8 carefully selected establishments in Sapporo (Hokkaido) where it is possible to drink premium beers

Fresh Seafood

You can’t come to Hokkaido without having seafood! Sashimi, sushi, grilled fish, or whatever type of fish you like stacked high on a bowl of rice—there’s no end to how many ways you can enjoy it. The catch varies by season, but if you’re in Hokkaido from autumn to winter, we recommend the salmon, salmon roe (ikura), crab, smelt, and others like it. And of course an opulent beer will really bring out the taste of all that fresh seafood.

Jingisukan

Jingisukan, the Japanese version of “Genghis Khan,” is one of the most famous dishes of Hokkaido. Jingisukan is a dish made from lamb or mutton grilled with vegetables and coated in special sauce. It is cooked using a uniquely-shaped pot called a jingisukan-nabe, which has a domed central part. And beer is the perfect way to bring out the unique flavor of the mutton.

Potato Dishes

Hokkaido, with its wide open spaces, is Japan’s top producer of potatoes. Why not try some of the island’s unique brand-name cultivars such as Kita Akari, with its fluffy, golden flesh, or the popular Inca-no-Mezame, with a sweetness akin to Satsumaimo or chestnuts? Foods like French fries or jaga-bata (steamed potato with butter) made with potatoes shipped directly from the field all go brilliantly with beer.