From seafood to local delicacies to the tastes of famous restaurants. The best lunch to eat in Otaru!
Otaru, embraced by the sea and mountains, is a town rich in natural blessings. There are many restaurants where you can enjoy an exquisite lunch using plenty of quality ingredients, such as fresh seafood landed at Maehama, seasonal vegetables grown in the suburbs of Yoichi Town and Niki Town, and brand-name pork. Here we introduce seven unique restaurants, including long-established gems, local delicacies, hearty seafood dishes, and stylish Western cuisine.
1Western-style restaurant Mangiare TAKINAMI
The bounty of Goshi, a treasure trove of food, condensed into a single dish.
This Restaurant is popular for its original Western-style dishes made with seafood from the mountains and the sea from Otaru and its suburbs. One of the most recommended dishes is the Shiribeshi Cotriade, a cream of seafood soup. Shiribeshi Cotriade is a local gourmet dish developed by local chef volunteers, inspired by the French regional dish "cotriade. Each restaurant offers a unique dish using ingredients such as seafood, vegetables, fruits, and dairy products from Hokkaido, all caught in the Shiribeshi region where Otaru is located. At Yoshokuya Mangiare Takinami, the specialties include homemade smoked herring and kazunoko mushrooms, basil-flavored quenelles (surimi), and more. It has a deep flavor that will make you want a glass of wine from noon on.
Enjoy a late afternoon meal in a restaurant that retains the atmosphere of the Meiji Period
Part of a wooden frame stone warehouse from the Meiji period remains inside the restaurant, giving it the weight of history and a rustic flavor. From the window, you can see cherry trees stretching their branches close to the restaurant, and in spring, you can enjoy a relaxing meal while admiring the flowers in full bloom.
If you have time to spare, we recommend the paella (from two servings), which is made from rice with plenty of seafood. It is also fun to wait for the paella to be cooked while enjoying a glass of wine from Otaru's OSA WINERY, a winery that has garnered a lot of attention.
- Western-style restaurant Mangiare TAKINAMI
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2-1-16 Shikinai, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido MAP
10 min. walk from JR Otaru Station
Lunch 11:30-15:00 (L.O.14:00)
Dinner 17:30-21:30 (L.O.20:00)
Closing time may be earlier depending on how crowded the restaurant is.
Wednesday, Thursday
0134-33-3394
Free of charge
2Seafood Restaurant Sawasaki Suisan
Taste all the seafood that protrudes from the bowl!
Kaisendon, a bowl of rice topped with fresh seafood, is one of the must-try gourmet dishes when you come to Otaru. Sawasaki Suisan's "Tokusen Chirashi-don" is a hearty bowl of rice topped with seafood so large that it doesn't fit in the bowl. A variety of ingredients such as thick king crab with concentrated flavor, sweet sea urchin that melts on the tongue, thick and crispy scallops, and plump sweet shrimps are laid out so tightly that it is hard to reach the rice. The sparkling home-made salmon roe and tobiko are also beautifully presented and make for a great photo-op.
Directly managed by a fishery company, we are confident of the taste and freshness of our seafood.
Sawasaki Suisan is a fishery company originally founded in Nemuro, now based in Otaru for processing and selling seafood. The taste and freshness of their seafood go without saying, as they use fresh, not frozen, crabs that are boiled in the morning. In the counter-only restaurant, you can watch the Staff/staff members' skillful work up close, which stirs up your anticipation and appetite. The stall village "Otaru Dekunenkoji," where the restaurant is located, has an excellent location, right next to "Asakusabashi Kaen," a popular photo spot on the Otaru Canal. It is a must-stop store during your visit to Otaru.
- Seafood Restaurant Sawasaki Suisan
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- 1-1 Shikinai, Otaru City, Hokkaido MAP
- 10 min. walk from JR Otaru Sta.
- 11:00 - 20:00
- No holidays
- 0134-23-2112
- No parking (use nearby toll parking)
3Otaru Ankake Dori-Yakitori Torori An (Otaru Ankake Restaurant)
Hot and Thick. Soul food for Otaru residents!
