13 Must-Try Foods in Hokkaido for First-Time Visitors
It’s no secret that the food in Japan is a massive draw, tasty, a huge choice and it’s affordable. Make it to Hokkaido, and the local specialities are so different to mainland Japan, and the food scene is incredible.
Hokkaido is perhaps most well known for their delicious dairy products, but they’re also home to some famous Hokkaido dishes such as their spicy soup curry, Jingisukan and their world class seafood.
We’ve recently moved from the UK to Hokkaido so here are 13 of the must try Hokkaido foods, as told by a local! Including some of our best recommendations to eat around the Sapporo area. Save this one for your next trip to Hokkaido!
13 Must-Try Foods in Hokkaido for First-Time Visitors
1.Soup Curry
Hokkaido soup curry is a regional Japanese dish that comes from Sapporo. Unlike the thick, stew-like Japanese curry you might be used to, this version is lighter, more like a spiced broth, and spicy it is!
Prepare to get your socks blown off when you eat this, and most restaurants offer the spice on a sliding scale of 1-10, if it’s your first time trying it, stick with a more conservative number if you’re not a huge fan of spice, we tried level 4 and 7 and well, our eyes and nose were streaming eating it, but it’s easily the tastiest Hokkaido dish there is!
It’s surprisingly an incredibly light dish, packed full of vegetables and your choice of meat. They also offer a vegetarian option in most restaurants, with that still same great taste.
Our recommendation: Okushiba Makomanai – a cosy, tucked away soup curry restaurant, affordable prices, great selection and a vegetarian option too. Check it out below – 10/10!
2. Seafood
Seafood is a highlight of Hokkaido, thanks to the cold surrounding seas that produce incredibly fresh and flavourful fish. From sweet crab and scallops to uni (sea urchin) and salmon, the quality is some of the best in Japan.
A great place to experience it is Nijo Fish Market, where you can enjoy ultra-fresh seafood bowls and see the region’s catch up close, making it a must-visit for food lovers.
There is also Sapporo Central Wholesale Market, which is larger and more of a working market, but you can visit the nearby “Curb Market” area for many restaurants to try.
But, it’s not just a Sapporo thing, you will find many amazing seafood stalls and restaurants all over Hokkaido.
3. Jingisukan (Genghis Khan)
Jingisukan is one of Hokkaido’s most iconic savoury dishes, made with grilled lamb or mutton cooked on a distinctive dome-shaped grill. The meat is often paired with vegetables like cabbage, onions, and bean sprouts, soaking up the rich juices as it cooks.
Known for its hearty flavour and social, cook-it-yourself style, Jingisukan is a must-try local speciality with roots in the region’s sheep farming history.
Our recommendation: If you visit the Sapporo Beer Museum, we recommend heading over for some Jingisukan afterwards at Sapporo Beer Garden.
4. Sapporo Ramen
If you like ramen, you won’t be disappointed in Hokkaido, whether you stick to the famous ramen alley in Sapporo city or find a quiet, tucked away restaurant in the suburbs, you’ll find this regional ramen style on the menu.
Sapporo ramen is known for its rich miso-based broth that’s perfect for Hokkaido’s colder climate. A classic bowl is topped with sweetcorn and a generous pat of butter, which melts into the soup to create a creamy, slightly sweet depth of flavour. Hearty and warming, it’s a comforting dish that perfectly reflects the region’s love for bold, satisfying food.
Our recommendation: Aji No Tokeidai – this restaurant was originally recommended to us from our Airbnb host after just arriving in Sapporo to start our new life. It was snowing heavily and we headed here for our first Sapporo ramen, it was topped with an abundance of sweetcorn and the largest chunk of butter, which was a new experience for us, but it really was delicious! They also have a robot waiter who delivers your food to you so be prepared to snap some videos for the gram!
5. Zangi
Zangi is a beloved local specialty from Hokkaido, often compared to Japanese fried chicken but with its own distinct twist. Unlike typical karaage, zangi is marinated more deeply, usually in soy sauce, garlic, and ginger, before being coated and fried, giving it a richer, bolder flavour.
Crispy on the outside and juicy inside, it’s commonly enjoyed as a snack, side dish, or with a cold drink across the region. If you’re fancying a little snack on the go, it’s got to be this!
Our recommendation: Koganeyu Onsen zangi with ginger is the ultimate treat after relaxing in their natural onsen. It’s fresh, tasty and a large enough portion to share. We also recommend getting the kakigori for dessert to cool off!
Desserts & Street Food
6. Hokkaido Milk Soft Serve
We wouldn’t be doing this round up justice without enough dessert, dairy options, because after all, Hokkaido really is famous in Japan for their delicious dairy products.
Hokkaido milk soft serve is the top dairy treat that is enjoyed no matter the season, or how cold it is. It’s a refreshing staple that works just as well here in the height of winter, to that in the summer.
Whilst the classic milk soft serve flavour is the most popular, you can grab all sorts of flavours as the season changes including sakura and lavender flavours to celebrate the ever changing seasons, and arrival of beautiful flowers in the region.
When we say you will find soft serve everywhere in Hokkaido, you really will. You’re spoilt for choice and we’ve never had a bad soft serve experience, but here are a couple of our favourites…
Our recommendations: for basic vanilla soft serve with no bells and whistles, it’s got to be Kinotoya’s Premium Milk Soft Serve who have dominated the New Chitose Airport Soft Serve General Election, taking first place for six straight years through 2025. Made with rich Hokkaido milk, it’s known for its ultra-creamy texture and impressively tall swirl, widely regarded as one of the best soft serves in the region, available at the airport and across Sapporo. We also grab it from Kinotoya in the underground shopping centre in Sapporo city. We also recommend Gelateria Sakura who offer a huge range of flavours, and an ice cream topped with a Basque cheesecake for the ultimate sweet treat!
