All Reviews of Kitakaro Sapporo Main Store

We visited the extremely popular sweets shop Kitakaro near the Otaru Canal. The stone exterior has a strong historic, retro charm! Not only is this a top place to buy Hokkaido souvenirs, but its signature products, such as Hokkaido Kaitaku Okaki rice crackers, the rich and soft Fairy's Forest baumkuchen, and cream puffs bursting with filling, are also delicacies you shouldn't miss. While strolling through the streets of Otaru, stepping into this confectionery shop converted from an old warehouse and enjoying some delicious sweets is definitely the happiest dessert experience you can have on a self-guided trip to Otaru!

Located near Odori Park, the Kitakaro Sapporo Main Store is housed in a renovated historic, retro-style building. The exterior is beautiful, and the inside is even more impressive. The interior is spacious and comfortable, making it a relaxing place to browse. Besides buying souvenirs, there’s also a café where you can sit down and enjoy dessert.

This time, I bought some sweets for an afternoon snack. The ice cream was pretty good, but I thought the cream puff was fairly ordinary. It had a lot of cream inside, which can get rich if you eat too much, so I wouldn’t recommend buying too many at once. Overall, besides buying sweets as souvenirs, this is also a great place to admire the beautiful architecture. It’s very convenient to stop by while sightseeing in central Sapporo!

Kitakaro Sapporo Main Store is about a 5-minute walk from Sapporo Station and close to many attractions in central Sapporo, making it easy to visit them all on the same day.

The building originally housed the Hokkaido Government Library and Art Museum and was renovated and remodeled by architect Tadao Ando in 2016. The first floor has a shop where you can buy Kitakaro's popular sweets and souvenirs. There is a steady stream of visitors in the afternoon, and without a reservation, you may find it fully booked and miss out.

The most popular item is undoubtedly the dessert set. In addition to the chiffon cake and milk soft serve that come with it, you can choose one of six desserts—truly a blessing for anyone who has trouble deciding!

I made a special trip to try the famous sweets at Kitakaro. As soon as I walked in, I saw an incredible selection of cakes, cream puffs, baumkuchen, and cookies. Everything looked so beautifully made that I wanted to take it all home.

Kitakaro’s sweets have a delicate texture and rich, milky flavor without being overly sweet. You can really taste the freshness of Hokkaido dairy products.