This wasn't just a meal, it was an experience. The chef was absolutely hilarious and kept us entertained throughout the meal. The Kobe beef literally melts in your mouth. Appetizers were also delicious. Even the rice tasted special. Great meal all around. Oh, the chef complaints he's single and is looking for a girlfriend so somebody please help.

7 Dec 2023: Small, cosy place. Owner and Chef Mr Shuhei. They only accept diners by reservation. 4 sessions a day: 12pm, 130pm, 5pm and 7pm, and ONLY 6 DINERS PER SESSION. Closed every last Thursday and Friday of the month. They are booked solid till November 2024. You'll only get a seat if someone cancels. We were lucky because a party of 4 cancelled today. Mr Shuhei's grandmother started the restaurant in 1963, so it's 60 years old, so he is the third generation. I think they have another one somewhere else run by his younger brother. The grill and recipes are from 60 years ago as well. But it is really clean because they take such good care of the equipment. The kobe beef is delicious and melts in your mouth. The veggies like carrot, capsicum, eggplant, and the mushrooms, tofu and even the towgay (bean sprouts) are all done to near perfection. For one who doesn't like to eat towgay and eggplant and capsicum, I finished every shred. Mr Shuhei is hilarious and engaging. Really puts his customers at ease. No language barriers. His staff and him (and his father) speak really good English and he even knows a smattering of many other languages, including Singlish. Only "negative" comment is the drinks are overpriced. A highball costs 1,200 yen, when one could get it for like 400 yen outside. Also, the meal is a tad on the high end side, but most definitely worth the price tag. I would even call it life changing, to quote my colleague.

The food was good but I think the cost effectiveness was just ok. The chef was friendly but because there was a local customer he clearly knows better it felt less than. The one rub I think for me was towards the end of the meal, the chef started to make fried rice for the local guest and then basically told our group and the our foreigner group that the meal was done. I was never given the option to even opt in for additional things. So clearly they were able to offer more supplementals but not for some guests. We visited other Kobe beef shops in the coming days. I think this was not the shop I would recommend. Try Rogama close by instead.

My expectations were high to say the least. I had seen the other reviews on here and that set a very high bar for me. If you’re trying Kobe beef for the first time, this is the place to do it! This place is a little family business and the warmth was apparent immediately. All of the staff were extremely accommodating and friendly. We reserved for lunch, where we were joined by two other groups so only 6 people in total. It was a lovely intimate experience with mouth-melting meat and accompaniments that were well worth the price. The food was incredible, but what made the experience whole was the Chef, Shuhei. This man fed us and created a joyous memory that all 6 of us strangers are able to look back fondly of when we think of Kobe. I showed up for just Kobe Beef, but I left with a lasting dining experience, I will not be forgetting this anytime soon!

Steak Aoyama was recommended to us by a friend and we were so happy with our experience! The chef was hilarious and engaging, and the server, his mother, kept our 10 month old entertained while we died of happiness. Every single item that was served was fresh and delicious. There aren't many pictures of the appetizer plates or the cream soup, but they were amazing too! If you are from an interesting country, or you have currency from an interesting country, bring it along with you. 😉

If you are ever in Kobe to find the best Kobe Beef, THIS IS THE PLACE!!! • For Foreigners, the staff speaks very well English and explains the menu for what options to choose from. • It is a family-owned restaurant that have been around since 1963 and have been using the same recipes ever since. They are welcoming and make you feel at home❤️ • The chefs and hostess are enjoyable to talk to and ended up staying there longer than usual due to our conversations we started having. • They cook the Kobe Beef in front of you so you can enjoy the Chefs make their magic and post on social media 🤳 • The place can be pricy but if you want to live a lil “boogjie” or treat yourself fancy, it is worth the money if you want the best Kobe Beef • Lastly, The Kobe Beef is just something to try for yourself. Once you try it, you will melt like butter.

Absolutely stunned with what experienced in Aoyama. Starting from absolutely warm welcome at door, you are seated in front of grill, where are only a few seats, which creates an atmosphere of a private show. Yes, I call it a show, because Chef is an absolutely charming person, who knows his work perfectly and is throwing jokes all over the place while preparing an excellent food. And finally about food - it was probably one of best things I ate in my life. Steak is selected, carefully cut, prepared in a best was possible. Sides are paired perfectly, and ordering a full set was a great decision, as starters were amazing, as well as dessert. I have to mention staff once again, as all people who work there are very welcoming and I not only ate good, but I felt amazing as well. I will remember a little story about Poles I heard in Kobe for years. :) Booking is required!

