Top 10 Must-Try Gourmet Foods in Kobe | From Kobe Beef to Local Specialties

Kobe, with its port town atmosphere and exotic charm, offers numerous local gourmet foods that create lasting travel memories. Beyond high-end cuisine like Kobe Beef, you can enjoy diverse flavors including beloved B-class gourmet foods, authentic Chinatown cuisine, and fresh seafood dishes unique to this port city.

This article features 10 must-try specialty gourmet foods for Kobe tourism, along with information about beloved local restaurants. Let’s deepen your travel experience through Kobe’s unique “delicious experiences.”

Kobe, packed with exotic charm and port town appeal, is also known as a treasure trove of gourmet food.From the world-famous Kobe Beef to local B-class gourmet foods and fresh seafood caught at the port, there’s an abundance of cuisine to delight travelers’ palates.

Here, we introduce 10 types of Kobe specialty gourmet foods recommended for tourists visiting Kobe. We also introduce famous restaurants, so experience Kobe’s culture and history through food.

Kobe Beef, which captivates gourmands worldwide, is the highest-grade brand beef that only Tajima cattle from Hyogo Prefecture meeting strict standards can claim. It features an exquisite balance of lean meat and marbling, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich aroma.

For those wanting to savor the essence of Kobe Beef, we recommend the famous restaurant “Aburi Nikuko Wakoku Kitano-zaka Store” on Kobe’s Kitano-zaka.Skilled artisans grill the meat with perfect heat control to bring out the meat’s umami. A single bite seasoned with natural coarse salt is truly a moment of bliss.

Top 10 Restaurants for the Best Kobe Beef in Kobe City

Akashiyaki is a local dish representative of Akashi, featuring fluffy egg batter wrapped around octopus and eaten dipped in dashi broth. Locally called “tamagoyaki,” it has been beloved since the Meiji period. It’s characterized by soft batter made from wheat flour and “jin-ko (wheat starch)” and is said to be the origin of takoyaki.

For those wanting to taste Akashiyaki in Kobe, we recommend “Tako-an” near Sannomiya Station. The fragrant dashi and fluffy, melting texture create an unforgettable taste.

“Sobameshi,” born in Kobe City’s Nagata area, is a unique teppan dish where yakisoba noodles and rice are finely chopped and stir-fried together with sauce.The fragrant sauce aroma, chewy noodles, and satisfying rice combine as one, making it beloved by both locals and tourists as Nagata’s common-folk gourmet.

“Okonomiyaki Aomori,” known as the originating restaurant, serves traditional sobameshi. The sweet and savory sauce-coated soba and rice are perfect for lunch or snacks. You can also enjoy their specialty suji-yaki.

“Miso-dare gyoza,” known as Kobe’s common folk taste, is characterized by eating style where you dip dumplings in rich miso sauce instead of the usual vinegar-soy sauce.It’s said to have started when repatriates from Manchuria ate dumplings with miso while reminiscing about their homeland flavors. After being served at restaurants in Kobe’s Shinkaichi district post-war, it became widely established locally. The miso sauce, combining miso with sugar, soy sauce, sake, vinegar, and garlic, harmonizes beautifully with the dumplings’ fragrant flavor.

Among these, “Hyotan Motomachi Main Store” is a gyoza specialty restaurant with high popularity throughout Kobe City.Enjoy crispy-outside, juicy-inside dumplings generously coated with their original miso sauce.

Tako-meshi is seasoned rice cooked with octopus umami, representing one of Hyogo Prefecture’s local dishes. Especially the common octopus caught in the Akashi Strait is toughened by strong currents, offering exceptional texture and sweetness. It’s said to have originated when fishermen quickly prepared meals after fishing by making seasoned rice, and is now widely enjoyed as home cooking. The season runs from June to August, using various types of octopus including fresh, boiled, and dried.

