Kobe Japanese Steak House & Oku's Sushi Bar

Kobe Japanese Steak House & Oku's Sushi Bar Restaurant Review:

As one of the few teppanyaki restaurants on Maui, Kobe attracts a lot of large parties. Each teppan table seats about fifteen, so if it’s just you and your significant other, you’ll most likely be tucked in among a boisterous group. This is a good place to be entertained, not just by your tablemates, but also the teppan chef, who will cook your food at the table while putting on a lively show of chopping, sizzling, and playing with fire---all while joking. To start, simply choose a protein: chicken, fish, shrimp, scallops, beef, vegetables, tofu, lobster tail, or a combination of each. Each meal comes with a light shabu-shabu soup, a grilled shrimp appetizer, hibachi vegetables, steamed rice and hot tea. Garlic lovers should opt for the garlic fried rice, which is made fresh at the table (beware, it is very garlicky). We like the opakapaka and salmon, and the shrimp and scallops are flavorful. Kobe’s Emperor steak is a huge 12-ounce slab of tender meat, great for sharing. Service can be slow during peak dinner hours. Even if you have a reservation, expect to wait to get seated and fed. For a more subdued evening, sit at Oku’s sushi bar and indulge in the dynamite special---juicy scallops and vegetables baked in a tasty mayonnaise sauce. Nigiri and maki rolls are also available.