Local Guide
Five hole-in-the-wall lunch spots recommended by locals in the Asahikawa area

Asahikawa's gourmet food is famous for its ramen stores and shinkoyaki restaurants, but there are also many wonderful cafes and hidden gems that make the most of local ingredients. Here we introduce five hole-in-the-wall lunch spots recommended by Staff/staff members living in Asahikawa. There are a variety of genres, from soba and hamburger stores in downtown Asahikawa to cafes and omusubi stores in the suburbs. All of them are well-loved by the locals.

*Please note that due to the prevention of the spread of the new coronavirus, the hours of operation may change and the cafe may be closed. Please check in advance before visiting.

Taste your choice of Rural Soba or Sarashina Soba and freshly fried Tempura.

Soba noodles with seasonal vegetable tempura (Sarashina soba): 800 yen
Soba noodles with seasonal vegetable tempura (Sarashina soba): 800 yen

A soba noodle restaurant with jazz playing in the background music. It is located in a corner of Asahikawa's office district. The owner of the restaurant serves both rustic and Sarashina Soba noodles, which are made from Hokkaido buckwheat flour every morning, and you can choose whichever noodle you like on any menu. The owner says that there are almost the same number of orders for both Rural and Sarashina Soba every day, so the popularity of the two is split in two. On Saturdays only, Juwari Soba is also available.

We recommend the Seasonal Vegetable Tempura Soba with Tempura, which is served with vegetables from the restaurant's own fields and tempura of wild vegetables that the owner himself picks from the mountains. It is served with soba-tsuyu (buckwheat sauce) made from Rishiri kelp, shiitake mushrooms, and three kinds of dried bonito flakes, as well as salt.

Enjoy soba while listening to jazz music and relaxing with a cup of coffee after your meal!

In one corner of the restaurant, there is a grand piano and large speakers, and spotlights hang from the ceiling.
In one corner of the restaurant, there is a grand piano and large speakers, and spotlights hang from the ceiling.

With the sound of jazz music, diners can enjoy handmade buckwheat noodles made with local ingredients at a reasonable price while feeling a little more elegant in the afternoon. Another popular point is that free coffee is served after the meal to those who dine at the restaurant. People from nearby companies and club members visit the restaurant every day.

About 30 to 40 times a year, the restaurant is transformed into a live music club. Jazz live music events are held, and you can listen to live jazz music while eating soba noodles. Please check the official Facebook page for live concert schedule and other detailed information.

Local Guide Comment
The restaurant is run by a master who loves jazz and soba noodles, with jazz music from the 1980s playing in the background and excellent sound equipment. It is a special soba restaurant where you can choose either rustic soba noodles with a distinctive slight sweetness or Sarashina soba noodles with the full flavor of soba.
Jazu Soba Houya
  • Address 7-right 1, 6jo-dori, Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan Excel A1 Bldg. 1F MAP
  • Direction 15 min. walk from JR Asahikawa Station
  • Business hours 11:30～14:30
  • Closed Sunday
  • TEL 0166-85-6911
  • Parking lot No parking (use nearby toll parking)

Delicious handmade gourmet burgers made with Hokkaido ingredients!

Lamb burger (regular size): 1,749 yen
Lamb burger (regular size): 1,749 yen

This is a restaurant where you can enjoy a Hawaiian atmosphere and taste hamburgers and other dishes made with Hokkaido ingredients to the fullest. The burgers are made with handmade buns made of Hokkaido buttermilk mixed with Yumechikara, a Hokkaido super-strength flour, for a firmer texture. Staff/staff members hand-knead 100% Hokkaido beef and lamb patties, which are juicy and full of meat juices.

For those who want something uniquely Hokkaido, the "Lamb Lamb Burger" is recommended. In addition to the lamb, the burger is sandwiched with a creative teriyaki sauce, including grilled goya garlic, grilled onions, fried onions, and other ingredients.

A famous restaurant where local gourmet connoisseurs gather, and take-out is also available.

The interior of the restaurant is reminiscent of the open-air atmosphere of Hawaii. Sofa seats by the window are popular.
The interior of the restaurant is reminiscent of the open-air atmosphere of Hawaii. Sofa seats by the window are popular.