Ankake Yakisoba (fried noodles with starchy sauce) is one of Otaru's local delicacies. In the 1950s, the Chinese restaurant "Umezuki" in Otaru City started serving "Gomoku Ankake Yakisoba" (fried noodles with starchy sauce), which became popular among Otaru citizens and is said to have become a standard menu item at a wide variety of restaurants. Torori An's ankake yakisoba is a hearty dish containing more than 10 kinds of seafood, meat, and vegetables. The rich red bean paste is well mixed with the thin, grilled noodles, making the chopsticks go faster and faster. Half-and-half yakisoba and either fried rice or white rice is also available, making it popular with those who want to try a variety of flavors.
Directly operated by a long-established noodle maker that focuses on local favorites.
Torori An is directly operated by Abe Seimen, a noodle manufacturing company that has been in Otaru City for over 70 years. Although it is located in a residential area far from the center of Otaru City, it is crowded with many local customers every day. The secret behind the popularity of the noodles is that they have been improved to meet the tastes of Otaru residents. The noodles are made with Otaru's delicious water, and the craftsmen fine-tune the noodles daily according to the temperature and humidity. The noodles used for yakisoba are thin, cold-aged noodles with the firmness Otaru residents are said to prefer. The noodles are known for their deliciousness, which can only be achieved by directly operating a noodle manufacturing company, and are popular not only for their ankake yakisoba, but also for their ankake ramen and special ramen.
- Otaru Ankake Restaurant YORORORIAN
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- 5-7-23 Sakura, Otaru City, Hokkaido MAP
- 8 min. drive from JR Otaru Chikko Station
- Lunch 11:00-15:00, Dinner 17:00-20:00 (L.O.19:30)
Saturday, Sunday, Holidays 11:00-19:30 (L.O.O.) - Tuesdays
- 0134-54-8287
- Free of charge
4Le Catrium Canal Street
Enjoy fresh local vegetables and brand-name pork in one dish.
This Restaurant is owned by a popular confectionery store in Otaru, and you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Otaru Canal as you pass through the pastry corner on the first floor and go up to the second floor. The "One Plate Main Lunch" is a main course of meat dishes such as roast pork from Kitajima Pork, a brand-name pork from Yoichi, accompanied by about 10 kinds of seasonal vegetables, mostly from the suburbs. Bread from Otaru's popular boulangerie "Eg Vive" and homemade quiche are also served, allowing you to fully enjoy the bounty of the local area in this dish.
A gem of a cake that bears the pride of the fourth generation of a long-established parlor
Le Catriumme" means "the fourth generation" in French. The name comes from the fact that the owner-chef is the fourth generation of "Misono," an ice cream parlor in Otaru that is said to have been the first to sell ice cream in Hokkaido in the Taisho era (1912-1926).
The cakes lined up in the showcase on the first floor can be combined with lunch for an additional 350 yen. The cake "Catolieme," which bears the store's name, is made up of four layers: two kinds of chocolate mousse, walnut and macaron ganache, and sponge dough. The different chocolate flavors create a complex harmony that is sure to leave a lasting impression.
- Le Catrium Canal Street
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- 2-3-1 Shikinai, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido MAP
- 10 min. walk from JR Otaru Station
- 11:00-19:00
- Tuesdays and Wednesdays
- 0134-27-7124
- No parking (use nearby toll parking)
5Otaru Soba-noodle restaurant, Nabuhan
A luxurious bowl of soba noodles with the flavor of sea urchin and the aroma of buckwheat noodles
Otaru Soba Restaurant Soba Han is a long-established buckwheat noodle store established in 1954 and loved by the locals. The "Undan-tomizushi Soba" is a luxurious dish of warm Soba with egg and steamed sea urchin on top. The use of steamed sea urchin, rather than raw, gives the dish a rich sweetness, and the umami of the sea urchin dissolved in the broth gives it a deep and rich flavor. Soba noodles are available in two varieties: "jimono ko-men," made from 100% buckwheat flour produced in Hokkaido, which has a distinctive aroma and smooth texture, and "nama-ko-men," a traditional blend of Sarashina buckwheat flour produced in Hokkaido and from abroad.
