The yakitori in Muroran is excellent, and the half-fried young chicken is outstanding! The sake is also reasonably priced, so when you come to Hokkaido, in addition to seafood, I recommend visiting this local favorite restaurant! Yakitori Ippin in Noboribetsu Station area is one of the few restaurants that stay open until relatively late, so reservations are essential! Whenever I visit Noboribetsu, I always stop by Yakitori Ippin Noboribetsu store. This time, I visited two nights in a row. I ordered mainly Muroran yakitori and the young chicken half-fried that I really wanted to try. Muroran Yakitori is a type of grilled skewered dish made with pork and onions, as well as chicken and other ingredients, commonly known as yakitori in the Muroran area. Looking back at its history, in the early Showa period, farmers started raising pigs to increase food production. In Rashi, the central area of steel factories and other industries in Muroran, eateries catering to laborers began to increase, and they started selling regular yakitori and pork skewers together as "yakitori." This tradition has continued to this day, and it is now known as "Muroran Yakitori." As you may know, Noboribetsu Onsen is a well-known hot spring resort in Japan. Many tourists, including foreigners, visit the area. Due to this, hotel prices are quite high, attracting group tours or relatively affluent guests. However, there are few restaurants in the area that stay open late. That's why Yakitori Ippin is a unique restaurant that attracts both foreign visitors and locals, despite being located in the countryside. Yakitori Ippin is a chain restaurant mainly centered in Muroran and Noboribetsu, but the menu content varies significantly at each store. The location of the restaurant is about a 3-minute walk from JR Noboribetsu Station towards the hot springs. If you drive, it's just around the corner from National Route 36 towards Noboribetsu Station. There are about five parking spaces, but in the countryside, people tend to park as they please. Inside the restaurant, there are about six counter seats, table seats, a raised tatami area, and a private room, providing ample seating. In Tokyo, a yakitori restaurant of this size would be considered a major chain. There is a grilling station behind the counter where they diligently grill the skewers. When I visited at 18:30, the restaurant was already quite busy, showing its popularity. I ordered various types of Muroran yakitori, including the representative pork skewers. You can choose between sauce and salt seasoning, but I recommend the sauce. When dipped in this sweet and savory sauce with a touch of mustard, the combination of the oil's sweetness and the meat's texture is delicious. At Yakitori Ippin Noboribetsu store, they use regular quail instead of quail eggs with shells. By the way, Muroran is the only town in Hokkaido that raises quails, so this could also be considered a Muroran yakitori dish. The tsukune (chicken meatball) is grilled to a crispy finish after being dipped in sauce. It's quite large and satisfying to eat. The highlight of this visit was the half-fried young chicken. I didn't even know such a dish existed until I saw another customer eating it and became interested. According to the chef, it's a hidden gem on the menu. The half-fried chicken can be cut into smaller pieces or eaten as is. It's lightly fried with salt seasoning. The young chicken served here is larger than what you would typically find in the same price range in Tokyo. The golden-brown fried chicken has an excellent visual and aroma. The crispy chicken skin has just the right amount of saltiness, and the breast meat is moist and tender, despite being piping hot. I finished it all in one go! While "Naruto" is famous for half-fried chicken in Hokkaido, the taste here is far superior. Comparing a restaurant that fries a large quantity of chicken like Naruto to one that fries a small quantity like this one is nonsensical.

Hmm? I don't think I've been to the Noboribetsu branch before... so I decided to come check it out. It's right near Noboribetsu Station, with parking nearby. There are both counter and tatami seating options, and the retro atmosphere is quite calming. The complimentary dish was spicy bean sprouts. ★Muroran Yakitori Muroran yakitori is best with sauce. It goes really well with this not-too-spicy mustard. The garlic one had fried garlic on top. ★Cold Tofu with Green Onion, Ginger, and Bonito Flakes. Various toppings. ★Tofu Salad I was imagining tofu on top of the vegetables, but what I got was like tofu carpaccio! The tofu was the main focus with fewer vegetables. It had whitebait, tomato, shiso, seaweed, and some kind of chopped pickled item, among other things. ★Garlic Grilled Rice Ball (with diced pork) 360 yen It was deliciously crispy and fragrant, but after finishing all the yakitori and other dishes, the rice ball came last... I wanted to eat it with the yakitori... It comes with miso soup. (Rice, miso soup, and pickles are included) ★Cheese, Shiso, and Pork Roll-Up Tempura 580 yen I had ordered this and regretted it at other branches, but I ended up ordering it again... The cheese was not very tasty, and the pork had a strong smell... All four pieces had a strong smell... It took some effort to finish them... Thanks for the meal!

