Many sightseeing spots are clustered around Sakaimachi-dori. Otaru Poseidon is one Otaru restaurant where you can get seafood bowls and grilled main dishes at reasonable prices. Close to the Otaru Canal, it is the perfect place to take a break for lunch or dinner when sightseeing.

Many types of seafood caught in the sea near Otaru are displayed at the counter, and one of the pleasures is to watch experienced chefs preparing dishes before your very eyes as you wait for your order to be served.

You'll love watching grilled the dishes being prepared and then served with a flourish on a large rice paddle to customers at the counter. There are also tables and a kids’ room, so this is a place where families are welcome to come and enjoy themselves.

Unga-don [Canal Bowl] (540 yen) and Kaisen Tobikko-don [Seafood and Flying Fish Bowl] (540 yen) are among some of the reasonably priced items on the menu. These seafood bowls are luxuriously heaped high with the freshest Otaru ingredients.

The most popular of these is the Posei-don – 9 different types of fresh seafood heaped on a bowl of white rice. This dish also comes with teppojiru (miso soup with crab meat) and Japanese pickles on the side, all for only 2,268 yen.

Other popular dishes are the Oyako-don consisting of salmon and salmon roe (1,188 yen) and the Yokubari Kaisen-don (1,620 yen), a bowl adorned with several kinds of neta. The menu also includes fried scallops (540 yen) and the extra-large overflowing dish of grilled mackerel (1,620 yen), as well as other grilled dishes full of flavor.

Kaisenya Yoshidon, directly managed by a popular sushi shop, is famous for the flavor and size of its seafood bowls. Located a short walk towards the canal from the Otaru Sushiya-dori, it is easily accessible from Otaru Station and sightseeing spots.

At this Otaru restaurant, you either sit at the counter or Japanese-style seating on tatami mats in the rear. You're sure to fall in love with the relaxed atmosphere of this shop, a perfect place to stretch your legs after a bit of sightseeing.

As a rule, it only operates during the lunch hour, but if arrangements are made in advance, it is possible for banquet courses to be prepared with assistance given by local customers. The seafood dishes use only the most excellent quality fish from a first-rate sushi shop, which is sure to please even the most demanding gourmet.

Using ingredients carefully selected by the sushi shop that directly manages it, this popular Otaru restaurant boasts bowls heaping with ingredients on beds of rice prepared with specially made red vinegar.

The best-selling item on the menu is the Hokkai-don, a bowl overflowing with crab, salmon roe, and of course, Otaru sea urchin (3,500 yen). The sea urchin is so delicious it melts in your mouth!

Two more popular dishes are the Yoshi Tokusen Kaisen-don (2,500 yen), limited to only 15 servings per day, and the Bikkuri-don (5,000 yen) which contains a variety of unusual ingredients of the most exceptional quality, as your eyes will testify.

In addition to the seafood bowls, the menu includes several other tasty dishes made from fresh seafood such as the Atka Mackerel Set Lunch (1,500 yen), grilled squid (800 yen), and grilled Ezo abalone (3,000 yen). These large bowl dishes are noted for their flavor and volume and are a delight to the eye as well as filling and satisfying.

Aotsuka Shokudo is an Otaru restaurant operated by a local fisherman in the Shukutsu area, a section of scenic spots spread along the Sea of Japan. This inn is famous for its fabulous views from dawn to dusk of beautiful Shukutsu. Herring is charcoal-grilled in front of the shop, the enticing aroma filling the air.

Inside tables and koagari (floor-seating) can accommodate 100 people, giving you an idea of its spaciousness. It has a pure atmosphere typical of a diner in a fishing town, one that is warm and relaxing. Popular nearby sightseeing spots are offering spectacular views of the area, such as the Otaru Shukutsu Panorama Observation Deck, Nishin Goten (Herring Palace), and the Otaru Aquarium which are definitely worth visiting.

It is located only a 15-minute drive from Otaru Station, but there are other ways to get here, such as by a sightseeing ship that leaves Otaru Port and skirts the beautiful Otamoi Coast arriving at Shukutsu Port. On some days, you can even see pods of dolphins swimming alongside the boat!

This Otaru diner is directly operated by a fisherman and serves the finest catches of the day and prepared either as sashimi or grilled.

Shukutsu is blessed with abundant herring catches. The herring being cooked over charcoal at the entrance is served in the famous dish called Tokudai Nishin Yaki (Special Large Grilled Herring) that costs only 990 yen. The set lunch, Tokudai Nishin Yaki Teishoku, of charcoal-cooked herring costs 1,390 yen, and Nishin Soba (herring in soba noodles) costs 1,200 yen. These are just some of the many herring dishes offered.

While Hokkaido is famous for herring, there are also many other kinds of dishes made with seafood from the nearby sea. Summer is the season for sea urchins, Atka mackerel, hakka (sailfin poacher), and other fish in which Otaru takes pride.

Popular bowl dishes on the menu are Nama Uni-don (bowl of raw sea urchin) [price depends on availability], Ikura-don (bowl of salmon roe) [2,380 yen], Kaisen-don (fresh seafood bowl) [2,998 yen], prices possible because a fisherman operates the diner.

If you want to taste the most delicious fish caught at the right time, then we recommend the Sashimi Moriawase (a combination of slices of different kinds of raw fish) [starting at 2,160 yen] comprised of the season’s best neta.

The Otaru Unga Shokudo located along the Otaru Canal is a commercial complex situated in a historical stone warehouse and home to a number of shops offering Hokkaido cuisine.

One such shop tucked away in a corner is called Unga Ramen Akari. This cozy Otaru restaurant has an old-fashioned diner atmosphere with a counter that can seat 10 and four tables able to seat four people each. It may not be spacious, but the atmosphere is relaxing and the food delicious.

The ramen is made from 100% Hokkaido wheat. The soul food of Otaru is ankake yakisoba (fried noodles covered with a thick sauce) and is a menu staple. This is local dish that satisfies the discerning palates of local residents.

Meibutsu Hama Champon (1,670 yen) is a dish especially popular with local residents and one you really should try. The soup broth is salt based and made with dried adductor muscles of shellfish and dried shrimp. This clear, mellow soup brings out the deep flavors of the crab, shrimp and other plentiful fresh ingredients.

The Otaru Kaisen Ankake Yakisoba (1,530 yen), fried noodles in a thick sauce mixed with large portions of seafood, is another dish popular among Otaru residents. Mix the noodles fried to a golden color together with the warm sauce.

For Hokkaido crab lovers we recommend the Kani Miso Ramen (crab butter ramen) that goes for 2,780 yen. This soup is made with white miso and has king crab and snow crab for ingredients, and is topped off with kani miso (crab butter).

The four Otaru restaurants introduced above are great places for enjoying fresh seafood dishes. They are perfect places for taking a break from your sightseeing to enjoy lunch or dinner.

Otaru has more to offer than just the beauty of its historical buildings, so when you come, we highly recommend you sample the delicious seafood cuisine, too.