I think it was a good decision to buy this. When I stopped by Hakodate Station, I found a long line at a certain place. It seems to be squid senbei. They actually compress small squid on a hot plate with dough to instantly turn it into senbei. The size is very large. They quickly brush on sauce to finish it. The parts with squid taste like squid and are chewy, while the other parts are crispy and the sauce is sweet and delicious. This seems to be a new specialty, as Hakodate is famous for squid. If you go there, I really want you to try it!

While walking in the Bay Area and eating squid ink soft serve, I stumbled upon another interesting shop! They press squid flat with a powerful press machine and turn it into senbei crackers at this shop. It reminds me of something I ate while walking in Kamakura before. The press machine is exactly the same too! The shop is called Maruyaki Takosenbei Hase Store. The octopus was delicious, so I'm sure the squid will be tasty too! My wife loves these kinds of crackers, so she wanted to buy all the flavors. I tried to persuade her to buy my favorite, like shrimp or scallop, but she only bought the squid in the end. The staff efficiently flattened the squid in no time! I noticed there was an electric wire on the press machine and joked about the electricity cost. The freshly made senbei was a bit soft, but it was still delicious! Hmm, now I'm curious about the scallop more than the shrimp (laughs).

This is a soft serve series. This time, it's at Ikasenyaki in Suehirocho. The main specialty of this shop seems to be the Ikasenyaki senbei, made by pressing a whole lot of squid. The smell of the Ikasenyaki senbei being cooked fills the air. But my goal is the soft serve! Without being swayed by the delicious smell, I head for the soft serve. I order the Hokkaido milk soft serve, which costs 300 yen. You purchase a ticket from the vending machine to place your order. It's a small shop, and the staff is right in front of you, which can be a bit frustrating. The shop is mainly a takeout place, but there are benches nearby where you can sit. The soft serve is advertised as being delivered directly from a ranch. It's surprisingly delicious, with a smooth texture and a strong milk flavor. I thought the focus would be more on the Ikasenyaki senbei, but the soft serve turned out to be really tasty. I only tried the soft serve this time, but I think trying the Ikasenyaki senbei would be a good idea here. They also have crab, shrimp, and scallop senbei. It seems interesting to watch the process of making them, as they are made to order. The pressed squid looks quite flat. I'd like to see it in person. I'm satisfied with the taste of the soft serve. It might be a hidden gem of delicious soft serve. Thank you for the meal.

While taking a walk in the Bay Area around 8 o'clock, I stumbled upon a few people lining up at a shop that was still open. I decided to join the queue and purchased a 300 yen food ticket. The shop staff were friendly and explained the process of pressing a whole squid and adding wheat flour to make it. They also offered mayonnaise and shichimi as condiments, but I preferred it as is. "Ah, delicious - the squid is so dense," I couldn't help but exclaim. I would love to try the shrimp and crab next time.

Italian Gogo is located next to this place, so I stopped by for a quick bite on my way home. I was happy that they were still open even after 8 o'clock. They don't operate during winter, so it's best to try it during the summer! You buy a food ticket and they cook it right in front of you. In addition to squid senbei, they also have shrimp senbei, crab senbei, and scallop senbei. I wanted to try the squid ink soft serve, but no one else from the Italian restaurant said they wanted to try it, so I gave up. Next time, I'll try the squid ink soft serve! I started with the shrimp senbei. They sprinkle some powder on it, then press it while cooking it. It smells so good... The finished product still retains the shape of the shrimp, but it's definitely shrimp senbei! It was my first time trying freshly cooked senbei. It was crispy! It was thinner than I expected, but it was delicious. Next, I tried the squid senbei. This one had a higher squid content and felt more like a snack. It tastes even better with the mayo and shichimi (seven-spice blend) provided on the side! Eating just the squid senbei might get a bit boring (it's about 2-3 inches long), but when you add mayo and shichimi, it changes things up and becomes even more delicious. I found the squid senbei to be more enjoyable with the mayo and shichimi compared to the shrimp senbei. At 300 yen, it might be a bit pricey, but it was satisfying for me because it had a good texture. As a new specialty of Hakodate, I recommend stopping by to try it out.

