As a port city, Kushiro's seafood is top notch.
On the wharf by the MOO, you can grill your own seafood outside over charcoal grills robatayaki from early spring until late fall, when it closes for the winter season.
For conveyor belt sushi kaitenzushi, there is the local chain Matsuriya Japanese-only and Japan-wide chain Nagoyakatei. Matsuriya's portions are generally larger. Menus at both places are Japanese-only, but photo-filled. You can also of course grab plates off of the belt. Choices include the traditional salmon and tuna nigiris, but you will also find California rolls, whale meat kujira and tiramisu.
Kushiro is famous for whale meat kujira, which you can eat raw or cooked in many restaurants around the city. However, it is not for the faint of heart, as it is very pungent, with an oily texture and a very fatty taste. A sushi restaurant is probably the best place to sample a small bit of whale meat you can easily spot it on a conveyor belt, as it is the reddest meat you will see, as it does not taste much different cooked.
Further east from Kushiro, the city of Akkeshi is famous for oysters. It holds two oyster festivals a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Akkeshi oysters are quite plentiful in Kushiro restaurants as well.
Besides seafood, you can also have Hokkaido-style barbecue Genghis Khan with Genghis pronounced "jengis", and Korean-style barbecue which is not very Korean. There is also the uniquely Hokkaido soup curry.
Non-Japanese food in Kushiro include the ubiquitous McDonald's and KFC, "American-style" hamburger steak restaurants, Italian restaurants, a few Southeast Asian restaurants, and a Nepalese curry restaurant.
Vegetarians who do not eat seafood will have a hard time finding food they can eat.
