SNKPK!

So you might have heard of the Japanese cafés 279 and Le Bajo in North Melbourne, Hareruya Pantry in Carlton or Chiaki in Collingwood... but you may not know about the visionary person behind these venues.

When he was twenty-two years old, Kantaro Okada took his experience working in his family’s Auckland restaurant to Melbourne’s vibrant food scene. He was supposed to only stay for a year and then return to New Zealand to finish his graphic design degree.

Life took a different turn though. Kantaro worked in numerous Melbourne venues and met his mentor, who gave him the responsibility to project manage restaurant openings in Japan. Kantaro’s Japanese journey culminated in winning a design competition to open the famous METoA café in Ginza.

In 2017, he returned to Melbourne to start his own hospitality businesses. His newest venture is SNKPK, a creative design agency in North Melbourne with a pop-up space also called SNKPK (pronounced Sneak Peek).

Kantaro’s hands-on hospitality experience gives him a unique perspective on hospitality design. “But as an agency I didn’t want to just stick to developing concepts, creating packaging and printing menus,” Kantaro explains. “I wanted to build a space where people could experience hospitality in a way they haven’t before. So SNKPK the venue was born in 2024.”
The small venue offers hospitality professionals a chance to showcase their ideas in a small format. “Often if you’re working in a restaurant or café you have to work within the rules of that job. But I know that chefs, patissiers, bartenders and baristas are highly creative people, and our space gives them a chance to experiment, meet new people and test out their ideas before they take a leap to start their own business.” People can rent out the space for a day, a weekend or longer term.

Kantaro brings a personal touch to every pop-up event at SNKPK. Each one is a curated experience designed to showcase both local talent and Kantaro’s unique design sensibilities. SNKPK the agency can also provide consultation services to help clients to reach those big goals with their ideas.

“Each project is different because each client is different,” Kantaro shares. “We don’t have a formula. It’s about getting to know who they are and what kind of experience they want to give their customers.”
SNKPK’s pop-ups also feel like a discovery—something locals stumble upon with a sense of excitement. “People crave that sense of discovery,” Kantaro says. “That’s why we do pop-ups. It’s about giving people a new experience every time.”
Kantaro concludes: “Melbourne is full of creativity, and SNKPK is about bringing it to the surface in an environment that feels personal and maybe even surprising.”

Words by Joyce Watts & Photography by Anna Encio