Sapporo Shime Parfait
JapanSapporoSapporo Shime Parfait: Ending a Night Out With a Parfait Instead of Ramen
In Japan a night of drinking often ends with a bowl of ramen, known as shime. In Sapporo, many people finish with a parfait instead. Here is how the "shime parfait" got its name around 2015, why it took root in Sapporo and how to enjoy it.
Turning the Ramen Habit on Its Head
In Japan, the food you eat to wrap up a drinking session or a meal is called shime (締め). Most people picture ramen or ochazuke, but in Sapporo there is a habit of ending a night of drinking, or dinner, with a parfait. It is called the shime parfait (シメパフェ) and is described as a food culture that developed in Sapporo. A parfait, with ice cream, fruit and cream layered in a tall glass, is a dessert you can find anywhere in Japan. What makes the shime parfait special is less what you eat than when you eat it. Late-night parfait shops fill up with people who have finished their first and second rounds, and that sweet end to the evening has become a scene that sums up Sapporo after dark.
Around 2015: The Habit Gets a Name
Eating parfaits at night was reportedly already a Sapporo habit. It began to be recognized as a culture around 2015. That year several late-night parfait shops, meant as a stop after drinks, opened in Sapporo, and the shops formed the Sapporo Parfait Promotion Committee, which began promoting the habit under the name "Sapporo Shime Parfait." Coverage in local newspapers, television and online news followed, and the name spread quickly. In other words, the shime parfait is not an old local dish but a fairly recent case of giving an existing nightlife habit a name and growing it. Today Hokkaido's official tourism site introduces it as a food culture born in Sapporo.
Spreading Beyond Sapporo
Shime parfait shops build many of their menus on Hokkaido soft-serve or rich ice cream. Hokkaido's official tourism site describes toppings such as seasonal fruit, chocolate and house-baked sweets, and says grown-up parfaits paired with wine, whisky or liqueur are popular too. The idea has also traveled. In 2017 a company running late-night parfait shops in Sapporo opened one in Shibuya, Tokyo, and shime parfait shops have appeared at Hokkaido product fairs in Tokyo department stores, with media reporting more people enjoying shime parfaits in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. That is how "the shime parfait, born in Sapporo" became a phrase understood in other cities too.
What You Will Be Served
Every shime parfait shop has its own style. Many build on soft-serve and layer in seasonal fruit, gelato, chocolate, coffee or liqueur-based sauces, and because you eat them after dinner, smaller, more grown-up parfaits with a refined balance of flavors are common. The mood tends to be closer to a softly lit bar or coffee house than a bright café, and some shops let you pair your parfait with coffee or a drink. Many change their menus with the seasons, so the same shop might offer melon in summer and chestnut or grape in autumn. Choosing from the photos works fine, and asking about the month's limited parfait is part of the fun.
Tips for Enjoying It
Shime parfait shops cluster around Susukino and Tanukikoji, Sapporo's biggest nightlife area. They are an easy walk from dinner or drinks, which makes them a natural last stop. Many stay open late, but opening hours and last orders vary from shop to shop, so check ahead. Popular places can have a line even late at night, so if you have time, go a little earlier or see whether they take reservations. If you have been drinking, you might skip the boozy parfaits and pair yours with coffee or tea instead. And if you cannot decide whether to finish with ramen or a parfait, remember that in Sapporo both count as the right answer.