Japanese restaurant expands from Liverpool to Wirral
Popular Japanese restaurant Izakaya has revealed it is in the process of expanding the concept which has proved so successful on Liverpool’s Castle Street, to Wirral.
Kurt Wilson, co-owner with Harry Marquart, are known on the Liverpool and UK food & drink circuit for their love and passion for fresh, high quality food, especially Japanese cuisine.
“We had been talking about the limited amount of Japanese food on Merseyside and decided to open Izakaya once the Castle Street site became available,” said Mr Wilson.
“Since starting Izakaya we have also been running some other concepts at places like The Baltic Market.
“We currently have a stall there named ‘What The Duck’, which has had huge success.
“Because of this we will be approaching the New Brighton site with a wider food offering and it will be a more Pan-Asian-led menu with many duck dishes, as well as our substantial fresh fish offerings,” he said.
He added: “We’ve been looking for a site on the Wirral for some time, as many of our customers have expressed a huge interest in us opening there.
“When we saw the ‘Marine Social’ site we jumped at it, given the demand, and we know Wirral is crying out for more variety, especially Japanese cuisine.
“Marine Social holds up to 250 covers – a large as well as beautiful space.
“Plus, the demographic is very similar to ours in the city centre. It’s actually just about a mile away as the crow flies, too.”
Izakaya’s social media draw points to a customer demographic that is 60%-plus female and appeals to a wide age range with both Harry and Kurt confident they can offer “something for everyone who likes good food.”
Commenting on their success to date, Mr Wilson said: “It’s been mainly due to the huge commitment that you have to make to do well in the food & drink industry.
“It’s widely acknowledged as one of the toughest to survive and prosper in, and not just because it’s so competitive. You obviously get that in all industries.
“Our willingness to adapt the business has been a big factor, too.
“We now operate several food stalls as well as the restaurant site – this has helped us to market ourselves to a wide variety of target audiences, boosting our profile in the process.”
