Kani Honke Sapporo Station Main Branch

One of the famous and popular seafood (King crab and snow crab) specialty restaurant. Reservation highly recommended.. We ordered set menu @ little over ten thousand Japanese yen per person. Every dish placed in front of us can be called a piece or art. And taste also match how it looked! They also have a great list for Japanese sales to choose from. It is great compliment to such nice meal. Only thing I wish they can improve as the English speaking for the waitresses. The communication was English speaking. Customer is quite difficult with the waitresses. But I can tell they tried very hard to and eventually understood each other.

From the moment we walked in, the service was exceptional. The staff were attentive, friendly, and made sure every detail was taken care of, creating a welcoming atmosphere. The food was absolutely delicious and fresh. Overall, the experience was fantastic, and I highly recommend this place for both great service and outstanding food

We decided to grab lunch first before heading to the airport, figured we haven’t really had crab during this trip yet so we searched Google’s recommendations and found this restaurant, with all its great reviews. It was maybe a little after 1pm, we were not sure if it was crowded and thought we should’ve booked beforehand, but tried walking in there anyway. Fortunately, it wasn’t that crowded so we were seated almost immediately. By the entrance at the ground floor, a man handed us a number and told us to take our shoes off and get on the elevator. At the second floor, we were then greeted by the ladies in kimono. We love the atmosphere, you get your own room. It didn’t take long for them to serve the food, except for the rice in a pot. Food were all great, it def hit the spot. Been craving for crab for a while now.

1. Good value for money. 2. Within walking distance of Sapporo JR station. 3. Ordered 1 set menu + 2 stuffed crab shells (crab au gratin).

Crab was fresh but not many options in terms of cooking style. The baked king crab steak was the best. Price is reasonably affordable.

Walked in at 5pm on a Saturday. Ordered two big sets and a medium King Crab. They were FRESH. The crabs were delicious. The crab porridge is a MUST. We wished we had more dishes but the food coma started kicking in. Will definitely return!!

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, and the hotpot.

Very old school Japanese restaurant, with ladies in kimonos and eating in tatami rooms. I appreciated that they kept our luggage for us whilst dining. Kaiseki sets had good variety and my kids gobbled them up.

This was our first real authentic rice mat on the floor sit with folded legs experience in Japan. We came here for the authentic Masumi snow crab caught in Hokkaido. It was not cheap, but it was an amazing experience complete with private boost with rice, paper doors, and weight staffed dressed like geisha. We were the only Americans in here and it was recommended to us by the hotel staff in Sapporo. I'm not sure if it's a touristy place or not but we had a great meal and it was worth every penny

우리가 시킨 홍게는 죽은 냉동을 녹여서 차갑고 맛은 짜고 맛이 없었다. 다른 음식도 길거리 음식 수준이고 가격은 비쌌다. 3박4일을 여행 했는데 별로 다시 오고 싶은 생각이 없게 만들었다. 어둡고 올드한 실내는 깨끗해 보이지 않았다. 네번째 일본 방문중 제일 최악이였다.

When we arrived, we had to take off our shoes before going into an elevator. We were led into our own private room and sat on tatami mats. The crab chopstick holders are so cute! I guess people take them, because there was a sign telling people not to do that. We both ordered the crab lunch set- #15 Monbetsu. It came with a total of 8 dishes. We started with the crab tofu, crab with mozuku seaweed, and boiled snow crab. Next came crab gratin and crab croquette. Then we had the miso soup with crab and crab sushi roll. Lastly, we had matcha ice cream. I enjoyed the experience overall, but the food was just ok. They just add a bit of crab to this and that and call it a crab dish.

We returned to Sapporo Kani Honke on our trip to Hokkaido this month as we enjoyed it so much the first time at the Snow Festival in 2020 before COVID made it impossible to visit Japan. The previous location we went to was closed as the restaurant downsized to a single location. Having said that, the food was fantastic as we went "for the gold" and ordered the ¥20,000 teishoku crab dinner with crab porridge. It is definitely worth your while and $$$to try this place while in Sapporo. We made online reservations two months ahead as this is a very popular restaurant and takes reservations only. The ambiance was relaxing and thoughtful as the private rooms were traditionally decorated with Western seating for our party of four (tip: you remove your shoes before taking the elevator up to the dining area). The only reason that I didn't give this a 5 star rating was that the service was lacking a bit compared to the location that was closed. Definitely, the food was 5-star and well worth it! When we visit Sapporo again, we'll be sure to eat at Sapporo Kani Honke again!

