Did you know that "zangi," known as Hokkaido's soul food, actually originated in Kushiro City? In Hokkaido, zangi is readily available at supermarkets and bento shops, but once you visit Kushiro's nightlife district, you will be able to taste authentic zangi, which is a far cry from the flavor you usually eat.

In Kushiro in the year 2021, not only long-established restaurants continue to preserve their deliciousness, but also new restaurants that are popular mainly for delivery and take-out have appeared. Kushiro and zangi are inseparably linked, and each restaurant offers its own unique zangi.

However, because Kushiro's zangi has a long history, it may be difficult for tourists to visit some restaurants. In this article, I will introduce 7 popular restaurants that are easy for tourists to visit, as recommended by the author who ate and walked around Kushiro zangi for 4 days and 3 nights!
If you have ever had a drink when visiting Kushiro, you may have visited "Izakaya O-chan" at least once. You will be lured in by the booming lights that remind you of a big fishing boat. There are many dishes on the menu, including grilled fish and stir-fried dishes, but we recommend the zangi.
When you step into the restaurant, you will see many antiques from the past! It is like stepping back in time to the Showa period.
The zangi sold at Izakaya O-chan are the original zangi with a strong garlic-based flavor and the zangi with a light ginger-based sauce. For those who are greedy, we recommend the half-and-half, which allows you to enjoy both types at the same time.
The left photo shows the original zangi and the right photo shows the zangi with sauce. As you can see when you compare them, the color of the batter is different for each.
The original zangi has a strong, dark flavor with a powerful garlic flavor that will whet your appetite. The juicy thigh meat is easy to eat.
The sauce flavor is light when eaten without any sauce, but it is full of flavor even when eaten without sauce! The sweet sauce changes the flavor and makes it a great snack.
The master offered me a cup of oolong tea, taking care of my nervousness. I was so pleased with his thoughtfulness that I drank half of it at once.

I strongly recommend this restaurant because the kindness of the master touches your heart. It was cold on the street at night when I visited the restaurant, and I think my face was stiff when I went to the restaurant.
During the interview, a friend of the master called me and said, "You can have sea urchin, so go eat it! I received such a large amount of sea urchin! What we received was such a large quantity of sea urchins! I was so touched to be treated to fresh sea urchins. ......

If you are looking for a place where you can experience the warmth of the Showa era and enjoy delicious Zangi, please visit Izakaya Daichan once.
Walking down a street slightly behind the downtown area, you will see a restaurant with the appearance of a ryotei (Japanese-style restaurant). Torizen, located in Sakae-machi 2-chome, has been loved by many fans as a "zangi specialty restaurant," as written on its noren.

The menu consists of simple,

• Zangi (with bones) 700 yen
• Zangi (boneless) 700 yen
• Karaage (thigh) 500 yen

You can enjoy chicken at an a la carte price.

Zangi with bones is said to be the origin of zangi, which is made by purchasing a whole chicken and cutting it into pieces.
According to the owner, "In the old days, boneless meat was not available in the market. That was the norm.

He also explained the origin of the name "zangi," saying, "In Chinese cooking, a piece of chicken cut into small pieces and deep-fried is called 'za-chi,' which is the origin of the name 'zangi.

Incidentally, there is a well-known theory that the "n" in zangi was put in after the "n" of good luck, and the original Chinese dish is sometimes called za-gee. Different restaurants may tell you different theories about this area, so it is advisable to visit various restaurants.
Kushiro's traditional flavor, zangi with bones, is eaten by dipping the zangi in a special sauce. After pouring the sauce, sprinkle pepper on it.

When you first bite into the zangi, you will find that the juicy meat juices are flowing from behind the thin, crispy skin! The flavor of the meat and the moderate amount of salt make it easy to eat, even for those who do not like oily food.

Next, when you dip it in the sauce, the thin skin absorbs the sauce and the sweet taste of the sauce fills your mouth. The amount of sauce was well adjusted, and I was surprised that the plate was empty by the time I finished eating it. Everything was calculated to perfection, and the bone-in zangi is a unique dish that is hard to find in other restaurants.


