Kobé Japanese Steakhouse - Clearwater — Restaurant in Palm Harbor

Hello, reader! Allow me to save you some time with my review. I've just spent 10 minutes skimming through the past reviews before writing this. There were a couple of 1-star ratings and a few 3-star ratings, but plenty of 5-star ratings. I glanced over the 1 to 3-star reviews just to see how other experiences compared to mine. One 1-star review was about really poor service, a few reviews mentioned overly salty food or dishes tasting like soy sauce, and several comments noted that the ambiance was a bit outdated. However, my experience was amazing. The service was good, the food was the best I have ever had at a hibachi restaurant, and the people were amazing. As for the ambiance, well, it's a place packed with 5x3 hibachi grill/tables, steam, smoke, and delicious smells. Did I even pay attention to the decor? Yes, maybe once or twice, but honestly, who cares? I came for the hibachi experience – utensil flipping, flaming onion towers, and corny chef jokes. If you choose to dine at a place like this, you really shouldn't expect much from the ambiance beyond the atmosphere of your immediate table.

But since I brought it up, let me comment about the ambiance outside our immediate table. It's exactly what you would expect – a black ceiling (which is a great color choice), a slightly cheesy fake bamboo centerpiece that catches your eye in the main dining area, lots of hibachi tables, and a pretty nice bar area. I've been to many local 'table-side food prep' restaurants, and this location definitely ranks higher than the norm in terms of ambiance. But without wasting your time, let me get to the point and explain what prompted me to write this review.

The value is off the charts awesome. And when did that happen? For $25, you can get steak/chicken, fried rice, noodles, veggies, and a show. You CANNOT GET that anywhere else. I really don't recall prices being so reasonable. Don't get me wrong, there are some orders that can go beyond $30, but for under $25 per person, you can get way more food and entertainment compared to other dinner options.

The food was hands down the most flavorful experience I've had at a place like this. Maybe our chef was more skilled? I wish I remembered his name. He was super awesome – kudos to him and his skills, such an amazing chef. I ordered the 10oz Sirloin, which was cooked to utter perfection. Not a single bad bite in that cut of beef. The noodles were bursting with flavor, the fried rice was unbelievably good (and I'm a guy who usually dislikes veggies, yet I devoured them all). We were there to celebrate taking my boy back to college, so it was just him, me, and my wife. We have 2 other kids at home, but I hesitated to include them in this outing due to my previous memory of hibachi being high-priced and low-value. I regretted not bringing them along.

But the real eye-opener of that evening was how affordably priced the menu is now. They've definitely made some adjustments to be more competitive. Just think, at another place, you might spend $20+ on a grilled cheese and potato chips. Yet, for that same amount of money here, you can walk away full and with the memory of the 'egg-roll' (which is a nod to the corny jokes as the chef rolled an egg across the hibachi). I was truly blown away by the value.

Value alone, though, cannot carry the day. Service is also a pillar of excellence and a necessity. You can measure service by how often you need to ask for things. I didn't have to utter a word that night – my cup was constantly refilled, and the food kept coming. There are countless places where you can spend your hard-earned money. If you enjoy this cuisine and relish the intimacy of sitting six inches from the action while someone cooks for you, then you really should hand over your money to them. It will be...

