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    Kobe-Ya

    3.1 (201 reviews)
    InexpensiveJapanese, Sushi Bars
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Kobe-Ya Photos

    Business Info

    KOBE-YA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Kobe-Ya

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    Reviews With Photos - Kobe-Ya

    Inside
    Mel S.

    Ordered to-go from here based on a recommendation. I was a little hesitant based on how many stars Kobe-Ya has on Yelp, but decided to give it a try. Food: - Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box: comes with cucumber noodles, rice, and salad. This bento box came with quite a bit of rice and chicken teriyaki (could be one hefty meal or a meal with leftovers). - Side of cucumber noodles: these noodles were actually really good. This was probably my favorite of all the dishes. The side comes in a good size tub - Lion king roll: not the best I've had - the salmon was dry and it was lacking the sauce a Lion king roll usually comes with - Sake roll: comes with avocado in the roll. This was a pretty big roll - came with eight large pieces Miscellaneous: - Parking is available via metered street parking - The sign isn't the most obvious. Kobe-Ya is located right next to Sidestreet Pho (right on the corner of Encinal and Oak) Overall, not super satisfied with this place. The lady who helped me was really nice and the cucumber noodles were good, but the rest was average.

    Menu - 4/2023
    Francois T.

    From high school til now Kobe-Ya maintains how I remember their food. I rate Kobe-Ya 3 stars because like a previous review said, its not the highest quality of food and you may not get 5-star service but if you need a japanese food fix Kobe-Ya may hit that. Even though Im a supporter, I have to base my review realistically and not emotion based. I really love their White Noodles and Tokyo Noodles; the ONLY place Ive gotten white noodles so when I get their bento boxes, I get only white noodles as sides. Ive gotten their chicken teriyaki and ton katsu a countless number of times over the years and its a baseline for the items. Dependent on the time of day you go, parking right outside or on the block may be tough but usually after school-hours and late weekends youll find a spot.

    Menu as of Aug '24
    Ken T.

    It's definitely a family style Japanese take out spot. Nothing fancy. Not a good place to take someone you want to impress. But predictable and _mostly delicious food. Cracks me up to see photos with the very old prices! Take out service is usually pretty quick, but every restaurant can get busy. Pick up via car is a 2 person job, as parking is fugedaboutit. Bentos are your best bet, and the Ca roll, if you don't mind fake crab.

    Chicken Teriyaki with California Roll
    Angela W.

    Hands down best bento box place! Most of the places I've been to, their chicken would be super dry or they don't give enough sauce. I've been going here for years and ever time I get a bento box it doesn't disappoint. Their salad and noodles ARE THEY BEST (although some of my friends haven't been big fans), I personally love it! Service was quick, you just order and sit down and when your food is ready they'll let you know. The inside may not look the best or look the cleanest, but the bento boxes are amazing!

    Chicken Teriyaki and Chicken Katsui
    Luan N.

    Best bento boxes in Alameda. The teriyaki sauce on the chicken is super tasty and the katsu is cooked well and super crispy. Service is great, would recommend to come if craving a bento box.

    New prices 4/2023
    Con C.

    Still good food! Teriyaki chicken is my go to. My Vietnamese sandwich this last time seemed to be missing some jalapeños but minor inconvenience

    Menu
    Elisha S.

    Love this place.. been coming here since 2004 or 2005. My go to stop for bento box .. good flavorful food ... at a great price. U must try the egg rolls they are soo good., I usually get the chicken teriyaki bento box with fried rice all salad.. or half chicken half beef .. I like my food extra saucy so I always get an extra teriyaki sauce on the side.. did I mention they cater.. and have some sushi rolls..

    Spicy Tuna Mayo, a side of ginger. We found a bug in our food.
    Priscilla V.

    I'm really disappointed. I really wanted to like this place since it was recommended by my partner, but unfortunately a few events occurred. First, we were overcharged. It was suppose to be $33 but we were charged about $50. We did confront the woman at the counter. We received our actual change back. No problem. It was just disappointing to discover a bug in our food. We didn't really know how to handle the situation. We returned about 15 minutes after leaving the restaurant. I told the woman about the bug and showed her a picture. We didn't want a refund but more of an acknowledgment from the establishment. Instead, we were called liars. I was truly baffled about the treatment. I work in a kitchen myself. Mistakes happen, shit happens. It was unfortunate to be called a liar. Overall, I would not recommend eating at this place. You'll most likely be overcharged and find insects in your food. We should have known something was off when the restaurant was completely empty. No customers while we waited for our food to be prepared.

