Nobu Chicago Reviews

The most racist bar/restaurant ever or incredibly obnoxious to everyone? Unfortunately, either way, in 2022, I believe I found it in Chicago. From the receptionist to the food & beverage manager, the Nobu rooftop bar and staff set a new low the other night. This bar had a security guard escort my family and me out of the bar and banned us from ever coming back. What was the reason--- I dared to complain about unwelcoming treatment from a young female receptionist who told me I couldn’t take a quick look around the bar at 4:00 pm, then later the same night told me there were no reservations available the rest of the evening at 9:00 pm, despite the first-floor hostess giving me 10:00 pm reservations? Then the receptionist, after learning I had reservations, rudely asked me if we wanted to sit inside or outside? When I said outside, she said, OK, but if it starts to rain, there would be no space for us to come inside. When I complained and told her to find a job where she didn’t have to deal with people, she giggled and later asked the food & beverage manager Patrick to have security escort us out. The funny thing is--- it really should have been clear to us at 4:00 pm that they don't appear to be interested in the hospitality of everyone, because they seemed to enjoy disparaging and mistreating people of color. A complaint about the disparity in service is apparently grounds for an impolite invitation to leave and a statement that we would be permanently barred from ever coming back to Chicago Nobu restaurants and bars. Remarkably, Patrick refused to give us his name and never even asked us what happened or invited us to share our side of the story. Refusing to provide us with his name and, therefore, being unwilling to take ownership of his or his staff’s actions added further insult to this situation. Those who are not white or those who care about people who are not white should find better places to support. Perhaps the awful people at this place will get the message that racism or inhospitable treatment of respectable non-white guests will not be tolerated. Their behavior tonight was shameful. Shameful, duplicitous, and reprehensible. Patrick really should find a back room station for the bar hostess. More importantly, Nobu restaurant owners/leaders should find another food & beverage manager, other than Patrick, who is interested in serving a diverse group of people and, one who can demonstrate better judgment and leadership. More importantly, they should find a manager who can create a non-discriminatory culture for his staff and a more hospitable experience for people of color. I hope no one else makes the mistake of coming here. And, if you’ve come before or come in the future and experience this type of behavior, please speak up and let others know that this Nobu restaurant does NOT meet the high standards found and experienced at Nobu establishments around the world.

Hasan the new manager went above and beyond to make sure our stay was amazing! The best of the best!

First time at Nobu and it did not disappoint! Ask for Danielle to be your server! She is by far the best server I’ve ever had….anywhere. The experience we had won’t not have been the same without her, she customized the menu for us and did a fantastic job. Well worth it!!! Danielle, thank you for everything. You were fantastic!!! 5 stars for her alone!!

I went to Nobu for a girls night out. The food and drinks were delicious. Great spot to hit before a night out on the town.

We have been wanting to try Nobu for some time and I am so glad we did. We sat at the sushi bar and it was like dinner and a show. All sushi ordered was prepared right in front of you, non shush items were brought by the friendly and attentive wait staff. We sampled several different kinds of sushi as well as some of the small plate menu items and everything was fresh and delicious.

The most anticipated rooftop this summer is by far Nobu Hotel Chicago. I got lucky enough to experience it with a few friends thanks to the staff at Nobu Hotel. I would like to personally thank Maria Maldonado who is the one that set everything up for us so we can experience it. She was very knowledgeable on what we should try as well. Everything was great down to the food, service and atmosphere. Definitely will be back soon!

Excellent service vs very very slow service. Very rich food, but too much waiting time between each dish. Value for money leaves much to be desired

I rated this a three for the rooftop view only. The food was flavorful, however, the portions were small and ridiculously overpriced. The yellowtail and whitefish dishes were good, but they were sliced carpaccio style and maybe 5 or 6 pieces. The $24 lobster tacos were the size of a potsticker. I’m all for paying a price for quality food, however, when you leave hungry after a hefty bill, it’s really disappointing. Nice service & again, great rooftop views.

Drinks were great (market margarita was perfect). Spinach salad with truffle and crispy leeks was delish. Lamb chops, spicy wings, edamame were good options for kids. The atmosphere was nice but not so much that we regretted bringing our (middle school aged) kids - we were there at 5:45 which was totally fine.

Food was very good and the service even more. I would recommend for couples, date night or if you want to impress a business associate.

