hey there,

could you be more specific? Just a restaurant in general or what kind of food? Traditional Japanese?

M…

Yes, you need to be specific, but here goes.

Kobe is famous for it’s beef and this is what locals would recommend. There are two restaurants I have been to:

Highway—http://maps.google.co.jp/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=%E5%85%B5%E5%BA%AB%E7%9C%8C%E7%A5%9E%E6%88%B8%E5%B8%82%E4%B8%AD%E5%A4%AE%E5%8C%BA%E4%B8%8B%E5%B1%B1%E6%89%8B%E9%80%9A2%E2%88%9213%E2%88%927%E3%80%80&om=1

Nishimuraya Dining
(10F of International Building, probably easier to find just south of Sogo)

In both cases, you’ll expect to spend a minimum of Y10,000 per head. This is authentic stuff, but if you don’t love beef, beware because the menu consists of little else. Despite the quality of the meat, the preparation is rather unimaginative compared to what you’d get in other countries. Beware that you might feel ripped off unless you really go for the most expensive course menus.

There’s 100s of other local restaurants of various types and qualities. Few are local to Kobe alone, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t good. If you head just north of the Sannomiya JR station you’ll be in the main ‘night life’ district which is full of bars and eating establishments.

What’s good? If you don’t mind riding a subway, go to Nagata Station a little out of the centre (about 10-15 mins). There’s small Okonomiyaki restaurant there that’s good, small, friendly, and looks so Japanese. It’s called Ose and looks like a normal house from the outside:
http://maps.google.co.jp/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=%E5%85%B5%E5%BA%AB%E7%9C%8C%E7%A5%9E%E6%88%B8%E5%B8%82%E4%B8%AD%E5%A4%AE%E5%8C%BA%E4%B8%8B%E5%B1%B1%E6%89%8B%E9%80%9A2%E2%88%9213%E2%88%927%E3%80%80&om=1

Basically, any non-Western food restaurant will be good. Any restaurant in department stores will be high quality and not usually any more expensive than anywhere else. The best thing is to wander around and choose somewhere based on the look of the place and the plastic food examples in the window. 90% of places are friendly, but Kobe still suffers from a certain foreigner fear compared to Tokyo. This isn’t a problem but if the welcome isn’t particularly warm when you walk in, just head somewhere else.

BTW, Kobe also has EXCELLENT Thai and Indian restaurants.