Coffee House

It is commonly believed that Sapporo Soup Curry originated from the Magic Spice Sapporo Head Shop, but in fact, there are several restaurants in Sapporo that are said to have been serving Soup Curry before that time. “Coffee House” is one of them. The restaurant, which was established in 1977, was originally a coffee shop, but the soup curry served there (at that time, there was no such thing as soup curry, and it was listed on the menu as “South Indian curry”) became popular and has remained so to this day. In other words, you can enjoy “classic” soup curry before Magic Spice at this restaurant.

I happened to find such a story on the Internet during my stay in Sapporo, and was so excited that I decided to visit the restaurant for lunch on the following day. I am confident in my ability to take action when I have an idea, but I am always amazed at how single-minded my thinking process is…

Coffee House is said to be the second oldest soup curry restaurant in Sapporo….

This is only information on the Internet, but it seems that Coffee House is the second oldest restaurant in Sapporo that has been serving soup curry. Since Magic Spice opened in 1993, it means that Coffee House has been serving what is now called “soup curry” for a long time before that. Incidentally, Sapporo Soup Curry originated from a restaurant called Ajanta, which served medicinal herbs and curry. However, there is information that Ajanta later transferred the recipe to Coffee House, so could it be that the soup curry available at this restaurant today is the same as the oldest Yakuzen Curry in Sapporo?

Leaving aside its authenticity, Coffee House now has a sign in its storefront that reads “Soup Curry on Densha-dori” and has been operating as a restaurant specializing in soup curry for more than 20 years, when soup curry was becoming a household word. The restaurant has a classic atmosphere like an old-fashioned coffee shop, with a total of 21 seats, including 5 counter seats and 4 tables for 4 persons. It is a family-run business run by the founder couple and their son, giving it a homey atmosphere. Jazz music plays as background music in the restaurant, and you are tempted to linger over a cup of coffee and a good book.

Chicken Curry: Coffee House’s most popular menu item has a longer history than Sapporo Soup Curry.

This time at Coffee House, I ordered the most popular soup curry, Chicken Curry (850 yen including tax). Add a salad and a drink set, and the total price was 1,200 yen (tax included)…

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After ordering, a small plate of raw vegetable salad will be brought to me. While picking it up, it took another 10 minutes or so…

The finished chicken curry looks like this. I customized it with a large serving of rice (free until 3 pm) and spiciness 1 (normal). The spiciness can be increased up to 10 if you like, but it seems to be adjusted with chili powder instead of curry spices. Chili powder is also provided at the table…

It seems wise to order at normal spiciness at first in order to fully taste the spices.

Now, let’s eat the soup curry… As you can see, it is just like the soup curry, and it tastes lighter than the old school lunch curry soups. When putting it in the mouth, a little saltiness can be felt, and as if chasing it, a sense of spice and chicken broth based on chicken gara (chicken gara) gradually takes effect. And it’s not just the appearance, but the taste is clear as well. So, it is not a spicy soup, but the soup, including the spices and the soup stock, seems to enter the body smoothly.

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When rice is dipped in this soup curry, the hard-cooked rice melts and becomes like rice soup. I like the sensation of the silky rice grains passing down my throat. And the saltiness of the soup curry, which was a bit strong, becomes the perfect density when it is poured over the rice. I was impressed by how well it was calculated. Hopefully, the amount of soup would be a little larger…

On the other hand, the soup curry has seven kinds of ingredients: chicken leg cut in half, potato, carrot, boiled egg, fried eggplant, fried eggplant, and green pepper. It is not a very filling dish, but it is priced at 850 yen including tax. The main dish, chicken, is tender and well-cooked, and does not disappoint. I was surprised that such a high quality soup curry existed almost 50 years ago.

After eating, I took a break with a cup of hot coffee and left the restaurant. This store used to be a coffee shop, and the coffee, which became more bitter with time, was very tasty. The atmosphere of the restaurant is also nice, and if there were a coffee shop like this nearby, I would probably go there all the time… Unfortunately, customers come to Coffee House one after another, so the luxury of a relaxing coffee time while listening to jazz music is not likely to be realized in reality…

Other soup curry menus at Coffee House (prices include tax)

• Chicken Cutlet Curry 1100 yen
• Breast Fritter Curry with Cheese 950 yen
• Hamburger Curry 950 yen
• Fried Chicken Curry 950 yen
• Niseko Potato Croquette Curry 900 yen
• Fish Fry Curry 900 yen
• Yose Tofu Curry 850 yen

Please consider visiting with sightseeing to Mt.Moiwa…Access to Coffee House is a 3-minute walk from Sapporo City Tram Ropeway Entrance Station.

Coffee House, a famous soup curry restaurant, is located at the foot of Mt. Moiwa. It is famous for the night view of Sapporo from the top of the mountain, but the view in the daytime is also quite nice. The area where the restaurant is located has a peaceful atmosphere different from the central part of the city, which I really like. Why don’t you consider using Coffee House for sightseeing in Mt. Moiwa or when you want to relax a little away from the city center?

Here are the details of the restaurant…