The best Uni Don (Sea Urchin Bowl) in Sapporo

Editorial picks

Selected from published food guides and local reporting. How the list works

1. 1

   Number 1.Hakodate Uni Murakami, Sapporo (Nissay Building)

   Sapporo Station, Kita 3-jo Nishi 4 Sapporo Station & Kita-guchi

   Open

   11.30am to 2pm, 5.30pm to 9.30pm, open daily

   Where

   Nippon Seimei Sapporo Building B1F, Kita 3-jo Nishi 4-1-1, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

   Order the nama uni don, alum free and cut to order by the company that processes the urchin. Book ahead by phone: they hold roughly six seats in ten for reservations, and pricing follows the day's catch.

   What to orderNama uni don, the alum-free raw urchin bowl

   0 votes

   Worth it, Hakodate Uni Murakami, Sapporo (Nissay Building).00 votes. Not worth it, Hakodate Uni Murakami, Sapporo (Nissay Building).00 votes.

   Want to try, Hakodate Uni Murakami, Sapporo (Nissay Building)

2. 2

   Number 2.Sapporo Nijo Ichiba Ohiso, Honten

   Nijo Market Nijo Market & Sosei East

   Open

   7.30am to 3.30pm, 5pm to 9pm, shut Wednesdays

   Where

   Minami 3-jo Higashi 2, corner block of Nijo Market, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

   Go for the no-alum saltwater Ezo bafun uni bowl; the small size is plenty. Wednesday is the closed day, a numbered ticket runs at busy times, and there are three Ohiso shops, so find the corner one.

   What to orderMutenka ensui Ezo bafun uni don, small size

   0 votes

   Worth it, Sapporo Nijo Ichiba Ohiso, Honten.00 votes. Not worth it, Sapporo Nijo Ichiba Ohiso, Honten.00 votes.

   Want to try, Sapporo Nijo Ichiba Ohiso, Honten

3. 3

   Number 3.Kaisen Shokudo Kita no Gurume-tei

   Sapporo Curb Market (Jogai Ichiba) Kotoni & the West

   Open

   7am to 2.30pm, open daily

   Where

   4-1, Kita 11-jo Nishi 22-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo (Sapporo Curb Market)

   Saltwater urchin straight from the shell over a Nanatsuboshi rice blend: order the uni-ikura don. Seven until three, every day of the year, and the shuttle from the station has to be booked ahead.

   What to orderUni-ikura don, urchin with soy-cured salmon roe

   0 votes

   Worth it, Kaisen Shokudo Kita no Gurume-tei.00 votes. Not worth it, Kaisen Shokudo Kita no Gurume-tei.00 votes.

   Want to try, Kaisen Shokudo Kita no Gurume-tei

4. Kaisendokoro Sakanaya no Daidokoro, Nijo Ichiba Honten

   Nijo Market Nijo Market & Sosei East

   Open

   From 7am until the fish sells out, about 4pm

   Where

   Konishi Building 1F, Minami 2-jo Higashi 2-1, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

   Their kodawari nama uni don carries over 100g of Hokkaido urchin on a small bowl. Arrive in the morning, because the shutters come down whenever the fish sells out rather than at a set hour.

   What to orderKodawari no nama uni don, over 100g of urchin

   0 votes

   Worth it, Kaisendokoro Sakanaya no Daidokoro, Nijo Ichiba Honten.00 votes. Not worth it, Kaisendokoro Sakanaya no Daidokoro, Nijo Ichiba Honten.00 votes.

   Want to try, Kaisendokoro Sakanaya no Daidokoro, Nijo Ichiba Honten

5. Sugino (Unizenya Sapporo)

   Kita 1-jo Nishi 2, east of Odori Nijo Market & Sosei East

   Open

   11.30am to 10.30pm, hours shift with the season

   Where

   Oak Sapporo Building B1F, Kita 1-jo Nishi 2, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

   Ask for the uni-uni don and you get bafun and murasaki side by side, from the family's Shakotan kitchen. Twenty seats only, so email days ahead; some seasons they post that no urchin landed.

   What to orderUni-uni don, the two-urchin bowl

   0 votes

   Worth it, Sugino (Unizenya Sapporo).00 votes. Not worth it, Sugino (Unizenya Sapporo).00 votes.

   Want to try, Sugino (Unizenya Sapporo)

6. Teishoku Meshiya

   Sapporo Curb Market, Oroshiuri Center Kotoni & the West

   Open

   7am to 3pm, shut Wednesdays

   Where

   1-26 Oroshiuri Center, Kita 11-jo Nishi 22-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

   The nama uni don uses murasaki urchin cut at three in the morning, and the shio ramen is worth a second trip. Doors at seven, gone by three, and Wednesday it does not open.

