THE RELAY (ザ リレー) - pass the coffee - — Restaurant in Sapporo

I was excited to visit Relay Coffee in Sapporo, Hokkaido, after hearing about their specialty coffee. Unfortunately, the experience was a major disappointment.

The café has a strict minimum order policy of 1,500 yen per person, which includes two coffees and a dessert. While this might appeal to some, we found it very restrictive. We were willing to pay the minimum order if we could share between us, but the café enforces a “one order per person” rule. This means for two people, you’d need to spend a minimum of 3,000 yen—just for coffee and dessert. This also was only mentioned after spending 10 minutes deciding on what we wanted.

This pricing structure felt excessive, especially for a coffee shop. If you’re looking for a simple cup of quality coffee without unnecessary add-ons or inflated costs, I’d recommend avoiding this place unless you’re comfortable splurging.

Instead, I’d suggest checking out Mermaid Coffee in Odori. They offer exceptional specialty coffee without the pretentious pricing and rigid rules. There are plenty of great coffee spots in Hokkaido, and unfortunately, Relay Coffee falls short of being...

Used to live in the building next door and always walked past this place. Finally came by with my partner before moving out — and I’m so glad we did! It’s like an interactive coffee-tasting experience.

We tried four different coffees, each with a detailed rundown about the origin, beans, and brewing style. Once you’ve been here once, you can even do takeaways next time.

The cake here is so good. Perfect spot if you want to chill and...

Must for every speciality coffee lover visiting Sapporo. Great concept where you get to taste 4 pour overs. The beans/roaster is different every month I think and all from Japan. Super friendly and knowledgeable barista explaining anything you want to know about what you are drinking. They sell the beans of that month too and some coffee assessories (drippers...