Remember seeing the giant crab on the building close to the Sapporo Station and wife craved for crab today. Off we went by taxi after visiting Maruyama Park late afternoon. Arrived little after 4pm and was asked if we have a reservation (spur of the moment) so no. They checked the dining schedule and able to serve us but informed us we only have 2 hours for our meal. We went up to the seventh floor via elevator were seated in a private tatami room. We ordered two different Authentic Crab Course set meals. With Google translate, we had five types of appetizers, crab paste tofu, snow crab and fatty tuna served on drift ice, grilled kingfish on iron boat, king crab and snow crab Hourakuyaki, deep-fried kingfish claw, assorted sushi, crab soup and premium fruit yogurt. Each course was served in a timely manner so we can enjoy the flavor of each course. Basically, we had crab fried, grilled, steamed, roasted and raw. The whole meal does take 2 hours to finish but we didn't feel rushed by the staff. When we pay our bill on the first floor, we noticed there are two ponds on the floor with king crabs and snow crabs in their separate pond. That's probably where our crab cuisine meal came from.

I absolutely love this restaurant. It's a chain, but not anywhere in the Tokyo area. So whenever we are in Sapporo or Fukuoka, we make a reservation here. The atmosphere is great for a group, but equally nice for a couple. You leave your shoes at the entrance and dine in your own private booth which makes for a great ambience. The menu is extensive offering every possible serving of crab. The king crab steak is fabulous! (The snow crab - 1/2 the price is truly 1/2 the portion and not as tasty in my opinion). I love the pressed crab sushi... it's not just the crab on top - it's the rice and the tasty leaf (I don't know the name) - the combination is divine! Everything we have ordered is quite delicious! They serve wine and a variety of drinks, so we make a long afternoon at this place. Absolutely lovely!

I've been coming to this place for 12 years. Every time I return, I get more disappointed. Food is not like before and service is not that great anymore. I think it's because of all the tourists. I've seen 5 people coming in and only ordering for two. That being said, I know where they are coming from but I miss Japanese hospitality they used to have.

It's up there as one of the best meals I've ever had. Did I mention that it was a 9 course crab meal!!!!? I wish they had something like this in US, but it's ok, that's why we visit Japan!! The experience is even better with a bottle of sake! We didn't have a reservation, but we came on a Friday night, and we were able to get seated right away. We had our own little private room. I think they had a button on the table for when you needed anything. The best dish was the crab soup and the roasted crab. Definitely a must try if you're ever in Sapporo. It's kind of pricey, but I thought it was worth it! Even better than an AYCE seafood restaurant. We didn't plan on eating here but it just so happened to be about two blocks away from our hotel. Best unplanned foodieventure so far!!

If you want an "authentic" tourist experience, come check out this place! Known to have more tourists than locals, it's nonetheless crawling with tourists because of the great traditional experience you can have here. It gets crowded but feel free to head over, put down your name, and come back at the time slot they give you. You can just shop at the mall nearby or walk around sightseeing until then. We went for the hairy crab because that's what Sapporo is known for, and we opted to pick our crab live. We got to go to their little pond, pick out our crab and have it weighed (weight is what determines cost), and have it cooked and brought out about 30-40 minutes later. During that time, we munched away at other staples offered by Kani Honke, and enjoyed their nice selection of sake. It's especially great because you have the privacy of your own room. Do check out this not-so-hidden gem when you are in town!

At not much more (10-15%) than ordering the snow crab and king crap at the seafood market, Kani Honke is a great deal and fantastic experience. I had gone in expecting to order the 12,500 JPY set from the pictures on their website but my server said that was really intended for two people. I ended up with the lunch hotpot set (4300 JPY) and added a King Crab leg (2300 JPY) as it didn't include any King Crab. All the courses were delicious, especially hotpot which distinguishes it from the typical market BBQ/boil experience. I really enjoyed the rice porridge made with the leftover hotpot soup. Service is just fantastic even for English speakers. I highly recommend coming here for the Hokkaido crab experience.

Its pretty good place, if you love crab. They have packages cover whole spectrum of different dishes. Price are higher end, but good experience. And seafood was very fresh. I would say to check this out while in Sapporo. They have other location all over the Japan, also.

This meal just never stopped. I think we had 9 courses. And every one was eloquently made with king crab. We were so full after this meal luckily we had to walk to the train! The crab was nicely cracked open so no hard fighting with it. The sushi was tasteful and beautiful at the same time.

I was super keen to have a crab banquet while in Sapporo so we headed here. I'd read a lot online about needing to have a reservation but we went about 5pm and had no trouble getting a table (well, it was actually a whole room but I'll come to that!). The theatre of this place is awesome - the downstairs area is the welcome area and you take off your shoes and get taken into a lift. The restaurant seems like it's massive so I have no idea how many floors it covers. We got out the lift and were shown to a private dining room for the two of us which was set up for traditional Japanese dining (e.g. sitting on cushions on the floor!). There were SO many menus it was actually a bit overwhelming so we went with the easiest option - and the most expensive - the menu for two people at Y16,000 (£105). There was a tonne of food and the order it was served in was a little strange - I expected the full hairy crab to be one of the final dishes but it was actually served second. Some dishes were hit or miss but overall, it was a total feast and I definitely got my fill of crab! Everything was presented beautifully and the staff were super sweet and lovely. On our way out, I decided to buy a couple of the cute crab chopstick holders and the gentleman "upsold" me to get a gift pack which was actually a lot cheaper which I really appreciated. The only reason I'm giving this 4 rather than 5 is that we had better meals elsewhere for quite a bit cheaper, but I'd still go back!

