Prefecture · Hokkaido
Hokkaido Wagyu
Hokkaido Wagyu, including the Snow Beef and Chateau Uenae lines.
- Region
- Hokkaido, northern Japan
- Breed
- Japanese Black (Kuroge)
- Notable lines
- Hokkaido Snow Beef, Chateau Uenae
- Character
- Cold-climate, small-batch
The prefecture
Hokkaido is Japan's cold northern island and its agricultural heartland. Its Wagyu is less a single brand than a collection of regional and single-farm lines, produced across a landscape of dramatic temperature swings and long winters.
Snow Beef and the rare lines
The best-known Hokkaido specialty is Hokkaido Snow Beef, produced by the Chateau Uenae farm near Lake Utonai. The "snow" refers to the appearance of the marbling, a fine, lacy web of intramuscular fat, and not to any snow-aging process. It is exported in very small numbers and often marketed as one of the rarest Wagyu lines, a superlative worth treating as marketing rather than a measured fact.
Do not confuse Hokkaido Snow Beef with Niigata's Snow-Aged Wagyu, which is an entirely separate concept: an aging method carried out in traditional snow cellars.
Where to eat it35
Alexander's Steakhouse - Pasadena
Pasadena, CA
Alexander's Steakhouse - Cupertino
Cupertino, CA
The Pines Modern Steakhouse
Highland, CA
Old Florida Fish House
Santa Rosa Beach, FL
RPM Steak
Chicago, IL
Nicco's
Las Vegas, NV
The Lobster Club
New York, NY
Palladino's NYC Steak & Seafood
New York, NY
Nick&Sam's Steakhouse
Dallas, TX
The Metropolitan Grill
Seattle, WA
BOA Steakhouse - West Hollywood
West Hollywood, CA
BOA Steakhouse - Santa Monica
Santa Monica, CA
BOA Steakhouse - Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach, CA
Makoto Vail
Vail, CO
Bourbon Steak - Washington
Washington, DC
The H Orlando
Orlando, FL
Roka Akor - Oak Brook
Oak Brook, IL
Prime & Provisions
Chicago, IL
Anthony's Chophouse
Carmel, IN
Supper Club
Baton Rouge, LA
Hiroki-san
Detroit, MI
Mizumi
Las Vegas, NV
SW Steakhouse (Wynn)
Las Vegas, NV
Jean Georges Steakhouse
Las Vegas, NV
BOA Steakhouse - Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV
RingSide Steakhouse
Portland, OR
Bourbon Steak - Nashville
Nashville, TN
Dakota's Steakhouse
Dallas, TX
Wicked Butcher (Fort Worth)
Fort Worth, TX
Wicked Butcher (Dallas)
Dallas, TX
Al Biernat's North
Dallas, TX
BOA Steakhouse
Austin, TX
Tango Room
Dallas, TX
Carnevor
Milwaukee, WI
Catch LA
West Hollywood, CA
Where to buy it10
Holy Grail Steak Co.
Japanese A5 (Kobe, Ogata, Omi, Takamori, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Sendai), American (Tajima, Akaushi), Australian (Carrara)
Crowd Cow
Japanese A5 (Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Hokkaido, Iwate, Olive/Shodoshima), American Wagyu (Mishima Reserve)
The Wagyu Shop
Japanese A5 (Hokkaido, Kobe, Miyazakigyu, Motobu Gyu, Olive Wagyu, Takamori), American, Australian
Grand Western Steaks
Japanese A5 (Kobe, Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Hokkaido), Australian Wagyu from Jack's Creek including an AHDAA halal certified range, American Wagyu from Abatti Ranch
Kai Wagyu
Japanese A5, Australian, American
Ligma Provisions
Japanese A5/A4/A3/F1 across Aomori, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Oita, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shodoshima and Yamaguchi; Australian Wagyu graded by BMS label (Blue 9+, Gold 8/9, Silver 6/7, Green 4/5); USDA Prime; grass-fed
J. Morten's
Japanese A5, Australian
Meatluxe Hawaii
Japanese A5/A4/A3 from Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Saitama and Hokkaido with BMS stated per cut; Australian Wagyu (MS 8/9+); American F1 Wagyu
Pursuit Farms
Japanese A3/A4/A5 by named brand (Kobe, Ohmi, Hokkaido Snow, Olive, Sendai Gyu, Shichiri from Hida, Ozaki, Mizusako), Australian, own-ranch American
Wichita Wagyu
Japanese A5 (Hokkaido, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Takamori), American
Common questions
- Is Hokkaido Snow Beef aged in snow?
- No. The name describes the snowflake-like appearance of the marbling. Snow-aging as a technique is a Niigata tradition (yukimuro), which is unrelated to Hokkaido Snow Beef.
Looking for the U.S. ranches that raise Wagyu? See the farms · The Kobe list · How to spot authentic Wagyu