Kobe Japanese Steakhouse

I have been to hibachi grills all over the US and have yet to find one as tasty as Kobe– even Benihana’s food pales in comparison to this place. Their fried rice is perfection, and I could practically eat their ginger sauce as soup :) their lunch prices are really affordable, too. I would go here every day if I could!

If I could rate this place based solely on the food, I would be giving it five stars. I confess I get sushi every time I go there so I don’t know the rest of the menu very well, but I have gone there with friends that ordered other items from the menu and have tried a bite or two that way and everything has been delicious. I think everyone has their preferences when it comes to sushi, so it is tough to find a concensus favorite sushi spot in town. I happen to like maki rolls and particularly enjoy going to a place that has a selection of special rolls that the chef came up with, or that you don’t see elsewhere. Many of my favorites at Kobe fall in to this category, such as the Kobe roll and the Rainbow roll. I love sashimi too though, and generally I’ll order that right off the bat when I’m trying a new sushi place because I feel that I get a solid idea of how clean and fresh their fish is if their tuna sashimi is real good. All in all… I’ve never had a complaint about the food here. Their lunch sushi buffet is almost too good to be true. When I first heard about it I thought there had to be a catch. It sounded too cheap to not be awful. I was wrong. You won’t see an assortment of their special rolls on the buffet, but it isn’t a bunch of garbage by any means. In fact, I am positive that I’ve eaten way more than $ 9 worth of sushi every time I’ve done the lunch buffet. If you took the same pile and ordered it from the menu it would probably be closer to $ 30. Who knows, maybe there is some sort of catch to it but I sure haven’t found it.
The reason I’m giving this place three stars is the service. It isn’t really bad, but it is definitely inconsistent. I’ve had plenty of times where the server was flawless, and other times where I had a server that was polite but not at all attentive. One thing I’ve noticed almost every time I’ve been there is that they’ll drop off the check when they can tell you’re close to done whether you ask for it or not, which is great. The problem is, they disappear after that. It takes forever to get anything else if you need it, and to pay the bill. My biggest complaint is their birthday drum. At least I’m assuming that’s what it is. I’ve never eaten there with anyone that was celebrating something, and most of my friends know better than to line up a silly restaurant birthday song type of thing when I’m sitting at the table. At this place, they come through banging on this loud drum and go over to whatever table is having the special occasion. You can immediately hear the drum loud and clear when they start banging on it in the back before walking out, and then they take it all the way through the dining area. If you’re having a conversation, good luck talking over that thing. It’s annoying and disruptive and it’s the entire reason why I refuse to eat at Kobe on a Friday or Saturday. On a busy night like that, you might hear that stupid drum five times. I’m sure that’s great for whatever party wanted to feel special, but if you’re wanting to enjoy your dinner in the quiet atmosphere of the sushi bar area and talk to your friends, forget it. It’s impossible with that thing interrupting you.

Ugh, no. thanks. Ate here and thought the fish seemed rather room temperature. Didn’t finish it and went home with a stomach ache. After I lost a few pounds in the bathroom, I came across their inspection from December (which is when I ate there). I hope they’ve cleaned it up since then but eat at your own risk!
–Pay special attention to: «Sushi chef took knife from belt, cut RAW CHICKEN and put knife back in belt.» I just love my raw fish to be cut with a knife teeming with samonella!
# Kobe Japanese Steakhouse, 4100 W. Willow Knolls Drive, Peoria, scored a 68 on Dec. 30. Violations included: Handles of spoon stored in spices; food dumped in waitress area hand sink; common towel used for sushi chef; bowls were used as scoops for spices; cloth towel was used to store shrimp in prep cooler; pH meter not working properly; sauces and containers of foods not labeled with common name; wet wiping clothes weren’t stored in sanitizer bucket; soiled knives were stored with clean knives; no paper towels at back prep sink or hand sink; walls soiled behind equipment; potentially hazardous foods stored at improper temperatures; spray bottle of sanitizer not labeled with contents; sushi chef took knife from belt, cut raw chicken, and put knife back in belt; eggs, steak and raw shrimp stored above ready-​to-​eat foods; no lids or protection for containers of spices.

