The Best Yakiniku in Hokkaido (Local’s Picks)
If you love yakiniku (Japanese BBQ), you have to visit my hometown, Kitami! That’s where you’ll find the best yakiniku in Hokkaido.
This small city in Eastern Hokkaido is obsessed with grilled meat. We even have a winter BBQ festival… in -15°C/5°F!!
As I grew up, my parents who are big foodies took me to all the best yakiniku spots in town. In this post, I’ll share with you 5 local-favorite yakiniku restaurants that my family keeps going back to!
Why does Kitami have the best yakiniku in Hokkaido?
While most of Hokkaido is all about Jingisukan (grilled lamb), in Kitami, we proudly love beef and pork yakiniku.
Why? Back in the early 1900s, there was a meat processing plant in the town, and thanks to that, locals had easy access to fresh cuts of beef and pork. That’s how the city’s love for yakiniku started.
Today, Kitami has the highest number of yakiniku restaurants per capita in Hokkaido! We even have our own style:
- Grill with Shichirin (charcoal tabletop grills)
- Use fresh, unseasoned meat
- Dip in a signature sauce made with fruits and onions
- Eat lots of offal (horumon), which is a local favorite
If you want to experience true Hokkaido BBQ (not the touristy one), Kitami is the best place. Here are my top 5 favorite restaurants!
1. Yojo Horumon
Yojo Horumon (四条ホルモン) has been one of the most popular yakiniku restaurants in Kitami for more than 40 years, and always crowded with local people. It is easily accessible from Kitami Station and there are many bars and restaurants around as well.
Smokeless grills are installed in all the tables, so you won’t be bothered with smoke getting into your eyes. The restaurant’s recommendations are beef short rib (牛カルビ), beef hanging tender (牛サガリ), pork offal (豚ホルモン), pork neck (豚トロ).
Information
- Hours: 5PM-11PM (Closed on Mondays)
- Access: 5 min walk from Kitami Station
2. Yakiniku Horiguchi
Yakiniku Horiguchi is a family-owned restaurant. The family also runs a butcher, so they serve really fresh meat at their restaurant straight from the butcher.
Most of the customers are locals, and the owner family is very friendly. This is the best place if you want to have a local yakiniku experience in a livery and cozy restaurant! I would recommend their pork offal (豚ホルモン), beef hanging tender (牛サガリ) and beef liver (牛レバー).
Information
- Hours: 5PM-9PM (Closed on Mondays)
- Access: 20 min walk from Kitami Station, or take a bus “11 Koizumi Hikarino Sono Line” or “3 Toryo Undo Koen Line” from Kitami Station and get off at “Hokumoken Bunka Senta,” 10 min ride.
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3. Mikakuen, Ginza Brunch
Mikakuen is a popular yakiniku restaurant chain in Kitami. Its Ginza branch offers great deals on all you can eat! You shouldn’t underestimate yakiniku in Kitami.
The quality of meat is surprisingly good even for all you can eat. You can choose as many as 150 kinds of dishes from their menu, including a wide variety of meat of course, seafood, vegetables, noodles, rice dishes and desserts.
All you can eat for food only is just 2,300 yen (21 USD) with 90 min time limit. If you want to add all you can drink, it will be 2,500 yen (23 USD) with non-alcoholic drinks and 3,500 yen (33 USD) with alcohol in total.
Information
- Hours: 5PM – 11.30PM
- Access: 10 min walk from Kitami Station
4. Mikakuen, sohonten brunch
This is the flagship branch of Mikakuen. They have fancier menu than the Ginza brunch and serve many kinds of cuts that are difficult to find. Their meat is all delicious, as well as side dishes.
I’m especially a big fan of their cold noodles (冷麺) – it’s a must-try! This restaurant is quite crowded on weekends, so you might want to make a reservation beforehand.
Information
- Hours: 5PM – 11PM
- Access: 10 min walk from Kitami Station
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5. Akatombo
I was wondering if I should put this restaurant on the list, because it is an absolute favorite of my family for the last couple of years that I kind of wanted to keep secret… but here it is! Akatombo is a small cozy restaurant run by two ladies.
The meat they serve is very fresh and comes in a large portion at a reasonable price. My family’s favorite dishes here are beef hanging tender(牛サガリ), pork neck (豚トロ), beef liver (牛レバー) and daikon radish salad!
Information
- Hours: 5.30PM – 9PM (closed on Mondays and Tuesdays)
- Access: 10 min by car from Kitami Station, or take a bus “2 Miyama Line” from Kitami Station and get off at “Miyama Daini Danchi” (15 min-20min)
Bonus – Niku no Kappo Tamura in Bihoro
It’s not in Kitami, but I really wanted to include one more restaurant here. Niku no Kappo Tamura in Bihoro, which is just 30 min drive away from Kitami and 15 min from Memambetsu Airport, is another favorite restaurant of my family for more than a decade.
They use gas stoves here unlike the restaurants in Kitami, but the quality of meat is guaranteed. They have a variety of high-end fatty and tender beef cuts, so if you want to go a little fancy, here is a good choice. It is also convenient to drop by on the way to the airport.
Information
- Hours: 11.30AM – 2.30PM, 5PM – 9.30PM
- Access: 15 min walk from Bihoro Station, 15 min from Memambetsu Airport and 30 min from Kitami by car
Planning to visit Kitami?
So glad you’re thinking of traveling to my hometown!
Kitami is a great base for making day trips to explore Eastern Hokkaido. You can go to Lake Akan and Abashiri in one hour, Lake Kussharo in 1.5 hours, and Shiretoko in 2 hours by car.
If you’re with young kids, my favorite one-day trip destination from Kitami is Onneyu, just 40 mins away drive!
I also packed all my favorite local spots in Kitami into my travel guide ⬇️
Plan your perfect trip with local gems and zero tourist traps.
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✅ Know exactly which tourist traps to skip so you stop wasting time and money.
✅ Experience Eastern Hokkaido like you have a local friend showing you around.
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