If traveling to Himeji to visit the fantastic Himeji Castle, Kushiyaki Kobe Beef, a tiny restaurant located on Otemae Street, is a place you will defintely want to stop by to grab lunch or dinner to sample their kobe beef bowl!

Kushiyaki Kobe Beef

This tiny hole in the wall restaurant has an ideal location if you’re visiting Himeji Castle. If you’re coming from Osaka or Kyoto on a day trip you’ll most likely be coming in from the Himeji Station. Once you leave the station, the main street it exits to is Otemae Street which will take you right to Himeji Castle.

Conveniently located on the left hand side right before you cross the street over to the castle grounds is where Kushiyaki is located.

This is a very tiny location, with a counter top and six total seats within it. You can also order something to go from the window in the front of the store, which is what I did since there was no seating available at the time I went. One of the most popular items sold is the kobe beef bowl.

As the name would imply, Kushiyaki Kobe Beef has a menu featuring kobe beef items. They also have wagyu and karubi items as well. The menu here is pretty small with skewers, rice bowls, and hamburgers, but that’s all they really need.

The burgers here were quite tempting. I mean a wagyu and kobe beef burger? Sounds pretty amazing, but I really wanted to enjoy and savor the meat itself, so I went with the kobe beef bowl – 2,400 yen, $14.93.

The Kobe Beef Bowl

The bowl itself is not very large. Since this was kobe beef I wasn’t expecting to be getting a huge portion though. It’s a simple dish: about 8 slices of kobe beef over a bed of rice with teriyaki sauce and some garnish. I was definitely excited to dig into this!

To put it simply the kobe beef was AMAZING. THe meat is grilled medium rare. It’s lightly seasoned, just seemed salted but that’s all it needs. It’s extremely tender, juicy, and literally melts in your mouth. There really isn’t much chewing involved. The meat literally melts in your mouth. I can’t recall having any kind of beef like this before. It was certainly an experience.

The rice of course goes well with this and adds some filler. It’s great that they drizzle some teriyaki sauce over it to add some flavor but keep it separated fromt the kobe beef. You really want to savor the kobe beef itself so it’s nice that the don’t put any teriyaki sauce over it.

Is Kushiyaki Kobe Beef Worth A Visit?

If you’re going to Himeji Castle, I definitely recommend stopping by and grabbing the kobe beef bowl. This is legit kobe beef and worth every penny. While the servings are fairly small for the price point, the quality of the kobe beef makes it well worth it. I’ve paid more money at a sitdown grill and gotten the cheapest kobe beef option that was double this amount and the kobe beef was far and away better at Kushiyaki Kobe Beef.

If you’re looking for something light than this will be a perfect appetizer on the way to the castle or for a light meal after you’ve toured it. With it being so close to the castle and the shop having to go orders, it makes it very convenient to grab a quick delicious bite to eat!

Kushiyaki Kobe Beef

Address: Japan, 〒670-0012 Hyogo, Himeji, Honmachi, 68 にの屋敷 D 2

Hours: 

Monday	11 AM–5:30 PM
Tuesday	11 AM–5:30 PM
Wednesday	11 AM–5:30 PM
Thursday	11 AM–5:30 PM
Friday	11 AM–5:30 PM
Saturday	11 AM–5:30 PM
Sunday	11 AM–5:30 PM