Sandaime Kantaro

Sandaime (The Third) Kantaro was opened in 1947 in Asahikawa City. The name of the restaurant came from the secret sauce which the three generations of owners have been handing down. They serve the grilled chicken, not on the conventional skewer, but to be eaten with chopsticks.

Sandaime Kantaro is famous for Asahikawa’s specialty “Shinko-yaki.” Since it started in a bar in Asahikawa City in the 1950s, many other places began serving it and it became a local specialty. Spotted shad is regarded as a lucky charm, and the young fish is called Shinko. The cuisine with young chicken is said to have given the name of the lucky fish.

A half of the young chicken is grilled and seasoned either with the sauce or salt. In Asahikawa, the sauce is dominant. Kantaro uses only chickens 36-days old or younger, slowly grill them over Binchotan charcoal, and soak them in their secret sauce. The combination of rich sauce and the quality young chicken is outstanding.