The outdoor brand’s first U.S. restaurant will serve locally sourced, Japanese-inspired fare, cooked on a wood-burning hearth.
Next week, the luxury-meets-utility-meets-style outdoor brand, Snow Peak, will push the envelope a little further for American consumers and launch a restaurant. Takibi (Japanese for “bonfire”) opens today right next to its U.S. headquarters in northwest Portland.
Under the watch of chef Alex Kim, Takibi will offer customers a seasonally rotating menu that shifts with the produce locally available at that time. The cuisine and aesthetic will draw inspiration from izakayas, Japanese bars with light shareable plates.
“We believe Snow Peak is the foodiest brand in the outdoor industry, and by opening Takibi, we’re on our way to becoming the outdoorsiest brand in the hospitality space,” Matt Liddle, chief operating officer of Snow Peak USA, said in a press announcement. “The quintessential Snow Peak experience is sharing a thoughtfully prepared meal with friends around the fire.”
Takibi is not Snow Peak’s first restaurant; the brand already dabbles in Japan’s food scene. But it is Snow Peak’s first U.S. dining option, and Takibi’s opening has already been delayed by a year in the wake of the pandemic.
Takibi: Snow Peak Restaurant
While trendy dining sits at the forefront of Snow Peak’s new restaurant, it is, after all, an outdoor brand. As such, customers can expect the brand’s gear to accompany their East-meets-West dining experience.
Some of Snow Peak’s iconic products — think sporks and drinkware — are baked into Takibi.
“Meals at Takibi find Snow Peak product thoughtfully woven throughout the dining experience,” Snow Peak COO Matt Liddle said. “From inspired cocktails served in our legendary titanium mugs to the mini-flames that flicker on the bamboo table tops, we’ve found plenty of moments to surprise and delight diners with Snow Peak product.”
Takibi will also sport a wide array of classic cocktails with “Japanese accents.” For food, Snow Peak won’t reveal all the good ahead of its launch, but it did offer a few choice selections to tease customers.
The lunch menu will offer a wild mushroom ochazuke — charcoal-grilled wild mushroom rice, grilled trumpet mushrooms, turnip top furikake, nori, radish, and cabbage sprouts. The dinner selection includes beef sukiyaki.
For the launch, Takibi will be limited to 50 patrons, served on its patio. But when open at full capacity, the restaurant will host another 75 patrons indoors.
And don’t worry if you’re not in Portland for the opening. Liddle confirmed that Snow Peak plans to open more restaurants in select locations as it grows in the U.S.
