Must-try foods in Sapporo! 6 traditional, long-established and trending new foods

Taste tempura with your ears! The same unchanging taste that continues to be preserved at "Ebiten Branch"

Located in Sapporo's Chuo Ward, about a 3-minute walk from Odori Station on the Namboku Line, Ebiten Bunten is a long-established tempura restaurant founded in 1963.

The main store was a long-established restaurant founded in 1950, but sadly closed in 2018. The second daughter, Kuniko, is the owner of the "Ebiten Branch" and continues to stubbornly maintain the same flavor.

As the proprietress says, "Enjoying tempura begins with your ears," the faint sizzling sound of tempura being fried can be heard from the back of the kitchen, and it really gets your appetite going.

While waiting for the tempura, we enjoyed some asparagus (priced according to market price). Sautéed in butter is also popular, but if you want something lighter, it is surprisingly served with mayonnaise. The bright green asparagus is sweet when you bite into it, and later has a slightly bitter taste. The crunchy texture is also enjoyable.

The popular "Jyo Tendon" (950 yen including tax) comes with two large shrimp, a rich lineup of toppings such as chrysanthemum and seaweed, and a standard set of miso soup and pickles.

First, I took a bite of the shrimp tempura. The crispy batter was followed by the firm texture of the shrimp, which was cooked perfectly and went perfectly with the rice.
The nori seaweed and chrysanthemum are crisp and crunchy, and the batter dances in your mouth, showing the skill of the chef. The light and elegant sauce brings the tempura and rice together in perfect balance.

The specialty since the restaurant first opened is the "Snow Crab Tempura Bowl" (3,800 yen including tax). It comes with four giant snow crab tempura pieces, making it a dish that will leave you feeling guilty.

A luxurious bowl of rice that allows you to simply enjoy the deliciousness of juicy snow crab with its gentle sweetness. The crispy batter does not interfere with the taste of the fresh snow crab, but rather enhances the natural sweetness of the crab.

I was surprised to find that I could enjoy authentic tempura from a long-established restaurant at this price! I ended up staying for a long time, having a lively conversation with the famous proprietress. I am grateful to everyone at the restaurant for welcoming me so warmly, and this is a famous, homey restaurant that gives me energy.

Ebiten Branch

The one that started the soup curry boom! "Sapporo Rakkyo Kotoni Branch"

Sapporo is known as the birthplace of soup curry. Sapporo Rakkyo Kotoni Branch, a casual cafe-like restaurant just a two-minute walk from JR Kotoni Station, has been serving healthy soup curry without any additives or chemical seasonings since it opened in 1999.

The glass-walled interior creates a very open feeling, and cheerful, energetic staff will welcome you!

"Haskap Lassi" (440 yen including tax) is made with a generous amount of haskap, a specialty of Hokkaido. It's sweet and sour, refreshing and delicious! The granular texture is fun and goes perfectly with curry.

The popular dish is "Shiretoko Chicken Vegetable Soup Curry" (1,780 yen including tax).
You can choose the spiciness of your curry here. 0-1 is slightly spicy, 2-3 is medium spicy, 4-5 is very spicy, and you can choose 5 or more for free. I ordered 2 spiciness.

The ingredients include Shiretoko chicken, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, eggplant, broccoli, and eggs, making it a colorful and satisfying dish.

The soup is made by blending 25 kinds of spices and simmering it for 10 hours with ingredients such as chicken bones, pork bones, beef bones, and tomatoes, making it an exquisite dish. It has a smooth texture and just the right amount of spice to it. This is soup curry!

The whole Shiretoko chicken is so tender that it falls apart the moment you put a knife into it. The skin is firm, the meat is plump and juicy, and the flavor of the soup is infused into it, making it delicious!

The Shiretoko Chicken Curry is popular, but the "Doro Pork Hamburger Soup Curry" (1,680 yen including tax) is also a popular dish. Since it has a lot of sweetness from the cheese, I ordered it with a slightly spicy level 3. Cheers with a "Sapporo Classic Medium Bottle" (560 yen including tax)!

A generous amount of melted Gouda cheese is placed on top of the large pork hamburger steak in the center, and it is surrounded by a generous amount of ingredients such as pumpkin, potato, carrot, maitake mushroom, broccoli, and egg.

The soft and flavorful Dorobuta hamburger steak is packed with umami, and when eaten with curry, it creates an excellent balance of spice and mellowness. It's so delicious you'll want to eat more and more rice!

A must-visit restaurant, Sapporo Rakkyo is the one that started the soup curry boom. Come and try the exquisite soup curry that is painstakingly made!

Sapporo Rakkyo Kotoni store