Many stores selling authentic zangi in Kushiro start operating in the evening or later, which limits the options for those who want to eat zangi for lunch. For such people, I would like to recommend Yam Yam Yam, a lunch shop known for its big-sized zangi.

As of December 2021, Yam Yam Yam has the following stores in operation.
<Kushiro Area

• Yam Yam Kaiun Branch (1-1-11 Kaiun, Kushiro City)
• Yum Yum Aikoku store (1-15-6 Aikoku Higashi, Kushiro City)
• Yam Yam Showa store (3-1-2 Showa Chuo, Kushiro City)

＜Obihiro Area

• Yum Yum Higashi 1-jo store (Higashi 1-jo Building 1F, 1-1 Higashi 1-jo Minami, Obihiro City)
• Yum Yum Nishi 20-jo Store (3-28-14 Nishi 20-jo Minami, Obihiro City)

<Sapporo area

• Yum Yum Kousei Store (2-13, Kita 8-jo Higashi 8-chome, Higashi-ku, Sapporo)
• Yum Yum Shin Hassamu Store (3-16-10 Shin Hassamu 4-jo, 3-chome, Teinei-ku, Sapporo)

Yam Yam is famous for its decadent zangi bento, and in addition to three stores in Kushiro and two in Obihiro, two more stores are opening in Sapporo from 2019. Basically, the restaurant's style is to fry zangi to order, and because of its popularity, many customers call in advance to make reservations.
The reason why people want to make reservations is that the zangi is big and juicy, yet so crispy that you find yourself eating it before you know it. 50,000 vibrations per second of radio waves prevent oil splattering, and the new "Dr. Fly" technology that prevents oil from soaking into the food has been introduced to make the frying process quicker and more delicious. This technology prevents oil from splattering on the food and prevents oil from seeping into the food.

The Yam Yam Showa store has also adopted a more advanced sales format than other stores, selling zangi in a "delicatessen" style where customers can enjoy zangi without having to wait. The store used to be an eat-in style store, but this style was born out of the manager's desire to keep customers waiting.
If you enter through the entrance of the Yum Yum Showa store and look to your left, you will see a boxed lunch and prepared food corner decorated with a small Christmas tree.
This is the zangi & prepared food corner. Since we visited the restaurant after lunch, many of the zangi & side dishes have already been sold out.
This is the famous Yam Yam Zangi. At first glance, it looks smaller than the zangi you order, but it is a solid volume and inexpensive at 220 yen! You can eat a lot of zangi even before payday.
In addition to zangi, you can also get hamburgers, spring rolls, croquettes, and other reasonably priced, hearty side dishes. What you eat depends on your mood of the day, I guess.
Of course, you can also have a zangi bento. However, it is smaller than the bento you order, so if you want to eat with gusto, order it.
Yum Yum also sells many other bentos that you can take home right away. And many bentos come with zangi as a set, which is a great deal.
If you want something lighter, you can also eat prepared foods such as nori temakizushi. This variety of products is another attraction of the Yam Yam Yam Showa store.
The zangi sold at Yam Yam has a wide variety of flavors, including not only the original, but also zantare, zanmayo, and kurozu-an. This time, we will have the black vinegar sauce (left) and zang mayo (right).
The black vinegar sauce is drizzled over the entire zangi and is eaten with vegetables in this style. The meat is tender without losing its juiciness. It is nice to be able to eat vegetables as a chopstick rest!
Zang Mayo features mayonnaise on top of the zangi. It looks rich, but the moderate sourness accentuates the rich flavor.

In addition to the zangi and bento introduced here, there are many other delicious foods available. If you arrive in Kushiro unexpectedly early while traveling in the East Hokkaido area, Yam Yam Yam Showa Branch is highly recommended.
One of the best zangi restaurants is "Lava Yaki Kojare", which was recommended to me by a staff member of one of the restaurants when I was walking around eating zangi. This restaurant is quite popular, and when the author visited it, it seemed to be fully booked due to a banquet.