7. Shiroi Koibito
Shiroi Koibito is the biscuit of Hokkaido and if you’re in the Sapporo area, you must visit the Shiroi Koibito factory where you can see them being made up close and personal, sample the biscuits and try some delicious sweet treats in their cafe and restaurant.
A koibito biscuit is essentially two buttery biscuits sandwiched with white chocolate, but you can get a milk chocolate version at the factory too! You might also see them under the name of langue de chat, and you can get versions of them from konbinis too.
We had the most amazing shiroi koibitio ice chocolate drink with crumbled biscuits on top (shown below), it’s the one drink we can’t stop thinking about! In department stores such as Daimaru, they also have a concession in there where you can do a little pic n mix of the flavours, and they make amazing presents to take home with you.
8. Cheesecake / Cheese Tart
Hokkaido cheesecake and Hokkaido cheese tart are two of the region’s most famous sweet treats, known for their rich dairy flavour thanks to Hokkaido’s high-quality milk and cream.
Hokkaido cheesecake is light, airy, and soufflé-like, with a delicate sweetness that melts in the mouth, while cheese tarts feature a crisp pastry shell filled with smooth, slightly tangy cream cheese filling. Both have become iconic souvenirs and are loved for balancing richness with a subtle, refined taste.
Recommendation: The cheese tarts from Sapporo Agricultural College concession in Daimaru are incredible, but try and get there early as they sell out quickly! The below cheesecake was a great discovery in a little cafe called Rokkatei near Makomanai park. It felt like a quintessential English cafe, with pots of tea and delicious cakes.
9. Shime Parfait
Perhaps, what you might not know about Sapporo, is how big the late night culture is here – but for parfait!
Shime parfait is a uniquely Hokkaido trend, especially popular in cities like Sapporo. “Shime” means “to finish,” and the idea is to end a night out, often after drinks—not with ramen, but with an elaborate parfait.
These aren’t simple desserts; they’re beautifully layered with ice cream, fruit, jelly, cake, and cream, often presented almost like art. It’s a lighter, sweeter alternative to late-night comfort food and has become a signature part of Hokkaido’s food culture.
There’s a lot of food we love in Hokkaido, but this might be one of our favourites to enjoy, again, no matter the season, or how cold it is!
Recommendation: Cafe Nagayama Rest, a retro cafe set in the former residence of Nagayama Takeshiro and former dormitory for Mitsubishi Mining Company, there’s also a little museum in the building which is free to explore. On this visit below, we went for the Nagayama Parfait (ice cream, cream, mochi balls, cookie and coffee jelly) and the strawberry parfait (layered with ice cream, cream, strawberries, cakes and mocha). They are a masterpiece in themself and just a gorgeous way to while away an afternoon in the city. They also cater to solo diners so you can park yourself up with a good book, watch the world go by, and enjoy some delicious parfait.
10. Imomochi
A delicious street food style Hokkaido delicacy is Imomochi, these are chewy potato cakes with a sweet soy glaze. If you love potato related items, you’ll love this!
We tried these from a food stall during the Sapporo snow festival. So soft on the inside with a mochi, chewy style exterior with a sweet glaze. A real winter warmer to try if you visit here during the winter.
11. Corn On The Cob
Hokkaido corn is famous for a simple reason, the growing conditions in Hokkaido are ideal for producing exceptionally sweet, juicy corn. The region’s warm summer days and cool nights help the corn develop higher natural sugar levels, giving it that crisp, almost dessert-like flavour.
Because the quality is so high, it’s often served very simply, boiled, grilled, or even eaten raw, so you really taste the sweetness. You’ll often find it sold on the cob at markets and street stalls, sometimes brushed with butter or soy sauce, making it a classic Hokkaido snack.
Recommendation: The corn wagon at Odori park which runs from April until early November, I feel like it’s a rite of passage if you visit Sapporo to grab some corn from here. Take in the beautiful surroundings of Odori park with some buttery corn, it’s so tasty!
12. Potato With Butter
Just like corn, potatoes are plentiful in Hokkaido. Butter potato is one of the simplest yet most comforting foods you’ll find in Hokkaido. Thanks to the region’s rich soil and cool climate, Hokkaido potatoes are naturally fluffy and full of flavour.
Served hot and split open with a generous knob of local butter melting into the centre, it’s a humble dish that perfectly showcases the quality of Hokkaido’s produce.
You can find these from street food sellers mainly, and you can also grab one from a cart in Odori park during the spring, summer and autumn season.
13. Milk Sweets
If you’re looking for something to take home, or a konbini snack that you can’t get anywhere else, I highly recommend visiting Seico Mart. Founded in Sapporo in 1971, it’s deeply rooted in the region, offering locally made products, fresh dairy, and hot meals through its in-store “Hot Chef” kitchens.
They do a range of hard candied sweets including the milk sweets below and coffee with milk candies, they literally taste just like how you would expect and make excellent souvenirs to bring home.
You can also get milk mochi sweets from some 7/11 stores in Sapporo which are worth checking out.
Hokkaido really is home to some world class food, come hungry and you’ll leave Hokkaido feeling satisfied, but hungry to come back for more! We hope you enjoy our foodie recommendations which we regularly update, as locals here in Sapporo!
