Here we are again, doing the hard (but incredibly rewarding) work of sharing the local knowledge about “the best city in the world;” In this post we focus on Agora, an Italian restaurant in Sapporo. And while there are many good reasons to go to Agora, we are particularly interested in their pizza. Is Agora in Sapporo good enough to be on the list of the best pizza in Sapporo? It just might be (we’ll see). Agora is located on the first block of Tanukikouji, on the east side, actually facing Sosei Kawa park. To get there, you can take Tanukikouji to the east (to Tanukikouji 1) all the way to t ..read more

The latest addition to our list of the best pizza in Sapporo is Pizza Joint Pike. It is not easy to find good pizza in Sapporo, but we are pleased to report – we have found a winner. Pizza Joint Pike is at Minami 5 Nishi 9. About a 10 minute walk from Susukino station. It’s located in the 1F level of Stay Sapporo – which is a hostel (I’m told). It’s not unusual to see some European looking people (and some Asian tourists as well) at Pikes. The concept behind Pizza Joint Pike is a pretty straight take on the American pizza joint. Like almost everything “American” in Sapporo, there is an interp ..read more

As a part of our research for our article on the best beer bars in Sapporo, we wanted to hit one of the last “craft beer bars” on our list. Below we bring you our review of ES Craft Beer in Sapporo. ES Craft Beer bar is located about two or three blocks south of Susukino station. It’s in an alley very close to the main Susukino intersection. As you arrive, all of the wood and hardware used in the architecture feels very much like an English pub. I am only guessing, but I assume this was a former Western bar, perhaps bought by a Japanese guy. Is that right? It is just a guess. If it ever was ..read more

And now for another addition to our list of pancake restaurants in Sapporo; we bring your our review of Sapporo’s A Happy Pancake restaurant. You’ll find 幸せのパンケーキ A Happy Pancake very close to Sapporo station, a few minutes toward the west from the PARCO and Mitsukoshi department stores, not far from Gold’s Gym, and just above the Seicomart (which as everyone knows, is a local Hokkaido company, and the best convenience store company in the world). But before we get into more detail about Odori’s A Happy Pancake, let’s talk a little about the pancake tradition in Japan. As an American, my inst ..read more

Who knows where to find all the really good hamburgers in Sapporo? We do. And here we bring you yet another good spot on our list of the Sapporo’s best hamburgers (and ICHIBAN NO MACHI said, “go, and you too shall know all the best places,” and it was so). It is with that we bring you our review of Burger Industry in Sapporo. Looks pretty cool, huh? It is so “Sapporo” to have a sign that just says “burger.”  If you look close, you’ll see “Burger Industry” on the window, but it’s the big, bold yellow letters that proclaim their specialty. As ICHIBAN NO MACHI grows into being the best rest ..read more

In some other review of a beer bar in Sapporo (perhaps in several reviews, actually), I said that Sapporo was in desperate need of bar where you could have a proper burger and a beer.  Not a hamburger restaurant, but a bar… that serves burgers. Bearfoot is that kind of place. Sort of. (How many beers does it take before you slip and call this place “beerfoot?” Probably not many.) I was excited to try Bearfoot, but as it turns out, I didn’t like it – and I don’t recommend it. I will do a “too long, didn’t read” version here, and give you the strengths first. (If you want to check it out ..read more

And now, for another shop that is guaranteed to make our list of the best hamburgers in Sapporo, we present Grill and Hamburger Monster Sun in Sapporo. I was actually trying to confirm the location of ちさい Jacksonville in Maruyama, when I came across Monster Sun Hamburgers (they are not that far away from each other).  I had actually seen this restaurant a long time ago, but as it is on a block I don’t walk past often, I had forgotten about it. Hamburger Monster Sun is located about less than five minutes from Nishi 18 station.  It’s on 2F, in a five story building.  The man who ..read more

We’re not going to be shy about it: we like 酒場ニューチャベス New Chavez in Sapporo very much. It is not totally what they call “foreigner-friendly,” but it’s an exceptional spot. And as we think about how to present the best restaurants and bars in Sapporo, we think New Chavez belongs in a special category. ICHIBAN NO MACHI probably has the most appeal for people in Sapporo that like ようしょく(洋食, western food), and to foreigners that speak English.  And while some local English-speaking Japanese will use this fine site (it is the best restaurant view site in Sapporo, that is true), our experience a ..read more

Hey. We just got here; is it too soon to use the “L” word? It is our great pleasure (and we’re only part way through our first beer as we type this) to give your our very local review of Streetlight Brewing Company in Sapporo. As you might know, we have a strong passion for a decent pint. And as we have been working on our list of the best beer bars in Sapporo for months now, of course we had heard about Streetlight Brewing Company near Soen. This place is about four blocks away from the Soen station on the JR line. It is not central Sapporo, not entirely convenient, but… it has been on our m ..read more

This review is for the new(est) Jacksonville Hamburger Shop in Sapporo. One of three Sapporo Jacksonville hamburger restaurants; part of what we call the “Jacksonville Burger Empire:” Original “Odori” Jacksonville | Moyuk Jacksonville (which is this location) | ちさい Maruyama Jacksonville (review coming soon) Here at ICHIBANNOMACHI, one of types of food where our local Sapporo reviews really shine is the category of the best hamburgers in Sapporo.  And for top-shelf hamburgers in this town, we point (once again) Jacksonville.  This time, because they opened a new “modern” shop in the n ..read more