The small space that formerly housed Rockin’ Dave’s Bistro & Backstage Lounge on Greenwood Avenue is now a bustling Japanese restaurant.

Kobe Sushi & Hibachi Grill’s menu features sushi, hibachi and yakisoba at affordable prices. Rather than the showy display performed at some hibachi restaurants, dishes are prepared on a flat top in the kitchen. Only a glimpse of the cooking process is visible from the front counter, where customers pay the bill at the end of the meal.

Otherwise, Kobe is a full-service affair. Lunch specials and entrees include the choice of a house salad or miso soup, delivered to the table ahead of the main meal.

The hibachi shrimp lunch special ($15.95) I ordered appeared as a mountainous plate of shrimp, zucchini, carrots, broccoli and onion with a towering cup of fried rice. The medley of seafood and vegetables was cooked in a teriyaki-like sauce sweetened with brown sugar.

It’s almost guaranteed there will be enough leftovers for a subsequent meal with the hibachi and yakisoba entrees.

From rockin’ to rollin’

Sushi is a large part of the menu, with sushi bar entrees and extravagant special rolls that come with tempura shrimp or are entirely deep-fried.

A lunch special with variable combinations of sushi and sashimi and a side of house salad or miso soup costs between $12.95 and $14.95. It’s available from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The Tokyo roll ($15.95) was beautifully presented. It was stuffed with tempura shrimp and snow crab, topped with tempura salmon and avocado and cross-drizzled with eel sauce and spicy mayonnaise. It’s a massive mouthful and tastes all at once crunchy, salty and sweet.

Word has spread of the modest prices and generous portion sizes. The dining room’s eight tables filled quickly over a weekday lunch hour last week. Additional patio seating is available, and three chairs crowd the tiny sushi bar.

Anna Qiu, who owns the restaurant with her family, rushed to greet customers and take orders. Qiu emigrated from Southeast China in 2009 with her mother and sister, where they joined her father in Bend. She said her family wanted to provide Bend’s east side with a sushi restaurant focused on affordability. Longer wait times during rush periods are likely to be expected as Kobe ramps up and adjusts to the influx of customers.

Live music: MDC, Inner Limits to play this week in Bend

Details

What: Kobe Sushi & Hibachi Grill

Location: 661 NE Greenwood Ave., Bend

Contact: kobesushinhibachigrill.com, 541-668-6889

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday

Price Range: Sushi rolls from $5.95-$18.95, Hibachi dinner entrees from $14.95-$22.95, Yakisoba entrees from $19.95-$22.95