Kobe (pronounced Kōbay) has a classy, intimate vibe. Reservations are a must, as the seating is limited. The menu is enticing, and offers an intriguing array of items, even if you're not into sushi. Our server was attentive, and even after the initial delay of getting our drinks, was fairly quick. I was disappointed by the food. It was presented beautifully, and artfully. The flavors were just kind of a miss for me, and mostly fell flat. Lobster tempura was a one bite thing for me. I did not dig the chili mayo...little flavor, and overpowering mayo greasiness. My husband did like this, and ate all of it. Duck spring rolls, again, meh. The vegetarian "sushi" rolls were good, fresh, but again, there just wasn't a flavor punch. I wasn't a fan of the Japanese fried chicken either. One piece made me feel fairly "heavy," although it did taste better with a bite of the accompanying dressed salad greens. What I did taste? A LOT of sugar and salt. I prefer ingredients to shine, but these two elements are used when the ingredients can't hold their mustard by themselves. Our cocktails were very sweet. I like a fairly sweet drink, but the syrup was heavy here. The sonomono (cucumber salad) was like a syrupy bread and butter pickle dish, not close to the Japanese cucumber salad that you'll find elsewhere. Kobe is decent, and most Americans would probably dig it. My guy is a fan. I like veggies and real flavor, not fried greasiness (I do appreciate fried foods when they're not heavy!), salt and tons of sugar. read more

The service here is AMAZING. Was greeted warmly and given utensils/water/chopsticks/soy sauce and given no pressure to order, appetizers came quick and food was amazing. Very attentive wait staff as well read more

This was my first time attending this restaurant and I will say that even tho it was packed with people. I don't understand, Why people want to spend there money here? It was a 2 hr Long wait for food that is over priced and was cold by the time it arrived to the table. The non communicative staff with horrible service. Not to mention they did not have enough silverware or glassware clean to accommodate the amount of people Attending there establishment. Horrible was my first and last time to attend not worth the money! read more

I feel sort of bad leaving a negative review, especially since I only visited this place once while traveling through town. All restaurants can have an "off night", so you should really give a place a couple tries before getting nasty, but the purpose of Yelp is about people getting a batting average of a restaurant's overall quality, and this was a pricey disappointment I can't help share, for not only your possible benefit...but more importantly theirs if they ever read this! In Kobe's defense, the servers and ambience are top shelf. It's a cool little downstairs joint and the place was packed on a Wednesday night. I got some food to go but hung out and had a couple beers while waiting for the food to get finished. The hostess and waitress were both friendly and attentive. They even agreed to make some stuff for me that was not really "on the menu" (even though the things I requested are pretty much standard issue in most sushi joints across America...and I've traveled a bit and eat a lot of Japanese cuisine whenever I can). At the end of the day, I'll put up with shitty service over bad food, but got the complete opposite at Kobe. When I got back to our hotel with the food, my wife commented on how her salmon skin hand roll was REALLY sub par...and tasted like the fish had been left out in the elements too long. The beef tataki I had was excellent however, so I figured the tuna tataki would be just as good, and maybe they just messed up on the salmon skin roll since it wasn't a "usual" menu item for them . How wrong I was. The tuna tataki was beautifully prepared and presented, but the fish was just plain bad. It smelled like a dock and what should have been bright pink tuna meat had suspicious dark grey areas on it. I tried to eat it anyways but the fishy flavor was too much so I ended up throwing it in the trash. So long, almost $10 menu "starter" item, but anyone that's ever gotten food poisoning from fish knows it ain't worth risking at any price, and I hope I'm okay tomorrow. And another item I'd ordered and paid for ended up not even being in the take home bag when I got home (to a hotel), but if the quality of the fish was equal to the other dishes, maybe I dodged a bullet there. The miso soup was good, and the sunomono salad was too, but as these are both very safe bets that don't require "freshness' and are pretty standard from place to place, didn't really save the experience in my (or my wallet's) opinion. Long story short: I think this place has real potential, great staff, good ambience, but they either need to find a new seafood distributor or figure out their stocking / food inventory better. The only reason places serve bad fish is if they overstocked, scheduled deliveries badly, and have to blow out the "less fresh" stuff before the luckier customers get the good stuff right after the latest delivery. It's sort of important to figure out if you're trying to maintain a sushi joint (Fish N' Chips place where everything's deep fried, who cares?). I basically spent around $70 bucks for a couple beers and take away for two people and a third of the stuff wasn't even really edible even if it looked pretty. Definitely go here to drink, but not to eat anything except for safe appetizers (or thoroughly cooked food) until they find someone that keeps a better eye on the quality of fish they serve. Sorry, Kobe. Might give you another shot when I drive through Ashland again, but will be proceeding with caution. read more

