Kobe Japanese Bistro

As a long time customer of Kobe, I would say it’s one of the better sushi places in Edmonton. However it has slowly been going down hill ever since over the years. Not liking the new renovations either. The atmosphere used to feel more homey and intimate.
Lunch special is the bomb. Unlimited soup and salad. Sushi is fresh and their cooked foods are usually good too. I would recommend their take on the beef tataki, rainbow roll and bentos.
Some of the foods that has gone down in quality includes their dragon eye rolls, udon noodle soup, and scallop rolls. The dragon rolls use to use fresh salmon but is now canned salmon. Udon soul base has been changed for some reason. And scallop rolls which used to be my favourite are no longer made inside out because they weren’t able to roll the rolls tight enough.

Finally a solid spot for sushi in Edm has been found! The place might need a little renovation, otherwise the food and service are both great. Prices are affordable and the quality of food is very good for Edmonton. Beef tataki is only $ 12 and is very tasty, rolls like alaskan and rainbow are loaded with fresh salmon and are only about $ 12 – 13! Last friday night the staff were even dressed in authentic japanese clothing! They are quite busy on the weekends, so expect some waiting.

Always extremely good food! I go there at least once a week. Best sushi in town and for a reasonable price. With its fast growing popularity it does get full fast so either call ahead or give some time to wait if you are going during peak dinner hours! But trust me, it is worth the wait. Everyone I bring there for the first time say they would most definitely return!

Highly recommended.
We tried sushi (Alaskan, Rainbow, Spicy Salmon and Spicy Tuna) and it was fresh and delicious.
The green tea was not as good as the food.

We visited Kobe Bistro tonight for supper, hadn’t been here in a few years since we moved away from West End. This was our favorite sushi place prior to the move. Had some errands in the West End today, decided to stop in. So glad we did! Restaurant has been renovated since we last were there, very nice inside. Food was quick, fresh and delicious. We tried the tuna sampler (mix of tuna sushi, seared tuna etc,) absolutely the best! I would fully recommend this restaurant to any one in Edmonton. We will be back.

This is hands down, the best Sushi restaurant in the city of Edmonton. I recommend it all really, but have special affection for the Spider roll, Volcano roll, Cherry Blossom roll and the California cones. I have tried their dinner plates yet, but they look fantastic. The staff is friendly and helpful. Honestly, one of the best dining experiences you can have. Get there on the early side, it fills up quickly!

Service was very fast. We ordered our appi and meal at the same time, and received both at the same time. Place is a little hard to find, in behind Safeway, so you have to come off the Ave. The food was good and portions were great. Definitely will go again.

Came to Kobe for lunch. We ordered the Yaki Udon and the Lunch Bento with Sushi.
The Yaki Udon was alright, good mixture of vegetables and meat. Noodles were cooked well with the perfect amount of chewiness. There was way too much sauce which made the bean sprouts soggy, and it was saltier than usual.
The sushi in the bento box was two tuna maki and a shrimp, salmon, and tuna nigiri. Sushi was fresh tasting. We ordered the chicken option — sauce was salty. The tempera batter was light and crisp, but the insides were a disappointment (shrimp was limp, carrot/​yam (?) was quite hard). No salad with the bento, but at least there’s a small salad bar we could run back and forth to.
Miso soup is also free at the salad bar for orders over $ 9, and tea is free.
I also had a volcano roll a few months ago — THAT was delicious! Highly recommend.
Kobe’s pretty good with their sushi, but if you’re craving to eat a bento box or noodles, you should check elsewhere.

Food: Bottomless soup and salad during lunch time as well as free tea is a yes to me! Their bentos which hold an assortment of goods neatly placed into a tray are to die for. Recommended rolls are the «Sweet Passion» and «Volcano Roll»
Service: Attractive and thoughtful servers who were quick on their feet to attend to our questions and bring our foods. I think I’ve made quite a friendship with them :)
Atmosphere: Casual restaurant which maintains a sophisticated and proper air, especially during Dinner when servers are dressed up. Faint Japanese and Jazz music play lightly in the background.
Overall: Kobe is a must go, baby!

