7 Best Restaurants in Hokkaido, Japan

Below the red sign depicting a roly-poly mustachioed doll, this establishment founded in 1954 serves the city's freshest barbecued lamb jingisukan. The slices of lamb are served steaming atop heaps of vegetables. At the end of the meal you're given hot tea to mix with what's left of your dipping sauce—mixed together, they're oddly delicious. Be sure to wear your least-favorite clothes and don the paper bib that's provided, then feast away until you become roly-poly yourself.

On a narrow street near the Mitsukoshi department store, Ebi-Ten Bun-Ten is as friendly a tempura place as you're likely to find in Hokkaido. The sliding doors behind a blue banner reveal a quiet, homey restaurant, managed for two generations by the friendly Yamada family. Seating is available at the counter, at tables, and in tatami rooms with cushions. A rudimentary English menu is available.

There are two branches of Kani Honke, one in Susukino, and the other in front of Sapporo Station. In business for more than 50 years, these crab-eating havens serves raw, steamed, boiled, and baked crustaceans—the waitress will tell you whether the ke-gani (hairy crab), taraba-gani (king crab), or zuwai-kani (snow crab) is in season. Wood beams, tatami mats, and traditional decorations provide an authentic setting for the feast. Look for the building with crabs all over it and a couple of giant white signs on the roof. There's also an English menu.

This ordinary-looking 10-stools-at-the-plastic-counter joint in Susukino has had lines of faithful slurpers outside since the year 2000 (a lifetime for a ramen shop) and is still chopping, boiling, and serving its succinct seven-item ramen menu. Order from the vending machine at the door then wait on the bench or stand around the corner; once seated wait for the cook to hand down a steaming bowl topped generously with vegetables from the raised and hidden kitchen.

If you want to keep your clothes clean, don't avoid slurping, just accept the paper bib they offer.

In a city with no shortage of soup-curry restaurants, the long lines outside this place just south of Odori Park tell you how much the locals rate Garaku. There are eight basic soup curries on the menu to which you can add more toppings and tweak spice levels. The way to eat them is the same: the soup curry comes in a bowl with rice on the side that many people mix in as they go.

Hokkaido sushi is famed throughout Japan, and this is probably the best of the best. It's where locals take guests when they want to impress them with a pure sushi experience. The main branch in Maruyama is the best of the four scattered around the city, while the one next to JR Sapporo Station (Daimaru 8F, Kita 5 Nishi 5) is cheaper and more welcoming to families (and where you won't need reservations).

A casual downtown coffee shop with an English menu, this hangout is popular with students and expats. Only one busy cook works in the kitchen, so don't expect a speedy lunch, but come in when you're peckish and you'll eventually leave feeling full. Or just hang out and have a cup of coffee or tea.