Have been to Kobe on many occasions and generally sit at the bar for their happy hour menu, a much better deal than the alternative! Menu is interesting and generally very enjoyable, fun cocktail options, and nice ambience, especially in the summer when you have the option of sitting on the creek. The last time I went, we ordered one of my favorites, the Korean short ribs -- but were sadly *very* disappointed. The dish was over seasoned, and over salted!! Barely edible. Would have been fine with ordering another sushi roll to replace it at this point, but unfortunately our server took our dish away and we didn't see her again. Was frustrated with the change in service.. The other waitress, Nikki, and our hostess, were both sweet as could be and eventually got us our check, but feeling a bit abandoned by our initial server, left us with a very uncomfortable feeling. Though we would have happily ordered something else to substitute in for the ribs, we were never given the opportunity! Paid our bill at Kobe, and still hungry, went up the street to another sushi place! Sad to write it off my list of go-to places, but will no longer recommend. read more

Kobe does have the best sushi in Ashland, but I don't think that's saying much. Ashland used to have an amazing sushi spot, Kat Wok, which closed several years ago; no sushi restaurant in Ashland has ever been able to match, or even come close to, the caliber of Kat Wok and probably never will. So, I eat at Kobe when I can only be satisfied by sushi, but it doesn't cure the craving. Most of the rolls contain one deep-fried ingredient or another, so this isn't the healthiest meal you'll have. And they are pricey! I think you're paying for the dimly-lit, "swanky" atmosphere and the pleasure of being condescended to by haughty servers. At least I can dry my tears over Kat Wok with the nice tablecloth. read more

Vegetarian? Sushi? You bet! When in Ashland, don't miss your chance to have some of the best sushi and friendly service around! There are vegetarian & gluten-free options, and of course, tasty cocktails to make every person in your party happy. When we come to visit Ashland for the festival, we make sure that we stop down to Kobe for dinner at least on night. Fresh and delicious, my mouth waters just thinking about it as I write this. Our order is pretty similar each time we come: ZEN Vegetarian Roll - Butternut squash tempura, cucumber, avocado, red bell pepper, wrapped with soy paper topped mushroom salad, garlic chips, balsamic reduction sauce - $9 GARDEN Vegetarian Roll - Steamed spinach, cucumber, bell pepper, topped avocado, jalapeno - avocado sauce - $10 (2) Vegetarian Miso soups (1) Wakame (seaweed) salad and... a craft cocktail to wet the whistle! We normally sit outside in the back, and the ambience is quiet and special. I wanted to point out that the last couple of times we have been here, our server was MAMA. She is always very sweet and makes sure to ask if we want the vegetarian miso based on what we order...without us having to even ask! Wow! This is our meal that we look forward to every year, and we will definitely be back year after year! Thanks!! read more

Excellent sushi!! I was skeptical at first because the menu was small and didn't have my favorite roll but I was thrilled with the tempura and nigiri that I ordered. It tasted like heaven melting in my mouth. Top notch service and fabulous martinis. Highly recommend coming here (but be sure to make a reservation). read more

Wow! Kobe deserves 6 stars. Outstanding food, tasty drinks, quick service, great atmosphere, perfect location. I've never been blown away by sushi but this place gets really creative with their ingredient combinations. I didn't get a chance to try any of the Nigiri but the Salmon Tempura, Crunchy Cheese, Vegetable, and Miso Eggplant rolls were delicious! Their tempura vegetable appetizer was huge and tasty and the cocktails were delicious but potent. Our server was extremely pleasant and checked in with us often even though the place was pretty busy but I never felt pestered. We had tight time constraints as we were going to a play but it wasn't even a problem, we had drinks, appetizers, and sushi all in under an hour. Will definitely go back when I'm in Ashland again. Easily the best sushi I've ever had. read more

