Top 10 Places to Dine in Kobe

1．Mouriya Honten [Steak]

This steak restaurant has been around for a long time and they sure know how to serve Japan's finest A5 rank beef! Come here to have a taste of Kobe Beef or beef that the restaurant gets from a personally selected ranch. The tender beef is grilled right in front of you, so be prepared for a culinary symphony! Besides their Honten branch, they have other branches like the Sannomiya branch and the Royal Mouriya one. 

Average budget : Lunch 5000 yen, Dinner 10000 yen

Homepage：http://www.mouriya.co.jp/index.html

Address：2-1-17 Shimoyamatedori, Chuo Ward, Kobe　Tel. No. : 078-391-4603
Opening hours, Lunch ：11am - 3pm, Dinner : 3pm - 10pm 
Closed days : Every second Monday and Tuesday *Changes may occur without prior notice

2．Watahan [Sukiyaki, Shabu-Shabu]

The restaurant is located 5 minutes on foot from the JR Sannomiya station towards Kitano. This is one place you wouldn't want to miss out on because you will get to sink your teeth into precious Mita beef meat through their sukiyaki, shabu-shabu or teppanyaki dishes and Mita beef is truly precious because there are only 1000 Mita cows a year that are slaughtered to cater to the whole of Japan. During autumn, the menu will also serve Tamba Matsutake mushrooms and in case you're wondering why we are making a big fuss over such mushrooms, it's really cause they cost about $1000 a pound! At this restaurant, you get to choose a table seating or a traditional Japanese dining style. Oh, and don't forget to place your reservations first if you are planning to come to eat here during lunch time! 

Average budget：Lunch 4000 yen, Dinner 7000 yen

Homepage：http://www.kobe-watahan.com/

Address：4-9-17 Kanocho, Chuo Ward, Kobe   Tel. No. : 078-334-1068
Opening hours,  Lunch：11:30am - 2pm, Dinner : 5pm - 11pm 
Closed days : Undetermined

3．Setsugetsuka [Steak, Teppanyaki]

Well, since we are in the prefecture of beef, we might as well talk about restaurants that serve high quality beef dishes! This restaurant is also close to JR Sannomiya station and it only take 7 minutes on foot in the Kitano direction. This restaurant just got awarded with 1 Michelin Star in 2013. Your dining experience will be intimate as the chef will be standing right in front of you, preparing your beef. Besides beef, you can also enjoy grilled abalone or seasonal seafood. There are also private rooms here for you to organize small family gatherings or parties. 

Average budget：12000 yen

Homepage：http://kobe-setsugetsuka.com/

Address：2nd Floor Pan Fan Building, 4-8-19 Kanocho, Chuo Ward, Kobe   Tel. No. : 078-333-7080
Opening hours : 5pm - 11pm (last order taken at 9:30pm) 
Closed days : Undetermined 

4．Ca Marche [Bread]

For all you early birds out there that are looking for places that open for breakfast, this Kitano bakery would be the answer to your dreams cause it opens bright and early from 8am. Here you'll get pampered because the staff at this bakery will serve you the bread that you want unlike the usual bakeries here in Japan that usually offer self-service only. You can also ask the staff what they would recommend based on what sort of foods you like and dislike. You can pack the food up or have it at the bakery's terrace, al-fresco style on a good day. 

Average budget：〜1000 yen

Address：3-1-3 Yamamotodori, Chuo Ward, Kobe   Tel. No. : 078-763-1111
Opening hours : 8am - 7pm 
Closed days : Tuesdays and Wednesdays

5．Ichiro Gyoza [Chinese]　

You might think we are kidding for asking you to come and have Chinese food in Japan but you will understand once you come to this restaurant that is located right next to Sannomiya station at the basement of Sun Plaza. Their potstickers here are crispy on the outside and the inside is stuffed with a juicy meat and cabbage filling that is seasoned with a little bit of garlic. Don't forget to have the potstickers with Kobe's famous miso dipping sauce! 

