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Nobu London
Rating Details »
Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighbourhood: Mayfair19 Old Park Lane
London W1K 1LB
020 7447 4747
- Nearest Transit:
-
Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly)
Green Park (Jubilee, Piccadilly, Victoria)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Mon-Fri. 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Sat. 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Sun. 6:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
- Price Range:
-
££££
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Children:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
18 reviews for Nobu London
Not a meal for the sustainably minded, that's for sure. Only the popular fish get any attention at this celebrity luncheon spot. And wow this place is expensive! (£60pp for lunch). I will say that the food and drinks were really nice. The bar serves a surprisingly subtle bloody Mary with wasabi and tankatsu sauce. I'll definitely be making this one at home, so thanks for the inspiration!
Sadly I couldn't justify spending £32 for their signature black cod with miso. Instead I had a Latin spiced ribeye over rice, which was a delightfully spicy riff on the Japanese meat over rice dishes like katsudon and unagidon. On the more traditional end, my lady had the prixe-fixe sushi lunch, which featured only the highest quality designer fish (like bluefin and wild salmon). The hand rolled maki (the lady called them Japanese tacos) were particularly delicious.
The low point for me was cultural... while the excellent service made me feel like I was getting my money's worth, it's make me wiggle when all the servers yell "irashaimase" when customers walk in and there's not a Japanese soul in sight.
Back in California i would have a craving for sushi about once a week. funny enough though, at my favorite Japanese places, i would always stray more towards the other dishes, because they would just be amazing.
such was the case with Nobu. yes the sushi was amazing. fresh, tasteful, gorgeous, all that. but it was the other plates that blew me away. they had this deep fried full fish thing.... holy hell. it was filleted, so the meat was sitting directly in the sauce (the sauce.... hmmm... in my world, everything is just a vehicle for the sauce....) and the bones were fried so you could actually eat them like a crunchy snack. i was skeptical, but it was amazing.
funny enough, the food isnt as pricey as it could have been. i'll tell you what gets you: its the cocktails that bump up the bill. amazing drink list. and the servers just know when to show up at your elbow and say "would you like another?" and of course you would, if you *should* or not.
my one issue: the decor and space felt very... lacking? cold? corporate? it needed something. yes i know its in a hotel, but really do we need to be reminded of it? at a place like this, the whole thing should be an experience. a change to get away from the ordinary.
but anywho. still...
sigh.
nobu. till we meet again.
I went to Nobu with a coworker and was looking forward to an excellent dinner. To start with, the restaurant is very posh, everyone looks better than you, but at least its dark so you can't quite be sure. I really do like the vibe and the music playing during dinner.
We decided to get a few sushi dishes (both nigiri and rolls), some cooked dishes (some tempura calamari, some sort of lobster, etc) and overall the food was just ok. I am from San Francisco and believe we have fresher tasting fish in the bay area.
If you plan on going, I would suggest to stick to a variety and ask for waiter recommendations (though ours, to be frank, was not very good at suggestions). Overall, if you remove the ambiance and good looking folks, this place is just mediocre, and I would have to say all hype.
This is the restaurant that changed the landscape forever. Japanese cuisine in London was almost non-existant and inedible 15 years ago and then Nobu came along and set the standard. It's still one of the best - simple, fresh and minimalist - not fussy. It's not 'fun' or particularly 'trendy' but it serves some of the highest quality sushi in the city. Ask them to deep fry the shrimp heads when you order amai ebi.
I have been to several branches of Nobu and the Mayfair location is my absolute favo(u)rite.
My mom and I went and sat at the sushi bar. We ordered the chef's sushi dinner and plenty of saketinis. Everything was fabulous. The fish was as fresh as what I ate in Japan and everything was seasoned perfectly. Coincidentally, this was also my first Nobu experience. Maybe the sentimentality is tainting my perception... Haha.
While the Nobu (s) in California rock, this pretentious "Overdressed Red Lobster" is awful. From the crappy drink I got at the bar to the snobby, anorexic hostess, I knew I was not in for a fun night. I got sushi and several items I had loved at the Nobu in Malibu only to find that everything smelled "fishy" and the signature Black Cod with Miso was like eating a "Dr. Scholls gel insole with Miso"....
Our experience @ Nobu London was pretty disaster. Don't worry about Nobu London, there are better high end sushi restaurants in London. Just look at the picture I uploaded, the sashimi was pretty unappetite, the toro are fat toro but it wasn't a very nice piece and presentation was just so so. I had been to other Nobu & Matsushiha in Beverly Hills, by comparions Nobu London was a disaster. Services was ok, it was very slow and under attended during our visit but it doesn't bother me too much since I am very busy checking out all the high fashion people. Seen and be seen is the only positive star I can think of. Don't worry about the bill, it's expected you are weathly to dine there, 100 pounds per head minimum, we wasted closed to 300 pounds for 2 there and I wasn't rich, it was a mistake !
BTW, how come only people from the US write about Nobu London, no one from London writes about them. Either they know it's a place to avoid or this place is really a trap for tourist ... especially from the US of A.
