Otaru, Hokkaido
Local Guide
5 recommended dinner spots in Otaru that offer more than just sushi

Otaru is famous for its sushi and seafood bowls, but that's not all there is to Otaru's cuisine. The rich bounty of the mountains and sea, creative cuisine with a twist, Western food culture unique to the old port town, and wines produced in the suburbs of Otaru are just a few of the delicacies that will attract food lovers from Japan and abroad. Many of the restaurants have reused historical buildings and offer a nostalgic atmosphere. Here is a selection of recommended restaurants that will make your dinner time an important memory of your trip.

Otaru's rich culinary culture and originality shine through on the menu.

"Port Town Seafood Pasta with Fresh Sea Urchin, Snow Crab, and Salmon Roe" made with fresh sea urchin from Hokkaido

Standing near the Otaru Canal, this Restaurant is housed in a 115-plus year old historical building. The manager, who says, "After working outside of Hokkaido, I realized the richness of the food in Otaru, where I was born and raised," offers creative Italian cuisine using ingredients from Otaru and Hokkaido.
The "Minatomachi Kaisen Pasta" is a menu item that expresses the retro port town of Otaru with its nostalgic butter soy sauce flavor and abundant use of seafood from Hokkaido. Other original ideas, such as grapefruit-marinated "iizushi," a local Hokkaido dish made by fermenting fish with malted rice, have breathed new life into Otaru's culinary culture.

Enjoy the slow flow of time in a space that retains the footprints of our predecessors.

The rare brick walls and scratched and dented flooring remind you of the weight of time.
The rare brick walls and scratched and dented flooring remind you of the weight of time.

The restaurant's building is the former Isono Branch Warehouse, a red brick warehouse built in 1906 (Meiji 39), and the name "ISO" is a reference to the building's roots. The second floor restaurant still retains the floors, doors, and tables from the "Uminekoya" days, showing the respect for the history built by our predecessors.
The third floor is the bar floor, where you can enjoy a meal on the second floor and then move to a seat to relax and enjoy a drink or a cup of coffee. The sea breeze cools you in summer, and the wood-burning fireplace soothes you in winter, a luxury that only an adult traveler can enjoy.

Local Guide
Supporters

The manager's ability to take familiar Otaru ingredients and evolve them into unprecedented dishes is sure to impress even local food connoisseurs. There is a wide selection of beverages to go with the food, including beer, wine, and cocktails.

ISO
  • Address 2-2-14 Shikinai, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction Approx. 9 min. walk from JR Otaru Stn.
  • Business Hours Lunch 11:30~15:00 (L.O. 14:00)
    Dinner 17:00~22:00 (L.O. Food 21:00, Drink 21:30)
  • Closed Wednesdays, Year-end and New Year holidays
  • TEL 0134-31-1888
  • Parking Free of charge

Sushi and sake snacks that showcase the meticulous workmanship of our chefs

The “Tanoshimi” set menu brings together sushi and sake accompaniments. Orders can also be placed after arriving at the restaurant.
The “Tanoshimi” set menu brings together sushi and sake accompaniments. Orders can also be placed after arriving at the restaurant.

Located on a hill a short distance from downtown Otaru, this sushi and Japanese cuisine restaurant is run by a father and son. It is a renowned establishment that was selected as a Bib Gourmand in the “Michelin Guide Hokkaido 2017.”The popular nigiri selection is “Jō-nama.” The soy sauce is applied by the diner using a brush just before eating—a style that not only prevents using too much sauce but also allows you to elegantly bring the nigiri to your mouth without having to flip it over.
The “Nishizuka” set menu, featuring a colorful assortment of sushi and sake accompaniments, encapsulates the essence of the restaurant. With every bite—including their signature “simmered skinless herring in sweet soy sauce,” cooked until even the bones are tender—you can savor the very essence of Japanese cuisine.

The joy of food created by parents and children. Excellent pairings with wines from the suburbs

At the counter, you can enjoy a lavish sushi kappo course (reservation required).
At the counter, you can enjoy a lavish sushi kappo course (reservation required).

