The area around Sapporo Station has been redeveloped in recent years and, as the heart of the city, it brings together many functions, with local office workers and shoppers constantly coming and going. It's a hub for food trends, home to many ramen shops that experiment with new ingredients and take pride in their own style. Plenty of diners come from outside the city and even outside Hokkaido, and here you can find bowls of ramen full of Hokkaido character.

“These days many ramen shops insist on local ingredients, but this was the first shop to commit to Hokkaido ingredients.” Mr. Sugawara’s first pick is Ramen Sapporo Ichiryuan. A “green lantern” hangs out front, certifying that at least 50% of its ingredients are local or domestic. Located in the basement dining area of a building directly connected to Sapporo Subway Station, it’s easy to get to. With 90% of its ingredients from Hokkaido, this shop serves miso ramen made with real dedication.

The shop’s signature Genki no Deru Miso Ramen (元気のでるみそラーメン) is a rare ramen featuring gyoja ninniku (Alpine leek), a wild mountain vegetable that heralds spring in Hokkaido.

It’s known for its excellent nourishing and energizing properties, but since it’s a type of garlic, you might worry about bad breath afterward... No need! The shop has developed its own cooking method that prevents odor so that you can enjoy it even at lunch. The miso is made at a factory in Sapporo using only Hokkaido soybeans and salt, and blended with aged miso for a rich flavor.

Another point of pride is the house-made noodles, made from 100% Hokkaido wheat with a rich wheat flavor. Using Yumechikara flour gives them a chewy, springy texture that's also smooth to slurp.

Spotlights keep the interior softly lit, creating a grown-up atmosphere. The surrounding area is one of Sapporo’s best-known business districts, bustling with office workers and tourists.

Located between JR Sapporo Station and Odori Subway Station, Sapporo Ramen HACHI is in a building next to the famous Sapporo Clock Tower. Its signature bowls include Chinese-style ramen with clear chicken broth and Sapporo ramen enriched with ground pork for extra depth and flavor, both made with Hokkaido ingredients.

Mr. Tada’s pick is the Tori Dashi Chuka Soba Shoyu (鶏出汁中華そば 醤油), a soy sauce ramen with chicken broth. He says with admiration, “In this prime location full of offices and government buildings, serving Chinese-style ramen this delicious at this price shows how hard this shop works.”

The broth is distinctive: local Otaru chicken forms the base, with whole Hokkaido chickens, laying hens, and young chicken bones added and simmered over low heat to draw out their flavor. The soy sauce tare blends light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, tamari, and raw soy sauce with sun-dried salt for a result full of umami and aroma.

This broth pairs perfectly with low-hydration straight noodles made from whole-wheat flour and chashu made from Japanese pork shoulder loin. The noodles are neatly folded in the bowl, showing the attention paid to presentation and the aesthetics of the owner, who began learning to make ramen at 19.

The other signature bowl is an upgraded Sapporo Miso Ramen (札幌味噌ラーメン). Pure lard, grated garlic, and plenty of ground pork are added to the chicken-rich broth for extra flavor, and the miso tare is a blend of several kinds of miso and rice koji. The chewy, aged wavy noodles soak up the broth and carry its flavor into every bite.

The toppings are carefully chosen, too: finely chopped onion and leek add texture, sesame-flavored bamboo shoots add variety, and bonito-flavored tempura bits deepen the broth. As you eat, the grated ginger dissolves, and the broth’s richness gradually changes, keeping it delicious to the last bite.

With café-like décor and jazz playing in the background, the shop is a comfortable space that blends in with its surroundings. There are many hotels nearby, making it convenient for tourists.

Gantetsu (がんてつ) Sapporo Nishiguchi is located in a shopping facility under the elevated tracks extending west from JR Sapporo Station. Its convenient location means you don’t have to worry about rain or snow, and it’s supported by a wide range of customers, from station users and shoppers around Sapporo Station to nearby office workers and students.

“I highly recommend the miso ramen. The broth concentrates the umami and sweetness of pork bones simmered for a long time.” Mr. Sugawara’s pick, the Miso Ramen (味噌らあめん), features a mellow, rich flavor.

