Recommended early morning breakfast spots around town for dining while sightseeing in Sapporo
Dining is one of the highlights of sightseeing in Sapporo. Hotel breakfasts are quite good, but we also recommend visitors to wake up early and head out for breakfast at a restaurant frequented by locals.
Dining is one of the highlights of sightseeing in Sapporo. Hotel breakfasts are quite good, but we also recommend visitors to wake up early at least once and head out for a walk to find breakfast at a restaurant frequented by Sapporo locals. Imagine a bustling weekday morning with people heading to work, or a slow weekend morning spent drinking coffee. After enjoying breakfast like a Sapporoite, head out to one of Sapporo’s history, nature, art or culture spots. Get the most out of your morning in the city!
Check out this selection of restaurants around town open between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
Miyakoshiya Coffee (Sapporo Station Paseo Branch)
Open from 7:00 a.m.
Station Sapporo Station
Miyakoshiya Coffee is one of Sapporo’s most famous coffee houses. The interior will take you away from the hustle and bustle of Sapporo Station just outside. Inside you will find a host of people, from sightseers flipping through guidebooks and regulars immersed in reading, to business professionals getting a bite to eat before heading out on a business trip. Try the cheese toast or thick toast smothered in butter together with a delicious cup of dark store-roasted coffee.
| Address: | Kita 6-jo Nishi 4-chome 3-1, Kita-ku, Sapporo (across the street from JR Sapporo Station’s West Ticket Gate) |
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| Hours: | 7:00–20:00 |
| Tel.: | 011-213-5606 |
Arinko
Open JR Sapporo Branch from 7:30 a.m.; Aurora Town Branch from 8:00 a.m.
Station Sapporo Station and Odori Station
In business since 1980, this restaurant specializes in handmade onigiri (rice balls). First timers should try the highly popular “cheese katsuo” onigiri and the tonjiru miso soup simmered slowly with Hokkaido-grown vegetables and pork. This combination is filling enough to satisfy most female patrons. Takeout is also available, so we recommend heading out for a walk to nearby Hokkaido University or Odori Park where you can stuff yourself on a morning picnic.
Cafe Yoshimi
Open from 7:30 a.m.
Station Sapporo Station
Cafe Yoshimi is an authentic cafe restaurant run by Yoshimi Katsuyama, known for creating the popular Hokkaido rice cracker souvenir called “Curry Curry Mada Aru?” The restaurant serves up a morning toast set that comes with a drink for the low price of 580 yen. After dining, relax and enjoy people-watching over a special blended coffee. Be sure to try the morning curry set, too.
Nijo fish Market
Open from 7:00 a.m. (varies by location)
Station Odori Station
While perhaps not the everyday breakfast of Sapporoites, kaisen-don (sashimi rice bowl) is definitely a must-try for any sightseeing trip to Sapporo. In addition to the downtown Nijo Market, we recommend the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market Curb Market, which is near Nijuyonken Station, the fourth stop from Odori Station on the Subway Tozai Line. Call ahead if you are heading to Kita no Ryoba or Kaisen-Shokudo Kitano Gourmet-tei, as both locations offer a free shuttle bus from hotels and JR Sapporo Station (reservations required one day in advance).
| Tel.: | Kita no Ryoba 011-621-8288 / toll free 0120-167-043 Kaisen-Shokudo Kitano Gourmet-tei 011-621-3545 / toll free 0120-004-070 |
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Gohanya Haruya
Open from 7:00 a.m. (weekends only)
Station Kita Juhachi Jo Station
Gohanya Haruya is a Japanese food café attached to the guest house UNTAPPED HOSTEL. It’s a popular stop for Sapporoites who hunger for its breakfast set of more than 10 types of side dishes, rice, miso soup and coffee. After dining, we recommend taking a walk around the nearby Hokkaido University. On your way back, definitely stop by Ishida Coffee Store, which supplies Gohanya Haruya with coffee beans.
Coffee and sandwich shop—Saera
Open from 9:00 a.m. (weekends only)
Station Odori Station
Saera opens from 10:00 a.m. on weekdays and from 9:00 a.m. on weekends. Definitely try the two most popular items on the menu, which are the fruit sandwich and red king crab salad sandwich. Many male patrons are fans of Saera’s fruit sandwich, which isn’t overly sweet. The restaurant is loved by Sapporo locals and is abuzz with activity as soon as it opens.
Meidai Nigirimeshi
Open 24 hours a day
Station Susukino Station
Meidai Nigirimeshi is a handmade onigiri (rice ball) specialty shop that is open 24 hours, located in a corner of Susukino Market. Choose from shio-nigiri (salted) or shoyu-nigiri (soy sauce) styles of rice ball. We recommend the most popular cod roe butter in the shoyu-nigiri style. The menu also includes prepared foods, tonjiru miso soup, and oden, among other items. If you were out until the wee hours of the night, stop by to stuff yourself with freshly prepared homemade rice ball favorites and get your vigor back. Nigirimeshi is also a great place to fill up before heading out early in the morning.
Sandria
Open 24 hours (takeout only)
Station Susukino Station
Sandria is a takeout-only sandwich shop that opened in 1978. The shop offers more than 40 types of sandwiches at any given time, with the most popular being the double egg sandwich. Sandria is quite popular among Sapporoites, who visit from afar for its fresh and reasonable priced sandwiches. The shop is about a 15-minute walk from Nakajima Park, so stop by to get your sandwich and head out for a breakfast picnic.
Recommended after-breakfast spots to visit for morning sightseeing in Sapporo
Former Hokkaido Government Office Building (Red Brick Office)
Open from 8:45 a.m.
Station Sapporo Station and Odori Station
Constructed in 1888, the Former Hokkaido Government Office Building is an example of American neo-baroque architecture. It served as the office of the prefectural government for around 80 years. The historical building and its exhibits from the Hokkaido Museum annex on the 2nd floor are open to the public, providing a glimpse into Hokkaido’s history and culture.
Botanic Garden, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University
Openfrom 9:00 a.m. (summer) StationSapporo Station and Odori Station
Built in 1886, the Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere features the second oldest botanical garden in Japan. It houses some 600 varieties of alpine flora, with a focus on those found on Hokkaido’s Mt. Daisetsu and Mt. Rishiri. It also has a natural forest of trees that depicts vegetation found around Sapporo prior to the city’s development. During the winter the facility opens at 10:00 a.m. and exhibits are limited to the greenhouse only.
Sapporo Odori 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery
Open from 7:00 a.m.
Station Bus Center-Mae Station
Measuring 500 meters in length of the concourse that connects Odori Station and Bus Center-Mae subway stations, the gallery is the longest art gallery located inside a station passage in Japan. Exhibits are switched out every three months, enabling many artists to showcase their works in this impressive space.
Theater Kino
Open from 9:30 a.m.
Station Odori Station
This theater opened in 1992 as a small movie theater funded by the local citizens. It is now known nationally as a theater that shows films that are high in quality, even if not distributed by major film distribution companies. Enjoy a morning moment at this movie theater beloved by Sapporoites.
