After falling in love with Sapporo on our first trip earlier this year, we decided to head back to escape the Kanto’s summer heat.

On this trip, a Sapporo local recommended Sapporo Ramen Kifuh Susukino, a small ramen shop our car rental agent described as a must-try. Fortunately for us, the shop was right across from our hotel.

We waited in a short queue to get inside when the shop first opened. Once inside, the first thing I noticed was the air conditioner sounding like it was on its last leg as it tried to keep the restaurant cool. The interior was a little outdated compared to the noodle joints I’ve visited in Tokyo. We almost turned around to leave, but the car rental agent convinced us with the promise that the ramen bowls here would be better than anything we’d find in Tokyo. This we had to taste for ourselves.

The small menu featured only eight items. From those, we chose the classic chicken salt ramen for 960 yen (about $6.50) and the green onion and roast pork rice for 450 yen. My fiancée and I sat quietly as the A/C squealed over the sounds of others loudly slurping their noodles as if it was their last meal on earth. The voracity with which the customers ate shined hope that perhaps this was a hidden gem.

When it was finally our turn to dig (or slurp) in, we were not disappointed. One spoonful in and we were hooked. 10/10. The ramen was perfectly cooked like pasta, the chicken was soft and easy to chew, filled with a nice rich broth flavor and perfectly boiled egg. The serving size was also large, which was awesome! I stole a few bites from my fiancée’s pork rice. It was amazing, almost like Osaka soul food.

What Sapporo Ramen Kifuh Susukino lacks in its interior appearance, it makes up for with the delicious ramen and pork rice it serves up. If you love ramen, this shop is a must-try when exploring Sapporo.

menu (@sapporora_menkifuh/Instragram)