Samon Shokudo is a recommended restaurant in Otaru, located along the dim underground passageway next to the Otaru City Hall. The restaurant is half underground but still gets some sunlight, making it a comfortable dining spot even in the hot Hokkaido weather. Their fried rice is delicious and priced at 520 yen, although they don't offer a larger portion. The fried rice has a perfect balance of moistness and texture, making it a classic and satisfying dish. It comes with a miso soup with two large meatballs. Samon Shokudo is a must-visit spot in Otaru, especially for those traveling by car. They are open on weekdays from 11:00 AM to 1:45 PM. Although they don't offer a larger portion, their fried rice is flavorful and filling. The cold barley tea is also a nice touch. Thank you for the meal.

As a resident of Otaru, I didn't have any business at the city hall. I just visited this cafeteria because I like employee cafeterias. I was a bit anxious at first, with security guards in the parking lot and the possibility of needing a stamp from a department. But it turned out to be nothing. The city hall is a retro building and the cafeteria is located in a separate annex in the basement. It's a bit dim down there. Inside the entrance, there is a ticket machine on the right with options like an ankake yakisoba or set meals displayed with big buttons. I wondered if those were the recommended choices. There were also ramen, soba, curry, etc. Everything was cheap! I bought the chicken cutlet set meal for 550 yen, handed the ticket to the counter, and waited until they called out the dish name and number. The main plate had a small chicken cutlet, a bit of cabbage, and spaghetti salad. The rice was served in a small bowl. There was also miso soup and pickles. The portion size was moderate, not for those who eat a lot. The cutlet was juicy and crispy, made with freshly fried thigh meat. It was delicious, and I finished it all, but it was a hot day, and I was sweating a lot since there was no air conditioning. I liked it, so I look forward to my next visit. I'll try the ankake yakisoba, cutlet curry, or ankake ramen next time.

Today's lunch. I had it at the cafeteria of the Otaru City Hall. Boiled fish set meal (580 yen) ... The boiled fish was either hokke or kasube, and I chose kasube. Kasube is a type of ray fish. It has a thick flesh and a delicious simmered flavor similar to what you can get at a local restaurant. The texture of the cartilage was also nice. Have you ever eaten such high-quality kasube simmer before? ... This was my first time. And it was at the city hall cafeteria (excuse me). The miso soup was the perfect richness, and the simmered dried radish was also delicious. This set meal was worth 580 yen. This means that the hokke must be delicious too. I think there are many delicious things to try in Otaru, but I am confident that this is a hidden gem. The Otaru City Hall building is a historical structure where you can experience the atmosphere of Otaru. However, the cafeteria is located in the underground of the historical building, giving it a different kind of historical charm, which in turn adds a nostalgic "Otaru-like" feel. And the fish set meal also had a deliciousness that made me feel the "Otaru-like" charm. Thank you for the meal.

In April 2023, during my 8th visit to Otaru, I came across a review praising the "Ankake Yakisoba" at the lowest price in Otaru city, priced at 670 yen. Intrigued by this claim, I asked my boss to take me there in the limousine for a visit. The Otaru City Hall, like many other municipal buildings, appears quite old, but still retains the charming atmosphere of Otaru. On the ground floor of the City Hall, there is a cafeteria that caught my attention with its "Miso Ramen Set" priced at 880 yen. The miso ramen was light and not bad at all, with toppings like seaweed, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, and chashu. The noodles seemed to be locally made, but were on the softer side. The fried rice was also light and different from typical Chinese-style fried rice. The owner of the cafeteria used to run an izakaya before taking over this cafeteria at the City Hall. Looking at the menu, I noticed they offered "Simmered Fish" and "Grilled Fish" set meals for 580 yen, and a "Special Set Meal" with sashimi for 690 yen, which piqued my interest. I plan to try the fish set meal next time. I have eaten at various government cafeterias before, but this one stands out with its unique menu offerings. I have added it to my list of lunch options for the future.

February 2023. Second visit after about 8 years since the last visit. The menu has changed slightly, but I ordered the one that caught my eye, the Ankake Yakisoba (670 yen). It's served on a flat plate, but it's a good size and typical of AKY in Otaru, with plenty of sauce. The noodles are well cooked with a nice color and texture, not too sticky with the sauce. The sauce, which is soy sauce-based, has a rounded sweetness without being too heavy or greasy, making it easy to eat. The dish is filled with pork, shrimp, squid, cabbage, onions, bean sprouts, carrots, komatsuna, wood ear mushrooms, and snow peas, so it's quite generous with ingredients. If it also had quail eggs, it would be perfect, but considering the price of 670 yen, if you're in the mood for AKY in Otaru, this is the place to go. The owner, Mr. Samon, is originally a Japanese cuisine chef, and I've known for a long time that he has good skills, so don't underestimate this place as just a municipal cafeteria (laughs).

