For where to stay, anywhere around Odori Park along Kita 1 Jonishi (labeled Route 36) on maps. Stay west of Soseigawa-dori and you're good. A lot of the restaurants are accessible from the underground passage ways, and if you zoom in on Google Maps default view (not satellite!) it will tint the map in red. The red tinted area is the underground walkway, but it's out of date and new areas are being added.

Coffee

Node

My favorite coffee shop, has tables to sit down (everybody has to order 1 drink) and a small variety of food. Does great pour over or espresso drinks, good selection of beans.

Mermaid Coffee Roasters

If you want a mocha or something less serious than Node, this is a good option. It gets busy, especially with tourists.

Poool Espresso&Work

Good coffee, little bookstore, and coworking space if you need that sort of thing.

Marumi Coffee

This is a Sapporo chain with a few cafes around, and it's good coffee. The location in the Maru Imai department store by Odori Park has a nice view, too.

Ice cream

Hokkaido is famous for their milk, and that translates into extremely good soft serve. If you aren't eating ice cream every day, you aren't making the most of your trip.

Hokudai Marche Cafe & Labo

This is in Hokkaido University, using the products from the university. For ice cream that really highlights the quality of milk, it's the best.

Maps

Marumi Coffee

The location in the underground by Akarenga Terrace (across from Mont-Bell) has really, really good coffee soft serve. They cycle flavors every 2 weeks (usually on Sunday). Their coffee is also good, but this location is for ice cream.

Kinotoya

Kinotoya is a local chain, with other products. The location in Pole Town in the underground is good, but their cafes seem to have better soft serve. The cheese tarts are delicious, too.

Oniyanma Coffee

The location in Daimaru (big department store, right by Sapporo Station) has good coffee soft serve. The coffee isn't bad, but I prefer the ice cream and other coffee shops.

Dream Dolce - for the lactose sensitive folks

This ice cream is pretty good and is made from A2 milk, so has lower lactose which is nice. They also have gelato, and I highly recommend the Haskap Gelato.

Cafe Noymond

Really good parfaits with comfortable seating. It's best to show up in the afternoon so it isn't so crowded. The Kurosengoku Parfait is my favorite.

Other foods

Sapporo restaurants frequently close up without much notice, so try to check Instagram but have some backup options. They don't always post that they're closed in advance and just put a sign out front.

Curry House Colombo

You get more roux, and ice cream at the end! This is probably the best curry I've found in Sapporo but it's a small spot. Watch your head, low ceilings!

Hot Spice Shop Hood Dog

I love their soup curry here, and the whole vibe is great. It's not super touristy, and a bit off the beaten path but worth the walk. The other chains are fine (Suage, Garaku, Okushiba) and totally delicious but this is more unique.

Cafe de Spice

Soup curry, regular curry, other dishes and it's just really delicious.

Est Est Est

Good Japanese-Italian food, primarily for lunch. The lunch set is great.

Enimo No 5

Fantastic lunch spot, a bit out of the way so you'll have to walk. The salads are really good, and while you can customize they have recommended salads to simplify ordering. It's likely you'll need to bust out Google Translate.

On weekends, you must order a drink as well.

Toshi

It will be busy, prepare to wait in line. Everybody has to order hanbagu, and that is the only thing on the menu. It's worth it.

Lemon Bakery

So far the best sit-down bakery that we've found. The Curry Pan is also fantastic.

Yakko Sushi

Very affordable sushi restaurant that's quite good.

Other food tips

• Ramen Alley is just a bunch of really good ramen restaurants. Around Susukino, there are a bunch of good ramen restaurants. You don't have to be picky, just pick one and it's probably great. Hokkaido specializes in miso ramen, so stick to that and you should have a good time.
• There are a lot of tantanmen restaurants, my favorite chain so far is 175° Deno. It's good, fast, and tasty.