I saw this in a magazine! If you come to Hakodate and see this visual, you will want to go! It's a small shop, so I had to look for it a bit. I ordered squid senbei! It's big. It has a thin and crunchy texture. It seems like they press the squid itself and don't season it. Just the taste of the squid! I want some flavor! Or I want to eat it with something. It seems like they use the ingredients as they are >_< They also had shrimp senbei, scallop senbei, and a mix of them. I thought it was a shop for tourists.

I love the rice crackers here so whenever I go to Hakodate, I end up stopping by. I buy a ticket for my preferred ingredients at the vending machine, and the ingredients are placed on the machine with a warning that sometimes hot ones might fly out so be careful. Then, I wait a few minutes while hearing the sound of "Pshh!" and "Kyu---!" And there it is, a big rice cracker is ready. It's amazing how the flavor of the ingredients really comes through. The crispy texture is just indescribable! Walking around the red brick warehouses while munching on these rice crackers is so enjoyable!

Hakodate specialty? It's squid senbei. I wanted to try it when I was in Sapporo for an event before (at Mitsukoshi or Marui), but there was a long line so I gave up. This time, I visited Hakodate and decided to stop by. However, it was also popular here, so I had to wait in line for a bit. I bought the food tickets. Since there were a few of us, we also bought shrimp and scallop, and ate them together. Looking at the photos, it's hard to tell which is which, so I only took one picture. The squid is pressed and the suction cups occasionally fly off. It pops and crackles as you eat it. The seasoning is soy sauce. The squid quickly turned into a thin crispy senbei. Now, to cut to the chase, it was different from what I had imagined. I thought it would be a delicious senbei with a strong squid flavor, but it was too thin. I expect senbei to be crispy, but it was too thin and flimsy. Even when I took a bite, it felt limp. There were some parts that were crispy, but overall...hmm. And at 300 yen per piece, it felt a bit expensive. Maybe it's because they use a whole squid. So far, I don't think I'll come back for more. Thanks for the meal!

I had some errands nearby, so I decided to check out this restaurant I had been curious about. It was busy during Golden Week, with mostly tourists as customers. The fresh squid is cooked on a press machine, creating a thin crispy senbei with a delicious soy sauce aroma that whets the appetite. The freshly cooked senbei is crispy and tasty. However, it loses its crunchiness and flavor quickly, turning soft in just a short amount of time. It's like the difference between freshly baked pizza and cold pizza. It may not be suitable as a souvenir. Freshly cooked is the way to go. I want to support this new attempt in Hakodate.

On the final day of my trip to Hakodate, I explored the Hakodate Bay Area district. I noticed a shop with a long line the other day, so I made a mental note of it. The shop was called "Ika Senya." It was around 10 in the morning, so there weren't many tourists yet. I decided to check out the "Ika Senya" shop that caught my attention yesterday. I didn't know what they sold, so I observed the staff making it. They prepared fresh squid, brushed soy sauce (made with seaweed and kelp soy sauce), sprinkled starch (made with potatoes from Tokachi), and pressed it on a custom-made hot iron plate. The smell of the squid cooking was incredibly fragrant. When they lifted the press, the squid had stretched out like in a Tom and Jerry cartoon. I received the hot squid senbei and was warned about its temperature. It was crispy and delicious. There were also shrimp and scallop versions available. As I ate on a bench outside the shop, I noticed that most people passing by were curious about the squid senbei. It was a unique and tasty snack made from squid. Unfortunately, I had plans to visit a ramen shop next, so I only had one piece of the squid senbei. Hakodate is wonderful. Thank you for the delicious treat.