We had our fill of crab at this restaurant. It was a very nice Japanese restaurant. You enter in and there's a cute little pond. Take off your shoes and go to the upstairs dining for private parties. We were warned to wear nice socks since we would have to take off our shoes. We settled in and they took our drink orders. Since they were expecting us, some of our food was already on the table. Everything was made with crab. Well, maybe except dessert and a few items, but everything was crab. We had steamed crab and sashimi crab, crab tofu, crab in a mochi thing. Just crab. It was so good and very, very filling. I didn't think we could finish it all. But we did. Service was good and friendly and the main thing the food was good. I hope to come back and eat here again.

3.5 stars. In hindsight, I think I should have ate at the seafood market directly than eating at a restaurant. There didn't really have much crabs on display and you don't get to choose which crab you get to eat which I think should have been part of the experience. It obviously cost a lot more eating here and you don't have the ability to negotiate the price of your meal which is both fun and a better deal. This felt like a tourist spot which I feel ashamed for getting tricked into. We were placed on a floor where I heard a ton of Mandarin speaking people and the waitresses were speaking some Mandarin. I tried all 3 crabs here: hairy crab, king crab, and the snow crab. The hairy crab served chill was probably the best out of the bunch at this restaurant. The king crab sukiyaki style for some odd reason didn't taste as fresh/good as I was hoping for. I'm guessing might be because it's not as fresh/live. I had a fresh king crab few days later at the seafood market and it tasted nothing like that (in a bad way). The snow crab was standard and perhaps similar to the king crab but I won't really know since I only got a fresh king crab at the seafood market. Lesson learned was just go to the seafood market to eat those fresh crabs. Not worth the comfort and not being able to pick out the crab you want to eat kind of was disappointing to say the least. Also it won't be as expensive!

Absolutely fresh and all seafood in general, great quality of food and beautiful dining area where customers will get their rooms. Customer service is thoughtful and comfortable for first time diners. Great place to visit for seafood lover, the price is definitely worth though not cheap. We spent around $80 usd per personal and the portion is a lot.

In one word, taste is good, price and quantity is bad. The whole course is based on one single crab. So you can image how much you can get when you paid for $100. Generally speaking if you have plenty of time to go to countryside to have a more good lunch with far less price.

Delicious fresh crab served in several different ways. We took a tour to Japan and this was one if our dinners. Crab was served sashimi style, steamed in a claypot, hot pot style, baked, and porridge. I would definitely recommend giving this place a try!

I tried to make online reservations for this restaurant before we arrived, to no avail. I attempted different locations but was still turned down. So when our flight was delayed and our original reservations somewhere else went busto, we had to figure out where to eat. Since it's located close to our hotel, we thought to pop our head in to see if they could take us as a walk-in. When we arrived, there was a sign in English that stated they were sorry but they're fully booked and were no longer talking walk-ins. Call it arrogance, denial or over-confidence but being able to speak Japanese, I thought I would give it a shot and voila! They were able to fit us in, as long as we agreed to finish our meal by 10pm. It was only 8:30pm so...no problem! We all ordered the 9 course meal, which came with crab prepared many different ways. My favorite was the raw crab and the grilled grab but everything was delicious too! There are different course options that come with either snow crab and king crab or a king crab only course. We elected the mix and were very happy with all the food that came out. The presentation is so pretty and this restaurant chain never disappoints. It was 9000 yen per person so it's definitely on the pricey side but if you're a crab lover, it's definitely worth checking out!

Visited there there years ago in summer for lunch, no waiting. Love that each table has its private room. We had three people and ordered two sets of crab courses, one hairy and one snow. Both were tasty. But the hairy was also super fresh since it was local. Added a single order for hairy crab after the two sets and left with a super satisfied and full appetite. The eating environment was very private and service was awesome!

This place is very crowded. When we get there, they told me that it is 20-40 mins waiting. I think that's ok, we waited and waited , after 40 minutes we were invited into another room then no one came over or offer any drink or anything. We waited there for another 15 mins , we are almost starving. Still no one came over or telling us anything about the situation. Then we went to ask , they told me that probably 30 mins more waiting. The initial waiting time posted there was absolutely untrustworthy. And no one actually cares about us over there. I wouldn't recommend going there at all if you don't have a reservation.

Food was just ok. Not too impressed by the overall quality of food. With about ¥7,000 per person. I expect better quality. I don't think I would come back. Perhaps the other crab dinner restaurant: Kaniya is better.

I give two star because food is good but don't welcome the foreign people service is terrible