OKO OKO, a new Japanese micro-restaurant that has just opened at Eat Street Northshore, is serving what its founders describe as the world’s first wagyu kare pan — and for Clayfield residents, it is a quick 10-minute drive to one of the more interesting new food concepts this year.
The kare pan, Japan’s deep-fried curry bun with origins in Tokyo dating back to 1927, has never been made with wagyu as the primary filling anywhere in the world, according to OKO OKO.
The Brisbane version uses Darling Downs wagyu from Sandalwood Feedlot, three hours west of Brisbane and one of Australia’s most awarded producers, combined with a cheesy curry filling, panko-crusted and fried to order at the counter.
Behind the dish is a global head chef whose career spans Nobu London and Yoko Brisbane. The broader menu extends into okonomiyaki, yakisoba and other Japanese street food classics at the same elevated standard.
Why the precinct is worth the trip
Eat Street Northshore has 60-plus micro-restaurants across neon-lit laneways, four live music stages and five themed bars, making OKO OKO one addition to a precinct that already draws Brisbane’s inner north for Friday and Saturday nights.
The new Shinjuku-styled pagoda facade that frames the OKO OKO space is one of the more visually striking fit-outs the precinct has seen.
Founder Michael Otway is straightforward about what took eighteen months to develop. “The dough, the curry, the wagyu, the cheese, the fry. Queensland wagyu changes the dish. What comes out of the fryer at OKO OKO is something Brisbane hasn’t tasted before.”
Eat Street Northshore is at 221D MacArthur Avenue, Hamilton. Open Friday and Saturday 4pm to 10pm and Sunday 4pm to 9pm. Entry $6 per person. Free parking on site or CityCat to Northshore Hamilton.
Published 14-June-2026
