Hokkaido

Polly Checkland Harding

Visit now

Hokkaido

113 - 115 Kirkgate, Wakefield, WF1 1JG
01924786868
This venue is permanently closed.
Hokkaido
Book now

Japanese restaurant Hokkaido centres around the teppanyaki style of cooking – a technique that dates back around 200 years so the early 1900s, initially used by families preparing meals on small grills, and was first commercialised by a restaurant in Kobe, Japan, in 1945. ‘Teppan’ means metal plate, while ‘yaki’ means grilled, broiled or pan-fried, encapsulating a method of food preparation in which the chef cooks meat, seafood and vegetables on an iron plate, serving dishes to customers over the counter. As with all traditional teppanyaki restaurants, Hokkaido’s leather seats are arranged around the chef’s preparation area, with diners able to watch the cook’s skills and techniques in action. It was this that made teppanyaki popular with foreign visitors to Japan – and now with both locals and visitors to Wakefield.

Hokkaido uses locally sourced ingredients, as freshly prepared as it’s possible to be; even the wait between the pass and the table is eliminated with this style of cooking. The restaurant offers four chef’s menus: an all-rounder, one for seafood enthusiasts, another for meat-lovers and a fourth for vegetarians. Each showcases its chosen ingredients perfectly: fresh Atlantic salmon, squid, king scallops, tiger prawns and a fillet of white fish are the maritime selection, while lamb wrack, duck breast, sirloin steak and chicken thighs make up the meat menu. Perhaps the most interesting is the vegetarian selection, which includes a sweet potato cake cooked in butter, teppanyaki bean curd in soy sauce, rice balls wrapped in Chinese leaves and bean curd rolls with red onion – a distinctive combination of flavours that appealingly broadens the vegetarian palate.

An effort is also made to pair the right wine with the right dish; there’s a chef’s wine selection, chosen by the restaurant’s master chef. It’s this combination of quality with an attention to the whole dining experience that makes Hokkaido popular – evidenced by the fact that a new Hokkaido restaurant is set to open in London. All the more reason not to miss Wakefield’s iteration.

What's on near Hokkaido

A black woman sat down looking to the left.
Until
MusicLeeds
Sound Out Leeds 2024/25

Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.

From £10.00

Where to go near Hokkaido

Wakefield
Restaurant
Hi Sushi

Hi Sushi is a new Japanese sushi restaurant, located at the site of the former Hokkaido Teppanyaki restaurant.

Wakefield
Theatre
Stride Theatre

Stride Theatre is a diversity and SEN focused theatre company at the heart of the Wakefield community, looking to ‘bring people together’ and ‘allow individuals to flourish’.

Wakefield
Shop
Wakefield Antiques

Wakefield Antiques, The Ridings is the hot-spot space for locals of Wakefield to deal, create and collect products, craft and heirlooms.

Merlins of Wakefield
Wakefield
Shop
Merlins of Wakefield

Merlins of Wakefield is a magic shop offering both products and informed advice to beginner and experienced magicians.

Wakefield
Music venue
Jock’s Cavern

High quality cocktails and vibrant live music is what makes Jocks Cavern so popular. This underground bar offers an intimate and effervescent atmosphere to indulge in their well-stocked bar.

Frank Bird
Wakefield
Shop
Frank Bird

With an elegant facade and a reputation for excellent customer service, Frank Bird offers premium menswear collections from around the world.

Qubana
Wakefield
Restaurant
Qubana

Qubana has an amazing home dining menu with a wide and varied list of fabulous food to feast on at home.

Wakefield
Bar or Pub
Now Serving

In the heart of Wakefield this basement bar, ‘high end, low brow’ by their own description, remains a popular watering hole.

Rustico
Wakefield
Restaurant
Rustico

Rustico has been providing an authentic Italian dining experience in the heart of Wakefield for over ten years.

Wakefield
Restaurant
Smokehouse BBQ & Grill

Boasting its own top-secret spice and herb mix, Smokehouse is a proud American-style restaurant in the heart of Wakefield.

Culture Guides

portrait of Lorsung in a dark shirt with dark hair and dark round glasses
Literature Events in the North

There's a lot of experimentation going on in our Literature guide, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.

Three men sit next to each other. One's head is bandaged, one holds a torch and one wears a sleepmask.
Cinema in the North

Live scores, midnight movies and the latest from Wes Anderson are just some of our upcoming film highlights.

Music in the North

Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss if you're not careful.

Experience a unique deep listening art installation inviting audiences to lay down and be bathed in sound and light.
Exhibitions in the North

From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.