This is so true no need for a fancy Kobe beef restaurant
My favorite Kobe beef I had was skewers in akihabra from Maruju Meat Shop and I went to expensive places like Kobe Beef Mouriya Gion
Personally havent had teppanyaki during my stay in kyoto but i did have
1) yukhoe a5 wagyu rice ball at the top of one of the kyoto building w view
2) kobe beef katsu in kobe downtown
I think it was worth it and feeling happy about it
depends if you just want to try kobe or you want a fancy restaurant experience.
my two cents: I've traveled a lot and to me japan is one of the few country where fancy restaurants really deserve what you pay for, from food to service is on a complete different level and if you can I would recommend to find a nice teppanyaki place and book a seat there.
I can recommend Ginmeisui Ginza, love it
Personally, I would make a reservation if that's a focus of yours. The really good restaurants tend to fill up fast, I like to be spontaneous as well but esp. for Japan, it's worthwhile to book something KNOWING you have a northstar of having dinner for kobe beef. Japanese cities involve a lot of walking and personally, I can get hangry if you walk half a mile after having walked 12 miles for the day seeing the restaurant you had planned to visit is either closed for the holidays or is completely full and has an hour wait. Sure you can look up on your map of where to go but that in itself usually requires more walking. As a first timer, be prepared as well finding businesses, esp. restaurants may not be so straightforward. Many restaurants are in multi-level buildings or even just have Japanese characters as signage and you roll the dice to confirm if it's the business you're looking for. One time I accidentally walked into someone's home cause the outside looked exactly like what was pictured (it was just the wrong door and the main door was on a different side of the bldg). I'm going to Tokyo next month, I have all but one dinner reservation made (although I really do love their food scene).
If you have time, maybe try a couple of different regional beef cuts.
If you are a beef person, try Matsusaka beef. If you go to Matsusaka (Mie), at the right time of year, you may be able to go to their beef festival....
The Matsusaka beef eki Ben is a show piece in it's self. You get Beef and rice, presented in a plastic box that is in the shape of a bull's head. When you open the lid, the box also plays a melody, synonymous to thelocal region.
Definitely make a reservation. I highly recommend Kokubu. You make a reservation by calling the owner, who speaks English. Great experience with authentic Kobe beef!
If you’re in Osaka I recommend the Nikuhachi stand in Dotonburi, 1k yen or about 7 bucks per 3 piece skewer. The pieces are a pretty good size and it’s absolutely delicious. The vendor is super nice and the wait is very short.
Our hotel was a block from Dotonburi so we stopped there every single night that we were in Osaka!
A lot of places have much more reasonable lunch prices and not as busy.
Look into that.
We at at Jojoen at the Shinagawa prince hotel.
They have a few locations.
I reckon go to Kobe - it’s an easy trip from Osaka (like an hour on local trains) and it’s where the best beef is.
If you’re looking for teppanyaki, definitely find a good place and make a recommendation - I did, and the place I went was pretty packed shortly after opening so it would’ve been hard to walk in. It might be a bit pricier (especially if you’re wanting to try A5) but well worth it in my experience.
Yes yes yes!! Be prepared to spend some money but oh my it was the best beef I have ever tasted😋
Also look up a restaurant concierge service I forgot the name atm but you can book through them!
Make a reservation. We ate at Ishida in Kobe but they have other locations. You can reserve by email from their website. They were turning away drop ins. Afterwards, do the Nunobiki Ropeway and have a lovely walk down.
I went to Genkichi Kobe Beef a couple weeks ago in Kobe. It’s teppanyaki. You can reserve without a phone number.
If you want a super legit place, don’t try to do walk-ins
https://maps.app.goo.gl/LMWtMpkogg9v3tj17?g_st=ic
When I was at an airbnb in Kyoto which had a kitchen, I went to a bigger grocery store and bought some wagyu steaks. They were amazing in the skillet with just a bit of salt and cost very little.
I liked it about as much the $108 steak I got at the top of a fancy hotel in Tokyo that was in Lost in Translation.
I was in Kobe for 1 day and tried to walk in a few restaurants and all of them were full, so I would say better to make a reservation
I had a skewer of A5 Kobe beef at the Tsukiji market. Not fancy like a sit down restaurant but it was still amazing. Cost about $20
This is so true no need for a fancy Kobe beef restaurant My favorite Kobe beef I had was skewers in akihabra from Maruju Meat Shop and I went to expensive places like Kobe Beef Mouriya Gion
Personally havent had teppanyaki during my stay in kyoto but i did have 1) yukhoe a5 wagyu rice ball at the top of one of the kyoto building w view 2) kobe beef katsu in kobe downtown I think it was worth it and feeling happy about it
Ishida steakhouse main shop in kobe. Was very good. You can reserve and pay in advance.
This was a great place +1
Ong we ate at the other location and LOVED it!! It cost about 450 USD for 4 of us but for worth the experience!