Hokkaido pork bones, especially the thigh bones (genkotsu), are boiled over very high heat for about 12 hours while the scum is carefully skimmed off, creating a base broth that’s thick, savory, and sweet without any unpleasant smell. Finished with flavorful miso the owner carefully selected from across Japan and paired with springy noodles aged for five days at a constant temperature, it makes for a bowl with real impact.

The side dishes are popular too, and many customers order fried rice with their ramen. Each portion is carefully stir-fried over high heat, keeping the rice moist while every grain stays distinct, and its smoky aroma whets the appetite. Even alongside ramen, it disappears in no time, and big pieces of chashu make it even tastier. You can share a plate with friends, or try the ramen and half-fried rice set (miso 1,050 yen; soy sauce or salt 1,000 yen).

In the long, narrow shop, the counter and regular seats are spaced well apart, so you can relax and enjoy your ramen. Another plus is that it stays open relatively late for a shop near JR Sapporo Station.

Men no Hinauta (麺のひな詩) is in a slightly quieter area on the east side of central Sapporo. Close to the hotels on the east side of JR Sapporo Station and near the large shopping mall Sapporo Factory, it’s a popular ramen shop with lots of customers every day.

The second-generation owner has extensive experience running ramen shops and developing menus, and his ramen features a milky-white chicken paitan broth that looks and tastes great. Its defining feature is a “rich” flavor that looks heavy but tastes light and clean.

As Mr. Tada says in his recommendation, “You can taste the gentle flavor of the chicken broth.” The chicken paitan ramen has no unnecessary flavors; it tastes clean while packed with umami. The salt ramen shows this off best, and the light yet umami-rich miso ramen has reportedly become popular lately, too.

Topped with seared chashu and a well-marinated soft-boiled egg, the luxurious Toro Tama Chashu-men (トロ玉チャーシュー麺) lets you enjoy the delicious broth and is very filling. Highly recommended!

The shop’s pride, the broth, is made by simmering whole chickens, leeks, and onions over high heat for about 8 hours to extract their umami and collagen carefully. No garlic is used, and a little lard is added at the end for aroma. With less salt, it has a clean aftertaste and a gentle flavor you could eat every day. The noodles are carefully chosen too: medium-thick wavy noodles or thin wavy noodles depending on the broth, both Sapporo-style egg noodles.

The bright, clean interior makes it easy for women dining alone to feel comfortable.

“Whether or not tantanmen counts as ramen, you can’t talk about noodle dishes in Sapporo without this shop,” says Mr. Sugawara of 175°DENO Tantanmen Sapporo Kitaguchi. Opened in 2013, it serves tantanmen unlike the kind most people know, in flavor, appearance, and kick. Since opening, it has quickly spread from Sapporo to Tohoku and Tokyo, setting off a mala-numbing craze in the food world. There are now five locations in Sapporo, and 175°DENO Tantanmen Sapporo Kitaguchi is close to the north exit of JR Sapporo Station.

As Mr. Sugawara puts it, “There’s umami hidden in the heat.”

The most popular dish is the White Sesame Soupless Tantanmen (白ごま汁なし担担麺): house-made chili oil, sesame sauce, and seasoned stir-fried ground meat mixed with custom-made flat noodles. This one-of-a-kind original tantanmen was created by the owner, who traveled to Chengdu in Sichuan, China, ate his way through famous shops across Japan, and gained experience at all kinds of restaurants. The keys are rare, prized Sichuan peppercorns, once recognized by Chinese emperors, and the house-made “175° chili oil.”

The house-made chili oil and top-grade Sichuan peppercorns deliver heat, aroma, and a numbing tingle with striking umami. The lemon-like fragrance that spreads through your mouth and the tingling sensation have won over many fans, and cashews add a great crunch. You can choose the level of numbness and spiciness, add toppings and extra peppercorns, and enjoy it your own way.

175°DENO has a wide menu. With the roots of DENO's tantanmen in Sichuan, China, the shop is also skilled at incorporating authentic Sichuan cuisine. The DENO Mabo-men (DENO 麻婆麺), made with the umami, numbing tingle, and heat of "175° chili oil" and house-made mapo sauce, combines Sichuan cuisine with 175°DENO's style. Generous noodles are added to the highly original mapo tofu, making this a bowl that opens up a whole new world of mapo tofu.

With a stylish space and fashionable tableware, it's no wonder it's popular with women.