Kani Honke Sapporo Station Main Branch — Restaurant in Sapporo

I came here at 8:20pm without a reservation, expecting to be turned away. Surprisingly, they seated us after 5 minutes. It was pretty empty when we went in (presumably everyone else had finished up).

We ordered the sukiyaki set meal and no one said anything about there being too much food or a time limit. But near the end of the meal, first someone said to let them know when we were done with the hotpot because they had to use it to do porridge. We were almost done by then so we said sure. Then 5-10 min later, someone else came by to say the same thing, which we said okay again. 5 min after that, they came by to just clean out the pot for us and started doing the porridge. By the time they finished making it, it was around 10pm. We then were quickly served our fruit dessert. During this time, it was clear we were the only customers left as the staff were cleaning around us etc, as they closed at 10pm. At 10:05, the man at the front desk came to us and tapped his watch impatiently and said they closed at 10. We only had 5 min by then to eat the porridge so we felt really upset that we were quickly being rushed out. If the restaurant was firmly to close at 10pm, they should've either not seated us or told us our set meal was too big/we had to leave by 10 sharp. Neither of those things happened, so it came as a huge surprise for the service to take a bad turn at the end of the meal. I'm also not sure if it was because we were tourists and their English wasn't great, but I think this is a big tourist spot and they should've been better at this.

Sadly, we quickly left after the rude rushing out which left the biggest sour note on the experience. The food itself throughout was actually excellent and the pricing felt decent to us too with lots of food. Everything tasted full of crab, and I really enjoyed the fried crab, the crab sashimi,...

Blew me away! A must try. I came in a crab skeptic, I left learning that I... like... crab! Wife and I ordered the cheapest kaiseki set and kanisuki (hot pot) set each, final bill was $99 including tax, just a jaw-dropping value... you can't get food this good for less than $400 in the states. The tofu starter is infused with crab. Such a fun twist, such a hit of flavor. A must try. Crab sashimi was so soft and delicious. I've never even heard of crab sashimi before, have you? A must try. Crab shumai is just bursting, no filler, just a lot of good stuff... and by that I mean crab. A bit of hot mustard and soy sauce and it's chef's kiss. This is the dim sum of your dreams. A must try. The brown meat in the crab skull... normally this is a hard pass for me, but hear me out... here, it's delicious, another umami bomb, sweet, and barely a trace of bitterness. I'm gonna say it again... a must try. Crab hot pot, the main event, definitely gotta try this. You know you're getting delicious broth with fresh crab and veggies. Just as good as you'd think. Crab porridge. The encore that might be better than the main event! Reduced leftover hot pot broth, rice, and a rich egg. Heaven in a bowl. Say it with me... a must try! In conclusion, not only was this meal delicious, excellently presented, and an excellent value... it convinced me that crab is not gross. It is far more versatile than the chilled buffet fare. With excellent ingredients and preparation, this is easily one of my favorite...

Crab speciality restaurant that has 7 floors. To be honest, I don’t understand their reservation system well. We went there around 5pm on a weekday to make a reservation but was told they don’t take reservations. So we returned the next day at 730pm to be told we don’t have a reservations and they are full. So when we tried to make a reservation for the next day, we were again told they don’t do reservations and told to walk in earlier. So we visited again the next day ard 6pm and they sat us after asking if we made reservations. Strange. But that aside… and if u can just go earlier for your meal.. it’s actually enjoyable. I really liked their crab course meal. We ordered 1 course set and also a king crab to share and found the crabs very fresh and also the course meal very delightful! Each dish was unique with crab as a theme and I especially enjoyed the crab miso. I had tried it at other places and it was not nice, so when I tired it again this time, it really changed my mind about it. I liked it! So don’t be put off my the look or idea. I also enjoyed the fresh king crabs and loved the porridge at the end of the meal. Dessert was in my option a simple flair, but very well tot to cleanse the palette after the meal. Recommended and...