Kobe Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar

My husband and I visited this location for his birthday tonight. We are African Americans for context and I hate that I must state that because we visit places with all cultures and they’re all welcoming here in our area. When we first entered the doors an Asian woman that looked to be in her 40s or 50s saw us and immediately said, “I’ll be with you in a moment,” and went back to walking around joking and talking to an older white man. We sat there for about 10 minutes puzzled because it would only take a moment to escort us back to the hibachi grill area to be seated, but we were patient and did as we were told. After a while a large group of White people approached the front door and before they could all enter, a man came out the back that passed us several times and quickly asked them how many they had in their party. They said 6. Before scurrying off quickly to find them a seat, he walked past us again and said nothing. When I realized he was really about to seat a party of six over a party of two, I said “excuse me” politely and said we were here before them and had been for a minute. The lady that originally told us to sit there, said something to the man in another language and then he motioned for us to follow him. We had dinner from there and the food was good and our hibachi grill chef did a good presentation, but as we were leaving, we noticed another African American couple sitting outside in the same area we were instructed to. We were thinking, are they making all the African Americans sit out there until more come in so they can sit them all together? Irregardless it was embarrassing and bad business. We’ve been to this location years before, but see the ratings have gone down considerably since and maybe this is why.

My husband and I visited this location for his birthday tonight. We are African Americans for context and I hate that I must state that because we visit places with all cultures and they’re all welcoming here in our area. When we first entered the doors an Asian woman that looked to be in her 40s or 50s saw us and immediately said, “I’ll be with you in a moment,” and went back to walking around joking and talking to an older white man. We sat there for about 10 minutes puzzled because it would only take a moment to escort us back to the hibachi grill area to be seated, but we were patient and did as we were told. After a while a large group of White people approached the front door and before they could all enter, a man came out the back that passed us several times and quickly asked them how many they had in their party. They said 6. Before scurrying off quickly to find them a seat, he walked past us again and said nothing. When I realized he was really about to seat a party of six over a party of two, I said “excuse me” politely and said we were here before them and had been for a minute. The lady that originally told us to sit there, said something to the man in another language and then he motioned for us to follow him. We had dinner from there and the food was good and our hibachi grill chef did a good presentation, but as we were leaving, we noticed another African American couple sitting outside in the same area we were instructed to. We were thinking, are they making all the African Americans sit out there until more come in so they can sit them all together? Irregardless it was embarrassing and bad business. We’ve been to this location years before, but see the ratings have gone down considerably since and maybe this is why.

Find somewhere else. We just wasted $90 on two regular meals and two cokes. There were several problems with Kobe.. Very small portions! Even the rice was a TINY amount. Waiter and chef were wonderful, but our two dinner total was $20 higher than Mizu in Alabaster for HALF the food. My dinner partner received 6 tiny shrimp with his meal. Both of us had stomach problems that night. Also, it is March, 2025 and every server and chef was wearing a mask! It seemed to be mandatory at this restaurant, but the owners weren’t wearing them and they were not friendly at all when they seated us.

Find somewhere else. We just wasted $90 on two regular meals and two cokes. There were several problems with Kobe.. Very small portions! Even the rice was a TINY amount. Waiter and chef were wonderful, but our two dinner total was $20 higher than Mizu in Alabaster for HALF the food. My dinner partner received 6 tiny shrimp with his meal. Both of us had stomach problems that night. Also, it is March, 2025 and every server and chef was wearing a mask! It seemed to be mandatory at this restaurant, but the owners weren’t wearing them and they were not friendly at all when they seated us.

I considered this the best Hibachi from the few I have been to in Birmingham. Today my friends and I all had a bad experience. They sat us down and took our order right away however our cook took longer to get out to our table then to other tables that had sat down after us. Then when he finally came out he did the bare minimum and left and even messed up on 1 of our orders. Food was bland and a lot less than what we have had in the past. We had requested the birthday special and the chef never even sang nor acknowledged at all as other chefs were doing at other tables. After all these bad experiences, I had to complain to the hostess and she said to me that she had asked him to keep his time with us short because they were busy. All she said after that was "please just come back another day and I promise I will give you guys more attention." After we left most of our group also felt sick in our stomach. This was definitely our worst experience in a restaurant. We won't be returning!

