I want to bring you here — but I don't want to tell anyone else about it.

Sapporo’s Secret ‘Delicious’ Restaurants

In a corner of Susukino, past a long-established ramen shop and up a cramped elevator in a mixed-tenant building to the fourth floor, a faint, appetite-stirring aroma of smoke drifts through the air. This is “Ozu Smoked Wa Taste,” a Japanese restaurant renowned for its smoked dishes. Owner-chef Kosuke Nagai trained his skills in hotel kitchens and Japanese and Western restaurants after graduating from culinary school before opening this shop. The name “Ozu” comes from the fairy tale “The Wizard of Oz.” True to its name, the magical smoke here has cast countless diners under its spell with one exceptional dish after another.

Here, smoking isn't about preservation but about drawing out the best flavor from each ingredient — every detail, from the spice blend and salt levels to the wood chips and temperature, is carefully considered to bring out the quality of the ingredients. The arrangement and plating are delicate and beautiful throughout, offering a glimpse of Nagai's affection for every single dish. The five-piece smoked cheese platter costs 1,780 yen, with the method varying by cheese — the camembert, for instance, is smoked hard and fast over high heat and then rested overnight. The three-piece smoked platter of the day, at 1,380 yen, lets you enjoy whatever ingredients are recommended that day, such as Date jidori chicken wings or free-range eggs from Naganuma. The chicken wings have a springy bite that pushes back against your teeth, with juicy, flavor-packed meat that's moist and tender. It completely overturns the idea that smoked food has to be tough or overly salty.

The ingredients include vegetables shipped directly from organic contract farms and eggs from hens raised in a near-natural environment. Nagai builds each recipe while paying close attention to the condition of the ingredients. “Just being delicious isn't enough for me,” he says. Hokkaido's ingredients are already high quality, and sometimes simple, unfussy cooking brings out the best in them. But he deliberately takes on new challenges, adding an extra step or two, to create the kind of surprise and delight that hasn't existed before. Because of how smoking works, customers inevitably have to wait a little longer. But he says proudly that the wait is worth it for dishes you simply can't find anywhere else. For Nagai, “smoking” is the ultimate cooking method — born from his curiosity and his playful spirit.

You arrive after passing through a dazzling stretch of neon signs. Step through the noren curtain, and a clean, pale-wood counter welcomes you in. Master chef Katsuyuki Nishiwaki was born in Osaka. After graduating from a local culinary school, he trained as an itamae at a kappo restaurant in Osaka, then followed a mentor he admired up to Hokkaido. He went on to hone his skills at Japanese restaurants around Susukino before opening this shop. Since the word “kappo” can feel a little intimidating to newcomers, he combined it with the character “sai,” meaning brilliance or color, to create the name “Kassai” — which also happens to sound like the Japanese word for a round of applause. The name reflects his wish to run a place where guests can enjoy authentic Japanese cuisine at reasonable prices and leave feeling like giving a round of applause.

The butter-simmered potatoes, at 650 yen, use Hokkaido-grown Meakin potatoes steamed in a mix of butter, sugar, and soy sauce. Behind the potatoes' refined sweetness lingers a gentle hint of butter — an elegant flavor with a touch of nostalgia. The soy-grilled cod milt, at 900 yen, coats fresh milt in flour and quickly seasons it with soy sauce, finishing it to a golden brown. A crisp bite gives way to the milt's natural sweetness. The miso-grilled Saroma oysters with Shimonita leeks, at 1,000 yen, fill the air with an appetizing aroma of grilled miso — a lavish dish combining the restaurant's signature house-made miso with fresh oysters.

Serving seasonal ingredients using the method that brings out their best flavor — that's the belief Nishiwaki holds above all else. His dishes, built from well-matched ingredients, are always kept thoroughly simple, stripped of anything unnecessary so the quality of the ingredients can truly shine. What he values most is laying a solid foundation of flavor through careful preparation; it's precisely because of that meticulous groundwork that even simple cooking results in a beautifully finished dish. The glass case displaying ingredients sourced from across Japan holds fresh seafood alongside items rarely seen in Hokkaido, such as Kyoto carrots and beni-shigure daikon — simply looking is a pleasure in itself. Nishiwaki wants every guest to leave with a smile. There's something wonderfully comforting about the contrast between the sharp focus of a craftsman at work and the soft, gentle smile he offers his customers. Sitting alone at the counter, sharing your budget and preferences, and letting the chef choose a drink for you — this is the kind of grown-up pleasure this restaurant offers.

It might sound a little rude to say “a place like this, in a spot like this,” but that's the surprise waiting one minute's walk from Nangō 13-chōme Station on the subway's Tozai Line. On the first floor of a mixed-tenant building tucked between a residential area and a shopping street, Sumiyaki Griglia & Bar CASBA is a hideaway trattoria serving authentic Italian cuisine. Owner-chef Iga opened the restaurant in Shiroishi Ward, an area he has long felt a personal connection to. Pass through a striking gate built from stacked round stones, and beyond the door awaits an open kitchen partitioned by large glass panels. A substantial single-slab counter and luxurious interior create a space unlike anything in everyday life.

The food is authentic through and through. Signature dishes like pizza, pasta, and gnocchi are all made in-house, starting from kneading the dough itself. The tagliatelle with pork and bean stew sauce, at 1,000 yen, is a regional Italian dish featuring flat noodles similar to kishimen, paired with a sauce of pork and colorful beans simmered until meltingly tender. The sauce clings perfectly to the pasta, letting the flavor of the ingredients come through. The herb-grilled lamb, at 960 yen, sears a fine cut of lamb shoulder quickly over charcoal and finishes it simply with rock salt and three kinds of herbs — no trace of gamey lamb flavor, just a refined taste. According to the owner, this is what's coming next for dessert: cassata, a traditional Italian dolce made with ricotta cheese, cream cheese, and dried fruit, at 400 yen — a curious dessert somewhere between ice cream and cheesecake.

The drink selection is wide-ranging and reasonably priced, regardless of country or type. A glass of Ferrari sparkling wine is a remarkable 700 yen, with a bottle at 4,500 yen — an incredible price. “I only serve what I think tastes good,” says Iga, who personally tastes and selects every bottle. A luxurious interior paired with affordable, authentic food and drink: Iga's wish for guests to “feel just a little bit rich” is reflected in every detail of the restaurant.