For easy enjoyment during travel, we recommend the ekiben “Hippari-dako Meshi” sold by Kobe’s long-established “Awajiya.”The tako-meshi served in a pot-shaped container is visually delightful, with tender simmered octopus and umami rice harmonizing exquisitely.

Since Kobe’s opening as a port in the Meiji era, Western culture has taken root, developing as a Western food city, and croquettes have become one of the specialty gourmet foods beloved by citizens.Simple yet profound in flavor, they’re perfect for eating while sightseeing.

Particularly beloved locally for years is the handmade croquette from butcher shop “Moriya Shoten.” “Moriya’s Croquette” is made with carefully selected domestic beef, May Queen potatoes, and sautéed onions slowly cooked in beef fat, finished without chemical seasonings. With thin, crispy coating and moist interior texture, you can fully enjoy the natural umami of the ingredients.

Kobe’s Nankin-machi is known as one of Japan’s three major Chinatowns alongside Yokohama and Nagasaki, serving as a tourist destination where diverse Chinese cuisine can be enjoyed.This area, formed with the opening of Kobe Port in the first year of Meiji, has Chinese food culture rooted locally, offering accessible and authentic Chinese dishes like ramen, shumai, xiaolongbao, and butaman.

For Chinese cuisine in Nankin-machi, we recommend “Ryukaso.”Their specialty “Shokei (roasted chicken)” and “Sui-gyoza (boiled dumplings)” are popular with both locals and tourists, pairing excellently with Chinese liquor. It’s a renowned restaurant where you can enjoy traditional flavors in Nankin-machi’s exotic atmosphere.

Kobe, facing the Seto Inland Sea, is known for its abundant variety of landed seafood and as an area where famous sushi restaurants gather.Particularly fresh fish caught locally, such as sand lance, shirasu, sea bream, flounder, and horse mackerel, are highly rated as sushi toppings.

For supreme sushi in Kobe, we recommend “Sushi Emiko,” which earned one Michelin star.Private rooms suitable for important dinners and business entertainment are also available, allowing you to spend special moments.

Izushi Soba is a specialty soba originating from Izushi-cho, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture, known as “sara-soba” served in small plates. During the Edo period, soba artisan techniques from Shinshu merged with local culture to create this unique style. One serving consists of five small plates, characterized by enjoying flavor variations with broth and condiments. Condiments include green onions, grated daikon, egg, and grated yam, with the traditional way of eating ending with soba-yu.

For authentic Izushi Soba in Kobe, we recommend “Izushi Soba Izumo.”Using carefully prepared dashi from Rishiri kelp and bonito flakes, they faithfully recreate Izushi Soba’s flavor. They also offer substantial set meals and rice bowls, providing high dining satisfaction.

“Nada Gogo (Five Villages of Nada),” stretching from Kobe City’s Higashinada-ku to Nishinomiya City, is known as one of Japan’s leading sake regions. Natural blessings like underground water “Miyamizu” from the Rokko mountain system, the king of sake rice “Yamada Nishiki,” and the cold wind “Rokko Oroshi” are suited for sake brewing, with breweries boasting over 400 years of history lining the area.

Among these, “Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewing Memorial Hall” is a valuable facility where you can learn about Japanese sake brewing techniques and culture. The tasting corner is well-equipped, enjoyable for everyone from Japanese sake beginners to enthusiasts. It’s a recommended place to experience the depth of Nada sake.

Kobe has many attractive gourmet foods where local climate and culture live and breathe. From world-famous luxury ingredients like Kobe Beef to local gourmet foods like Akashiyaki and sobameshi, plus Chinese cuisine enjoyed in Nankin-machi, fresh sushi unique to port towns, and flavorful Japanese sake, various tastes can be enjoyed.

Each dish reflects local history and people’s lifestyles, connecting to experiences beyond mere dining. When visiting Kobe, please use this article as reference while enjoying your original “Kobe gourmet journey.”

*This article is based on information available as of August 2025.