:-)
My experience here was nothing spectacular unfortunately. Being sushi snob myself and having visited other Nobu locations (NY, LA, etc.) many times, I had to say this place did not meet my expectations.
I don't usually order stuff from regular menu and it works just fine at other Nobu locations, but the server here had no idea what I was trying to order. I asked to speak to one of the Japanese chefs and the issue was immediately solved. Still the sushi I had was nothing special.
Considering the price I paid, I had way better experience at Zuma for sure...
I love me some Nobu and this location is one of the easier ones to get a reservation at or a walk in for the sushi bar. We ate here twice last week and as such I can say that the service was good, as was most of the food I ordered. The only downside was that they kept taking my menu from me despite my protests and that they also seemed to be impatient when we were ordering and not offering much help. That aside...I know what I like and had no problem finding a number of tasty dishes to satisfy my hunger. While this location is accessible I recommend the one in Mayfair, its a bit nicer and more upscale.
I've been to Nobu in NYC and Vegas and decided on this location, which my wife told me was "less of a scene" than the other London location. I love the food here. Fresh, light, creative and spicy.
We started with some sushi, which is always excellent here. We had spicy tuna and a California roll. It was as good as sushi can be in my book. We then chose a selection of small plates as we always do, instead of going with the larger entree portion. Grilled Asparagus with spicy salsa was an exciting opener. The always delectable rock shrimp in vinegary Ponzu sauce followed and reinforced its claim as the best selection at Nobu. Squid "pasta" with asparagus and shitake mushrooms in an oyster sauce has become another dependable selection that we enjoyed. Our last small dish was Peruvian Spicy Chicken skewers, which brought the heat. The staff was helpful with our wine selection and we went with a nice fruity white that balanced the heat of our dishes nicely. They also kept the wine flow perfectly measured with our meal. and it lasted for our entire dinner. We finished with the Fuji apple, which we enjoyed very much.
Always the scene, this Nobu location did not disappoint either. There were certainly a few very large tables of glitterati and scenesters and I have never seen dresses and skirts like that outside of Vegas. However, my wife and I were able to have a delicious meal and had no problem hearing each other or being too crowded.
The one thing I don't get is what is up with the bar. We arrived on time for our reservation and although the restaurant had just opened and was empty, we were shuffled off to their bar/lounge. I'm here for dinner and am going to put away at least one bottle of wine easy. I guess if cocktails are your thing this probably wouldn't bother you, but I looked at it as a delaying annoyance of padding the bill with overpriced drinks. My wife and I always get a kick out of places that are part club and part restaurant. As the saying goes "a jack of all trades is a master of none."
That said, I was here to eat and it lived up to every great memory I have had of dining at Nobu. Excellent food and impeccable service. Enjoy.
The sushi was pretty damn fine here. My boys have been eating sushi since they were being potty-trained and they were most impressed. We ate at the sushi bar and were entertained by the mastery of the chefs. I have since eaten at Nobu's in NYC and this London location was much better in sushi quality and taste. This was a great meal to the end of our short trip to London. We'll be back--one day!
Haven't tried Nobu in New York or Hawaii, but boy, did I have a nice meal here. The BF had a business dinner elsewhere (and while usually I can wangle an invite, it wasn't to be, despite my belief that I'm the life of any party) (narcissist), and so I came here. I ate at the sushi bar and met a great French guy eating alone too, so we ended having a very nice dinner and swapping restaurant recommendations in San Francisco, London, and Paris. Just my kind of evening. The food was excellent, and the restaurant was not snobbish at all. (I'm so used to San Francisco low-key, and excess formality always hits me as, well, excessive, so it was very pleasant.) The service was a bit stiff, but the sushi chefs were fantastic and warm. Very enjoyable.
I definitely prefer this Nobu location to the NYC one. The atmosphere is a lot more relaxed but somehow still classier and swankier, and the celebrity-ogling factor is significantly reduced. They make a great Cosmo as well. The quality of the sushi kind of blows out the Nobu New York location (especially given the downhill trend of the NYC location). Highly recommended!
This time they had removed Blue Fin from the menu because of it being endangered. i thought that was very responsible of them. They could just continue raking in a bundle and leave it on the menu- but they are doing the right thing. The new style sashimis are all awesome. Try them all. it's the hamachi and jalapenos that have me coming back for more.
I have fond memories of sitting at the sushi bar here. The sushi was fresh as can be and the otoro just melted in my mouth. The sushi chefs were mesmerizing. I was expecting more of a scene but was pleasantly surprised by the casual nature of this locale (even a few families with small children in the mix - aren't those kids lucky!). I look forward to returning on my next trip to London.
Good stuff. Yellowtail blew me away. Nice vibe.
Pricy but still my absolutely favourite restaurant in the whole world. My favourite dish is the yellowtail sashimi with jalapenos - YUMS! The sushi's great . . . the tempura with the three dipping sauces is divine. Lovely setting - great service, great food . . . what more could you want?
If you have the money, and you want some good sushi, go to Nobu. It's nothing particularly special and the atmosphere is casual and relaxed.