Fantastic food, and friendly and funny chef! Where else to eat Kobe beef than in Kobe! Steak Aoyama is a family-run restaurant that opened 59 years ago. The sauce is 59 years old recipe. The beef simply melted in my mouth. The fried garlic is tantalizing! The rice, which is new-grain, is just well done. You can ask for more rice. Salad was refreshing to waken your taste buds to be ready for the beef. The display is really aesthetically pleasing. Chef is humorous. We laughed so much. After the meal, we moved to a table for coffee and tea. The owners, father and mother of chef chatted with us. There is the homely feel. 72 years old owner gave us postcard of photos he had shot. Wonderful experience!

Amazing service and food. A family run business, the place is cosy and clean, and the food is second to none. The best meal we had while in Kobe! Melt in your mouth beef with delicious, complementary pairing dishes for the complete experience. Highly recommend booking a seating for a once in a lifetime experience. Walk ins are not accepted and each seating is a small dedicated number, so make sure to book in advance! The small capacity allows them to focus and truly serve up a unique, tailored experience. It's the best!

A delicious Kobe beef experience. We ordered two of the sets, one with Kobe beef and the other the regular beef set, which comes with appetiser, mains being the beef with rice, and dessert. Both were delicious. They cook the meals in front of you, was a great experience. The staff are very friendly, and most of them are family. Most of them speak English. The grandma we talked to was super friendly and we exchanged a lot of experiences with one another.

Overall a great experience! The place was very clean, the food quality was excellent (starter was lovely, beef was melt in your mouth) and chef Shuhei had superb cooking skills & showmanship ! He kept us entertained throughout the lunch .. This place is totally recommended, please remember to book in advance as chef only takes 6 pax max per seating (2 seatings for lunch and 2 for dinner).

This restaurant is just amazing when it comes to food, service, atmosphere and the chef's sense of humour. A gem tucked away at a quiet street. 2 hours of an amazing experience and laughters with the chef. This restaurant is family owned, the whole family is so friendly and nice, not to mention they spoke English so conversing was no issue at all. I highly recommend to dine here and remember to book in advance to secure a spot.

Having the Kobe beef at Tor Road Steak Aoyama is an experience that'll stay with you forever! Forget everything you think you know about steak - this is pure, melt-in-your-mouth magic. The marbling is insane, each bite exploding with juicy, buttery goodness that coats your entire palate. It's like biting into a cloud of pure beefy bliss, with a fragrance that's intoxicatingly rich and meaty. And let's not forget the chef! He's not just a culinary master, he's a total hoot. Friendly, funny, and passionate about his craft, he makes the whole dining experience even more enjoyable. He clearly takes pride in his food, and it shows in every perfectly cooked, beautifully presented dish. If you're looking for a steakhouse that's going to blow your mind, Tor Road Steak Aoyama is the place to go. Just be prepared to loosen your belt a few notches - you're gonna want to savor every single bite of that Kobe beef heaven. Make sure to make a reservation in advance, they're fully booked almost every day. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you!

A very cosy and comfortable restaurant I have been to Japan. It’s a family operated with young and energetic staff. All are able to speak English well. I appreciate Chef ShuHei for learning English, a foreign language of Japan and telling us his stories and great entertainment. His Singlish might be even better than us. His technique really served us a delicious meal with great high quality meat! I highly recommend them, I reserved via Facebook Messenger and they respond really quickly. I will definitely visit them again.

One of the best dining experiences. Aside from some of the most delicious food I’ve ever had, the experience itself was beyond what I expected. We went for lunch which had prix-fix sets at different values. The waitress guided us through the different sets and let us know which were Wagyu and Kobe Beef. We selected the Sirloin Kobe Beef which was about ¥5000 per person. The chef was very welcoming and comedic. We really enjoyed the conversation we had with the chef. The food was so delicious! Every single thing we were served was magnificent. It’s so hard to describe the amazing flavors and combinations. The cream soup was the most unexpected. The flavors were perfection! After our course, we went to dinner a different table to have coffee where we were given us a map and photos of Kobe in which the man took himself. It was our first time in Kobe so it was fun to find the landmarks in the photos. I tried to get reservations in 2019 but they were booked up. As soon as I booked my March 2020 Japan trip in November 20219, I was able to make the reservation! I highly suggest Steak Aoyama as it is a unique and comforting dinning experience. Thank you Steak Aoyama! We’ll be back again for Dinner!

We had a lovely experience with this family owned and run restaurant. They were able to fit us in and accommodate us. It was easy to communicate with all the staff. They took their time to explain each course and some of the recipes dating back 60 years of tradition. Once service started, the chef was not only entertaining and funny but also very skilful on the grill. Food was exceptional. Definitely recommend coming to Kobe

My experience at this family-owned business was nothing short of amazing. The staff were incredibly friendly, making me feel right at home from the moment I walked in. The highlight of the meal was undoubtedly the Kobe beef, which was simply awesome. I highly recommend giving it a try if you have the chance. One of the things I appreciated most about this restaurant was the staff's ability to speak English. It made for some really nice conversations during the experience, adding an extra layer of warmth and hospitality to the already great atmosphere. Overall, I had a fantastic time and would definitely come back again.

