Japanese Restaurant Hanasato KOBE — Restaurant in Kobe

A Highlight of My Trip to Japan: Hanasato Kobe

Visiting Hanasato Kobe was truly one of the highlights of my trip to Japan. I made my reservation almost a month in advance, communicating in English. The reply was quick, and the communication was excellent, which made the whole process smooth and reassuring.

From the moment I arrived, I felt genuinely welcomed - the staff even knew my name before I walked in! The restaurant has a cozy atmosphere, featuring counter seating for about 10 people as well as private rooms. I sat at the counter, where I was lucky enough to meet some very friendly local guests. They initiated a conversation, curious about why I was visiting Kobe and what drew me to this particular restaurant, which made the experience even more special.

I opted for the beef dinner menu, which included an appetizer, hors d'oeuvre, sashimi, tofu salad, rice, miso soup, ice cream, and, of course, the main event: absolutely delicious beef. Every dish was fresh and flavorful - the fish was excellent, and the beef simply melted in my mouth. I was genuinely impressed by the quantity and quality of food for the price. The staff were always attentive, offering helpful tips on how to best enjoy each dish.

To accompany my meal, I had a large beer and tried two different sakes. I was surprised by how distinct the two sakes were; it almost felt like tasting two completely different kinds of drinks, but both were excellent in their own way.

After dinner, the chef made a point to chat with each guest. He even gave a small bag of snacks to those who had reserved in advance - a thoughtful gesture. I especially appreciated his advice about not going too early to Expo Osaka 2025 the next day, which ended up saving me hours in line!

To top it all off, the chef used a Polaroid camera to take a picture of me with my two new friends so we could take it home as a memory. He also asked to take a photo with me for his huge collection—I'm glad to be part of it!

Hanasato Kobe is a place I’ll definitely return to on my next trip to Japan. Highly recommended for anyone looking for an authentic, welcoming, and memorable dining...

Recommended to: Anyone who can cook their own meat Not recommended to: Anyone who burns their meat anytime they cook their own meat

This restaurant is with almost 50 years of experience serving customers. I believe this is one of the wonderful places in Kobe if you’re looking for a place to have Kobe beef in Kobe. The only reason it is not the one and only most wonderful place is only because it sells Hiba beef, not Kobe beef. But I certainly recommend this place since I found Hiba beef in this place even more attractive than any Kobe beef I’ve ever had. Frankly speaking, I had reserved another famous place in Kobe before I found Hanasato but I thought I should give this Hanasato a try. As a result, I got the chance to have the most wonderful dinner I’ve ever had in Kobe. You will never be frustrated giving a try. With this restaurant’s reasonable price, the witty and kind master, special sake line-up, and, most of all, fanciest food in Kobe, I bet you will definitely plan to visit Kobe again only because of this restaurant. And I will also visit this restaurant again to try other kinds of foods. I tried another dish on the menu after finishing the course, and it was also awesome.

Another thing I’d like to tell you is that I saw a group of local lawyers holding meeting in this place, and they all seem to visit this restaurant often. I guess this will tell you a lot: local restaurant where local lawyers visit often.

One last thing I’m worried about is that you have to cook your own meat like when you do Korean BBQ here. So I don’t recommend those who never cooked their own meat or are bad at cooking meat. For the rest, I strongly recommend...

Where do I even begin in reviewing this restaurant. When you visit a restaurant off the back of reading so many good reviews, it can sometimes be a bit dangerous in setting your own expectations but I came out with having had the best, most fun time in a restaurant I had ever had.

First of all to say on the vibe and setting, if you’re looking for traditional Japanese setting with just the right amount of comfortability if you are from abroad, then this ticks that very difficult box. The food was amazing and probably goes without saying, but especially some dishes that traditionally I’m never normally that keen on such as raw fish, delighted my senses beyond my expectations. The HANA beef serving was both fun to cook (with more than a helping hand of course) and just tremendous. I was told previously by a couple of locals that it’s an error to only try to focus on finding Kobe beef as other meats in the areas of Japan are just as good and this meal backs up that claim.

The value for money is incredible, I’ve been to Michelin starred restaurants who would without doubt normally charge 3 times the amount for what was served in my time there.

Then lastly and importantly, chef Hitashi is just a tremendous guy to meet, a great host and just a total joy to be around. I was lucky enough to speak to him and his colleagues a lot during the evening, with many laughs and great vibes shared. Even if you don’t speak Japanese and you hear him speaking to locals, he exudes energy which is infectious and adds so much to the experience. His staff are also wonderful, welcoming and dote very kindly.

This is a restaurant experience you need to have...