    Temaki.  Unagi.  And.   Tempura

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    Photo of Janice M.
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    6 months ago

    The Sushi, tempura, and katsu here are delicious. We keep coming back to order again.

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    10 months ago

    First time trying. Inedible the chicken tastes like fish. Regular bento. Never again.

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    This is a no-frills establishment. The food is tasty and budget friendly. The owner is super nice too.

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Kobe-Ya

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    Mensho

    Mensho

    4.5
    (654 reviews)
    4.5 mi
    $$

    Mensho is a very popular restaurant. This was my first time visiting, and I had a great experience…read more The food was delicious! The standout dishes for me were the Calamari, Karaage, and Daikon Salad. The Calamari was perfectly fried, and the seasoning was well-balanced. The Karaage was also perfectly fried, and the sauce was flavorful. The Daikon Salad was light and refreshing. I would like to thank our server, Noah, for his helpfulness in choosing our dishes and for the prompt service. I highly recommend it!

    Unpopular opinion: wasn't my favorite. But that's all due to personal preference (aside from…read moreservice and a rocky start). The good: fresh, quality ingredients The bad: started with the host/wait list. I accidentally added my name twice for a solo diner. Host thought it was a mistake and completely removed me from the wait list and seated other parties that came in after me. Thoroughly confused - she didn't even call my name to confirm so I had to go up to her and ask. No apology either. Was seated at the counter where solo diners usually sit. Service was non existent. Server came up to me and ask "what would you like to order?" I've never been there before. No "hi my name is ... I'll be your server" nada. They're just a machine - people in people out. The ramen - broth was fine. The squiggly noodles aren't my favorite. Expected to have kernel corn but had corn ribs instead (good thing I'm good with chopsticks!) The charshu was just okay. Enoki topping was just ... aight. The nice touch was that they didn't put it in the ramen and served it on the side to preserve its crunchiness because it definitely needed the texture! It was loud, busy, and nothing spectacular about the dining scene here. $55 dollars later (ramen, 2 additional toppings, one box of sake) ... I sadly don't think it was worth it.

    Photos
    Waiting area
    Waiting area
    Spicy garlic karaage fried chicken
    Spicy garlic karaage fried chicken
    Hokkaido Uni Mini Rice Bowl

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    Hokkaido Uni Mini Rice Bowl
    Sushi & More

    Sushi & More

    4.4
    (232 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    This restaurant is located on a busy street in Alameda where parking is extremely limited. We like…read moreto try to find something near residential and walk, but even then it can get frustrating to find a parking spot. Once you walk into the restaurant, there's indoor and outdoor seating available. The outdoor seating is covered by a patio, and on colder days, I'm assuming they will put a heater out there? I'm not too sure, since I don't actually eat outside often. Indoor is well lit up, and has a decent amount of seating. The biggest table I have seen seats around 6 people, but can be more if you have small children I suppose. We mostly order the rolls here, and to be fair, it's a decent pricing. However, it is a hit or miss. 1. Lion King - Decent. Taste all the same everywhere you go if you ask me. 2. Deep Fried Spicy Tuna - Must have, definitely my favorite. 3. Golden Gate - More on the saucy side with imitation crab meat, it's basic. 4. Dragon Roll - Again, same anywhere you go. 5. Double Salmon Roll - Salmon on the inside, salmon on the outside. Cheaper alternative than to just getting nigiri or salmon sashimi. The customer service here is not the best in my opinion. The first time we took a friend there for his birthday, and it was terrible. The host, waiter/server, and manager disregarded us. However, a table next to us got the friendliest treatment. The type of treatment you give when you expect them to come back so you can address them by their name. The second time we've been here, the customer service was basic. No expectations, just take your order, serve, and a simple question of how is everything. Honestly, customer service could have been much more reasonable at even the most basic level. Overall, the food is ok. I wouldn't say it's like the best, but if you're here for lunch or a quick bite, it's fine.