The restaurant is located on the second floor of a building with a Hawaiian flavor throughout. In addition to burgers, you can enjoy sandwiches and Hawaiian pancakes. Burgers, sandwiches, and some side dishes can be ordered by phone for take-out.

All burgers come with either fries or salad, so you can choose according to your preference. With a few exceptions, the regular size can be changed to a large size with two patties or a small size with a smaller bun and meat.

Local Guide Comment
The restaurant is so popular that it is constantly visited by local couples and groups of friends during the daytime. Especially on weekends and holidays, the restaurant is quite busy during lunch time and is well known among local gourmet lovers.
Bellous Field Beach
  • Address ABC Village 2F, 12-2559-12 Midorimachi, Asahikawa, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction 10 minutes drive from JR Asahikawa Station.
  • Business hours 11:00 - 20:00 (L.O. 19:00) *The restaurant may close on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays when all ingredients are gone.
  • Closed Tuesdays *Closed irregularly.
  • TEL 0166-73-7525
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Memo Reservations are accepted except lunch time.

Pizza and omelet-style spaghetti are recommended.

Omelet-style spaghetti
Omelet-style spaghetti" 1,000 yen

This famous hole-in-the-wall restaurant is located in the woods across from the Toma Ski Resort, about a 30-minute drive from downtown Asahikawa. The restaurant is so popular that customers sometimes line up as soon as it opens, and they can enjoy pizza, spaghetti, risotto, and other dishes.

The signature menu item is mixed pizza, but here we introduce the "omelette-style spaghetti. It is a meat sauce with egg, and the half-boiled egg and meat sauce intertwine to create a new taste sensation.

Ingredients are mainly wheat, dairy products, and vegetables produced in Hokkaido. Pizza dough, fresh pasta, sauces, dressings, ice cream, etc. are made and served from scratch.

The owner was attracted by the view of the Taisetsu Mountains and spent four years cultivating the forest to build this restaurant.

Some of the chairs and tables in the restaurant, as well as the fireplace wood, are made from wood logged in the area.
Some of the chairs and tables in the restaurant, as well as the fireplace wood, are made from wood logged in the area.

The restaurant opened in 2001. The owner, who moved from Nagano Prefecture, was attracted by the distant view of the Daisetsu Mountains, and spent four years clearing and cultivating the forest on the hilltop to build the restaurant. On a clear day, you can enjoy the magnificent view of the mountains from inside the restaurant, and during the warm season, you can enjoy the refreshing view on the terrace along with the fragrance of the trees.

The store's signage and information displays are modest so as not to destroy the atmosphere of the store surrounded by nature. If you are not careful, you may miss them and pass by. This is a restaurant where you want to spend your time leisurely enjoying the time, space, and view as well as the food.

Local Guide Comment
The omelette-style spaghetti is served with a half-boiled egg and rich meat sauce that spreads out when the omelette is cracked open, and the flavor is further enhanced by the sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. On a clear day, you can enjoy the view of the Daisetsuzan Mountains from the terrace while savoring the specialties!
Pizza House Kokopelli
  • Address 6 Chuo, Toma-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction 5 minutes drive from JR Toma Station
  • Business hours 11:00 - 14:30, 17:00 - 20:30
  • Closed Monday and Tuesday *Open if Monday or Tuesday is a national holiday
  • TEL 0166-84-5938
  • Parking Free of charge

Pasta using seasonal ingredients at a café at the foot of the mountains you want to go all the way to!

Today's Pasta of the Day - Clams and Spring Vegetables in White Wine Sauce (with bread, salad, and soup): 1,760 yen
Today's Pasta of the Day - Clams and Spring Vegetables in White Wine Sauce (with bread, salad, and soup): 1,760 yen

This café and bakery is located at the foot of the Daisetsuzan Mountains in Higashikawa, next to Asahikawa City. You can enjoy pasta, pizza, and other dishes made with organic vegetables from their own farm and the surrounding area.

Recommended is the "Pasta of the Day" using homemade organic wheat noodles. You can choose from oil-based, wine-based, vegetable pesto, and other pasta dishes. The chef will offer you his/her own choice according to the seasonal vegetables and seafood. A hearty set includes a hearty soup such as "chorba" made with fermented cabbage and beans, homemade bread, and salad.