I’ve been to this restaurant a handful of times and have always been impressed by the amazing sushi, rolls, stirfry and tempura. I wouldn’t consider myself a sushi expert or anything but the food here is delicious. The restaurant itself is really nice, having had a makeover in the last few years. I also found it strange that reviewers here were complaining about the price. Maybe the food I order is just really inexpensive here or something but
I always found the prices really good. My bill is always a lot cheaper compared to when I go to Mikado or something. The service however is dicey. Sometimes I go and the service is fantastic but I’ve been twice when the service was inattentive. For example, I came here for lunch with my boss who asked for hot sauce from the same waitress twice and she completely forgot both times and never brought it out. Then we didn’t see her again until the end of the meal. Considering we were one of the only tables I found that ridiculous. I also find the hours really weird. You can only eat in the restaurant for lunch and dinner, it’s not open during the afternoon. All that being said, it’s somewhere I will definitely continue to come for lunch and dinner.

Once you try this sushi you won’t want sushi from elsewhere. It’s a little more expensive. The portions are good. You get what you pay for. This is the best sushi on the west end.

The food here is great. Try the beef tataki, its unlike no other. So delicious and fresh.

Another solid Japanese place. My favourite at one point was Mikado but I think for now I’m making the switch to Kobe. I ordered a few things, nicely sized although I think my dinner was missing the sushi part I wasn’t sure it was a pick up order so I didn’t check before I left. That’s the only reason I would give it a 4 star, only cause it does cost quite a bit. Otherwise the food was great. The sashimi pieces were fat hehe and big so it was worth it & tasted so good. My favourite is the beef tataki. It was on point. There’s lots of parking as well.

This place is my favorite sushi in Edmonton. The fish is so fresh and the special dinners are a great deal. One busy Sunday I ordered a special dinner to pick up. When I got home, I noticed I was missing my sushi and miso soup. When I called they delivered what I was missing to my house! This is an restaurant awesome that that I would suggest to anyone!

Convenient location with lots of parking available. Service is fantastic, always seated quickly and food comes fast as well!
By far the best sushi I have ever had in Edmonton and at a very reasonable price point! Servers are very helpful and quick to get you anything you want. I like how the sushi chefs are seen by customers, it provides a cool atmosphere.
All around it is a fabulous restaurant. I highly recommend for anyone who enjoys sushi or Japanese cuisine!

I haven’t been to Kobe in ages (probably been two or three years) so it looked completely different to me with all their recent renovations. Place was packed for a cold, typical freezing Sunday evening with a bit of a wait. We didn’t mind sitting at the sushi bar area but soon found out why that area was so empty. It was FREEZING whenever someone opened the front door. They need to do something about that asap. Waitresses were all friendly and constantly smiling.
Anyways, for the food, we shared a couple of dishes:
— Green tea ($ 1) — they give you a nice sized tea pot
— Geso ($ 7) — deep fried squid legs. Nice, crunchy and perfect appetizer to start our meal.
— Kobe’s futomaki ($ 11.50) — their traditional version of Japanese rolls. Had a ton of different things in it.
— Volcano roll ($ 9)
— Dragon roll ($ 10)
All the rolls came in 8 pieces. Volcano and dragon roll were on the smaller side but they both tasted great. Futomaki was bigger pieces. Haven’t had sushi for the past few months (since Toronto) so this hit the spot. Good for Edmonton standards! Just hope they fix their door or turn up the heat a bit more… other than that, good sushi!

