620 Olde Towne Rd., Vestavia
822-4646

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.

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 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.

5426 Hwy 280 Suite 13 & 14 (Terrace at Greystone)
422-0403
www.thekimono.com
Serving lunch and dinner. Upscale Japanese restaurant serving authentic traditional and modern Japanese food and sushi in a relaxed, sophisticated environment (rather than the boisterous "shows" found at most area Japanese restaurants.) The food is exquisite, but be warned that this is not a place for people in a hurry. Also, it's a wise idea to plan to share, because dishes tend to not all come out together.
Click here for Bhamdining.com review