The Bottom Line
Sapporo is a very popular restaurant for both locals and visitors to Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. Whether you are interested in Happy Hour/Reverse Happy Hour with "Liquid Market" cocktails and small plates, teppanyaki style dining where your food is prepared by a chef in front of you, sashimi or sushi rolls, or Pacific Rim appetizers, entrees and special desserts, you'll be happy here. It isn't cheap, but the quality, appearance and -- best of all -- taste of the food at Sapporo tells the tale of why it is so popular.
Pros
- Great seafood
- Trendy setting
- Regular seating and menu, or teppanyaki
- Long happy hour
- Shuttle service
Cons
- Portions not huge, but reasonable. You can spend a lot of money (or not) at Sapporo
- Crowded at peak times
Description
- The restaurant’s menu includes premium sushi and teppanyaki as well as classic and contemporary Asian specialties.
- Lunch is served Monday through Friday.
- Dinner is served every day, and happy hour starts at 3 p.m.
- During happy hour you may order from a quite extensive menu, including teppanyaki.
- Sapporo's Scottsdale location is the only restaurant. It is not a chain.
- Sapporo has a free shuttle service. They will pick up/drop off within about 10 miles of the restaurant. (Call for specifics.)
Guide Review - Sapporo in Scottsdale
Sapporo isn't a new restaurant in Scottsdale, but it has reinvented itself to keep up with current tastes and desires. The dining room at Sapporo is sleekly Asian-modern, and an outdoor patio dining area is comfortable. When the weather is pleasant, happy hour outside is the place to be!
We had reservations for the tableside, chef-prepared teppanyaki. I highly recommend it for a family special occasion, prom dinner, or simply a group of friends or business associates out on the town. While the food served is very good -- I had the Sea Bass ($32) and it was wonderful -- it also qualifies as what I like to call 'adventure dining' where there is some fun associated with the meal. The chef will prepare your dinner in front of you with flair and humor. Beware: this may not be the appropriate choice for a romantic dinner for lovers. If whispering and holding hands while you look longingly into each other's eyes is what you have in mind, you can certainly be seated at a regular table and order either from the extensive sushi menu or from the entrees on the regular menu featuring Pacific Rim specialties.
There are several teppanyaki stations in the restaurant, each with comfortable seating for about 8 - 10 people. If there are just two or a few of you, you will be seated there with others. Each teppanyaki meal is accompanied by a small shrimp starter, mushroom broth, house salad, fried rice, vegetables and house made sorbet.
While the teppanyaki is very good, it isn't exactly exotic -- it isn't supposed to be. For that reason, I recommend that you begin your visit with a couple of appetizers or small plates to share. There is a wide variety of appetizers at Sapporo from which to choose. Hot and cold appetizers, sushi, sashimi, all elegantly presented, and covering a multitude of imaginative flavors, spices and combinations.
Sapporo Address:
14344 N. Scottsdale Rd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Sapporo Phone:
480-607-1114
We had reservations for the tableside, chef-prepared teppanyaki. I highly recommend it for a family special occasion, prom dinner, or simply a group of friends or business associates out on the town. While the food served is very good -- I had the Sea Bass ($32) and it was wonderful -- it also qualifies as what I like to call 'adventure dining' where there is some fun associated with the meal. The chef will prepare your dinner in front of you with flair and humor. Beware: this may not be the appropriate choice for a romantic dinner for lovers. If whispering and holding hands while you look longingly into each other's eyes is what you have in mind, you can certainly be seated at a regular table and order either from the extensive sushi menu or from the entrees on the regular menu featuring Pacific Rim specialties.
There are several teppanyaki stations in the restaurant, each with comfortable seating for about 8 - 10 people. If there are just two or a few of you, you will be seated there with others. Each teppanyaki meal is accompanied by a small shrimp starter, mushroom broth, house salad, fried rice, vegetables and house made sorbet.
While the teppanyaki is very good, it isn't exactly exotic -- it isn't supposed to be. For that reason, I recommend that you begin your visit with a couple of appetizers or small plates to share. There is a wide variety of appetizers at Sapporo from which to choose. Hot and cold appetizers, sushi, sashimi, all elegantly presented, and covering a multitude of imaginative flavors, spices and combinations.
Sapporo Address:
14344 N. Scottsdale Rd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Sapporo Phone:
480-607-1114
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with a complimentary meal for review purposes. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our Ethics Policy. Date of review: March 2011. All dates, times, prices and offerings are subject to change without notice.
