House of Kobe — Restaurant in Hagerstown

Update 8.2.24: It’s been a year since I made this review. Last night my children asked if we could come back and give them another try. I would give my kids the world if I could. So we get in ask for hibachi and get seated.

No sooner did we get seated the owner/manager came to our table to ask if she could place a 15% gratuity on our bill due to her workers not wanting to serve us. She then continues to question to the point of interrogating me in-front of my kids if I was the one that left a review after she placed a gratuity on my check for a family of 4 and I confronted her about it. Specifically because their menu stated that a gratuity will be added for a party of 6 not 4, especially when we don’t get the soup, salad or hibachi veggies.

I told her yes it was I that wrote the review I have every right to express how an establishment made me feel. And due to you not paying your employees I’m being penalized for not tipping an amount you think is fair and adequate, so you can pay your workers is not my problem.

So I told her if you don’t want me to eat here we can leave that’s okay. She states “it’s not that I don’t want you all to eat I’m just trying to see if you’re okay with the 15% gratuity is added before the meal gets started.” At which point my husband asks if she’s gonna ask other tables in the restaurant if it’s okay to add that same 15% to their checks since our family is getting singled out. She goes on this tangent to say that her workers get paid 2-5$ and that comes from tips and when people don’t tip they’re not making any money due to inflation and the fact that they haven’t changed their prices.. AGAIN HOW IS THAY ANY OF MY FAMILIES PROBLEM.

You are the one providing a service. I had no energy to argue with a business woman. If you don’t want my money or to service me and my family just say that before you sit us down and make a scene in your own establishment.

Regardless of how any of y'all felt we are paying customers to your establishment. People write bad reviews all the time, bad reviews are companies opportunity to turn it into a good one. I cannot count the number of bad reviews that the company I work for received yet those people still came in to get serviced and we still gave them great customer service regardless of how they acted or the reviews they left. Because that’s what you do in customer service. You service the customer.. oh and what do they say “ that the customer is always right”

Well I was right about this one. Hadn’t been back in basically a year and after that crap they pulled last night I told my kids. House of Kobe is officially off the option list. Sad really.

Original Review: This was my go to shop until tonight. Took them over an hr to even come and serve us our food, and I was told they added a gratuity to my check because we don’t tip every time we come.

Mind you this is for a table of 4. 2 kids 2 adults.. not a table of 10 or more he’ll not even 6 or more just 4.

I don’t care if it’s the 1st time or the last time I come in if I wish to give a tip I will give a tip.

Don’t tell me that your employees work for tips to make a living, so you approved them to add a gratuity, and when I address the situation you state that they no one in the establishment wants to serve us due to not giving a tip every time.

If they need funds to make a living please let them go and get a job that’s gonna pay them for their quality of work and not sit back and watch them squirm to make ends meet.

I pay damn near $100+ or more every time we go and it’s an issue cause I’m not tipping… psh y’all better pay your employees if they do a good job and stop hoping others will. That’s what’s wrong in this world today everyone is so entitled, but don’t want to work at a real job to make the money they want!

I HAVE LIVED IN THIS TOWN ON AND OFF FOR THR PAST 20 YRS AND ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS PLACE BUT AFTER TONIGHT….I WILL NEVER BE BACK TO THIS...

This is the best restaurant in Hagerstown and one of the best in Maryland. Anyone who wants to try Japanese food should try this place. -Sushi is all handmade from fresh ingredients. Personally, I think you should be VERY careful eating raw fish and this is one a the few places where I will. I've been eating there for 20 years and never had a problem. There's a sushi bar if you want to watch while you eat. -Tables Hibachi: This has got the be one of the healthiest and most entertaining ways to eat. Everything is cooked in front of you, to order, using obviously fresh ingredients with minimal oil. As a bonus you get nice show with some humor and pyrotechnics. This restaurant was doing this 20 years before anything like it entered Frederick County. You may want to double check the newer chefs that they don't over cook your meat if you like the rarer options. Any problems, just let them know and they will fix it. Normal Tables: A nice range of Japanese food sold both A La Carte and as complete dinners with Rice and appetizers. For extra fun there are 3 special fondue pot meals. This are minimum of 2 ordering and expensive, but wonderful for a night out when you want a relaxing meal while chatting. A large bowl full of stock is brought out on a camp type mini stove. A platter of meat and a platter of vegetables, cellophane noodles and tofu are brought out. Then you cook food to your preference speed and eat as you like. the waiter/waitress will help you start out but adding 1/3-1/2 of the veg for you. Alcohol: I don't drink a lot but I think they have everything you'd expect, including Sake and at least 1 Asian beer. If you like a sweet wine, I can strongly recommend the Plum Wine. Dessert: as wine, but I recommend the Green Tea Ice Cream. Personally, I don't like Green Tea as a drink, I find it too bitter, but the ice cream is fascinating. Cleans the palate as they say, but it's not too sweet and actually improves a stuffed stomach. Another top option is banana tempura. Whatever you...

It has been a while since I've visited a restaurant where everything I ordered, appetizer, main course, and dessert absolutely blew me away. House of Kobe did that for me today. We started our date ordering the Spicy Tuna Nachos appetizer, and I got 2 nagiri sushi orders (Tamago and salmon belly). The nagiri were phenomenal, and the salmon belly had that melt in your mouth experience. I have yet to use this term in my reviews, but it was a definite "mouthgasm" sushi ans I highly recommend it for those who may be skeptical about sushi nagiri style. The spicy Tuna was a great choice for an appetizer as well. I hope to try more of their appetizers in the future. We also were given a salad and soup at the beginning of our main course. The soup was absolutely delightful, with little fried/crispy pieces of idk, but it added a nice texture to soup. The mushrooms in the soup also had a nice savory flavor to them that really rounded out the soup. My main course dish was the Karashi Buta which is thinly sliced pork loin in a spicy marinade. It reminded me of an island dish I grew up called Sikiyaki, and perfectly blended sweet, spicy and salty (most Umami dish I've had in years). We finished off night with a Banana Tempura with ice cream. Overall, food wise, the dishes we tasted tonight blew me away and I will be back. I do hope they can do a little work with the interior because it did feel a little dated and the walls looked like they needed a new look (either fresh paint or complete remodel). Will I be back? Yes! Should many more people eat here? Yes, but not enough to where I need to reserve weeks, or months ahead, which I feel like this place should experience with the dishes I've...