An Eat-By-Eat Guide to Niseko's Thriving Food Truck Scene
We know better than anyone how hard it can be to secure a spot in a restaurant in Grand Hirafu. With so much tourism demand descending upon the region each and every winter, the majority of restaurants are completely booked out months in advance, making it impossible to get a table as a walk-in.
Not to worry, Hirafu offers a wealth of different dining options (outside of the konbini fried chicken), including a huge selection of pop-up eateries and food trucks positioned all around the village.
And sure, some of these are undoubtedly tourist traps serving food at incredibly high prices, but if you go hunting, there are a lot of hidden gems offering travellers some of the nicest eating options around the village for a fraction of the cost.
For those planning on staying in Hirafu and sussing out the food trucks, there’s almost no chance you’ll ever be able to eat your way through all of them. When we say there are options, we mean countless options.
So instead of making you choose which trucks to check out, we decided to remove the legwork and provide a definitive guide of the absolute essential food truck destinations you should check out during your Niseko stay.
Before you ask–yes, to research this article we did in fact go and eat at more or less every food truck around the village. Tough gig, we know.
The Essential Food Truck Destinations
Hirafu Intersection Food Truck Hub
Hirafu’s main food truck area is located on the main street next to the Hirafu intersection bus stop and hosts upwards of 15 food trucks. Our picks for the go-to eateries are:
Charcoal BBQ & Ramen
A delicious taste of homegrown Hokkaido, this food truck specialises in locally sourced fish such as komai, shishamo and salmon, cooked on charcoal grills. Giving them a perfectly cooked crispy exterior, while leaving the inside soft and buttery–exactly how fish should be eaten. For non-seafood eaters, this pop-up eatery also serves up teriyaki chicken, steak, and tsukune (grilled chicken meatballs).
*Our pick- Barbecued komai and an authentic hot sake.
Tip- Komai means ‘fish under ice.’ It is only found in incredibly cold seas, making it a common fish in Hokkaido.
Shiretoko Zangi
Serving world heritage sourced chicken, twice fried in a giant wok of boiling oil, Shiretoko Zangi offers up some of the best fried chicken in the Hirafu area. Before you question it–yes, it’s infinitely better than Lawson’s. Located around the corner of the food truck hub on the Hirafu main street, this red truck is a must try for any foodies visiting the region.
*Our pick- While the steak fried chicken roll is easily a crowd favourite, our recommendation is without a doubt the sweet spicy fried chicken. We can’t recommend it enough.
Donburi Komachi
A side project of sister store ‘Odango Komachi’, this kitchen car serves a variety of baked treats made fresh everyday with Hokkaido brown rice. While the food truck serves up delicious dishes like Yakitori rice bowls, fried unagi (eel) and gyudon, their main business is known for their specialist mochi burgers.
*Our pick- Grilled pork rib rice bowl.
Omnibus Burger
For the Americans, you can get a taste of home with a double beef burger made out of 100% Hokkaido beef, served to you out of a yellow school bus. For the non-red meat eaters, Omnibus also offers grilled chicken and mushroom burger options.
*Our pick- You can’t go wrong with the ‘Double Burger’.
Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal is an absolute Niseko staple. If you’re unsure about how good it actually is, the lines are all you need to see, with up to 15 – 20 eager customers queuing up at any one time. If that’s too long of a wait, head next door to their restaurant for a sit-down meal or takeaway. If you’re staying in Kutchan or Annupuri, there’s also Taj locations there, so you have countless options to eat at the renowned Taj Mahal.
*Our pick- It may sound basic, but the butter chicken and naan set. Who doesn’t love a good butter chicken?
Gyoza
Among all of the food trucks in Hirafu, Gyoza is one of the most common options. A famous Japanese dish, these dumplings come in a variety of different shapes, sizes and flavours. If you want to try some of the best around the region, head to the quaint Gyoza truck in the main food truck area tucked away behind the quesadilla truck (also a solid option). It’s a local favourite for a reason.
