Sapporo Kani-ya Nagoya Branch

Restaurant Details

Show any Nagoya dweller this iconic basket-and-crab signage — not dissimilar to Kani Doraku in Osaka — and they will probably correctly identify Sapporo Kani-ya’s Nagoya branch. It’s testament to the restaurant’s popularity that even with 220 seats, guests without reservations are almost guaranteed to have to wait for a seat, especially at dinnertime.

Established in 1974, Sapporo Kani-ya’s Nagoya branch is a towering multi-storey building that’s a shrine to Japan’s finest crabs. The extensive menu spotlights some of the most popular crabs in Japan, namely the king crab (tarabagani), snow crab (zuwaigani) and horsehair crab (kegani), sometimes just called hairy crab.

In Sapporo Kani-ya’s extensive course menu options, these magnificent crustaceans are prepared in a number of different ways, letting guests compare and contrast crab hotpot with charcoal-grilled crab, or crab sushi with boiled crab.

The most popular dish at the restaurant, ironically, is not a Hokkaido dish, but rather a hotpot of Kansai origin called kani-suki, which gets its name from the popular hotpot-style udon dish called udon-suki. Like the noodles of its namesake, the crab in kani-suki is boiled in a light but umami-filled dashi broth, with various vegetables, mushrooms and other ingredients. Naturally, as the birthplace of kani-suki, this dish is particularly popular in Kansai, but thanks to Sapporo Kani-ya, its popularity has steadily spread all across Japan.

Other standout dishes include a whole leg of grilled red king crab, or hon-tarabagani, said to be the most delicious of all of Japan’s crabs, as well tsumire meatballs made out of crab, or even crab shumai dumplings.

Strangely — but not unwelcome — for a crab specialty restaurant, Sapporo Kani-ya also offers some of the best wagyu available in Japan — the pride of Gifu Prefecture, Hida beef. Finely marbled even for a branded wagyu, Hida beef’s extremely high oleic acid content gives it an unmatched umami, and the low melting point means the beef actually melts at room temperature, giving it an incredible mouthfeel.

It’s the perfect place for a celebration or special night in Nagoya. Being located in Meieki means that Sapporo Kani-ya Nagoya is less than a 5-minute walk from Nagoya Station — so it’s easily accessible from anyone taking the shinkansen further down towards Osaka and Kyoto, or up towards Tokyo and Hokkaido.

Sapporo Kani-ya Nagoya Branch Remarks

• Guests with dietary restrictions and/or food allergies should inform the restaurant beforehand. The restaurant might not be able to accommodate guests who make same-day requests.

• Guests are requested to note that the restaurant may not be able to accommodate certain dietary restrictions.

• The course menu content listed below is an example, and is subject to change based on seasonal availability.

• The restaurant cannot always guarantee that it can provide guests with their preferred seating options after a reservation due to availability.

• The pictures provided are for illustrative purposes.

Sapporo Kani-ya Nagoya Branch Business Days

Sapporo Kani-ya Nagoya Branch Address

4-4-16 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 450-0002

Sapporo Kani-ya Nagoya Branch Access Info

• Sapporo Kani-ya Nagoya Branch is a 5-minute walk from JR Nagoya Station, or a 3-minute walk from Meitetsu Nagoya Station and Nagoya Station on the Higashiyama Line.

Sapporo Kani-ya Nagoya Branch Phone Number

Sapporo Kani-ya Nagoya Branch Cancellation Policy

Cancel your reservation at least 3 days before the dining start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.