We had 6 in our table. Tempura vege and shrimp- we ordered for the table and devoured it. Light batter, good dipping sauce. 4 stars for the tempura Tuna ceviche, with apple, cherry tomatoes, and avocado - yum. I'd give it 5 stars. Others ordered sushi and gobbled it down Pan seared salmon - fish was good. 2 out of 3 did not like the saffron/ butter sauce, but dipping the salmon in a soy/wasabi sauce was good. Some of the asparagus spears were too thick. Overall I'd rate my dish a 3.75 stars. The miso soup was good - not as salty as expected, which was appreciated. Service was friendly, but sometimes missed the finer points due to number of tables per server. Dishes came in waves. Just have to accept that. read more

We went for an early dinner on our anniversary, and there were plenty of tables. It was a Tuesday night, 6pm, so we weren't surprised by the availability of tables. Service was very good and the few rolls we had were decent enough. We enjoy going to Kobe once in a while. The happy hour prices are good, and even the regular prices for the rolls we had were reasonable. read more

Hands down one of the best sushi places we've ever been too! Great rolls and the salmon sashimi is some of the freshest salmon we've ever had. Highly recommended! read more

Hands down great sushi, they have a great variety. The sushi is very fresh and the service was wonderful! The best roll is the sunshine roll, it's sweet, savory with the hint of lemon, simply wonderful. read more

Kobe - Sunshine Roll - Japanese Near Me - Ashland, Oregon

Upon arriving we were promptly seated and had beverages in hand within 5 minutes the bartender rob was very friendly as was our server Olivia. The owners should consider giving her a raise. Not only was she fast, attentive, and professional, but very awesome as well. I have been treated here on other occasions very great. My last server here was a very talented soul named Nicole. She should have a raise as well. The sushi and craft cocktails were by far some of the best I've tasted. I hope Kobe is here for years to come. It's a great spot. Bring your friends, family and anyone else that needs the mind of their tastebuds blown and souls comforted. Thanks Kobe! read more

Kobe - Amazing cocktails! - Japanese Near Me - Ashland, Oregon

My absolute favorite sushi restaurant in Ashland! The sushi bar menu has some great, affordable options including the delicious sweet potato roll (fantastic option for vegans!). My last visit, I tried the salmon tempura roll and it was to die for--the salmon, slight spice from the jalapeno, and cream cheese was a phenomenal balance. They also had available a house made root beer & I couldn't get enough of it! Its mesmerizing to watch the sushi chefs prepare the rolls. Definitely recommend! read more

I don't give out many 5 star reviews so believe me when I say this was some of the best sushi I've ever had. While I refrain from saying it's the best sushi I've had, I can't think of a single sushi place that would beat it. I brought my parents here while they were visiting and we all walked away within a similar opinion. Fantastic classic rolls and equally well executed unique house rolls. Service and ambiance were fine as well but the real standout here is the sushi. The price is definitely up there but considering what you get, it is well worth it. Major go! read more

Okay.. this is only my personal humble opinion - but imho - Kobe is the best sushi in Ashland. It's really really awesome sushi for a small town in southern oregon. I visit somewhat frequently; maybe a few times a month. Their happy hour menu is really great and really affordable. And they have a great sake menu. I am always ecstatically blissed out of my mind during & after my experience there... so I will always love this place. However, is it the best sushi I've ever had? No. It's really really good, but it's not top of the line stupendously amazing. Honestly you have to go to the city for the best sushi. There's definitely better sushi in Portland, and the best I've ever had has to be found in NYC. But for small town living in southern oregon, I love Kobe. The people who work there are so wonderful to me too. read more

Kobe is my favorite sushi restaurant and Nicole is the absolute best!!! Her sake list is as phenomenal as she is!