The master chef, who has many years of experience as a sushi chef, and the young chef, who has won a national championship in a Japanese cuisine competition, preserve the taste of "Nishizuka," which attracts gourmets from both Japan and abroad. The desire to "make the most of local ingredients at the time of the season and bring the joy of eating" has been passed down from father to son.
The young chef is in charge of selecting beverages, and will suggest the perfect drink to accompany your meal. The restaurant also offers a wide selection of wines from the Otaru area, such as Yoichi and Niki. You can enjoy to your heart's content the terroir of Japanese cuisine made with local ingredients and locally brewed wine.

Local Guide
Supporters

The restaurant's elegant space with a white wood base and the dignified spirit of its craftsmen will make you forget your everyday life. As it is located a little far from the center of the city, we recommend taking a cab or renting a car.

Otaru Sushi and Seasonal Cuisine Nishizuka
  • Address 4-9-14 Takashima, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction 10 minutes drive from JR Otaru Station
  • Business Hours Lunch: 11:30 AM–2:00 PM (Last Order: 1:30 PM)
    Dinner: 5:00 PM–8:00 PM
  • Closed Days Tuesdays (irregular closures)
  • TEL 0134-34-2838
  • Parking Free of charge

Enjoy the marriage of Hokkaido's food and wine

The “Bain Fondue” is a deeply satisfying dish to share between two people. You can also request extra cheese.
The “Bain Fondue” is a deeply satisfying dish to share between two people. You can also request extra cheese.

A nostalgic-atmosphere restaurant housed in the “Former Hokkaido Bank Headquarters” building, constructed in 1912 (Meiji 45). Here, you can enjoy Western-style cuisine made with an abundance of Hokkaido ingredients, paired with wines from across the prefecture—with a focus on “Otaru Wine.”
“Vine Fondue” is a dish that serves as both a bowl and a plate—a round French baguette that pairs perfectly with wine and makes for a great photo. You dip warm vegetables and sausages into piping-hot cheese melted with Otaru Wine. You can even eat the entire baguette, soaked in cheese, and by the time your plate is empty, you’ll be completely satisfied.

Relive the glory of the "Wall Street of the North" in a historic setting.

The restaurant's interior, a combination of wood and soft stone, exudes a sense of calm and warmth.
The restaurant's interior, a combination of wood and soft stone, exudes a sense of calm and warmth.

The area around the restaurant was once known as "Wall Street of the North," lined with trading companies and banks from the late Meiji period to the early Showa period. The exterior of the store is almost exactly as it was when it was the former Hokkaido Bank's head office, and some of the flooring and walls from those days still remain. Diagonally across the street is the former Otaru Branch of the Bank of Japan (now open to the public as a financial museum). Many of the regular customers request a seat by the window to enjoy the view of the street and reminisce about the old days.
After enjoying a meal in a space that is steeped in the history of Otaru as a commercial city, we recommend shopping at the wine store attached to the restaurant. The shop offers more than 100 kinds of wines carefully selected from all over Hokkaido.

Local Guide
Supporters

We offer an extensive selection of wines, including Otaru Wine. We also have tasting sets that wine lovers will find irresistible.

Wine & Cafe Restaurant Otaru Vine
  • Address 1-8-6 Shikinai, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction 10 min. walk from JR Otaru Station
  • Business Hours Lunch: 11:30 AM–3:00 PM (last order 2:30 PM); Dinner: 5:00 PM–9:00 PM (last order 8:30 PM)
  • TEL 0134-24-2800
  • ParkingAffiliated parking available (up to 3 hours free with café purchase; up to 2 hours free with shop purchase)

A famous back-alley restaurant where elaborate seasonal delicacies are served.