   What to orderNama uni don, freshly cut murasaki urchin

   0 votes

   Worth it, Teishoku Meshiya.00 votes. Not worth it, Teishoku Meshiya.00 votes.

   Want to try, Teishoku Meshiya

7. Uni Senmonten Yoichiya, Sapporo Minami-Nijo

   Nijo Market, Minami 2-jo Higashi Nijo Market & Sosei East

   Open

   9am to 4pm daily; evenings shut Thu and Sun

   Where

   Minami 2-jo Higashi 1-1-5, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

   Five kinds of urchin in one bowl, the go-dai uni tabekurabe don, graded and packed at their own Yoichi plant. Daytime is bowls only until four; the evening menu is a different thing entirely.

   What to orderGo-dai uni tabekurabe don, five urchins compared

   0 votes

   Worth it, Uni Senmonten Yoichiya, Sapporo Minami-Nijo.00 votes. Not worth it, Uni Senmonten Yoichiya, Sapporo Minami-Nijo.00 votes.

   Want to try, Uni Senmonten Yoichiya, Sapporo Minami-Nijo

8. Unidon Senmonten Nagi

   Tanukikoji 1-chome Nijo Market & Sosei East

   Open

   11am to 3pm and 5pm to 8pm, shut Sundays

   Where

   Dai-2 Kowa Building 3F, Minami 2-jo Nishi 1-5-6, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

   The Matsu grade is the one to have, Hokkaido bafun urchin piled deep, crab soup included. It sits on the third floor at the east end of Tanukikoji, and Sunday it is shut.

   What to orderUni don Matsu, the top grade, with crab soup

   0 votes

   Worth it, Unidon Senmonten Nagi.00 votes. Not worth it, Unidon Senmonten Nagi.00 votes.

   Want to try, Unidon Senmonten Nagi

9. Unitsu masa

   Kita 24-jo, Higashi-ku Sapporo Station & Kita-guchi

   Open

   11am to 3pm, 5pm to 10pm, closings irregular

   Where

   Kita 23-jo Higashi 1-7-17, Higashi-ku, Sapporo

   A processing company runs this one, which is why the nama uni don sits at three thousand yen. It is a walk from Kita-24-jo, seven counter seats downstairs, and closing days are set week by week.

   What to orderNama uni don, bafun urchin at 3,000 yen

   0 votes

   Worth it, Unitsu masa.00 votes. Not worth it, Unitsu masa.00 votes.

   Want to try, Unitsu masa

10. Daiichi Kaisenmaru

    Nijo Market Nijo Market & Sosei East

    Open

    7am to 2pm, noon Mondays and Fridays, shut Wednesdays

    Where

    Minami 3-jo Higashi 1-8-2, Chuo-ku, Sapporo (inside Nijo Market)

    Small place, two tables and a stand-up counter, where the tabiji uni don comes with crab soup. Wednesday it does not open, and hours drift, so look for the board before you commit.

    What to orderTabiji no uni don, saltwater urchin with crab soup

    0 votes

    Worth it, Daiichi Kaisenmaru.00 votes. Not worth it, Daiichi Kaisenmaru.00 votes.

    Want to try, Daiichi Kaisenmaru

11. Shiki no Shitatsuzumi Oshidori

    Nakajima Park, south of Susukino Nakajima Park & Toyohira

    Open

    6pm to 10pm, shut Sundays

    Where

    AMS Tower 1F, Minami 9-jo Nishi 4-3-15, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

    Kobayashi builds an urchin bowl at the end of his omakase, and it is the reason to book. Evenings only, shut Sundays, and say when you reserve that the uni don is what you came for.

    What to orderThe uni don at the close of the omakase

    0 votes

    Worth it, Shiki no Shitatsuzumi Oshidori.00 votes. Not worth it, Shiki no Shitatsuzumi Oshidori.00 votes.

    Want to try, Shiki no Shitatsuzumi Oshidori

12. Shokujidokoro Nagamori

    Nijo Market Nijo Market & Sosei East

    Open

    7am to 5pm, every day

    Where

    Minami 3-jo Higashi 1, inside Nijo Market, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

    Regulars here order uni and ikura in the same bowl, and the grilled fish sets are the other reason people queue. The line starts forming at seven in the morning, so come early.

    What to orderUni-ikura don

    0 votes

    Worth it, Shokujidokoro Nagamori.00 votes. Not worth it, Shokujidokoro Nagamori.00 votes.

    Want to try, Shokujidokoro Nagamori