6 carefully selected establishments in Kobe (Hyogo) where it is possible to drink premium beers

Kobe Beef

Kobe beef is now world-famous. It refers to the carefully-selected beef that has cleared the strictest standards even among the Tajima cattle, Kobe’s brand-name breed. The marbled fat, known as shimofuri, melts in the mouth, and its taste makes it the perfect match to an opulent premium beer. Hyogo Prefecture has other beef brands beside Kobe beef, like Tamba beef and Awaji beef, so you can enjoy taste-testing each by location and grade!

Fresh Fish from the Inland Sea

Don’t forget that Hyogo faces the Seto Inland Sea, where lots of fresh seafood is caught! The Inland Sea stretches 450 km east to west, and so each part will have its own particular special catch, but overall, it is noted for its abundance of small white fish. But if you’re going to dine in Kobe, you should definitely have Akashi octopus and sea bream, as well as conger eel and Harima oysters. In addition to enjoying them as sashimi, sushi, or steamed with rice, you should try Akashiyaki, small dumplings stuffed with octopus and eaten by dipping them in dashi stock.

Gyoza

There are many towns around Japan famed for their gyoza, but Kobe’s Chinatown is one of the most hotly-contested battlegrounds. It’s not just Chinatown either—gyoza restaurants, pubs (izakaya) and other places also serve gyoza. The style in Kobe is to eat the crisply fried, aromatic gyoza dipped in each restaurant’s proprietary miso sauce. You’ll definitely want to have these amazing gyoza with a cold beer!