Restaurant in Kobe, Japan
Eight seats, Tabelog-verified, book early.
Sushi Ueda is a Tabelog Bronze Award winner (2022–2026) and Kobe's most consistently recognised omakase counter — eight seats, chef Masamichi Ueda, and seafood sourced from Hyogo's two coastlines. At JPY 30,000–39,999 per head, it delivers serious value for the format. Book in advance; same-day availability is the exception, not the rule.
If you are choosing between Sushi Ueda and the handful of Tokyo omakase counters that attract international attention, book Ueda — and spend the money you save on the bullet train from Osaka. At JPY 30,000–39,999 per head for both lunch and dinner, Ueda sits at a price point comparable to serious Tokyo counters such as Harutaka, but delivers something those venues cannot: a working counter built around the seafood geography of Hyogo Prefecture, drawing from both the Seto Inland Sea and the Japan Sea. Five consecutive Tabelog Bronze Awards (2022–2026) and three selections for Tabelog Sushi WEST "Tabelog 100" confirm this is not a local-only secret — it is a peer-reviewed destination counter that most visitors to Kansai simply overlook in favour of Kyoto or Osaka.
Eight seats. No private rooms. That is the whole room, and it shapes everything about what Sushi Ueda is. At this scale, chef Masamichi Ueda controls every detail of pacing and temperature across a single sitting. You are not eating in a large restaurant that happens to have a counter; you are eating at the counter and that is the restaurant. For a special occasion dinner, this intimacy is the point. Conversation carries, the rhythm of each course is set by one person, and there is nowhere for slippage to hide , which is precisely why the Tabelog score of 4.29 means something at a venue this small.
The house rules reinforce the tone: no perfume, no smoking, no photos or videos. These are not arbitrary restrictions. At eight seats, a single strong fragrance compromises the experience for every other diner; at this price point, the restaurant has the standing to enforce it. Come prepared to be present rather than to document the meal. Violations can result in being asked to leave, which is stated plainly in the reservation terms.
The dress code is informal in the Japanese sense: no specific requirement, but tank tops, shorts, and sandals are out. Smart casual is a reliable guide. For a date or celebration dinner, that bar is easy to clear , and the setting rewards it. This is one of the more contained, focused special-occasion experiences in Kobe, and it competes credibly with kaiseki counters at similar prices. If format matters to you , the controlled progression, the chef setting the pace, the intimacy of eight seats , Sushi Ueda delivers more of that than a larger restaurant at the same spend. For the kaiseki alternative, Uemura is the closest peer in Kobe.
Eight seats and a reservation-only policy mean availability is the constraint, not the price. Same-day reservations are listed as possible, but given the consistent award recognition from 2022 through 2026, treating that as a realistic option is a mistake. Book as far ahead as your plans allow , several weeks is a sensible minimum for dinner seatings, more if you are visiting during a public holiday period. Groups of five or more must call directly: +81-78-515-6655. Solo diners and pairs can book through the standard reservation channel.
Operating hours run across three dinner sittings Monday through Saturday (12:00, 18:00, 20:40) and two on Sundays and public holidays (12:00, 17:00). The 20:40 sitting on weeknights is the hardest to fill and occasionally the easiest to book on shorter notice. Closing days are not fixed, so confirm before travel. The restaurant is a ten-minute walk from Motomachi Station, roughly 425 metres. No parking is available on site.
Payment: major credit cards accepted (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Diners). No electronic money, no QR code payments. Plan accordingly.
For a broader sense of what Kobe offers at this tier, see our full Kobe restaurants guide. If your trip extends to Osaka, HAJIME is worth comparing at the higher end. For sushi specifically, Sushi Shikon in Hong Kong and Shoukouwa in Singapore give a useful regional benchmark for what JPY 30,000–40,000 buys you across the format.
Quick reference: 8-seat counter, reservation only, JPY 30,000–39,999 per head, no perfume or photos, call for groups of 5+, ten-minute walk from Motomachi Station.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sushi Ueda | Sushi | Easy | |
| Ca Sento | Spanish | Unknown | |
| Kitanozaka Kinoshita | Italian | Unknown | |
| Setsugekka | Beef Dishes | Unknown | |
| Uemura | Kaiseki | Unknown | |
| fuxing | Unknown |
A quick look at how Sushi Ueda measures up.
Groups of up to 8 can fill the entire 8-seat counter, and private use of the full room is available. For parties of 5 or more, the venue requires you to call directly (+81-78-515-6655) rather than book online. There are no private rooms, so larger groups sit together at the counter with no separation.
Sushi Ueda operates as a reservation-only omakase counter, so there is no à la carte menu to choose from. Chef Masamichi Ueda sets the course, with the seafood sourced from Hyogo Prefecture's Seto Inland Sea and Japan Sea. At JPY 30,000–39,999 per head for both lunch and dinner, you are paying for the chef's selection, not your own.
The counter seats 8 and the format is omakase only, so come ready to follow the chef's pace. No photos or videos are permitted during the meal, and wearing perfume is explicitly prohibited — the venue states it may ask guests who do not comply to leave. Same-day reservations are technically possible, but a Tabelog Bronze winner running just 8 seats is not a walk-in situation in practice.
Kitanozaka Kinoshita and Setsugekka are the closest alternatives in Kobe's central dining scene if you want comparable sushi or Japanese cuisine at a similar price point. Ca Sento covers a different format entirely (European-leaning kaiseki). If Ueda's 8-seat counter is fully booked, Uemura is worth checking for availability.
Yes — the 8-seat counter, chef-led omakase format, and Tabelog Bronze recognition every year from 2022 through 2026 make it a credible choice for a significant dinner. Private room bookings are not available, but full private use of the counter is, which works well for an intimate celebration of up to 8 people. Budget JPY 30,000–39,999 per person.
The counter format suits solo diners well — you are seated directly in front of the chef at an 8-seat bar, which is the standard setting for omakase in Japan. At JPY 30,000–39,999 per head, the price is the same regardless of party size, so solo is not a penalty here. Same-day reservations are possible, which adds some flexibility for solo travellers.
No formal dress code is listed, but tank tops, shorts, and sandals are specifically prohibited. Smart, relaxed clothing is appropriate — think a collared shirt or equivalent. More importantly, do not wear perfume: this is an enforced rule, not a polite suggestion, and the venue reserves the right to ask non-compliant guests to leave.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
