The registry, counted
Kobe beef in America, by state
Genuine Kobe beef reaches the United States through a small, named list of venues licensed by the Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association. This is that list, counted by state, with the two facts that get conflated kept apart: being on the registry and having Kobe on the menu today.
- Registry venues we list
- 111
- Serving Kobe now
- 77
- States
- 25
By state
Registered means the venue appears on the official registry and is published in this directory. Serving now is the stricter figure: registered and Kobe verified on its current menu. A licensed venue with no Kobe in stock today is counted in the first column and not the second.
| State | Registered | Serving now | Cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 22 | 14 | Beverly Hills, Costa Mesa, Cupertino, Highland, Irvine, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Palm Springs, Pasadena, Rancho Mirage, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara, West Hollywood |
| Texas | 17 | 13 | Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Frisco, Grapevine, Houston, Plano, Spring |
| Florida | 14 | 11 | Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Miami, Miami Beach, Orlando, Santa Rosa Beach, West Palm Beach |
| Nevada | 13 | 11 | Henderson, Las Vegas, Stateline |
| New York | 13 | 9 | Brooklyn, Melville, New York, Saratoga Springs |
| Illinois | 6 | 3 | Chicago, Waukegan |
| Arizona | 3 | 3 | Scottsdale |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 3 | Lititz, Philadelphia |
| Virginia | 3 | 2 | Chantilly, Fairfax, Tysons |
| Washington | 2 | 0 | Kent, Tacoma |
| Alaska | 1 | 1 | Anchorage |
| Arkansas | 1 | 1 | Pine Bluff |
| Iowa | 1 | 1 | West Des Moines |
| Louisiana | 1 | 1 | Shreveport |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 1 | Everett |
| Minnesota | 1 | 1 | Blaine |
| New Jersey | 1 | 1 | Atlantic City |
| Ohio | 1 | 1 | Columbus |
| Colorado | 1 | 0 | Denver |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 0 | Washington |
| Kansas | 1 | 0 | Leawood |
| Maryland | 1 | 0 | Baltimore |
| Missouri | 1 | 0 | St. Louis |
| Montana | 1 | 0 | Big Sky |
| North Carolina | 1 | 0 | Charlotte |
| Total | 111 | 77 |
Why the familiar numbers are wrong
The figures still in wide circulation, that eight or nine American restaurants serve real Kobe beef, are accurate reporting that has simply aged. They date from 2016 and 2017, when the registry's U.S. list genuinely was that short. Kobe exports to the United States have grown steadily since, and the registry has grown with them.
The underlying claim those articles made has held up well: most American restaurants advertising “Kobe beef” are not serving it. What has changed is the size of the genuine list, and it is now large enough that a reader cannot be told to assume any particular venue is fake. That is the whole reason to publish a current count.
How to check this yourself
The association publishes its own list of registered shops and restaurants, and it is the only authority we treat as decisive. One catch worth knowing: the directory returns nothing until you filter it to the United States, which is why so many articles cite the registry by name without linking it.
Official Kobe registry, filtered to U.S. venues →
Two honest limits on the counts above. First, they cover venues we list: the registry may include U.S. businesses this directory has not yet catalogued, so treat these as a floor rather than a national census. Second, registry status and menu availability move independently, and stock in particular changes without notice. How we verify explains what each label does and does not establish.
Citing this page
Journalists and researchers are welcome to use these counts. Please cite the figure with the date attached, since it moves: as of July 26, 2026, WagyuSpot lists 111 U.S. restaurants on the official Kobe registry across 25 states, 77 of which had Kobe verified on the current menu. We are glad to provide the state or city cut behind any of these numbers on request.
Counts reflect verification work through July 26, 2026.