I considered this the best Hibachi from the few I have been to in Birmingham. Today my friends and I all had a bad experience. They sat us down and took our order right away however our cook took longer to get out to our table then to other tables that had sat down after us. Then when he finally came out he did the bare minimum and left and even messed up on 1 of our orders. Food was bland and a lot less than what we have had in the past. We had requested the birthday special and the chef never even sang nor acknowledged at all as other chefs were doing at other tables. After all these bad experiences, I had to complain to the hostess and she said to me that she had asked him to keep his time with us short because they were busy. All she said after that was "please just come back another day and I promise I will give you guys more attention." After we left most of our group also felt sick in our stomach. This was definitely our worst experience in a restaurant. We won't be returning!

The food was terrible. The yumyum sauce tasted and looked as if it had been watered down. The waitress never came back to check to see if we needed refills. The restroom floor was sticky and the toilet seat was halfway off. The bill was $68+, which is fine when the food is good. This wasn't. We won't return.

The food was terrible. The yumyum sauce tasted and looked as if it had been watered down. The waitress never came back to check to see if we needed refills. The restroom floor was sticky and the toilet seat was halfway off. The bill was $68+, which is fine when the food is good. This wasn't. We won't return.

The hostess is so disrespectful and rude to every single person. Not only did she yell at multiple people waiting she is so disorderly. She told us it would be a 15-20 minute wait. Once 40 minutes had passed by and we still had not been sat and the people who came in behind us were sat first we asked for an updated wait time. She proceeded to yell and say “I DONT KNOW YOU HAVE TO WAIT. “ The most disrespectful experience I have ever had and I will not be returning. I am so disappointed because I love this restaurant but the way I was treated is absurd. Not to mention once we finally got to the table we were not approached by a waiter for another 25 minutes. No drink order nothing. Another lady came up to us and asked if we had been taken care of, she then informed us that the hostess never informed the kitchen staff that we were waiting at a table.

The hostess is so disrespectful and rude to every single person. Not only did she yell at multiple people waiting she is so disorderly. She told us it would be a 15-20 minute wait. Once 40 minutes had passed by and we still had not been sat and the people who came in behind us were sat first we asked for an updated wait time. She proceeded to yell and say “I DONT KNOW YOU HAVE TO WAIT. “ The most disrespectful experience I have ever had and I will not be returning. I am so disappointed because I love this restaurant but the way I was treated is absurd. Not to mention once we finally got to the table we were not approached by a waiter for another 25 minutes. No drink order nothing. Another lady came up to us and asked if we had been taken care of, she then informed us that the hostess never informed the kitchen staff that we were waiting at a table.

This was a very pleasant Teppanyaki experience, but lacks the luster of the old Kobe further down 280 on the hill. The food is still very good and the show is always very enjoyable. Great place for families and kids - and good sushi, to boot.

This was a very pleasant Teppanyaki experience, but lacks the luster of the old Kobe further down 280 on the hill. The food is still very good and the show is always very enjoyable. Great place for families and kids - and good sushi, to boot.

if you’re in Birmingham, kobe beef is a must-visit. the sushi is incredibly fresh, and the hibachi show is a blast! friendly service and a great atmosphere complete the experience. also, the owner lady is super cute and personable. she may seem tough on the outside, but shes super sweet. perfect for a fun night out! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

if you’re in Birmingham, kobe beef is a must-visit. the sushi is incredibly fresh, and the hibachi show is a blast! friendly service and a great atmosphere complete the experience. also, the owner lady is super cute and personable. she may seem tough on the outside, but shes super sweet. perfect for a fun night out! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️