Taste some unique teppanyaki cooking at Kobe Steakhouse

For over 30 years Kobe Japanese Steakhouse has been entertaining hungry diners from all over the world with their unique teppanyaki cooking. Teppanyaki refers to dishes cooked on an iron plate, and at Kobe they have reinvented the traditional Japanese technique to give their diners a sense of excitement and entertainment, as they have their meal prepared right in front of them! Customers select their favourite meats and vegetables where the talented hibachi chefs will slice and dice their food before cooking them on open flames in front of guests, all while energising the experience with fun acrobatics and humour.

Words from Kobe - ‘Hibachi is not a just cooking style, or even a cooking method. It is an experience that combines great food and entertainment in a comfortable and vibrant environment’.

Voted the Best Japanese Restaurant for the 8th consecutive year in a row by Orlando Weekly readers, Kobe offers diners a wide range of premium steaks, seafood, sushi and Asian fusion cuisine at 11 locations around Florida (soon to be 12 with the addition of the St Petersburg restaurant), seven in the Orlando area and four in Tampa.

When you visit Kobe you won’t just get great food, you’ll enjoy a memorable dining experience with a lot of focus on performance. The chefs are bound to impress with their stylish culinary skills, where they turn raw meat into a plate of tasty steaming food in no time at all!

Served up alongside rice, noodles, vegetables, salad and onion soup the teppanyaki dishes include shrimp, scallops, chicken, sirloin steak and more.

Set meals include options such as the Ultimate Japanese Wagyu, which consists of a starter of crab cakes, followed by 4oz Japanese Wagyu beef and lobster with the house dessert to finish. Alternatively, try the Sumo Sampler, consisting of crab cake followed by sirloin, chicken, lobster, shrimp and scallops. Hopefully you don’t run out of room before you finally get to the house dessert!

“The food is outstanding, service is great, and the chefs really make your time there entertaining!”

If you want sushi there is also plenty on the menu, with dozens of mouth-watering sushi rolls on offer. One of their signature offerings is the Red Dragon Roll, which is filled with delicious tempura shrimp, cucumber and avocado and topped with spicy tuna, tempura flakes, spring onion, spicy mayo, jalapeños and sesame seeds.

Dessert is not to be missed, with the mouth-watering Fried Ice Cream on the menu, or for chocolate lovers how about the house dessert of Chocolate Mousse Cake?

“My kids loved this place. The chef was so funny and made the kids laugh and showed them tricks. I didn’t get his name but he was really nice. The food is really good.”

Are there any special offers at Kobe Japanese Steakhouse?

If you go to Kobe on a Tuesday, with up to four children under the age of 12, take advantage of their offer of a free kid’s main meal (basically the same as the adult equivalent, but in smaller portion sizes) with the purchase of another full-price adult dish from the regular teppanyaki menu. This excludes holidays and certain promotional events, so check with the restaurant beforehand to make sure that you won’t be disappointed!

If you like to eat early, you might also want to take up the Early Bird offer that runs from 5pm – 6pm Sunday to Thursday. Full details of the menu and prices are on Kobe’s website.

Other promotions are listed on the website, so double-check before you go to see if you can make any savings!

Parent tip: Ask for a side plate - you get plenty of food here so the kids can share your food!

Where are the Kobe Japanese Steakhouse restaurants in Orlando?

The restaurants are located at 11 spots around Florida, with three locations near the I-4 and fairly close to the theme parks and villas. Full details of their locations, opening times and menus are listed on the website, but venues include:

• Kirkman/Universal: 5605 S Kirkman Rd, FL 32819
• Kissimmee: 2901 Parkway Blvd, FL 34747
• Lake Buena Vista: 8460 Palm Parkway, FL 32836
• International Drive: 8148 International Drive, FL 32819

If you pay a visit to the restaurant on International Drive in Orlando you will be able to experience Kobe’s newest innovation: Maihana Asian Cuisine. This style of dining for two is far more intimate, where guests can have a taste of spicy pork-belly teriyaki, mango sushi rolls, and plenty of other delicious foods!

How do I book at Kobe Japanese Steakhouse?

Kobe Steakhouse utilises a communal-style seating arrangement at the teppanyaki table, and as such does not have reservations, but a system of priority seating. By booking ahead you will be placed on the priority seating list, meaning that you will have the shortest possible waiting time after check-in. Simply visit the Kobe website and select your chosen restaurant under ‘Priority Seating’ to book a reservation.

If you would rather not be seated with other diners, private tables are available with a $250 minimum spend per table, and can seat up to 10 guests. This can be requested by selecting "Private Table" on your reservation. If you have a large group of over 20 diners, email the banquet manager at groups@kobesteakhouseusa.com.

If you haven’t ever paid a visit to Kobe, why not take the chance to see for yourself why the steakhouse has been won the Orlando Weekly Reader’s Choice Award every year since 2011? We’d love to hear from you about any dishes that you think we should try!