We spent the weekend in Ashland and were excited to try Kobe. I emailed the address listed on their website to request a reservation on a Tuesday (the week of our trip) and never heard back. I proceeded to call the phone number listed on their website (and business card) 3x and it just rang. My fiancé also called separately and same thing happened. We tried walking in and it was a 45 min-1 hour wait. The hostess told us we should have left a voicemail when we called. A voicemail was never an option when we called given it just rang. We were very bummed because we wanted to try it, but no way to get a reservation! Hopefully they will fix their process. read more

Amazing food, amazing service, great price! Came here for my sister's nursing school graduation dinner with a group of 9 and they were rather accommodating and the server was great. I had the Sake Nigiri and it was perfection. Great slice of salmon, rice stayed together, just the right amount of wasabi. mmmm Their vegetable tempura platter was to die for! So many different veggies and the largest portion of tempura i've ever seen. I live in San Francisco, and for that price point you'd maybe get 6-8 pieces of onion, carrot, and broccoli (total, not each). My nephew really wanted a grilled cheese and the server was beyond accommodating taking the kobe beef sliders and getting some cheese from next door and having the chefs make it. Thank you chefs! Will definitely be visiting there every time I come to the Rogue to visit my sister! read more

Good grief, been eating here for years and I still haven't reviewed it? Well, time to get on that! Kobe is the best Japanese restaurant in Ashland, possibly in a bigger area (I haven't tried them all in Southern Oregon yet). Large sushi menu, nigiri and maki, especially the Volcano and Surf & Turf rolls. Lots of cooked items--teriyaki, tempura, etc.--for the sushi-phobic. Excellent hazelnut crusted prawns, sweet and crunchy, work great as an appetizer or a dessert. One can spend a lot or a little (well, a lot or not quite as much) and be well-fed, especially if one focuses on the tempura (huge servings). Great drinks. read more

My new favorite Japanese restaurant! I was visiting from Orange County and came across this place. Our waitress as very friendly and helpful. The food was amazing! Very nicely cut and fresh sashimi... And the rolls were delicious! I would definitely eat here again and recommend it to anyone who is in the area. read more

Kobe - Yellowtail, white tuna, and salmon sashimi. - Japanese Near Me - Ashland, Oregon

Kobe is the best sushi restaurant in the Pacific Northwest. Vegans/vegetarians/people with a fondness for veggies: get the sweet potato tempura roll or the eggplant roll, both of which are to die for and outshine the vegetable roll. The seaweed salad, edamame, and miso soup are above average. Also (if you're vegan or otherwise don't eat fish) be sure to specify "vegan miso" when ordering. The bar menu is far cheaper than the dinner menu, for the same quality and portion. read more

Kobe - Vegetable roll, topped with roasted bell peppers - Japanese Near Me - Ashland, Oregon

Went to Ashland for a couple days, wanted sushi, thought we would go to Kobe- it isn't affiliated with Kobe in Redding, however the Thai Pepper above it is a sister restaurant. We were really impressed. If you sit at the bar- they have a sushi menu for the bar and the prices are AWESOME! Sweet Potato Tempura Roll- Really Yummy Tiger Roll with Smoked Salmon- Cheese crunch roll- mango, cream cheese, jalapeno, soy wrap, deep fried-- So good we ordered it twice And a vegetarian roll my bf ordered. All the rolls were 8 pieces and $4-9 Great prices- Cocktails were spendy, but really good and big- I got the apple fujitini and the Kobe martini. My bf got a cloudy cold Sake that he really liked. We had 3 drinks and 5 sushi rolls for around $65- we are going back if we ever make it to Ashland again. Really impressed. Sit at the Bar- the bartender was really helpful and fun too. read more

I give this a 5 freaking star because of price and great food! This was again a recommendation from our Rafting Tour Guide (Shout out to Noah's Ark) and he was right. The Sake is great and there is a wide selection of Sushi, Tempura and Rolls. Will go back there for sure! read more

Kobe is hands down the best sushi restaurant between San Francisco and Portland. I've never had a bad experience here. The food, drinks and service are consistent and incredible! The dynamite, mango and white dragon rolls are my favorites, but you can't go wrong ordering blind from the menu. I highly recommend Kobe! read more

Kobe - Sunshine, white dragon and mango rolls. - Japanese Near Me - Ashland, Oregon

went here because my little brother wanted to go real bad and was treated terribly,the hostess said she put my name on the waiting list and after serving multiple parties that came after mine and waiting for 40 minutes i asked if there were any open tables and when we'd be able to sit down and she acted confused and brushed me off. i left after that and ate elsewhere. read more