However, if you only want to eat zangi, take-out is also available. The entrance had a busy atmosphere, but we sat on a bench and waited for the food to be ready.
We ordered the "Kojare Special Tare Zangi" for a relatively reasonable price of 600 yen (excluding tax). The sweet, rich sauce and the crispiness of grated daikon (Japanese radish) are addictive. We enjoyed it at the hotel.
Charcoal grill restaurant Tamatori is a 7-10 minute drive from Kushiro Station. It is an izakaya with a homey atmosphere located in a residential area. Within a short time after opening, the restaurant is bustling with regular customers and couples.
The restaurant is famous for its "Shiro-tamazan-tare," which won the Kushiro B-1 Grand Prix in 2015, and "Kuro-tamazan-tare," which is kneaded with squid ink from Ishigaki Island, both priced at 693 yen (tax included). Each has a completely different flavor and personality, so it is a difficult choice, but if you are drinking with several people, you may want to order both to enjoy the difference in taste.
The Shiratama Zantare is a zangi topped with French sauce and chopped cabbage. At first glance, it looks rich, but the cabbage neutralizes the acidity of the French sauce nicely and is delicious. Sprinkle lemon on top for a crispier taste.
The sauce on top of the black tamazan sauce is not mayonnaise but the original honey mustard sauce. The tangy and spicy taste with a rich flavor and sweetness will surely make your alcohol consumption go up! If you disagree on the choice of restaurant during your trip to Kushiro, why don't you black-and-white it with tamadori to see which one is better?
While many restaurants in Kushiro serve authentic zangi at eateries, some restaurants are gaining popularity mainly for delivery. One of them is Kushiro Zangi Umami-chan, which opened in September 2021.

It serves zangi on the fifth floor of the Oriental Plaza restaurant building. It is highly rated on delivery websites, and its popularity seems to be due to the fact that it can be ordered until late at night.
After arriving at the 5th floor of Oriental Plaza by elevator, head for the dining bar FROM THIRTY. Open the white door on the right to enter, and you will be greeted by a large space that can probably accommodate more than 50 people.
It seems surreal to dare to eat zangi in such a fashionable space, but it seems that you can also enjoy it with alcohol. A quick look at the menu reveals the following three types of zangi.
It was hard to decide which zangi to choose, but this time we ordered the "oroshi ponzu zangi," which was highly recommended by the staff. Since there was a customer in front of us, we decided to take out the zangi and bring it back to the hotel.
When we returned to the hotel and took the zangi out of the bag, we found a message on the plastic case! The message "Thank you for your purchase" made the customer's heart warm. This kind of thoughtfulness is not easy to do.
When you open the lid of the container, the strong aroma of garlic and a heaping helping of grated daikon (Japanese radish) will whet your appetite. The meat is very tender and juicy, but thanks to the ponzu and grated radish, I ate it in no time. If you are in Kushiro, it might be a good idea to choose zangi instead of ramen for the end of a night of overindulgence.
In Kushiro, it is not uncommon to find zangi even at restaurants that do not seem to have zangi on the menu. Cocktailbar JiZi" is one such restaurant, where you can enjoy zangi while sipping on a delicious cocktail.
Look at the meat dishes on the menu and order the "Yuzu Shio no Zangi" (zangi with yuzu salt). In addition to zangi, there are many other dishes on the menu, including a la carte dishes and hamburgers.
When you dust the zangi with onions, the freshness and subtle sweetness of the onions surround the juices and flavor of the meat. It is delicious enough on its own, but since we are at a cocktail bar, we will have a cocktail with it as well.
There is a wide variety of cocktails available at JiZi, with nine original cocktails. This time, I will order two kinds of cocktails: the Nine Halves and the Twilight JiZi.
The Nine Halves is a brandy-based liqueur cocktail with a cola-like sweetness, grape-like aroma, and slight bitterness for an adult taste. The
Twilight JiZi had a sweetness in the midst of grapefruit bitterness, and with each sip, the fatty taste after eating zangi seemed to disappear from my mouth.

Kushiro Zangi has a lot to offer!

In addition to the zangi introduced here, there are many other delicious zangi in Kushiro. When you visit Kushiro, please look for zangi when you find a restaurant, teishoku-ya, or izakaya.