    Based on service only: Really frustrating experience with Sushi & More. I drove out of my way based…read moreon the hours listed online, only to find the place closed. What made it worse was that the doors were open and there were employees inside huddled around a table. When I walked in, they just casually said the place was closed--no explanation, no signage, nothing. I even asked when they'd be open again and none of them had an answer. No one seemed to know what was going on. If your hours have changed or you're not serving, update your website and put a sign on the door. This was a complete waste of my time and a pretty poor customer experience.

    Photos
    Glasses and wines and sake. More on the other wall.
    Glasses and wines and sake. More on the other wall.
    Double Salmon Roll, Super California Roll, Double Hamachi Roll
    Double Salmon Roll, Super California Roll, Double Hamachi Roll
    Long day of chores ahead, got our sushi to go today

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    Long day of chores ahead, got our sushi to go today
    Yonsei Handrolls

    Yonsei Handrolls

    4.4
    (401 reviews)
    3.4 mi

    For someone who prefers sushi rolls over hand rolls - this place blew me away! The quality of the…read morefish, thoughtfulness of the coursing, the cocktails, and the service - what an experience! They have pre-courses out flights but a lot of à la carte hand rolls as well you can sub out for or add on. 6 hand rolls seems to have been the right amount. I ended up ripping some of the seaweed off each time but absolutely no complaints. I still think about this place...can't wait to come back.

    I was in town for a concert and I was hoping to find somewhere to have a great dinner before the…read moreshow. I found this spot and hoped to be able to get in. I got lucky because they asked if I had a reservation, and I did not have one. I was surprised about the reservation, since it was a Thursday evening at 5pm. I understood later though. The dining room is small and intimate. It has a perfect Japanese flair to it. It took a little while to get service after I was seated, I was close to finding somewhere else to eat, But I am so glad i stayed! I opted for the OG handroll selection. I believe the simple dishes let the quality of the food shine through, since there is nothing to hide behind. Each roll is brought out individually on a wooden stand. They are left open so you can see the ingredients. I appreciate that the soy sauce is in a dropper bottle. It is meant as a seasoning, not to bathe the food in. I have not ever had soy sauce this good. It is their house recipe and it is so much better than any commercially avalable sauce. Even the ginger and wasabi were incredible. The Zuke Maguro was the best Tuna I have ever had. Negihama with green onion was delicious and fatty. The Salmon roll with lemon was phenomenal. Spicy Tuna with Tempura crunch was seasoned perfectly. Snow Crab and garlic chives was light and creamy. I had to get one more Salmon roll, It was so good! I had a Sake flight that paired so well with the hand rolls. I was ill prepared for the slower pace of this dining experience and I will say it was well worth the wait. This will be on my list of highly recommended places.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Salmon belly
    Salmon belly
    Snow crab

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    Snow crab
    Hashi Gawa

    Hashi Gawa

    4.3
    (517 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    Hashi Gawa is one of my favorite sushi spots in the East Bay! The fish is always fresh, their…read morespecialty rolls are creative and consistently delicious. I appreciate that they offer brown rice, which makes the meal feel like a healthier indulgence. We love coming here for special occasions. Even though the restaurant is on the smaller side, they've always been able to accommodate our larger groups while providing attentive and friendly service to everyone at the table. Some of our favorites are the uni ikura scoops, the nigiri omakase, and the kaisen don.

    Came here on a Sunday with a reservation for 5 people and didn't really need the reservation at…read moreall. The restaurant was empty and it was definitely a shame because we really enjoyed our experience there! All 5 of us ordered the omakase and added soft shell crab, uni sashimi, and a beer. The food came out beautifully plated and they were great at keeping our hot tea cups full the entire time. The omakase was reasonably priced and pretty worth it in my opinion. It was filling and we really enjoyed the different fish. We ordered both types of uni (Santa Barbara and Hokkaido) - the Hokkaido uni was our favorite! Be sure to ask the chef for their opinion too if you can't decide. The soup and the salad with the omakase was good - the dressing for the salad was pretty yummy too, though probably could've used a tiny bit less of it! I think with all the add-ons we really ran up the bill, but it was still really good, unrushed service, and just a nice peaceful spot for our group to catch up. Overall, definitely recommend for omakase in the area and extra plus that it is in a plaza so parking isn't an issue like some of the other popular places in Alameda.

    Photos
    Hashi Gawa
    Hamachi Carpaccio
    Hamachi Carpaccio
    Sushi combo

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    Sushi combo

    Kobe-Ya - japanese - Updated July 2026

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