Average budget：700 yen

Homepage：http://www.gyo-za83.com/

Address：B1 Floor Sun Plaza, Sannomiyacho, Chuo Ward, Kobe   Tel. No. : 078-334-1660
Opening hours : 11am - 9pm (4pm - 9pm on Tuesdays only)
Closed days : Undetermined

6．Sushi Kanbe [Sushi]

www.orientalhotel.jp

This fine sushi restaurant is located within the Oriental Hotel in Kobe. Your dining experience would be a spectacular one because the fishes are brought in fresh from the Seto Inland Sea and the ambience truly represents a Japanese dining experience.  The chef prepares each sushi piece with care just like how they do it in the olden days. 

Average budget：Lunch 5000 yen, Dinner 12000 yen

Homepage：http://www.orientalhotel.jp/restaurant/shop/detail_03.html#first-resevation-tab02

Address：17th Floor Oriental Hotel, 25 Kyomachi, Chuo Ward, Kobe   Tel. No. : 078-326-1577
Opening hours,  Lunch：11:30am - 2pm (last order) *Opening hours on Saturday only, Dinner : 5:30pm - 9:30pm (last order)
Closed days : Wednesday and 2 Tuesdays every month 

7．Hyakumidokoro Onjiki [Japanese]

To get to this place, get off at JR Sannomiya station and walk for about 10 minutes north towards Ikuta Shrine. You'll love the exterior of this restaurant that exudes a lot of Japanese spirit but apart from that, you'll definitely love the food here as the ingredients used are fresh and personally selected by the restaurant owner. Come dine and drink here with their great wine selection. This restaurant is extremely famous as it was just awarded with 2 Michelin Stars in 2015. 

Average budget：Lunch 6000 yen,  Dinner 12000 yen

Homepage：http://www.onjiki.com/index.html

Address：1st Floor, 2-15-13 Nakayamatedori, Chuo Ward, Kobe   Tel. No. : 078-271-2111
Opening hours, Lunch：12pm - 2:30pm (last order taken at 12:30pm) Dinner：6pm - 10pm (last order taken at 8pm)
Closed days : Sundays

8．Kushinoya【Kushiage】

Kushinoya prides on its generosity. Ingredients are cut in a generous size portion and then dipped lightly in a batter. You can get to see how your kushiages are prepared and fried, making the whole dining experience fun. The food here is excellent and they keep pumping out kushiages until you tell them to stop but once you pop one in your mouth you might never know when to say stop! 

Average budget：Lunch 6000 yen, Dinner 7000 yen

Homepage：http://www.kushinoya.jp/

Address：1-10-9 Kitanagasadori, Chuo Ward, Kobe   Tel. No. : 078-391-4194
Opening hours, Monday - Saturday：5pm - 10pm, Sundays and public holidays : 12pm - 9:30pm
Open all year round

9．Misaku [Okonomiyaki]　

For the easiest way to get to this restaurant, exit from the East Exit 8 of the Sannomiya subway station and walk towards Kitano. Come here for hot and tasty okonomiyaki, yakisoba and other stir-fried dishes and while we are at it, you should try Kobe's famous stir-fried dish that consists of stir-frying delicious well-marinated tender meat with rice and noodles!

Average budget：1000 yen

Homepage：http://misaku.jp/index.html

Address：1st Floor Myoseki Building, 1-8-1 Nakayamatedori, Chuo Ward, Kobe   Tel. No. :  078-332-0983
Opening hours : 5:30pm - 3am
Open all year round

10．Hotel Piena Kobe [Western]　

www.piena.co.jp

You might have heard of this hotel before as it is very famous and is rated very highly on many travel websites like TripAdvisor as the place to go to in Kobe for the best breakfast spread. In fact, TripAdvisor has acknowledged that and awarded that title to this hotel 3 years in a row! The breakfast buffet spread is truly amazing here. The ingredients used are fresh and locally produced! The bread is delicious and the desserts are not only captivating to the eye but it just will make your tummy growl for more. Waking up to this breakfast spread would make anyone's day. As a matter of fact, there are many patrons that come to stay at this hotel just for its breakfast! 

Average budget：Accommodation plus breakfast from 5000 yen per person

Homepage：http://www.piena.co.jp/

Address：4-20-5 Ninomiyacho, Chuo Ward, Kobe   Tel. No. : 078-241-1010