"Kobe’s answer to Asador Etxebarri — Masakazu Nishikawa grills Kumamoto wagyu over oak embers — sit at the counter solo."
bb9 is tucked down a quiet alley in Motomachi, central Kobe, a few minutes from Motomachi Station. It began as NUDA in 2011 and was renamed bb9 in 2014, when owner-sommelier Masakazu Nishikawa and his chef set out to recreate the flame-grilled cooking of Asador Etxebarri in the Spanish Basque country. A custom brick oven, fed with Japanese oak burnt to glowing embers, sits at the heart of the room. For the wider picture, see our Kobe dining guide.
Owner Masakazu Nishikawa, born in Kobe in 1969, was a senior sommelier at Alain Chapel’s Kobe restaurant before opening bb9; head chef Kazuhiro Haruta, an Osaka native with eighteen years in Italian and French kitchens, runs the grill. The omakase moves from an Australian black-truffle crostini over homemade butter, through Latvian caviar warmed over coals and Kawachi-gamo duck chorizo, to a Kumamoto red-wagyu loin with a smoky crust, and even a grilled vanilla ice cream. The course is ¥45,000 through TableAll. bb9 holds a Tabelog Silver award and a 4.32 rating in 2025. Read our guide to the best Spanish restaurants worldwide, or compare the kappo counter at Gensai.
The room is small and focused on the fire. A counter faces the brick oven and the grilling station, where trays move up and down over the embers so the chef can dial the heat dish by dish. The sound is low and conversational, the lighting warm from the coals, and the spacing intimate. Dress smart. Nishikawa works the wine himself, pulling rare bottles — Romanée-Conti, Spanish Tempranillo — to pair with the smoke.
Book bb9 for solo dining because the counter is the best seat in the house: you watch every course come off the embers, and Nishikawa — a career sommelier — will build a pairing around your pace and curiosity. The format rewards full attention rather than table chatter, the ten-or-so grilled courses arrive one at a time, and a solo seat is easier to land than a pair. Take the wine pairing and ask about the caviar with red. See more solo-dining restaurants.
Not for a big group or a vegetarian-led meal — bb9 is a small counter built around fire and meat, with Kumamoto wagyu and grilled seafood at its core.
Yes, if you love fire-cooking and wine. bb9 recreates the Asador Etxebarri style of charcoal grilling in a small Motomachi counter, with owner-sommelier Masakazu Nishikawa and head chef Kazuhiro Haruta sending out grilled courses from truffle crostini to Kumamoto wagyu. It holds a Tabelog Silver award and a 4.32 rating in 2025. The omakase is ¥45,000 via TableAll. See our Kobe dining guide.
bb9 is a small counter with limited lunch and dinner seatings, bookable through TableAll, where the omakase is ¥45,000 including the booking fee, with wine pairing extra. Because seats are few, reserve your date well ahead. The restaurant sits on the first floor at 3-14-5 Motomachidori in Chuo-ku, a few minutes from Motomachi Station.
Everything is cooked over oak embers in a custom brick oven modelled on Asador Etxebarri. Expect an Australian black-truffle crostini, Latvian caviar warmed over coals, Kawachi-gamo duck chorizo, a Kumamoto red-wagyu loin with a smoky crust, and a grilled vanilla ice cream to finish. Owner Masakazu Nishikawa pairs the smoke with rare wines, from Burgundy to Spanish Tempranillo.
Yes — the counter is ideal for eating alone. You sit facing the grill, watch each course come off the embers, and let Nishikawa, a veteran sommelier, tailor a wine pairing to your pace. A single seat is also easier to secure than a pair at such a small room. See our solo-dining guide for more counters worth booking.
Reserve through TableAll. The counter is small and seatings are limited, so book the date well ahead.
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bb9 earns a place for its Asador Etxebarri-style flame grill and Masakazu Nishikawa’s wine pairings in Motomachi.
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