Sapporo's Best Miso Ramen Shops

From the tiny counter where miso ramen was born to a modern favorite built on a three-miso blend, five shops worth the wait for a bowl of Sapporo's signature dish.

Sapporo didn’t just adopt miso ramen — it invented it, sometime in the 1950s, and the city has spent the decades since refining the idea in a dozen different directions. These five shops trace that history from the tiny counter where it started to the newer names locals now argue about just as passionately.

1
Aji no Sanpei
Aji no Sanpei is where Sapporo miso ramen actually began — sometime in the 1950s, founder Morito Omiya is credited with being the first to build a ramen broth around fermented miso rather than the shoyu base that dominated everywhere else in Japan at the time. The shop still operates from a small, counter-only space on the fourth floor of a downtown building, and the bowl hasn't strayed far from its roots: a rich miso broth, thick curled noodles, and simple toppings that let the soup carry the dish. It's less about spectacle and more about eating the same bowl that started a whole regional style.
Minami 1-jo Nishi 3-chome 2, Chuo-ku, Sapporo (Daimaru Fujii Central 4F)
Sapporo
2
Sumire (Susukino)
Sumire opened in 1964 and has spent the decades since building a reputation for one of the richest, most concentrated miso broths in the city — a soup so thick with rendered pork fat that it stays hot long after a thinner broth would have cooled, topped with a slick of chili oil that most first-timers are warned about in advance. It's grown well beyond Sapporo since, with branches as far as Yokohama's Ramen Museum, but the Susukino shop, a five-minute walk from the station, is still where most visitors go first. Expect a line, especially in the evening — it's one of the more famous names in a city full of them.
5:30 PM – 12:30 AM2F, Pixis Building, 9-2 Minami 3-jo Nishi 3-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo
3
Junren
Junren traces back to the same 1964 origins as Sumire — both shops share a founding family history, which is why Sapporo ramen fans still argue over which one better represents the original style. Junren's broth leans a little more savory and straightforward, without quite the same fat-heavy richness, which makes it the shop some locals actually prefer for a bowl they can finish without feeling weighed down. The current main location was rebuilt in 2018, so despite the decades of history behind it, the space itself feels considerably newer than the recipe.
Chateau Junren 1F, 1-41 Hiragishi Nijo 17-chome, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo
4
Aji no Tokeidai
Aji no Tokeidai opened in Susukino in the early 1980s and has since grown into one of the more recognizable Sapporo ramen names both in Japan and abroad, without losing the miso broth that built its reputation locally. It's a good option if you want a reliably strong bowl without hunting down a specific hole-in-the-wall — the Ekimaedori location near Odori Station is central and easy to find between sightseeing stops. The menu sticks close to the Sapporo template: butter, corn, and a rich miso base built for cold weather.
1-Jo Nishi 2, Kita, Chuo-ku, Sapporo
5
Keyaki
Keyaki has drawn a steady line in Susukino since it opened in 1999, built entirely around one thing: a miso broth simmered from pork bones, chicken, vegetables, and shiitake mushrooms, then finished with a blend of three different miso types for a deeper, more layered flavor than a single-miso broth manages. It's a newer name than some of the city's older institutions, but it's earned a spot among the shops locals actually recommend rather than just the ones tourists find first. Go hungry — portions run generous, and the broth is rich enough that you'll want to finish it.
Minami 6-jo Nishi 3-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

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