Hakodate: Savor Fresh Atka Mackerel at Nebokke (地物産品御料理処根ぼっけ)

Nebokke sashimi was one of the foods I had wanted to try when visiting Hakodate! Nebokke refers to Atka mackerel, known as “hokke” in Japanese. Nebokke (地物産品御料理処根ぼっけ) is a specialty restaurant for Nebokke.

The restaurant is quite large, with counter seats at the entrance surrounding the kitchen, as well as tables, tatami rooms, and semi-private rooms. If you make a reservation for a course in advance, you can enjoy unlimited drinks for an additional 1,600 yen.

In front of the restaurant, there is a pool with squids, and another large pool inside the restaurant. They offer a wide variety of fresh seafood, but Nebokke remains their signature dish. The menu features about 60 different Nebokke dishes, and this is their “Today’s Recommendation.”

Truthfully, I wasn’t very hungry because I had already eaten a large lunch, so I wanted to keep it light. However, I was surprised by the otoshi (small appetizer), which was filling on its own. From left to right: karaage (fried chicken), gratin, and boiled squid with soy sauce. It was more than enough to fill me up!

But it went perfectly with Japanese sake. They offer a wide selection of sake produced in Hokkaido, such as Kunimare (国稀).

Of course, they also serve katsuika (living squid), but I opted for shiokara (fermented squid), which had a crunchy texture. It was incredibly fresh and not too salty.

Now, let’s talk about the Nebokke sashimi. Nebokke is a specific type of hokke (Atka mackerel) that lives among rocks and moves very little. It’s fatter and larger than regular hokke. This restaurant is said to be the first to serve Nebokke as sashimi. It was fatty with a smooth texture – absolutely delicious.