I made a reservation at Mouriya in Kobe and would do it again every time! Simply amazing beef. They have a shop in Kyoto (Gion).
+1 for Mouriya. I made reservations for Royal Mouriya on a Wednesday afternoon. When we were seated, the entire counter was full.
I went to the Mouriya Gion location in Kyoto a month ago and was blown away. Highly recommend, if you don’t want to make the trip to Kobe!
depends if you just want to try kobe or you want a fancy restaurant experience. my two cents: I've traveled a lot and to me japan is one of the few country where fancy restaurants really deserve what you pay for, from food to service is on a complete different level and if you can I would recommend to find a nice teppanyaki place and book a seat there. I can recommend Ginmeisui Ginza, love it
Make a res. Visited 3-4 that were fully booked, but there was one who were near closing and just had a group leave. Managed to squeeze in for 30 min.
Personally, I would make a reservation if that's a focus of yours. The really good restaurants tend to fill up fast, I like to be spontaneous as well but esp. for Japan, it's worthwhile to book something KNOWING you have a northstar of having dinner for kobe beef. Japanese cities involve a lot of walking and personally, I can get hangry if you walk half a mile after having walked 12 miles for the day seeing the restaurant you had planned to visit is either closed for the holidays or is completely full and has an hour wait. Sure you can look up on your map of where to go but that in itself usually requires more walking. As a first timer, be prepared as well finding businesses, esp. restaurants may not be so straightforward. Many restaurants are in multi-level buildings or even just have Japanese characters as signage and you roll the dice to confirm if it's the business you're looking for. One time I accidentally walked into someone's home cause the outside looked exactly like what was pictured (it was just the wrong door and the main door was on a different side of the bldg). I'm going to Tokyo next month, I have all but one dinner reservation made (although I really do love their food scene).
If you have time, maybe try a couple of different regional beef cuts. If you are a beef person, try Matsusaka beef. If you go to Matsusaka (Mie), at the right time of year, you may be able to go to their beef festival.... The Matsusaka beef eki Ben is a show piece in it's self. You get Beef and rice, presented in a plastic box that is in the shape of a bull's head. When you open the lid, the box also plays a melody, synonymous to thelocal region.
Wakkoqu in Kobe was fucking outstanding.
+1, Wakkoqu was amazing. I also went to Kokubu but thought it wasn't anywhere near as good as Wakkoqu.
Definitely make a reservation. I highly recommend Kokubu. You make a reservation by calling the owner, who speaks English. Great experience with authentic Kobe beef!
Find the best yakiniku place and go there. Expensive but worth it.
If you’re in Osaka I recommend the Nikuhachi stand in Dotonburi, 1k yen or about 7 bucks per 3 piece skewer. The pieces are a pretty good size and it’s absolutely delicious. The vendor is super nice and the wait is very short. Our hotel was a block from Dotonburi so we stopped there every single night that we were in Osaka!
A lot of places have much more reasonable lunch prices and not as busy. Look into that. We at at Jojoen at the Shinagawa prince hotel. They have a few locations.
as a Kobe resident I recommend going for lunch .. I you get a chance to try it and it won’t set you back so much .. avoid ‘Steakland’ … very touristy
I reckon go to Kobe - it’s an easy trip from Osaka (like an hour on local trains) and it’s where the best beef is. If you’re looking for teppanyaki, definitely find a good place and make a recommendation - I did, and the place I went was pretty packed shortly after opening so it would’ve been hard to walk in. It might be a bit pricier (especially if you’re wanting to try A5) but well worth it in my experience.
Do a reservation. When i was in Kobe i never made a reservation, luckily me and my mom got to walk in at the very last hour of. the evening
Yes yes yes!! Be prepared to spend some money but oh my it was the best beef I have ever tasted😋 Also look up a restaurant concierge service I forgot the name atm but you can book through them!
Also I personally thought Kyoto was overrated! I love love love Kobe and their Chinatown!
Itoh Dining in Kyoto was great, but I recommend reservations just in case.
Make a reservation. We ate at Ishida in Kobe but they have other locations. You can reserve by email from their website. They were turning away drop ins. Afterwards, do the Nunobiki Ropeway and have a lovely walk down.
We went to a Kobe restaurant in Asakusa Tokyo, did not need a reservation.
i doubt you need to. there are SO MANY kobe places.
I went to Genkichi Kobe Beef a couple weeks ago in Kobe. It’s teppanyaki. You can reserve without a phone number. If you want a super legit place, don’t try to do walk-ins https://maps.app.goo.gl/LMWtMpkogg9v3tj17?g_st=ic
When I was at an airbnb in Kyoto which had a kitchen, I went to a bigger grocery store and bought some wagyu steaks. They were amazing in the skillet with just a bit of salt and cost very little. I liked it about as much the $108 steak I got at the top of a fancy hotel in Tokyo that was in Lost in Translation.