I had heard about this shop near the tourist spot of the brick warehouse and was curious about it. After seeing the Christmas lights, I stopped by on my way back. They had senbei with squid, shrimp, scallops, mix, etc., and I had a hard time deciding, but I chose squid as the basic option. It's takeout only, so you buy a ticket from the vending machine right in front and place your order, and they make it for you on the spot. When they press it, there's a pretty loud sound like "pshoo." It was warm, which was nice because it was cold at night. They wrap it in paper and warn you that it's fragile, and it really is very thin and fragile, so be careful. The size isn't that big either. You can taste the flavor of the squid itself, but I felt like the taste could be a bit stronger. Both the size and taste left me feeling unsatisfied. So personally, I think the cost-performance ratio is low. I finished eating it quickly, and I felt like it wasn't enough. Maybe if it was a bit cheaper, it would be more reasonable. If it was 300 yen for this, I probably wouldn't buy it myself anymore.

Hakodate. A new store located near the red brick warehouses. Ikasenyaya. It's a takeout only store where you buy tickets for squid, scallop, and shrimp senbei from a small ticket machine (see photo) and hand them to the staff. They press the senbei in front of you and wrap them in paper, creating a simple and entertaining performance. The senbei is handed to you hot and crispy, with a slightly soy sauce flavor. However, the senbei is thin and cools down quickly, lacking in volume. The cost performance may not be the best, but if they could enhance the appeal of the senbei, it would be better. It would be great if they offered a version similar to the famous Osaka Hankyu department store's grilled squid. A bench is available outside the store, but it would be nice to have a trash can for the paper wrappers.

I was walking around the Bay Area and stumbled upon a new shop called "Hakodate Squid Senbeiya." It's located at the entrance of Marukita Kitamura Suisan, which is quite famous for its crab products. The sign says "Grilled Whole Squid Senbei," but it wasn't clear to me what they were selling, so I checked the menu. They offer squid, shrimp, and scallops pressed together with Tokachi-grown potato starch and seasoned with Minamichosebukagome kelp soy sauce, then baked into a senbei (rice cracker) shape. I decided to try the half squid and half scallop option. The process of grilling them under pressure reminded me of Kansai-style grilled squid, but the end result was completely different. The crackers were thin, crispy, and had a delicious ocean flavor. It was unexpectedly tasty! I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it before. The texture is great, making it a perfect snack for tourists. I really wanted to have a beer with it, but I resisted the temptation (even though they sell it there).

When I visited Hakodate and saw this place in a magazine, I decided to try it since it was close to the red brick warehouse. I ordered the signature squid senbei, but after waiting for quite some time, what came out was a thin, oversized senbei that looked like a fan. They crush fresh squid with a high-pressure press machine to make the senbei, but if this is the quality they offer, you're better off just eating the squid as it is! It seems they simply crush the squid and serve it without any seasoning, so the original flavor of the squid was completely lost. I can't really recommend this place.

Hakodate Squid Senbei Shop @ Hakodate Theme: Domestic Travel When I went to the Red Brick Warehouse in Hakodate, there was a long line, so I decided to try it out. They press a whole squid into a rice cracker for you! They had squid, shrimp, and crab, but I bought the shrimp and squid. Hmm, it was quite a simple taste... Not sure if it was worth waiting in line for... But watching them make it was interesting, and it was my first time seeing something like this, so it might be good for conversation. By the way, the squid was tastier than the shrimp, and it's best to eat it while it's warm, as the flavor diminishes over time (obviously). It's probably better to eat it while walking rather than taking it home.

I was looking forward to visiting this restaurant in Hakodate based on the reviews on food blogs, but unfortunately it was closed on its irregular day off. There was no information on when the restaurant is closed or what time it opens, so I had to revisit the next day with some worry. Even though it was right after opening, there was quite a long wait as they seemed unprepared. Some items were already sold out, which was very disappointing. I ordered squid and scallop senbei, but they were out of scallops. Despite having a limited menu of squid, scallop, and shrimp, it was disappointing that they were out of stock. The photos showing the process of making squid senbei on display didn't match the actual size of the squid. The taste was good, but overall it was disappointing. I wonder if there would be no worries if visiting on a weekend.

I bought some squid senbei while walking because it looked delicious and easy to eat. It took a little while to get it during the Golden Week period. I ordered a mix of squid and scallops, but the squid flavor was strong and the scallop flavor was not very noticeable. However, it was delicious.

I was tempted by the delicious smell and gave in to temptation. It was bigger than my face and satisfyingly tasty!