Genghis Khan BBQ Is A MUST TRY If Visiting Hokkaido Japan

There’s some well-known, very popular foods in Hokkaido Japan (think soup curry, miso ramen) and Genghis Khan BBQ (also known as Jingisukan) is one of those foods. Like the other two foods mentioned above, it’s a regional favorite and is certainly a comfort food in Hokkdaido.

What is Genghis Khan BBQ?

Genghis Khan BBQ is grilled mutton with a mixture of vegetables like beansprouts, onions, mushrooms, peppers, and others. It’s also served with a dipping sauce on the side.

The shape of the grill is very unique and definitely stands out. It’s a rounded iron pan with a domed grill which slightly resembles that of an old helmet. Meat is placed at the top of the dome and the vegetables placed on the bottom, around the edges of the grill. Think the brim of the helmet. The vegetables are placed here so they can soak up the the meat drippings and oil, making them even more tasty.

The Food

There’s a lot of Genghis Khan BBQ places in Sapporo. Since I was staying right next to the popular Susukino district that’s where I gave it a try. I stumbled upon a restaurant named 63 Roksan Genghis Khan and was fortunate enought to get a seat without a reservation.

The layout strongly resembles that of a Korean BBQ place with grills at every table and at the counter which is where I sat.

These grills though, unlike Korean BBQ grills, have that unique “helmet” like shape to them.

The experience is also unique since you get a piece of fat to grease up the grill.

I loved that they had a simplified English menu here. There was an easy to choose trial set that included grilled vegetables, lamb chuck, lamb dice steak, frozen lamb slices, and a sausage set (1900 yen, $12.56). I opted for this since I wanted to give everything a try and figured these were the most popular lamb cuts.

Something else that was helpful was they offered English instructions on how to make the dipping sauce and properly grill everything, which was definitely helpful for a complete noob like myself.

Without this there definitely would have been some trial and error or awkward staring at others to figure out how to correctly cook everything, lol.

This was the spread of everything included in the meal. It didn’t turn out to be a TON of food, but I think it’s meant more to be a sampler, then you can order more a la carte.

This is how it all looks when you throw it on the grill. For the frozen lamb, since it’s so thin, you put it on top of the vegetables to cook as they absorb the juices that roll off the meat.

After this it’s just straight grilling meat. I’m no lamb connoisseur but found this to be very good. The meat was really tender and juicy. I expected it to be a little gamey but didn’t notice that at all with these pieces.

The dipping sauce which consisted of garlic, chili pepper, sesame seeds, and soy sauce complements the flavor of the meat well.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the meal was very good. Any one that’s had Korean BBQ will feel at home eating this meal. There’s obvious familiarity with it, just with a slight twist due to the the grill. It’s a really fun experience. Grilled meat with an ice cold beer, you can’t ask for much more. Without a doubt Genghis Khan BBQ is something you’ll want to try if visiting Hokkaido. It’s immensely popular for a reason!

On a side note, I’m not sure if it’s the case everywhere in the city (Sapporo specifically), but I found that reservations are definitely needed around dinner time.

I was able to get into 63 Roksan but they did ask if I had reservations (I did not). They were kind enough to accommodate me but other places I went to for Genghis Khan BBQ were fully booked for the evening and couldn’t seat me without a reservation. So I’d definitely recommend booking a reservation if interested in giving Genghis Khan BBQ a try. This is one popular meal in the city!