict, so 3.5 or higher is already considered very good. The site has an English version, and you can book some restaurants online. It is a useful tool, but use it as a guide, not a promise.
Afternoon: Kinotoya Cafe
Kinotoya is one of Sapporo’s most famous sweets shops, and its café is well known for soft serve ice cream. At the café near the ASTY 45 building, we ordered the Baumkuchen Set. It comes with a piece of baumkuchen cake, soft serve and coffee.
The soft serve was the highlight for me.
Dinner: Daruma jingisukan
Jingisukan is lamb that you grill yourself on a round iron pan at your table. The vegetables cook in the lamb juice around the edge. Daruma is the most famous jingisukan restaurant in Susukino, and it has several branches close to each other. A map on the wall shows all of them.
The main shop had a very long line, so we waited at the 5.5 branch instead. In the end, staff directed us to the 7.4 branch. They were coordinating between locations on our visit, and the shorter wait worked well for us. If you find a long line, ask staff whether another branch has space.
We ordered the Mongolian BBQ (jingisukan), 1,290 yen per plate on our August 2026 visit. The seats are small and your clothes will smell like lamb, but it was worth it to us.
Day 4: One last soup curry before flying home
On our last day, we had soup curry again, just like on the first day. This time it was at Lavi in New Chitose Airport, and we had one more Hokkaido milk soft serve before our flight home.
New Chitose Airport has so many good restaurants that I will write a separate post about it soon. My advice: get to the airport early and come hungry.
Practical tips for eating your way through Sapporo
- Use the waitlist tablets. At popular places like Suage+, put your name on the tablet as soon as you arrive.
- Eat ramen early. Ramen Alley shops are very small. Go around 11am, before the lunch crowd.
- Compare sushi lunch menus before booking. Midday omakase can cost less than dinner, but the courses may differ. Check recent reviews too.
- Go early for jingisukan. Daruma was busy on our visit; staff directed us from the 5.5 branch to 7.4. Ask about other branches if the line is long.
- Wear clothes you can wash. The smell of jingisukan stays on your clothes.
- Stay between Odori and Susukino. You can walk to almost every place in this post.
Getting to Sapporo: Airport train and transit cards
We took the Airport train from New Chitose Airport to Sapporo Station. The station is inside the airport. The fastest Airport train takes 33 minutes; other services take around 37 to 43 minutes. Between 9am and 4pm, six Airport trains run per hour. As of October 2026, a non-reserved seat costs 1,230 yen one way, while a reserved U-Seat costs 2,230 yen in total. Check the JR Hokkaido timetable and fares before you travel.
My tip: If your phone supports it, set up Suica or PASMO before flying. Ticket machines at New Chitose can be busy; a mobile card lets you tap through the gate for a non-reserved Airport train. Suica and PASMO work on participating transit and at shops in Hokkaido, but check acceptance beyond Sapporo.
- iPhone: In Apple Wallet, tap +, choose Transit Card, then Suica or PASMO. Apple supports iPhone 8 or later with up-to-date iOS and an eligible payment card in Wallet. Follow the amount shown when you add a card.
- Android: Mobile Suica or PASMO requires an Osaifu-Keitai-compatible device. Check your exact model and regional version before travel; NFC alone, or a Pixel model number, does not guarantee support.
- No phone option? Ask at the station for a physical IC card such as Kitaca, or buy a paper ticket for the train.
For setup and top-up rules, check the latest Apple Wallet and Google Wallet guidance before your trip. Supported payment methods and device requirements may vary.