Adult enjoyment in a space that holds the memory of prosperity
Behind the curtain lies a stately space that has been relocated and repurposed from a prosperous merchant's mansion, the stone warehouse of a wealthy merchant, and a historic ryotei (Japanese-style restaurant). The restaurant's unwavering elegance and hospitality, which never makes you feel as if you are on a high threshold, is one of the reasons why people love Yubahan.
The restaurant offers a wide variety of soba noodles as well as sake and sake snacks, making it the perfect place for a lunchtime drink. Sipping a cup of sake while savoring the atmosphere of prosperity and enjoying aromatic buckwheat noodles is a pleasure reserved for sophisticated adults. Lines are inevitable at lunchtime, but they are well worth the wait.
- Otaru, Soba Noodle Shop, Nabuhan
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- 2-19-14 Inaho, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido MAP
- 4 min. walk from JR Otaru Station
- 11:00-15:00, 17:00-20:00
- Closed on Tuesdays and twice a month on Wednesdays
- 0134-33-1212
- Free of charge
6Guest House Aozuka Shokudo
Enjoy the bounty of Otaru's sea in a dynamic charcoal grill
The restaurant was opened in 1955 by the previous owner, a fisherman, near the Shukutsu fishing port. It is a popular restaurant that is constantly visited not only by locals, but also by people from Sapporo and other parts of Hokkaido and abroad. The freshness of the sashimi, fresh sea urchin, and kaisen-don (seafood rice bowl) goes without saying, but what really brings out the bounty of the sea in Shukutsu, which prospered from herring fishing, is a dish of herring so large that it protrudes from the plate and is grilled over charcoal. The skin is crispy and fragrant, and the meat is plump and thick with concentrated flavor.
Enjoy the specialty of Hamayaki with your eyes and taste buds.
Aozuka Shokudo's charcoal grill is the Hamayaki style, in which seafood is grilled over charcoal in front of the restaurant. Our veteran grillers use their many years of experience to ensure that the fish is grilled to the perfect degree of doneness. Inside the restaurant, the fragrant smell of grilled scallops, green whelks, hokke, and other fish and shellfish whets one's appetite. The friendly service, typical of a diner on the beach, is sure to make your trip a memorable one.
Aozuka Shokudo also operates a guest house, and lodging is available. It is recommended to stay overnight and enjoy the bounty of Maehama.
- Guest House Aotsuka Shokudo
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- 3-210 Shukuzu, Otaru City, Hokkaido MAP
- 12 minutes drive from JR Otaru Station
- 10:00 - 21:00 (L.O. 19:00)
- Open year-round (closed for maintenance during the year-end and New Year's holidays and in spring)
- 0134-22-8034
- Free of charge
7N.CREA
Italian cuisine with a sense of the seasons, filled with the bounty of our own farm
A hidden Restaurant tucked away in a residential area in Hariusu-cho, Otaru City. You can enjoy Italian cuisine using vegetables from their own farm and locally grown seasonal ingredients. The popular pizza is baked in a special oven at a high temperature of about 300℃ and served at once. The thin dough made from Hokkaido wheat has an appealing aroma and chewy texture. The lunch set comes with a generous amount of fresh salad and a drink to satisfy your hunger. The menu also offers a wide variety of pastas, a la carte items, and desserts to choose from.
A moment of warmth in a sophisticated space
The exterior of the restaurant is American style with an impressive gable roof. Upon entering the restaurant, the eye is drawn to the exotic lighting that adorns the white-based space, the one-of-a-kind tables and chairs, and the owner's meticulous attention to detail.
In season, vegetables from the owner's own farm and local products from within and outside of Hokkaido are sold at the Marche. Local musicians are invited to hold monthly live performances, and sometimes a mobile van selling handmade goods comes by.