Sushi is the best I've had in Ashland. Service and general common decency is lacking. I was served a drink tonight that I had a few sips of and really loved but then discovered a giant crack down the glass - that's dangerous and unsanitary. I only was given a minor apology and told they were out of that drink but would give me a different one. Any drink was tough to follow the one I initially had. The new drink was a disappointment and when asked if I liked it, I said no. The bill came and I had to ask to get my drink comped. The server looked incredibly annoyed and made it sound unreasonable to ask. Let me get one thing straight here - you served me a health and safety hazard... even if I loved my new drink you should have offered to comp me something I enjoyed next. Terrible service. You've lost a customer. read more

Yelpers Unite! I rely on Yelp so much on my phone to guide me through a city's sometimes precarious restaurant scene. I found Kobe through Yelp. Even with some of the comments about the snarky reviews I figured I could handle it. Kobe is awesome. Only negative is that most of the rolls contain tempura in them. Im all for it, but how about some raw fish folks? Has sushi changed that much? let me say two words though.....TUNA CARPACCIO. awesome. dressed in a wonderful sesame ponzu dressing and thin slices of persian cucumbers and its just superb. read more

Fancy atmosphere with great sushi 90% of the time. You generally cant go wrong here but i have had a sunshine roll with too thick of slices of lemon on top(most likely from a sushi chef in training) everything else here has been off the charts delicious. read more

The sushi here is sublime. The atmosphere is pristine. But let's talk about what really makes this beautiful sanctuary stand out. The water pressure. I don't often write reviews for places. But if you've ever felt the lush waters coming from the bathroom faucets of Kobe. Truly softer than anything you've ever felt. These waters make even the fountain of youth look like a kiddie pool. If you love sushi, come here. But if you do. Make sure to take a trip to the bathroom and enjoy the surreal waters of Kobe. read more

Japanese fusion. Considering the excellent location, it isn't too much more expensive than I think it's worth. Big portions for a FuFu restaurant. they served overlooked edamame like a Mexican joint serves tortilla chips. I would go again. read more

I live in Seattle and this is by far our favorite sushi place ever! We've never had a bad experience here. Sushi is fresh and the staff are attentive and helpful when ordering. Whenever I'm in Ashland, I always go to Kobe! read more

Good service, tasty food. We sat on the patio and enjoyed the sounds of Lithia Creek rushing by. We ordered several small plates, tuna, wakame salad, clams. Everything was delivered quickly and was tasty. Our tuna serving was very generous and would have been nice for 3-4 to share. You'll find us there again next time we're in Ashland - enjoying our evening on the patio. read more

Amazing food & great service! Narra Roll & Salmon Tempura Roll were excellent. Very unique & delicate flavors. read more

(Edited to add: Sushi took ~2 hours on a weeknight). This is my third time here and I've been waiting over an hour and they haven't even brought the appetizers. There's almost no one here; 4 other parties by my count. They warned us when we asked for a table that it will take 30 minutes to get sushi. No problem, we said. Over an hour later and nothing. I'm not a tourist. I live here and I won't be coming back. read more

Excellent ginger lemon drop. The sushi was tasty but a little skimpy on the goods. Maybe not so much ideal for kiddos, unless well behaved. Excellent service and fun ambiance. Date night material for sure. read more

Got a sunshine roll my sister got two rolls and my boyfriend got the sliders we also got two deserts everything was so extremely delicious. Definitely coming back! read more

A very nice dinner before seeing Oklahoma at the festival. The sushi rolls were delicious and good sized. The momokowa sake was perfect with the meal. Service was spot on. read more

Went there for dinner, great experience. Had no reservation, so initially they offered a bar, but then a table opened up, and we got the best seats by the window. Wide variety of rolls, creative flavor combinations. We had Red Dragon, Lou Lou and Duru - all of them great choices. Yellowtails carpaccio was also excellent. Definitely try their creme brule - ginger, green tea, and five spice flavors. Highly recommend. If they are busy, the wait for the food might be somwhat long, but the servers are super courteous and sweet. read more