My first Kobe beef experience and it didn’t disappoint. Make reservations way ahead of time. I was able to reserve a spot for one for lunch. Had a whole meal set for $50 which is a bargain (a true bargain, I went to a another place and it was $100) The staff is amazing and you easily make friends with your fellow dinners. This will be my standard when it comes to Kobe beef.

This is truly one of the best kobe beef place I've ever been. Don't be fooled by the size of the restaurant, the chef is mot only funny, but also an amazing cook! What truly impress me is the amazing service given to us. I was a bit nervous eating here afyer bringing my 2 year old who's been extremely cranky since morning, but the restaurant staff have been really kind to us and makes us feel very comfortable from the get go. If I ever come back to Japan for another holiday, this will be my go to place for Kobe beef. Thank you for the amazing service.

Incredible restaurant and experience. Staff was so kind and friendly. The chef has a great sense of humor, but is still so meticulous in the food preparation. They use local ingredients, and can usually tell you the city or region everything is from. Probably the best meal I've ever had in my life. They're not stingy on the wine servings either!

Probably had one of my most awesome meal in Japan at this place 🤤 This place provides you a private experience with the chef and the chef is really meticulous and professional; it’s like a performance. Love the hospitality I received from the owners of the restaurant too. They are very hospitable to foreign customers. The owner is also an avid photographer and took the pictures for his menu himself. All in all, would recommend people to try it if they are in Kobe 👍 P.s he asked me to help advertise for him; he’s single so ladies who are interested, reached out to him 😂

This is an old review since November last year but everything was so delicious and this is a family runned restaurant. We had a sweet plum wine to accompany our set meal. The wagyu beef was A4 so it wouldn't be so rich and fatty. One thing is there is a 6 month to a years waiting reservation so just book in advance. You won't be able to just turn up to make a reservation. So to sum it up, awesome and 1000% super delicious with a great friendly serving staff who will explain the menu to you in English.

Exceptional culinary experience with a relaxing, funny, and friendly atmosphere. Entire staff converse well in English. The beef will melt in your mouth (added crunch of fried onions was amazing). Highly recommend, but make sure to book in advance. We were lucky to book dinner 1.5 months in advance because someone cancelled.

You will need to make reservation way in advance before your trip. Each session is only 6pax. Food was very good. We had the sirloin Kobe beef set. We enjoyed every course of the set meal.Chef make small conversation with his customers. He said he is single and looking for gf!

Probably one of the best dining experiences of my life. We booked this dinner a few months in advance to ensure we could get a booking during our visit. From the moment you walk into the intimate seating, you know you're going to have a very personal & memorable evening. The food was incredible, especially the amazing kobe beef - which melted like butter in my mouth. The owners were extremely friendly, and the chef was extremely charismatic. A must visit place if you are ever in Japan.

Fantastic place! Excellent meat and also the overall experience. Owners and cook are super nice and welcoming making the ambience cozy and you feel home. Better to reserve in advance because it's not a big place. Strongly recommended!

Excellent kobe beef done by a very friendly and warm family. Do book through Facebook messenger before heading down! Throuroughly enjoyed the food and conversations :)

What a marvelous restaurant! The chefs and team could not have been more friendly or welcoming, and every dish was EXTRAORDINARY. I will never forget my first taste of Kobe beef, the super fresh vegetables, the cream soup — two hours later, and I am still so happy. What a delightful and charming place to experience one of Japan’s best delicacies!

It is the best steak house for teppanyaki beef in Kobe and to me the whole Japan. It is so so so delicious melt in mouth feel. They chef cooking for us it’s funny but cook a good meal. A lady who serve us it’s the best and kind person I’ve ever met in Kobe, she take the effort to explain everything (even with such language barrier). She told us the rice that they just serve us it’s this season newly harvested rice which is so delicious. And not to forget another chef who serve us delicate salad, soup and gave us a beautiful scenery postcard with photo taken by himself. Must make reservation to avoid disappointment.

It's so good here, I only eat Kobe beef from here. You will completely agree. Trust me! I travel much of Japan and this is what I compare all other restaurants to.

Steak was excellent cooked exactly how it was requested. Menu sets were easy to understand and staff was there to explain everything. The Kobe beef set was delicious and came with cream soup, salad and rice. The chef was very lively and friendly sharing stories and very personable. I highly recommend if you are visiting Kobe and want a delicious steak!

Food was amazing! The service was excellent! This is a must stop for anyone traveling to Kobe! Very affordable way to try excellent food. Staff spoke English and were very entertaining and welcoming!

Good food, good service, good atmosphere ! 👍 The chef was super friendly, dining experience were chill and fun. The kobe beef left me speechless, it was so juicy and tender and delicious. Definitely will come back soon !