Six recommended lunch spots in Shiraoi-cho. From brand beef to Ainu cuisine
Shiraoi Town is blessed with a rich variety of foods, with the nature of the sea, mountains, rivers, and lakes close by. Since there have been Ainu settlements in the area since ancient times, traditional Ainu food has also been passed down as part of the home cooking. There are many lunch spots in Shiraoi-cho that you should definitely stop by. Here we will introduce some of the unique restaurants, ranging from luxurious gourmet restaurants where you can enjoy brand-name beef to locally loved hole-in-the-wall lunches and traditional Ainu cuisine.
Top photo courtesy of the Ainu People's Culture Foundation
1Farm Restaurant Uemura Beyond
Enjoy the best of branded Wagyu beef at a restaurant directly managed by the farm
Restaurant under the direct management of "Wagyu Kingdom Uemura Farm", which is engaged in the entire process from mating to fattening of "Shiraoi Beef", known as a branded Wagyu beef. You can enjoy steaks and hamburgers of Shiraoi beef "Uemura Wagyu" produced at Uemura Ranch. Uemura Wagyu, which is raised on a spacious ranch, has an excellent balance of lean meat with concentrated depth and flavor, and fat with a mild sweetness. The sirloin steak, which is closest to the buttocks of the loin and has a fine, tender texture, is a dish that allows you to directly taste the appeal of Uemura Wagyu.
A luxurious time to enjoy soothing scenery and delicious food
The dishes are served as an appetizer, soup, and main course, but the green forest spreading out beyond the large windows soothes the soul, allowing diners to relax and enjoy their meal without feeling self-conscious. The restaurant is decorated in the image of Harry Potter, a favorite movie of the owner, and a sense of fun can be seen in the relaxed atmosphere. Quizzes and picture books related to Harry Potter are available for borrowing, keeping diners entertained while they wait for their food. The restaurant is crowded during lunch time, so it is recommended to make a reservation before going.
- Farm Restaurant "Uemura Beyond
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289-8 Aza-Shadai, Shiraoi-cho, Shiraoi-gun, Hokkaido MAP
4 minutes drive from JR Shiraoi Station
11:00-20:00 (L.O.19:30)
Year-end and New Year's holidays
0144-84-3386
Free of charge
2Cafe Riㇺce
Taste traditional Ainu food in a casual atmosphere.
The café is run by a social welfare corporation in Shiraoi Town and is located in the "Welcome Plaza" of Upopoi (Ethnic Symbiosis Symbolic Space). The menu lineup includes "Ohau," a soup dish of salmon and vegetables stewed and seasoned with salt, "Yuㇰ Katsu Curry" made with Ezo sika deer meat, "Salmon and salmon roe oyakodon," and other dishes using ingredients closely related to Ainu culture. You can't miss the unique sweets and drinks, such as "penaimo," dumplings made from frozen potatoes, "piyapa amazake," made from Japanese millet and rice malt, and "kamuitonoto," a traditional sake brewed by a Hokkaido sake brewery.
A warm space where the connection between the local people resides.
Riㇺse" is an Ainu word meaning "dance. The patchwork embroidered with Ainu patterns displayed in the store was created by the Shiraoi Town "Giant Patchwork Association for Connecting Everyone's Hearts". The patchwork is made by the Shiraoi Town's "Giant Patchwork Group for Connecting Hearts and Minds. At Café Liㇺce, local products and handmade sundries are also available for purchase. It is also a good place to stop by for a bite to eat before visiting Upopoi or to look for souvenirs after touring the large park.
- Cafe Liㇺce
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- 2-2-1 Wakakusa-cho, Shiraoi-cho, Shiraoi-gun, Hokkaido "Upopoi" Welcome Plaza MAP
- 10 minutes walk from JR Shiraoi Station
- 9:00 - "Upopoi" closing time
- Mondays (closed the next day if Monday is a national holiday), Year-end and New Year holidays
- 0144-85-2177
- Charged
3Fireside Dining Cafe Haruranna
Creative dining with the essence of Ainu culture
Located in the entrance area of Upopoi (a symbolic space for ethnic coexistence), this restaurant is inspired by the food culture of the Ainu people. Under the supervision of a chef from a French restaurant that has received a Michelin HOSHINOYA, the restaurant offers creative dishes that incorporate the traditional cooking method of smoking over an open fire with nuts and wild plants that are familiar to the Ainu people. Yūㇰ (Ezo deer), along with kamuicheㇷ (salmon), is the staple food of the Ainu people, and is low in fat and rich in minerals. The fire-roasted Yūㇰ (Ezo Deer) is tender and moist without a hint of odor, and the powerful flavor of the lean meat and the aroma of the smoked meat are impressive. It is served as a course with soup and bread.
A time to share the pleasure of food surrounded by the warmth of wood
Inside the restaurant, firewood used in the sunken hearth is piled up, and the interior is richly decorated with wood, and the carved wood reliefs decorating the walls give a sense of warmth. The restaurant's glass walls offer a view of the peaceful scenery of Lake Poroto, and on fine days, the terrace seats diners with a sense of openness and freedom. In addition to lunch courses, the restaurant also serves light meals, sweets, and alcoholic beverages, making it ideal for a variety of occasions. The restaurant's name, "Haruranna," refers to the event that kamui (gods) and humans enjoy together. It is an appropriate name for a time to share the enjoyment of food.
