Where the locals actually go.

5 Ramen Shops You Have to Try in Sapporo

The recommendation here is the miso ramen. The broth—made from pork bone, chicken bone, and seafood—is loaded with garlic and ginger, with fragrant spices like Sichuan pepper adding depth, all built using techniques borrowed from Western cooking. The noodles have real chew and bounce: medium-thick, curly egg noodles that cling beautifully to the broth. The lightly seasoned soft-boiled egg, and the thick chashu pork simmered until meltingly tender, are equally irresistible.

The recommendation here is the chashu ramen. With scallions as the only other topping, it's a bold, no-frills bowl that lets the chashu pork take center stage. Sitting in the piping-hot broth, the pale pink chashu picks up that final touch of heat, letting the flavor soak all the way through until it's just right. The more you chew, the more the meat's sweetness and umami come flooding out. The broth is built on a chicken-bone base, generously enriched with pork bone and coarsely shaved katsuobushi. The lard used is the mild, confectionery-grade kind, giving a broth that's light yet leaves a lingering richness. It's a bowl calculated down to the last detail.

The recommendation here is the rich miso ramen. The broth, a blend of red and white miso finished with pork bone and chicken paitan, is refined yet bold and full-bodied. A touch of rice adds a slight thickness, helping the broth cling beautifully to the noodles. The toppings include a soft-boiled seasoned egg, house-made chashu of pork belly and chicken thigh, finely shredded scallion and mizuna greens, and crispy fried julienned potato. All that varied richness comes together into one bowl, creating a flavor found nowhere but Yukikaze.

Miso is the standard when it comes to Sapporo ramen, but the regulars at this shop order the shoyu ramen. What arrives overturns any preconceptions about shoyu ramen: a cloudy, straightforwardly rich tonkotsu broth. It's deep in flavor yet smooth on the palate, with a rich aroma that spreads gently through your mouth. The noodles have a nostalgic taste, made with a lower proportion of egg. Packed into this modestly sized bowl is the owner's dedication and desire to recreate the flavor of a beloved restaurant of the past.

Opened about half a century ago, the original "Itosue" helped lay the foundations of Sapporo miso ramen. Inheriting that flavor, today's second-generation "Itosue" opened in 2013. The recommendation, naturally, is the "Miso Ramen"—arguably the very origin of Sapporo ramen. The blended miso, passed down directly from the founder's younger sister and current proprietress, is carefully worked by hand. The broth blends pork bone, chicken bone, katsuobushi, and kombu. Rich yet light, it's a bowl that lets you taste the history of Sapporo ramen itself.