3 Must-Try Sapporo Restaurants (2026): Yakiniku, Izakaya & More

Last month, I went on a family trip to Sapporo

with my mom and sibling.

It was the first time in Japan for both of them,

especially for my mom, who prefers flavors not too unfamiliar from Korean cuisine,

without any strong smells, and, of course, delicious.

As the eldest daughter, planning the restaurant itinerary was the most challenging part.

During our full 3-night, 4-day Sapporo trip,

I'll reveal today the

TOP 3 Sapporo restaurants that perfectly suited my mom and younger brother's Korean palates

and which they loved the most!

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Using Biei-sourced Pork

Kametsuru, Biei Station

We ended up visiting Kametsuru after our guide recommended it

during our Biei bus tour!

Address	1 Chome-8-20 Nakamachi, Biei, Kamikawa District, Hokkaido
Operating Hours	Mon, Wed~Sat: 11:30~14:00 / 17:00~21:00 Sun: 11:30~14:00 Closed Tuesdays, Last Order 13:30 / 21:30
Recommended Menu	Katsudon, Butadon, Seafood Donburi
Card Payment	Cash Only
Google Rating / Reviews	4.4 / 287 reviews

In Hokkaido, pork is just as delicious as beef,

and Biei pork is especially famous.

Therefore, if you visit Biei,

I highly recommend trying pork-based dishes

like Katsu or Butadon.

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To visit Kametsuru more easily,

I recommend a Biei bus tour!

[ Read my Sapporo Biei Bus Tour Review ]

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The most popular dishes at Kametsuru are

the pork rice bowl (Butadon) and seafood rice bowl (Kaisendon).

We ordered Butadon, Katsudon, and Gyudon,

and shared them.

Only our table and one other were Korean tourists;

most of the diners were locals,

primarily eating tempura sets and various sashimi.

Individual servings of salad and pickles were provided.

The Katsudon wasn't overly sweet, typical of some Japanese dishes,

and the tonkatsu was thick and crispy, truly delicious.

My younger brother, who mostly ate the Katsudon,

even added an extra bowl of rice while eating this

(free refills available).

The Gyudon and Butadon also featured

thick cuts of meat, not thinly sliced like for bulgogi,

offering a truly satisfying chew.

Plenty of meat, not too salty, and not too sweet

(= meaning it perfectly suited a Korean palate, especially for someone in their 60s),

so my mom really enjoyed it!

Since our family loves meat dishes,

we ordered Gyudon and Butadon together, but

since their sauces were quite similar,

I wished we had ordered a seafood donburi to try instead.

A downside is that when bus tours visit, customers flock in,

and since only one person cooks everything,

dishes can take a long time to come out.

Sapporo is now entering its peak season,

so it's bound to get crowded everywhere.

However, I recommend giving Kametsuru a try during your Biei tour –

it might be a little less famous, but it truly hit the spot

for my Korean mom in her 60s!

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A Robatayaki Izakaya Hidden Underground,

Aka (あか 【 閼伽 】)

Aka is a robatayaki izakaya specializing in dishes grilled over a large open hearth,

located about 100m from Susukino Station, on the first basement floor of the Asano Building.

Address	Asano Building B1F, Minami 3 Jōnishi 4-8-1, Chuo Ward, Sapporo
Opening Hours	Mon-Sat: 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM Sunday: 3:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Recommended Menu	Kamameshi (Pot Rice), Grilled Fish, Karaage (Fried Chicken/Octopus), Draft Beer, Nihonshu (Sake)
Reservations	Book directly on Google Maps (Walk-ins possible on weekdays)
Card Payments	Card payments accepted
Google Rating / Number of Reviews	4.2 / 126 reviews

For a Japanese izakaya, it has quite a spacious feel,

and it's a restaurant where you can make real-time reservations via Google Maps.

They offer a wide range of dishes, including seafood, tempura, and kamameshi (pot rice),

plus a truly diverse selection of sake and wine.

The entrance can be a little tricky to find.

You enter through a door that makes you wonder, "Is this the right way?"

Then you descend a staircase that also makes you question, "Is this correct?" all the way to the basement level.

Finally, you press the intercom in front of yet another door that makes you think, "Is THIS it?"

and they'll open the door for you, haha!

We also walked in on a Wednesday evening,

and luckily, there was space, so we were guided to seats at the bar.

Aka's popular dishes are

the Biei Wagyu Kamameshi (Biei Wagyu Beef Claypot Rice, 美瑛和牛 土鍋ご飯) and

Octopus Karaage (Fried Octopus, タコの唐揚げ).

The problem, as you can see from the menu above, is that

the menu is written in a cursive script that even translation apps struggle to read...