After-dinner souvenir shopping is so much fun that you can't help but get carried away by the sight!

The sales corner at the entrance of the cafe. The variety of items, including seasonings made from organic ingredients, is a sight to behold.
The sales corner at the entrance of the cafe. The variety of items, including seasonings made from organic ingredients, is a sight to behold.

Directly operated by furniture manufacturer Kita no Sumai Sekkeisha, the store is attached to a showroom and interior design store. It is located in a corner of a Property that was renovated from an abandoned school building and a former teacher's residence.

At the entrance of the café, there is a corner selling bread baked with Hokkaido wheat, pound cakes, herb tea, etc., perfect for take-out or souvenirs. The interior store with a natural taste offers a selection of items from Japan and abroad, including kitchen tools and fabric products. After dinner, you may find a hint for your daily life.

Local Guide Comment
Although the restaurant is located in a mountainous area a bit far from the city, people visit all year round to use the café and buy bread. Those who like natural food and interior design may be especially attracted to this shop.
Kita no Sumai Sekkeisha Cafe & Bakery
  • Address Higashikawa-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido, East No.7, North No.7 line MAP
  • Direction Approximately 40 minutes by car from JR Asahikawa Station
  • Business hours Cafe 11:00-17:00 (L.O.: meals 14:30, desserts and drinks 16:30), food hall and bakery 10:00-18:00
  • Closed Wednesdays (subject to change if Wednesday is a national holiday), Bakery: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
  • TEL 0166-82-4556
  • Parking Free of charge

A store specializing in omusubi (rice balls) nurtured by melted snow from the Daisetsuzan Mountains

From top left:
From top left: "Deep-fried half-boiled egg omusubi" 280 yen, "Negi miso oil yaki" 200 yen, "Sockeye salmon" 230 yen, "Koji chicken" 200 yen

This brown rice omusubi store serves "Yumepirika" rice grown in Higashikawa, which is cooked in the same underground water and made one by one. The rice is cooked with the same subsoil water, and the rice is then individually made into omusubi. The omusubi are made with seasonal vegetables grown in the town, eggs from heirloom chickens, and other ingredients mainly from Hokkaido. There are about 15 kinds of rice balls on weekdays and 18 kinds on Saturdays and Sundays, including "sockeye salmon" and "grilled leeks with miso oil".

The "Deep-fried half-boiled egg omusubi" and "Koji chicken," which are sold only on weekends, are especially popular. Some fans come here for these two items. The store is always full of customers and is often sold out by late afternoon.

The omusubi are so captivating that you will bring a cool bag and buy them in bulk!

There is no eating space inside the restaurant, only takeout. Except for the fried half-boiled egg omusubi, reservations can be made.
There is no eating space inside the restaurant, only takeout. Except for the fried half-boiled egg omusubi, reservations can be made.

Higashikawa Town, where "Genmai Omusubi Chamise" is located, is a town without running water. Every household and store in the town draws water from the ground, which has been permeated by the melting snow from the Daisetsu Mountains over a long period of time.

The owner relocated from Asahikawa City in 2014 (Heisei 26) out of his desire to "cook rice produced in Higashikawa Town grown in pure water with delicious local water and serve omusubi. Since the rice can be frozen and stored, people not only from the neighborhood but also from far away bring their own refrigerated bags to buy in bulk. Please check the official Instagram for information on business and sell-outs.

Local Guide Comment
This hidden gem is popular among mountain climbers and skiers. Our recommendation is simply the sockeye salmon onigiri, a perfect balance of sweet Higashikawa brown rice and moderately salty salmon. Please stop by for a visit.
Brown Rice Omusubi Chamise
  • Address 2 Nishi-2-Kita, Higashikawa-cho, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction Approx. 30 min. from JR Asahikawa Station by car.
  • Business hours 7:30-14:00 *On Tuesdays, sales are by reservation only until the previous business day.
  • Closed Mondays (open if each day is a national holiday, closed the following day)
  • TEL 0166-82-3887
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Memo Opening hours and closing days may change during the winter (please check the official Instagram).
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.