I visited Ippei Noboribetsu store for the first time in a while to use my GoTo ticket. I had bonito sashimi, tuna sashimi on rice, tarako tempura, and appetizers. The bonito sashimi had a good taste but was slightly frozen, affecting the texture. The tuna sashimi on rice was average in taste, but the amount of tuna was a bit lacking. The tarako tempura was a bit disappointing in flavor. The appetizers, however, were delicious. Although I didn't try the yakitori, I appreciate the variety of seafood options available as a seafood lover.

It's a normal yakitori restaurant. If you want to eat yakitori, it's fine. The menu seems more suitable for solo diners, so it can be a bit tricky to order when going with multiple people. I'm not sure if it's because of the layout of the restaurant or if they were just busy, but when you call "Excuse me" to place an additional order, they don't come right away. But they haven't forgotten. They will come to check. I felt like having cheerful and friendly staff with a smile could improve the atmosphere. Oh, it's not bad though.

Muranaka Yaki-tori in Muroran, also known as the soul food of Muroran, has become extremely famous. The unique style of grilling pork belly and onions has gained a lot of support from locals, families, businessmen, and tourists. Muroran Yaki-tori has many longstanding shops, but Yaki-tori Ichihira stands out for its affordability, variety of menu options, and widespread popularity. The secret sweet sauce passed down through generations is now a tradition at Ichihira. They use Kishu Binchotan charcoal to grill the meat juicy and flavorful without any off-flavors. The Western-style mustard sauce is essential for Muroran Yaki-tori. Ichihira offers a variety of menu items in addition to their signature Yaki-tori, making it a popular choice for many. The prices are reasonable and the food is delicious, making it a worthwhile visit. The Muroran Yaki-tori Standard, Bara-tare, is a must-try. The sweet and savory sauce complements the pork belly and onions perfectly. The Bara-shio and Bara-no-on-parade are also delicious options. The salt sauce has a sharp saltiness that is different from the tare sauce. The salt used is a special blend of several types of self-roasted natural salt. The drinks may be a bit pricey, but the shochu comes in a generous one-cup serving. The day I visited, there were many foreign customers, showing the efforts to cater to international needs. Ichihira in Muroran is a highly recommended place to enjoy Muroran Yaki-tori. In Muroran, pork skewers are called Yaki-tori, which has a historical background related to the city's coal mining industry. Muroran used to be a coal mining port, leading to the development of heavy industries like steel production. During the war, pig farming was encouraged for food production, and pork skewers became popular among the locals. Over time, the style of grilling pork belly, onions, and mustard became known as "Yaki-tori," evolving into the soul food of Muroran. Muroran Yaki-tori is a dish that has been cultivated through the city's rich history.

I walked along the street in front of Noboribetsu Onsen looking to spend money in the area, but it was completely deserted with only a pachinko parlor and two restaurants open. I decided to try one of the yakitori restaurants, not expecting much. To my surprise, it was packed with customers and the yakitori was delicious. I later found out that it was a chain restaurant with seven locations in Hokkaido, founded in 1950. I wanted to try more dishes but had to leave to visit another open restaurant.

The atmosphere was great and the food was delicious! The liver was incredibly thick and recommended! It was so tender that even those who are not fans of liver would be able to eat it. I will definitely stop by again when I visit Noboribetsu.

It was delicious!

I was able to have my way with the banquet course, and I want to go again. The yakitori was delicious.

When I returned to Hokkaido, I visited a famous restaurant that serves Muroran specialty grilled chicken skewers. The prices are reasonable and I highly recommend this restaurant.

When it comes to Noboribetsu, the Bear Farm is a must-visit! We didn't go there, but after exploring this area, we decided to visit a day onsen. We made a reservation by phone and entered the restaurant at 5 pm. Many reserved customers arrived one after another, and those without reservations were being turned away. Maybe it was because of Obon season or the restaurant's popularity, but we were lucky to get in smoothly. However, due to the full house, the service was a bit slow. The food was on the salty side, and the meat was a bit tough. Everything came with mustard, even the yakitori and crab cream croquette. It seemed like a mustard-themed restaurant. Despite that, our empty stomachs were satisfied as we headed back to Sapporo with energy. Thank you for the meal!

I visited a yakitori restaurant during a business trip (basically, a drinking party). Since I don't drink, I was the designated driver. Let's make sure everyone has a good time. The restaurant is located in Noboribetsu, and it has a somewhat traditional look, maybe because it's close to the Date Jidaimura. Inside, jazz music is playing at a fairly high volume. "Muroran yakitori" is grilled pork skewers. I learned from a colleague that for these pork skewers, you can choose between sauce and salt & pepper, and the traditional way to eat them is with sauce and mustard. It was delicious yakitori. This time, we used the restaurant for a party, and the menu had a variety of izakaya dishes that pleased everyone, regardless of age or gender (or in my case, being a non-drinker). I wish I could have eaten more Muroran yakitori. Thank you for the meal.