New décor looks great and modern and sleek.
Service was very attentive by many people and all our orders were correct.
We started with salmon skin salad first. It was yummy and we bot agree it needed just a touch more dressing. The contrast in flavours was a bit much for me but delicious but my dining partner thought it was perfect!
The veggie tempura was tasty as usual.
The rest of our meal was an assortment of sushi. The rolls were done well and tight and firm enough that they did not fall apart. My friend’s fave was the volcano roll. I am more traditional and thought the tuna was an incredible melt in mouth treat, and the sushi delightful as well.
I know why this is one one my faves for Japanese food!
P.S.
Men’s room has the fancy electronic toilet now too! Makes powder room visits an ADVENTURE… LOL

I was so surprise when I went through the door, everything chances. (Maybe New owner too) With newly fashionable modern deco, there is so little the old Japanese design left. I miss the old setting!
Our sever was Not Japanese but very pleasant and knowledgeable for their menu, the food almost like the way used to be, still good taste… I do not eat raw but all my friends enjoyed their Salmon Sashimi, Spicy Tuna Rolls, French Kiss roll and Dragon Eye was my delicious favorites.
The miso soup from Kobe is the best from all Japanese’s restaurant in town, it is self served; therefore you can pick up the bean cube, the sea weed and chop onion then top with clear boiling broth, winter time this bowl of soup would be a bonus to warn you up!
This is a family own restaurant, small and yet quite cozy, the price is reasonable.

…I’m sorry, but I didn’t like it.
I lived in Edmonton and ate sushi occasionally for 6 years… Then I moved to Vancouver, where the sushi is AMAZING… I’m going to go out on a whim and say that sushi is my favourite food ever. So much that I eat it 2x a week (sometimes more). So when a friend promised me that she knew a little place in Edmonton that will meet my standards, I was super excited.
But… As I should have expected, I was pretty disappointed. The service was fantastic, and the place itself is quaint and clean… But the sushi was… Well… Just not that great.
I ordered a chopped scallop cone, avocado rolls, and salmon sashimi… Followed by 2 scoops of green tea ice cream. Here were my qualms:
There were hardly any scallops in my cone… Normally when I order a cone, it’s jam packed with scallops/​salmon/​whatever. This cone was primarily rice with a couple scallops in the centre. It was tasty… But lacked in the quality department.
The avocado rolls were tasty even if a tad on the smaller side… But the sliced avocado on top was borderline over-​ripe and greyish tinged. Not the freshest…
The sashimi pieces were tiny. A sushi restaurant in Vancouver couldn’t get away with charging $ 15 for 7 slivers of salmon. I’m used to being served 8 huge juicy chunks of salmon… for like… $ 5. Is sushi-​grade salmon tough to come by in Edmonton? They were light pink in colour… Whereas I’m used to wild salmon that is bright red in colour and is so fresh it doesn’t have that fishy smell. I know I’m being tough on it… I know that there is an abundance of fresh wild salmon in Vancouver… But I’m just saying– it wasn’t that great. And I was disappointed when I saw it.
The green tea ice cream was probably the only thing that really impressed me because I’m not used to having a dessert option on a sushi menu… And I mean… How can you mess up ice cream? I liked it.
My heart broke and my wallet shed a single tear when I got my bill and it came to $ 40. This exact meal would have been under $ 20 in Vancouver, and would have been of superior quality. Maybe it isn’t fair for me to compare apples and oranges… But I’m just saying… It wasn’t that good. And definitely not worth $ 40. I’ve heard that there is a place on Whyte Ave with a much better selection and higher quality sushi– so I’ll probably give that a shot some time… But if its not that great, I’d just throw in the towel on my search for great sushi in Edmonton.

When you live in the middle of a landlocked prairie province, quality sushi can be incredibly hard to come buy. Especially at a reasonable cost. Kobe was recommended by a friend about a year ago and ever since I make the trip out to the west end when I need my sushi cravings satisfied.
Even though their sushi is some of the best in the city, it is really the service that keeps me coming back. I was recently there with a party of 5 and our waitress was absolutely wonderful. She joked with us and constantly checked in to see if everything was tasting right and if we had enough to drink.
From the menu my best recommendation is to try the spicy tuna roll. It’s made different than all the other places in the city and tastes amazing. As others have suggested the French Kiss roll and Dragon Eye are also delicious favorites.
Next time you want sushi make the trip out to Kobe! You won’t be disappointed.