620 Olde Towne Rd., Vestavia
822-4646
www.ichibanbirmingham.com
Birmingham's oldest Japanese restaurant, in business for 20 years, serving sushi and sashimi and preparing Angus beef, lobster, tenderloin and more at the Teppanyaki tables around which guests gather and enjoy an entertaining chef prepare their meal on a steel grill, right before their eyes.

1820 29th Ave. South (SOHO), Homewood
802-1440
Upscale Japanese restaurant opened by John Cassimus (founder and owner of Zoe's kitchen) and Charleston Wilson. Diners select from a menu of hot dishes, cold dishes and sushi. Birmingham Magazine, in a 2006 review, says "the ambiance is intimate, upscale -- and adult." Chef Nobuhito Kadoma has 20 years of experience, from Osaka to Aspen. Gayot.com notes that like the "calm, elegant decor punched up with touches of electric green ... the cuisine can deliver a hit of flavor." Food & Wine magazine in 2007 praised its "stellar Japanese dishes like aji (horse mackerel) served first raw, then deep-fried." Our take? Food and service are excellent, but you do pay for it. Skip the sushi rolls and go for the dishes you're not going to find elsewhere. Not into raw food? Try the Kobe beef mini-burgers.
Read our review

3501 Grandview Parkway (off Hwy. 280)
298-0200
www.ekobe.com
Serving lunch and dinner, Kobe offers both the entertaining Teppanyaki steakhouse experience and a Sushi bar.

5870 Trussville Crossing Blvd.
661-1821
Lunch and dinner. Take your choice of a sushi bar or a boisterous, child-friendly show at the teppan tables at this Trussville Japanese steakhouse.

2800 Cahaba Village Plaza, Suite 145 (Mountain Brook, off Hwy. 280 near Whole Foods)
205-970-3242
www.makifresh.com
Haven't tried it yet, but John Cassimus recently stepped down as head of Zoe's to focus on his Asian restaurants -- the excellent Jinsei in Homewood and this new casual-fast sush and Japanese concept. At Maki Fresh, customers can grab prepared sushi to go or choose ingredients from a line up of rice, sashimi, tofu, chicken, beef, fish, salads and rice bowls. Here's a couple of helpful links:

• Review from the Terminal
• Business article on the new restaurant from the Birmingham News

4618 Hwy. 280 South, Inverness
991-0033
Lunch and dinner. Reservations preferred. Features banquet facilities, private rooms, cocktail lounge. At a tepanyaki house like this one, you go for the show really more than for the food. A fun place for groups or to take the kids and enjoy the show. We prefer the sushi bar, with lots of hot sake and cold wine and beer.

1843 Montgomery Highway (just south of the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, in the shopping center where Hobby Lobby is located)
988-3319
Open for lunch and dinner. A local blogger wrote, "You won’t find the theatrics of chefs cooking at your table and tossing bits of food into customers’ mouths that’s so common with conventional Japanese steakhouses. But you will find food that’s just as delicious, and at much lower prices than what the big steakhouses charge." Eddie Ciu, owner and head chef, has operated several restaurants around the South. Read our review.