This is probably the best that can be expected so far from a bigger city.
We ordered a CA roll, tempura shrimp for app. Steak and scallops for dinner. Salad was ok. The soup was a bit on the thin side for miso. Fairly oily tempura. Weak flavor on the veggies and the steak was tough even for rare. The warm sake was the best part of the meal.

I can only attest to the lunch buffet, but for $ 8.99/person it was pretty decent! There was no item out that was off in any way. Usually with those prices there’s at least a few inedible dishes, but everything tasted as it should & some dishes were actually pretty tasty. The highlights: pretty good sushi for buffet (4 – 5 different rolls offered), good hibachi, yummy miso with choice of fixings, and a really yummy salad I’d never seen before (looks like it’s covered with mayo-​dunno what was in it). The buffet isn’t very big, but it had plenty to offer. The dessert section was pretty pathetic, but I guess if you want a buffet with decent dessert, you should head over to Golden Corral. The service was fair, but some of those sushi guys/​hibachi dudes don’t speak a lick of English so there was quite a bit of gesturing at one point. Nevertheless, the food was yummy and for $ 8.99 all you can eat, I’d definitely go back when I’m craving sushi/​Asian buffet in this town.

Rice was still hard-​filet Mignon was flavorless. I will stick with Osaka Hibachi Grill

Went to college in Peoria and my friends and I would go here for lunch all the time! The lunch menu is very inexpensive, under $ 10 for a hibachi meal with choice of meat, vegetables, fried rice, and choice of soup or salad! Note: salad has an amazing ginger dressing. The hibachi grillers are very talented; they do all the «tricks» and are very fun, especially with large groups!
Ignore all the other reviews, this place is great! Every time I visit Peoria I make a point to come here! My husband and I live in the Chicagoland suburbs, and we have not yet found a hibachi restaurant to compare to Kobe! Enjoy!

I’ve been here a couple times and they’ve been relatively good experiences. Aside from the lobster (do not get it) the food is good and the sushi is great. It is kinda loud in there sometime which, despite the idea of the restaurant, can be overbearing at time. The décor isn’t the best but I don’t go to stare at walls, I go to eat and the food and drink, again other than the lobster, is good. Maybe a bit overpriced, but good.

Great food. The teppanyaki is delicious, the specialty roll Sushi is amazing. The service on the Teppanyaki side is great, the Chef’s are very entertaining and all are very nice.
The Sushi side service could be better, it can be very slow.
The drinks are pricey but very very generously poured. A friend of mine got me a giftcard for this place for Christmas, I used it mid-​january!
The Miso Soup and Ginger Salad are some of the best I’ve ever had.
Very fun place for a dinner out. Highly recommended.

Fun place to eat and keeps the kids entertained. I have been here at least 5 fives, food and service are always on point.

While my husband and I enjoyed our large group dinner here, we both got food poisoning after being the only ones to get a sushi roll with cream cheese in it. Big mistake! They handled it well though, and issued me a refund when I told them what happened. I’m giving it two stars instead of one is because 1) the actual meal was delicious and 2) they handled the complaint with grace and dignity. I won’t discourage others from going there as it was probably a fluke; however, I will never return.

This place puts Benihana to shame (and it’s cheaper too)! The food was well cooked and the chefs were very talented and very entertaining. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a teppanyaki restaurant and felt like the dinner experience was also a good show. The service was fast, attentive and phenomenal and the steak was perfectly cooked and well seasoned (though a little on the salty side). The salmon nigiri we ordered for the appetizer was very fresh. This is a great place for birthday parties and celebrations.
I would have left 5 stars but that is reserved for the absolute best experience.

I’ve been to chain American steakhouses and I’d been to Asian sitdown restaurants, but never a Japanese steakhouse.
The experience was great! Went with a group of friends/​coworkers and we were very entertained. The seating is in a horseshoe style with the grill in the center, and they wait until the seating is almost full until the chef comes and begins preparing everyone’s dinner. It gives you a chance to meet new people and enhances the dining experience.
I ordered the filet & chicken combo. Came with fried rice, mixed grilled veggies and shrimp, which the chef threw at the guests around the table. Good entertainment & dining value for the money.