And to make matters worse, since it's in the basement, our SIM card wasn't getting reception, which made things even more difficult, haha!

My family and I don't speak any Japanese,

so ordering was a bit challenging.

Fortunately, there was a staff member who spoke English,

so we asked for their recommendations and ordered based on that.

Not knowing exactly what we had ordered added a fun sense of excitement

to the experience, haha!

Honestly, I highly recommend Aka to those who can speak some Japanese.

If you don't speak any Japanese at all, it might be a good idea to

think about what you want to eat beforehand.

That wouldn't be a bad plan!

Here are a few menu items my mom and younger brother loved at Aka that I'd like to recommend:

Steamed eggplant topped with katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

The Ayu (sweetfish, あゆ) grilled Robatayaki-style was absolutely delicious.

This method, called Noborikushi (登り串), involves skewering the fish in a zigzag pattern,

mimicking a fish swimming upstream against the current.

It's typically used for salt-grilled Ayu.

I've never seen this in Korea before,

so experiencing this unique cooking style for the first time at Aka was really interesting.

This is a fish called Komai (氷下魚),

a small cod-like fish native to Hokkaido.

Apparently, in Hokkaido, it's usually half-dried and eaten with mayonnaise,

and it was great to try that exact combination.

You can order this dish by looking for 生干こまい (Namaboshi Komai).

The chicken karaage was also

crispy and savory – truly delicious!

From draft beer to wine and nihonshu (sake),

the drink menu was also incredibly good,

so for my sibling who loves a good drink, Aka was pure heaven, haha!

I recall sake prices starting from around 600 yen!

However, because each menu item

isn't too expensive and everything is so delicious,

if you keep ordering one by one,

the bill can quickly add up!

So, I recommend being a bit mindful of what you order.

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Perfectly Suited for the Korean Palate:

Yakiniku Tsubame Main Branch

This private room yakiniku restaurant is located

on the 3rd floor of Katsuya Building,

just a 1-minute walk from Susukino Station Exit 1.

Address	Katsuya Building 3F, Minami 3-jo Nishi 3, Chuo-ku, Sapporo
Opening Hours	16:00~23:00 (Last order 22:30) Closed every Wednesday and the third Tuesday of the month
Recommended Menu	Tsubame Assortment
Reservations	Hot Pepper Online Reservation (Japanese only) KakaoTalk ID: yakinikutsubame
Card Payment	Card payment available
Google Rating / Number of Reviews	4.6 / 777 reviews

Among the Sapporo restaurants I recommended today,

this was the only one completely packed with Koreans.

Korean menus, spacious seating,

and even KakaoTalk reservations...

It's a restaurant specifically catered to Koreans,

so it's no wonder there were so many Koreans.

Honestly, whenever I travel abroad,

I tend to think that a restaurant full of Koreans = a place Mom would absolutely love.

So, hearing the voices of Korean adults all around me

gave me a huge sense of relief, haha!

We started with the Tsubame Assortment,

then ordered a few more servings of the cuts we especially enjoyed.

For your first order, definitely try the assortment,

Then, I recommend adding Wagyu short rib, Wagyu sirloin flap,

and seasoned short rib.

While people usually order a lot of beef

at Yakiniku Tsubame, I personally found the pork jowl delicious too!

Many people also ordered the 1-hour all-you-can-drink beer, 'nomihodai',

but we completely forgot and ended up ordering way too many individual glasses, haha! T_T

If you love beer, you absolutely have to get the nomihodai! T_T

I also highly recommend getting the cabbage salad

to cut through any richness.

It's just cabbage with shiodare dressing, but since there aren't many side dishes,

my mom definitely found it a bit rich. T_T

The green onion egg rice that many people order was just so-so.

Even my mom, who had been eating less since arriving in Japan,

really loved the meat here because it was all so flavorful

and tender.

I personally made a reservation via Hot Pepper in Japanese,

but the biggest advantage of Tsubame Main Branch

is that KakaoTalk reservations are also available!

This restaurant is thoroughly vetted for Korean palates and incredibly popular,

so I recommend making a KakaoTalk reservation

as soon as your travel plans are set!

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As this was my first trip to Japan with my mom,

I really agonized over which restaurants she would like,

what she would eat well, and what she would find delicious.

Not every restaurant was a complete success,

but my mom was amazing for bravely trying

new and unfamiliar flavors.

And seeing her discover Japanese dishes she loves through Sapporo

has become a wonderful memory for me!

These are three Sapporo restaurants that my mom,

who has a quintessential Korean palate, absolutely loved.

I'm confident they'll suit others' tastes too,

and I hope this guide helps everyone!

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