It's like a scene from a drama, the image I extracted. I went there on Lung Day Friday. It's the yakitori restaurant that was also used as a filming location for the Wednesday drama "Hokkaido Police Case File: Assistant Inspector Seiko Gojo 3 - Murder Case in Noboribetsu and Muroran." In the drama, the manager and president of the restaurant were the culprits of the murder case. It's the restaurant called "Muroran Yakitori Ichihira," where AKB48's former team manager Yui Han visited with her family. It's a 5-minute walk from JR Noboribetsu Station. It's Friday and the restaurant is almost full. When you order a sweet potato shochu on the rocks, you get this sake set with a mountain of ice! It's a great deal for 500 yen. The yakitori that the main character Seiko Gojo, Assistant Inspector, ate in the drama was this pork skewer. In Muroran, Hokkaido, when you say yakitori, it refers to this pork skewer with special sauce. Of course, you eat it with mustard. When you come here, you can't miss this white hormone skewer. The gizzard is seasoned with salt. The chewy gizzard is delicious. The Hokkaido specialty ramen salad, where the noodles are the main focus. It's generously topped with sesame dressing. The ramen salad here is particular about resembling ramen. The sashimi platter changes daily. The horse mackerel is fresh! It comes with a tsukune egg, which makes it milder. Bacon rice cake, which you can also make at a campsite, is a must-try. Muroran Yakitori Ichihira. It appeared many times in the drama. With this, I've completed the recent Shukutsu Park and the Muroran Police Station. By the way, it's been 20 years since I last visited Yakitori Ichihira in Noboribetsu. At that time, I was living in an apartment next to the nearby Marine Park Nix. So, I used to come here often. The manager from back then seems to be gone now. Drinking at a filming location is also great! That was my review on Tabelog. & Introduction of filming location. It's not on the Noboribetsu Tourism Association's page. This post was made from an iPhone.

Before going to Noboribetsu Onsen, I took the time to visit this restaurant specifically. I heard that this restaurant serves Muroran Yakitori, which is known as one of the best Yakitori in the country. The main store in Muroran is considered the number one Yakitori restaurant. The result was beyond my expectations, it was a wonderful restaurant. I don't like chicken meat and onions, but Muroran Yakitori uses pork instead of chicken and onions. Pork is good for me, but onions are not. However, the onions in the Yakitori did not bother me at all, it fit well with the dish. I imagined the interior of the restaurant to be a bit dirty, but it had a great atmosphere with jazz music playing. It was unexpectedly good. I live near the hometown of Yakitori, Higashimatsuyama in Saitama, and I often go to Higashimatsuyama Yakitori because my friend lives there. Higashimatsuyama Yakitori mainly uses sweet sauce with big pieces of pork head meat, while Muroran Yakitori uses a more elegant and refined sauce with a female touch. Preferences vary from person to person. The restaurant also has a good selection of alcohol and the staff are friendly. Highly recommended.

"Ipppei Noboribetsu Store" is located about a 5-minute walk straight from JR Noboribetsu Station. It is a well-known restaurant that now has several stores in Sapporo as well. The specialty of this restaurant is definitely the Muroran yakitori (pork). The tender pork dipped in the secret sauce, combined with onions, creates a harmony that is irresistible and you can't stop eating. And we must not forget the presence of "karashi" (mustard). By dipping it in this, the flavor increases significantly. The roots are unknown, but it is impressive how well thought out it is. Thanks to this, Muroran yakitori is now associated with mustard. From Muroran yakitori to Bibai yakitori, the steel town and the coal town, the people working there were good at coming up with ideas. I couldn't help but feel the history of Hokkaido."

One of the most famous branches of the Muroran Yakitori shop "Ippei". Located about a 3-minute walk straight from Noboribetsu Station. I had heard that Muroran Yakitori is unique in that it uses pork and onions, but in my hometown of Kyushu, this is quite common, and I have also experienced Yakitori with mustard in Shikoku, so I felt a sense of familiarity rather than curiosity. The impression that the size of the ingredients skewered on the skewers is large is stronger than what kind of ingredients are used. The appeal of Muroran Yakitori lies in the deliciousness of biting and eating heartily, different from the fussy Yakitori. The sweetness of the fat is modest, but the satisfaction of the chewiness and volume is high and delicious. The mustard also seemed to be a special one with added effort, mild and flavorful, and it went well with this Yakitori. In addition to Yakitori, the gizzard, tsukune with quail eggs, and others were delicious. Besides Yakitori, the ramen salad and charcoal-grilled salmon belly were also delicious. The general izakaya menu was also substantial. The menu is extensive, so I would like to revisit and try other dishes. The space of the restaurant is spacious, relatively quiet, and has a relaxed atmosphere. I was able to eat and drink comfortably.