*Our Pick- Garlic Gyoza
Elvis Kebabs
Getting a kebab after a night on the town is a rite of passage. Therefore, if you’re hitting the bars of Hirafu, it’s also a rite of passage to stop by Elvis Kebabs. Located on the Hirafu mainstreet in the third food truck hub of the village, Hirafu Food Market, Elvis offers perfectly cooked Halal meat, all the options you’d find at a kebab spot back home, and party tunes, which are blasted out onto the street into late in the night.
*Our pick- You can’t go wrong with a HSP.
Eat Street
Eat Street is located on the mainstreet, Zaka Street, situated a two minute walk from our Rhythm Summit store. While the main hub gives off more of an après atmosphere with stand up bars and trucks that serve alcohol, Eat Street has more of a family friendly vibe. With a vast array of fairy lights and bonfires and huge ice sculptures being crafted in front of your eyes, Eat Street is a great destination for a family night out.
Growing Tourists
On our way to Eat Street, we bumped into Adam, a loyal Rhythm customer who insisted that head to the Wagyu truck and try their grilled eel (unaagi). We did, it was delicious. Thanks Adam, that was a good call. If eel isn’t your flavour, Growing Tourists also serves local venison and Hokkaido bred wagyu.
Our Pick- Grilled Unagi, adventurous but delicious.
Eva
It’s unlikely you’ll find a parmi at a pub in Japan, although you will find izakaya, Japan’s equivalent of pub food which consists of skewered barbecue meat. Eva takes izakaya to another level, offering up one-pound skewers of Hokkaido pork stewed in their secret sauce–a pretty solid food option after a few Chu-Hai’s.
Our Pick- Either the pork skewer or the pork miso soup.
Azumasi
As the seafood capital of Japan, there’s no better place to eat fresh oysters than Hokkaido. At Azumasi you can get a selection of fresh oysters harvested from Akkeshi for only ¥600 a pop.
Our Pick- Believe it or not, our pick is oysters…
Miyabi
If you’ve been reading this list thinking, ‘my kids won’t eat oysters, let alone eel’, Miyabi has you sorted. Serving a wide variety of dishes, including monster fish and chips, monster potato buckets and a big portion monster box (which features a little bit of everything), Miyabi is a great option for those looking to feed the whole family.
Our pick- The Monster Box, the go-to choice when you don’t know what to choose.
For the Sweet Tooth’s
Xinfu
Hokkaido is known for a lot of different things, the most famous being its dairy, making ice cream an essential dessert for every traveller to try.
Located just off the main street opposite the main food truck hub, you’ll see a sign advertising ice cream. Much like the yellow brick road, follow the signs and you won’t regret it.
Our pick- The soft serve. One of the only food items we’d ever encountered to look exactly the same as its pictures.
Dohyō Donuts
Nothing quite hits the spot after a long day on the slopes like warming up with a selection of warm cinnamon donuts. Based outside our Rhythm Summit store, Dohyō Donuts is a dessert option that’ll be on your mind to the extent that you head in from the slopes early just to get a fresh batch.
Our pick– The Sekiwake Pack (bag of six) topped with caramel sauce and whipped cream.
Kitted, Fitted and Fed
There’s nothing better than having all of your essentials in one spot, making the food trucks located right out the front of Rhythm Hirafu easy stops for customers looking to grab a quick feed after they’ve been kitted and fitted.
Taco’s
The Taco food truck has become a quick favourite amongst travellers and seasonal staff alike (in particular the Rhythm Staff). Owned by Kutchan local Kiichi, this truck is now in its second year of operation and serves up Mexican favourites such as beef burritos, carnitas in a variety of flavours (pulled pork, roast chicken, beef and garlic shrimp), and a selection of locally brewed ‘Streetlight Beers.’
*Our Pick- Pork carnitas paired with a Hoppin’ Jack Fresh lager.
Niseko Cheesesteak
While you’re probably used to hearing them called a ‘Philly Cheesesteak’, Hirafu’s equivalent couldn’t be more Hokkaido orientated. Serving up Cheesesteaks made from Hokkaido beef and locally sourced Hokkaido venison, alongside a selection of grilled cheese toasties, Niseko Cheesesteak is a pretty ripper option after a day on the slopes.
Our pick- The Niseko Cheesesteak. For the Philly Cheesesteak purists out there, you may miss the lacking capsicum. Still, it’s a delicious choice–especially the Hokkaido cheese that covers it.