KANI-YA

We are seafood lovers and were reading online that this is one of the best places to try crab in Sapporo and we felt the variety of food was very good. Here you have to choose a set menu which will consist of a few different courses of hot and cold crab items. We tried the "Taste Comparison Crab Lov...e Course: King Crab and Snow Crab" menu and thought it was pretty good but on the pricier side at 9500/person. After seeing some of the prices at the markets for crab in Sapporo we felt we got an ok deal. It should be noted that a meal here is a real commitment and you should plan to spend 2-3 hours here. This restaurant is open 11-3 pm and 5-10 pm and it is recommended that you get a reservation in advance or show up at the start of lunch or dinner service. We showed up right at 5 pm for dinner and there was quite a few people waiting to be seated already but we signed up with the hostess at the front and it took about 20 minutes to get in. We waited in the lobby area and had lots of time to check out the gift shop on the main level. The variety of crab dishes was nice and we tried at least three different kinds of crab including king crab, snow crab and what they told us was a queen crab. Some of the items were just ok but we really enjoyed the hotpot where they brought out a small cooker to our table and we were able to cook the crab and vegetables in the very tasty broth. It was a very filling meal but they also serve a congee to help fill in any cracks left behind. We each had one cocktail but I found out after the visit you can get a freeflow option for 2200/person of cocktails and soft drinks. The staff were very friendly but we felt at times that there were service gaps as there was often long waiting periods between courses and getting our bill. Most of this can be attributed to a language barrier but we waited at least half an hour between finishing the meal ending fruit and when we were able to get someone's attention to get the bill to pay. If you're into crab and are looking for an experience this is the place to try. There are other options in Sapporo too and other places in Hokkaido but this restaurant has a convenient location in the city in the Susukino area. This restaurant is close to the Susukino metro station, Odori Park and Nijo Market areas. There are plenty of shops nearby as well as some landmark signs and attractions like the Sapporo TV Tower.

Visited December 2023

Sapporo Kani-ya Main Branch is a crab restaurant in Sapporo, Japan. I made a 5 pm reservation on the 29th of Feb. After sitting down, I did not see any waitstaff for about 10 minutes. Finally, I called and a waitress showed up. I asked her to help me to find something on the ordering tablet. She was... very inpatient. She kept telling me that I needed to find items on the tablet by myself. I understood the ordering should be done through the tablet. I also expected the waitress should have the patient to explain and assit the customers. She even started to explain herself in Chinese to my friends. I asked to speak to the manager on duty. She said the manager was not available. We decided to leave and went to Kani Shogun next door. While we were about to be seated, a waiter from Sapporo Kani-ya came in and told me that the two restaurants are the same. He wanted us to go back to Sapporo Kani-ya. The whole situation was very confusing. Of course, I stayed at Kani Shogun. Luckily, I had a very nice crab dinner at Kani Shogun. Japanese is known for their politeness. That impatient Chinese-speaking waitress should be fired.

Visited February 2024

Super value for money. Lots of dishes for 1 set. King crab is definitely better than then queen. Even for kids mean are crab focus and they serve quality crab for kid's meal as well. The meal took us 2 -3 hours to finish 1 meal. Excellent!

Visited June 2023

Went there for lunch with my friend. At first we thought it’s not opened as the lights were turned off on the ground floor. We walked in and a gentleman at the cash register called the restaurant and told us which floor to go to. When we got to the restaurant, there were no one there to greet us. We... stood there for a while and decided to take our shoes off and place it on the rack ourselves and that’s when a waitress came out but didn’t offer to take our coats. We sat down and there were about 4 other tables who are not locals (I guess maybe it’s different floors for different people) . We waited at least 10 minutes but no one came to explain the menu or to take our order. We’ve managed to waved one down who I believe is the supervisor and started ordering. When I ordered the sukiyaki she said must be for 2 people and walked away. We had to wait another 5 to 10 minutes to place our order again. Overall, the food was ok and crab was very fresh and sweet . However they don’t have a lunch menu so it was an expensive lunch with not so good service.

Visited February 2023

This restaurant was recommended by the concierge at our hotel, who gave us a 10% discount voucher. The whole meal was delicious (we both like crab!) and the service was good. There is a range of set crab meals from about 5000 to 14000 yen (see their website for pictures). Our bill, including a bo...ttle of wine, came to 20,790 yen, which we thought good value for what we had. First time we'd had sashimi crab - ooishii. Close to Susukino metro station

Visited October 2019