“Venison Tataki”: Hokkaido-grown Ezo deer loin slow-cooked at a low temperature and finished with a soy sauce-based sauce and mountain wasabi
“Venison Tataki”: Hokkaido-grown Ezo deer loin slow-cooked at a low temperature and finished with a soy sauce-based sauce and mountain wasabi

This izakaya is quietly tucked away in a back alley of the “Otaru Miyako-dori Shopping Street,” an arcade near Otaru Station. Here, you can enjoy visually stunning creative Japanese cuisine made with seasonal ingredients from Otaru, the surrounding area, and throughout Hokkaido, paired with natural wines and sake.
The strength of “Rakuten” lies in the quality of the ingredients sourced by the head chef—a local native—in collaboration with producers. Vegetables intended for high-end Restaurants, delivered from nearby farms, and game meat of exceptional freshness, sourced directly from hunters, are transformed into exquisite dishes by the chef’s highly creative hands.The popular “Tataki” dish is served not only with venison but also with duck, beef, and other ingredients harvested at that time.

Enjoy fine sake in a space with the warmth of a family

Behind the counter is a selection of sake that the owner, who places great importance on food and sake pairings, personally purchases.
Behind the counter is a selection of sake that the owner, who places great importance on food and sake pairings, personally purchases.

The father left his job to start the restaurant, and now the second generation couple runs the restaurant. The daughter who used to play at the restaurant as a child is now a mother and helps out at the restaurant with her children. Although the restaurant is listed in the "Michelin Guide Hokkaido 2017" Bib Gourmand list, it does not feel intimidating because it is an at-home family-run business.
There are tables for groups to relax at, but if you are visiting with one or two people, be sure to sit at the counter. The friendly and talkative owner, proprietress, and local regulars will surely add color to your tipsy moment.

Local Guide
Supporters

The owner is a chef with an inquiring mind about food. During the day, he runs a ramen store called "Ramen Nicochan" in the Shin-Nanzaru Market. Please visit this restaurant as well.

Rakuten

Popular for its authentic Western cuisine carefully prepared from scratch using only the finest ingredients.

The “Muse Combo Plate” features a braised hamburger steak and an omelet rice
The “Muse Combo Plate” features a braised hamburger steak and an omelet rice

This Western-style restaurant was opened in 2009 by the owners, who met in Kyoto and moved to Otaru, the place of their dreams. The No. 1 popular dish, "Stewed Hamburger Steak," is made with beef and pork from Kuromatsunai and grilled to plumpness to lock in the flavor, and its signature demi-glace sauce, which has been continuously added and aged for years, is a dish that can be enjoyed.
The restaurant also offers a variety of other dishes such as omelette rice, pasta, and roast pork cutlet, as well as an extensive plate menu with an assortment of different flavors. The key to the delicious taste is the meticulous and painstaking work that goes into every dish: no food processor is used, and all sauces and dressings are homemade.

Healing space with candlelight and pleasant music

The interior of the restaurant, tastefully decorated with paintings, photographs, and picture plates, resembles a foreign café.
The interior of the restaurant, tastefully decorated with paintings, photographs, and picture plates, resembles a foreign café.

Open the antique English door and you are greeted by a calm space with burgundy walls and soft lighting that casts shadows. The candles that add warmth to the table are made by the wife, who also works as a candle artist. The candles are on display and for sale, and you can even "keep the candles" and have your own candles lit each time you visit.
The owner and his wife also have a deep knowledge of music and hold live performances by musicians from inside and outside of Hokkaido as well as from overseas on an irregular basis. Many fans visit "Muse" for a moment to be healed by candlelight and let their hearts be entertained by music.

Local Guide
Supporters

The demi-glace sauce is a work of confidence that the owner spent eight years perfecting the recipe. The mellow flavor of collagen-rich beef tendon, tomatoes, and aromatic vegetables simmered slowly in red wine is irresistible.

Western Cuisine and Candles Otaru Muse
  • Address 1-11-7 Inaho, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction 7 min. walk from JR Otaru Sta.
  • Business Hours Lunch 11:00-14:30 (L.O. 14:00), Dinner 17:00-21:00 (L.O. 20:00)
    Dinner reservations can be extended until 22:00.
  • Closed Mon.
  • TEL 0134-31-6300
  • Parking Free of charge

MAP

Hoshino Resorts facilities nearby
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The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.