I have been to Kobes from Palm Springs Ca, to Fort Collins Co to Cedar park TX. This was the most basic average cost saving cheap food ever had at a Hibachi style cook in front of you restaurant. To start off, the miso soup was the most watered down garbage. It tastes like cheap chicken broth, you couldn't even throw in a couple pieces of tofu. I can go to the asian market and get better stuff for ninety nine cents in the packet. Clear chicken broth with a couple pieces of spring onions is not miso. I won't even start on the tuna or yellow tail sushi slop! Zero presentation on any of the food! When it comes to fried rice, there are three keys to fried rice,,,butter, butter, butter, this was the most bland no taste Fried Rice. I've ever had thrown on a big saucer plate with little effort. It wouldn't kill you too.Have some bowls if you're gonna just make c. 2 eggs cracked for all the Fried Rice and then some liquid. That's probably powdered eggs poured for the rest. Let's start with what's supposed to be salad, but is a few pieces of c lettuce, drowned in a ladle of ginger dressing again, thrown onto some big platter in a mess. I'm sure you probably get frozen shrimp. No more cutting the tails that I like to eat. The tails sauteed in butter on the grill for a while. At least you could have cleaned the vein out of the shrimp.They were disgusting and tastes like rubber. No bean sprouts, no bamboo shoots, no water chestnuts, but someone thought it was a good idea to put big, giant chunks of carrot new potatoes or red potatoes in the mix. The steak was unedible, the cheepest cut of chewy rubber. The chicken was definitely frozen. It was so fibery and almost impossible to chew. And I guess unless you beg for sauce at the beginning, they won't give it to you as I'm used to. Having it prepared and placed in front of me. When we finally got our meal, there was more grill, scrapings all over the vegetables and meat, not that nice crisp, clean food that is expected. I guess maybe people in this area.I just want a big pile of slop, because basically, that's what it was. There is no Japanese influence whatsoever in this. It's just serve a bunch of belly food and hope people enjoy it. I had high hopes for this place. We live locally finally after a few years we decided to go try out one of our favorite places for dinner and loved the look of the old school building. But what a mistake. Whip alcoholic beverages, 2 meals. I spent over a $150.00, i could get way better. Japanese cuisine from our local small establishment in Tarpon Springs for half the price. Anyone who reads this if you've been to any colby's, anywhere other than this place, you're going to be disappointed. I guess putting red potatoes in as a filler is the cheapest route you can go. And how there is no bean sprouts, water, chestnut, bamboo or any butter or flavor is beyond me. I'm being nice giving you three stars. I guarantee I will not be back. Put on a positive note. I took The Leftovers home, cooked it properly in my walk with proper seasoning and attention. Added bean sprouts, water, chestnut, bamboo, shoots a little sesame oil and butter and real eggs, and it actually tastes good. Step up and dont call yourself Japanese cuisine! My good friend Stir Fry Hi who has the best hibachi in Colorado and has amazing cuisine at Sturgis would laugh at this. There is no passion,, care or thought put into this shopping mall slop! Obviously there is no true Japanese pride or thought into this place. I was ready to be served in a Styrofoam to go container. Great place if you want to bring a bunch of drunken party people that will eat from street fair food and call it good! Step...

Having a family member with celiac and egg allergies makes dining out most nights a challenge at best thus we rarely do it. That said, it was my wife's birthday and she had been wanting to go to a Japanese steak house for years so I made Saturday night reservations at Kobe in Clearwater. Normally I'll bring in some food of my own for the family member just in case we can't be accommodated but I figured I'd call ahead to see if there were any options, of which I didn't really expect any. Upon calling, there was no way to speak with someone unless you were ordering take out and even the automated voice said if you had food allergies, you needed to come into order. The voice said to press 3 to get a text with the manager's email. Strange, but I did it and promptly received a text with the email. I emailed and explained the circumstances. I didn't expect an email back as it was it was the day of our reservation. About an hour later, I did receive an email letting me know that I should just to let our server and chef know about the allergies. I responded with thanks and soon received a call from Eugene, the manager. I could tell the restaurant was busy but he took a good 10 minutes on the phone with me and was genuinely interested in our situation. He let me know how best to let the server know and said he'd put a note on our reservation. Upon arrival and seating (note: a very busy Saturday night), the server and chef both provided the very same options and feedback that Eugene did and gave me 100% comfort that they have seen this before and that all would be taken care of. They brought the gluten free soy sauce, gluten free dressing and cooked our family member's meal first to ensure no cross contamination on the grill. I can't thank Eugene and the staff enough as we have a wonderful experience, I was totally comfortable and we all enjoyed the meal and the show. My expectations were totally...