I went to Otaru City Hall to get my mother's family register. It was a cold snowy day, so I took a taxi from JR Otaru Station instead of walking up the slippery slope. I successfully obtained my mother's family register from birth to death, and then headed to the cafeteria in the basement of the annex building. It was around 12 o'clock on a Thursday, with about 10 customers already seated. I found the item I wanted at the vending machine - Ankake Yakisoba for 670 yen. I purchased the food ticket, handed it to the counter, and secured a seat at the end of a long table in the back. After a short wait, I was called to pick up my order and brought it back to my seat. I forgot to get water, so I went back to get some. The hot and steaming ankake sauce looked delicious, filled with ingredients like cabbage, onion, carrot, wood ear mushrooms, pork, one piece of squid, and one shrimp. There was no quail egg. The sauce had a balanced soy sauce flavor that wasn't too salty. I blew on the hot noodles to cool them down and enjoyed each bite. The noodles were curly and slightly burnt, adding a nice texture. It was delicious and filling. Normally, I would have gone for sushi when in Otaru, but I'm glad I decided to try the cafeteria at the city hall. It was quick, cheap, and tasty. I left satisfied after 25 minutes, paying 670 yen. Perhaps it was from walking on the snowy roads that day, or from carrying out heavy trash the next day, but my thighs were sore today. Oh, and while some municipalities allow you to apply for family registers using the My Number card at convenience stores, unfortunately, Otaru City does not offer this service.

Otaru City Hall, underground, Samon Shokudo. A heavy Showa-era atmosphere... Even though it's daytime, the hallway is dark... It's like a cafeteria straight out of a painting at the city hall! It's great, you can forgive anything. I'll even forgive the vending machine that often runs out of items! I accidentally pressed "tonkatsu set" for 550 yen forgetting that I had katsudon yesterday. The set comes with side dishes like bean sprouts and garlic chives, and macaroni salad. I'm so full. The katsu has a nice shape and the breading is evenly thick. All this for 550 yen! It's the best. The condiments are all in one place.

At the retro Otaru City Hall, I was called to visit around 11:30. I went down the corridor on the right side of Otaru City Hall, passed through a dimly lit hallway, and saw the sign for the dining hall on the left. I ordered the Special Set Meal (¥680) at the ticket machine right at the entrance. It's a completely self-service restaurant. Inside, there were about 5-6 customers seated, keeping a distance from each other, probably for COVID-19 measures. Soon, my order was ready, and I picked it up. The condiments like dressing and sauce were available at the designated area. The Special Set Meal included salmon sashimi, pork cutlet, pork rice bowl, simmered dish, pickled mustard greens, rice, pickles, and miso soup. The flavors were mild and suitable for everyone. However, despite being called a "Special Set Meal," it felt more like an assortment of small dishes rather than a main course. The value for money was decent, and the taste was okay, so I would like to visit again. Thank you for the meal.

Today's work took me to Otaru again. After finishing my morning near the city hall, I decided to try this place that I had passed by before. It seemed popular among the locals and city office workers. It was almost 1 pm, so there weren't many people there. I usually choose fish dishes at places like this, so I went with the Mackerel Miso Set for 500 yen. The mackerel miso came with carrots and sweet potatoes simmered in it, which was a nice touch. The side dishes included simmered ingredients like shredded konjac, hijiki seaweed, carrots, daikon radish, and fried tofu, all lightly seasoned. The rice was a bit softer than usual, but it was still good. I enjoyed a nice Japanese dinner at home with these flavors! I noticed the city office workers were ordering beef bowls, which must be delicious. The locals seemed to prefer ramen. I remember someone from the office mentioning how good it was here. This place is now my go-to spot for lunch during work in Otaru. It was a satisfying meal!

I went to Samon for lunch. There were a lot of people dining there, from those working at the city hall to regular customers. This was my second visit, and I ordered the same special set meal as last time. The sashimi seemed a bit less fresh this time, which was disappointing. Thank you for the meal.

Otaru City is a city of slopes. The Otaru City Hall is also built on this sloping land, and sometimes you may enter a place thinking it's on the first floor, only to find out it's on the second floor or in the basement. The cafeteria at the Otaru City Hall is located in the basement of the mountain side annex. Despite being underground, there are windows. In June 2015, it seems that the management of the cafeteria changed. The name of the restaurant is "Samon Shokudo". As soon as it opened at 11:30, the seats started to fill up with elderly customers. Elderly couples were seen struggling with the ticket vending machine, trying to figure out which button to press after inserting money. When it was my turn, I chose the "Special Set Meal" from the vending machine. It came with dishes like chicken and egg stew, tuna and shrimp sashimi, vinegar miso marinated mackerel, pickled herring, and rolled omelette. The vinegar miso marinated mackerel was something you would expect at an izakaya. Even though I don't drink, it went well with rice. The menu includes ramen, soba, udon, and set meals, but I wish they also served the AKY (Ankake Yakisoba) special to cater to the Otaru City Hall style. Thank you for the meal. On a holiday after returning from a business trip in November 2016. On days like this when I pass by my family and no one is home, whether it's a business trip or not, I wander around in search of food. Where can I easily park my car? I decided to have lunch at the Otaru City Hall. The boiled fish set meal costs 500 yen. It was boiled turbot. It was deliciously cooked in the cafeteria style, and it had a good thickness to it. Thank you for the meal.