- Bonfire Dining Cafe Haruranna
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- 2-2-5 Wakakusa-cho, Shiraoi-cho, Shiraoi-gun, Hokkaido "Upopoi" entrance building MAP
- 10 minutes walk from JR Shiraoi Station
- 11:00-15:00 (for the time being)
- Mondays (closed the following weekday if Monday is a national holiday), year-end and New Year holidays
- 0144-84-6545
- Charged
4Community Restaurant Granma
At-home cuisine prepared by a grandmother
This is a homey eatery where energetic grandmothers show off their skills. They serve home-style dishes using locally grown wild vegetables and seasonal ingredients. The "Grandma Set" is a set meal that changes daily and is prepared by the veteran Staff/staff member " Tsuma-chan. The main dish, as well as each small bowl of food, is prepared with great care, and the flavorful taste is sure to satisfy both your stomach and mind.
Other menu items include the stylish "Chicken and Vegetable Yakuzen Masala Curry" and the "Special Hockey Dog" with a fried hockey fish in between. The restaurant also sells souvenirs, such as Granma's special oyaki, wild herb tea, and handmade sundries.
An open space where people of all ages and backgrounds gather.
The average age of the kitchen Staff/staff members is in their early 80s. Although they sometimes forget things or make mistakes, the charm of Granma is its cheerful atmosphere that allows them to laugh it off. Perhaps attracted by the relaxed atmosphere, men and women of all ages, from fifth-graders to those in their 80s, enjoy working and spending time together.
The second floor of the store is used as a shared office, and some travelers stay at a guesthouse in town for long periods of time while working remotely and nourishing themselves at Granma. The space is filled with warmth, where people of all ages and backgrounds can freely interact and laugh together, making you want to say "I'm home" without thinking.
- Community Restaurant Granma
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- 3-1-2 Omachi, Shiraoi-cho, Shiraori-gun, Hokkaido MAP
- 5 min. walk from JR Shiraoi Station
- 11:00-15:00 (11:00-15:00 and 17:00-21:00 on Mondays only)
- Wed. and Sun.
- 0144-85-2870
- Free (10 cars across from the store)
5Farm Restaurant Uemura Beyond
Casual dining of Shiraoi Beef
This restaurant is attached to a ranch where you can casually enjoy "Uemura Wagyu" produced at "Wagyu Kingdom Uemura Ranch," which is engaged in everything from mating to fattening of "Shiraoi Beef," a brand-name Wagyu beef. The restaurant mainly serves take-out hamburgers, but also offers hamburger sets and curry at the eat-in counter. The "Shiraoi Beef King's Raclette Cheeseburger" is the most popular burger, with a patty that focuses on simply enjoying the meat, topped with a thick layer of raclette cheese. The powerful meatiness of the coarsely ground patties, rich homemade demi-glace sauce, and creamy cheese come together to create a mouthwatering taste experience.
Cheerful cows teach us the meaning of life.
Wagyu Kingdom Uemura Farm is located in the Ishiyama district of Shiraoi Town, far from the city center in the mountains. The cows graze and roam freely in the pasture near the Restaurant. This environment, where you can feel the close proximity of cows being raised with care and attention, makes you realize how much we appreciate the precious life we are given. The free deck space next to the Restaurant has benches and hammocks, and you can enjoy the satisfaction of eating a hamburger while looking out at the magnificent natural surroundings.
- Farm Restaurant Uemura Base
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- 109-20 Ishiyama, Shiraoi-cho, Shiraori-gun, Hokkaido MAP
- 11 minutes drive from JR Shiraoi Station
- 11:00-17:00 (eat-in until 15:00)
- Open daily, but closed irregularly (inquire for business days)
- 0144-83-4929
- Free of charge
6Kafu Pirasare
A café where you can taste the traditional Ainu food "Ohau
This café, run by the Shiraoi Ainu Association, promotes Ainu culture and serves "Ohau," a traditional Ainu food, during lunch time from 11:00 a.m. The food is made with animal meat, fish, wild vegetables, etc., available in each area and seasoned with salt and fat. Ohau is a soup made with meat, fish and wild vegetables available in each area and seasoned with salt and fat. At Pirasale, we use Shiraoi salmon and add root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots instead of wild vegetables to make it more palatable to the modern palate. The moderate saltiness of the salmon and the rich flavor of the light kelp broth go well with the savory ina millet rice, making the chopsticks go down a treat.
You can feel the handiwork of the Ainu people at first hand.
Inside the restaurant, Ainu ethnic costumes and gozas are displayed, and embroidered accessories and wood carvings made by the Ainu Embroidery Circle in Shiraoi Town are on display and for sale. Some of the Staff/staff members also embroider, so if you ask them when it is not crowded, they will tell you about Ainu patterns. Pirasare" means "spread out" in Ainu language. The word "pirasare" means "let's spread" in Ainu language, and it expresses the desire to spread the tradition of handicrafts rooted in daily life as well as the taste of the mother passed down by the Ainu people.
- Kafu Pirasare
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- 1-1-1 Honcho, Shiraoi-cho, Shiraori-gun, Hokkaido MAP
- 8 min. walk from JR Shiraoi Station
- 10:00-13:30
- Mondays, Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays
- 090-1384-0141
- Free of charge
MAP
- Hoshino Resorts facilities nearby