On this day, my wife and I visited "Samon Shokudo" together. Most of the reviews were about the "Special Set Meal," so we decided to try a different menu. I had actually visited alone the other day and ordered the miso ramen, but it was a bit disappointing. So this time, I ordered the "Tonkatsu Set Meal" and my wife ordered the "Hamburger Set Meal" (both priced at 500 yen). We bought our meal tickets from the vending machine, handed them to the older lady at the counter, and waited at our seats. After about 5 minutes, our orders were ready. The portion of rice seemed a bit small as there was no option for a larger portion. The tonkatsu was freshly fried with a thin and delicious batter, but it had been trimmed of excess fat. The side dish of burdock root simmered in soy sauce was also tasty. Overall, considering the price, it was not bad, but I thought they could offer a larger rice portion. My wife's hamburger set meal had the same side dishes as mine. The hamburger was okay. For 500 yen, it was quite satisfying. They don't offer a larger rice portion, but you can order an extra serving of rice for 100 yen. Thank you for the meal.

I just had a meal (＾ｰ^)ノ and I'm full w I went to the cafeteria in the basement of the city hall annex. Go down the stairs at the end of the annex to the basement. They also sell bread in front of the cafeteria. When you enter the cafeteria, you can buy meal tickets on the right, so please purchase them. I ordered the special set today, which is a lot of food for 650 yen, I couldn't believe it. I was full. The waiting time was about 12 minutes, but it was served in about 5 minutes. Everything is self-service. As a first-timer, I was a bit flustered, looking for chopsticks, soy sauce, water, etc. The special meal seemed like it was prepared in the morning and a bit cold, but it's cheap so it's okay w It was a satisfying lunch. Thank you.

On May 8, 2015, I visited a new cafeteria that opened after the closure of "New Sanko Otaru City Hall Cafeteria" at the end of last year. The owner, Mr. Samon, also runs a reservation-only restaurant called "Washo Samon" nearby, and I have visited it a few times in the past. He is skilled in Japanese cuisine, so when I heard that he was running this cafeteria at the city hall, I was curious. The place was crowded on the second day of opening, but the turnover is fast due to the short operating hours (11:30-14:00). The menu mainly consists of set meals, noodles, rice bowls, etc., with many items priced at one coin. I was indecisive about what to order, but I ultimately chose the Special Set Meal because I wanted to try Japanese food. It's the most expensive item on the menu, but still only 650 yen (laughs). I handed over my meal ticket and waited to be called. The cooking is done by the owner and several other staff members, but my meal was ready in no time! I guess the dishes are already prepared unlike the noodles (laughs). The set meal included sashimi, rolled omelette, grilled salmon, simmered squid and radish, pickled vegetables, glass noodle pickles, miso soup, and rice. Among them, the simmered squid and radish, miso soup, and the spicy miso vinegar sauce on the pickled vegetables were particularly delicious. The fact that the simmered dishes and soup were delicious shows that the basics are done right! The fact that the "Mackerel Miso Set Meal" and "Simmered Fish Set Meal" were already sold out indicates the popularity of this place. Yes, I think this place will be loved by the city hall staff and citizens for a long time. Next time, I might try the ramen or pork cutlet curry! Oh, they also have curry udon!! But if it's curry udon, I think I'll stick to "that place" in Otaru (^_^;)

Saba Miso Set Meal 500 yen

After returning from a business trip, I decided to have lunch at the cafeteria in the Otaru City Hall. I usually order set meals here, so I pressed the button for the Miso Grilled Mackerel Set meal on the ticket vending machine today. As I looked around the restaurant, I noticed the mayor of Otaru sitting at a table. I decided to sit at the same table and express my gratitude for his heartfelt speech at my daughter's school entrance ceremony. The mayor kindly congratulated me on my daughter's entrance to school and we had a pleasant conversation over our meals. The mayor was a good young man, about ten years younger than me. He was eating miso ramen while I enjoyed my grilled mackerel set meal. He mentioned his gratitude towards the people of Otaru and I felt thankful for his dedication to the city. The cafeteria at the city hall may be old, but it is a comfortable size and I often visit it for meals. It's nice to be able to have a set meal for lunch. I couldn't help but be curious about the mayor's miso ramen though. Overall, it was a satisfying meal. Thank you.

November 13, 2028: Salt Ramen ¥500