My family and I visited at the end of a weekend in Chicago. We had a fantastic experience. We threw ourselves on the mercy of the Danielle. She selected a fantastic variety of dishes for us. There was a great variety of unique flavors. The Black Miso Cod and the Jalpeno yellowtail were terrific as advertised. The scallops Matsushisa were a revelation,

I had such high expectations of Nobu, seeing as it is an internationally recognised higher end restaurant. But sadly it fell short for me. Average food, at best. Our server was very good. But the food was not good. The black cod was really not good, very fishy tasting (yes I know it’s fish, but it tasted like it may have been about to turn bad). The wagyu dumplings were very spicy and blew my taste buds out right before the lobster dish was presented. The presentation of the food was messy. The restaurant was very very cold. It was very expensive and I get better sushi in my local Japanese restaurant.

Dined on a Sunday evening to celebrate a birthday. Not many patrons so able to have a semi private table. Ambiance is nice. Service is very good. Cocktails were good particularly Pina martini and monkey business. Wine selection is deep. Food is very good, unique and flavorful. Wagyu dumplings, crab tacos and spicy shrimp very good. Stone crab Sushi also tasty. Also delivered on dessert with the warm cake and unique whiskey cappuccino. Very enjoyable meal. One thing to note it is expensive. Portions were adequate however priced very high. Tapas style dishes with 2-3 pieces priced $40-60. Total about $200 person for dinner. Prepare for the sticker shock and enjoy the meal.

Forgot to mention the excellent service my husband and I received from Gino. He was a very nice guy and super cool. Thank you

Rooftop view is awesome and the service was outstanding. The sushi was so bad I couldn’t believe i was at Nobu. It was about as creative as sushi from Jewel grocery. The sushi was poor quality. Just so bad. Drinks were okay. Two people. Bill was $462.

Excellent experience. I have to say during these times we area all taking precautions on where we go or what we do so, to say that, I have been very particular on where I go. Here we go Two elevators large enough to hold 3 to 4 people each with ample spacing for social distancing. This is a rooftop location for now and has a nice crisp feel to it, friendly staff and great seating with a view of the city in the background. Great cocktails, and small plate dishes makes this a nice chill spot to meetup with friends family or significant other. Prices vary depending on what you want but it is not a cheap spot, I was not complaining the food was amazing and what the bill came I didn’t complain. Once again the staff was excellent, informative and happy all staff wore gloves and face masks and they wipe and spray all surfaces down. I felt safe and relaxed during my time at Nobu. I now want to try the other locations around the world in the future.

Derek went above and beyond. He helped our stay at Nobu Chicago go smooth. We had such a lovely stay , thank you . Will be back again soon . Thanks

I generally go to Chicago twice a year for work with a colleague and we always make time to visit Nobu, this was without doubt the last. Should have realised something was up when we walked in on a Thursday evening at 8pm and the restaurant was practically empty and remained that way for the rest of the night. We had to ask for menu’s, ordered wine which never arrived so we questioned this after food started arriving to be told it was out of stock (thanks for telling us). Had to consistently ask the waitress to keep pouring the wine as they would take the bottle away to keep on ice. The food was so average it was a joke, in particular their A5 apparent wagyu dumplings which tasted like mince beef you would buy at a cheap supermarket. At one point I called a waiter whose response was ‘wassup’ Service, food, atmosphere just an utter disaster. What an embarrassment. All of that for a $500 bill, Nobu Chicago you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Nobu Chicago is a glitzy, globally renowned restaurant located in the Nobu Hotel which is positioned in the Restaurant Row district. Culinary delights of critical acclaim are served up in this 10000 sq. ft. eatery . This signature restaurant with a sushi bar on the mezzanine is set on the ground floor, issues culinary masterpieces that range from Sea Bass to Salmon Teriyaki. After surveying the menu, I opted for the Black Cod .......truly delicious. As a sidekick eatery to the Nobu, is the seasonal Rooftop at the Chicago Nobu with a fine selection of food-fare as it serves a subset of the Nobu main menu. This is paradise for foodies.

Mothers Day……my wife isn’t my mother, but I like to treat her well. Nobu for Mother’s Day seemed I Ike a nice idea. Before a show. Ordered 5 apps and dinner. Cocktail before dinner. All was excellent. Always is. She used to have a favorite no negotiation go to place when we go to the city. Now it is that place and Nobu. Pricey, but great things are.

My wife and I went to Nobu with another couple for a birthday. We'd been trying to get a reservation fo a while and were looking forward to it. The food was fine--not bad, not quite worth the price and hype. The real problem was the service, which was atrocious. In short, it took Nobu's host about half an hour of rudeness before he reluctantly agreed find a table my pregnant wife could eat from at all. From then on, the service was inattentive and slow. I can't tell whether it was because they apparently didn't like us or whether that is their norm, but at a restaurant of this caliber we should not have to wonder about that. And, when I emailed Nobu's customer service before posting a review, they did not care enough to even respond. All we really wanted was an apology; instead, Nobu confirmed through their silence that they were perfectly happy with the way we had been treated. The longer version: My wife was 37 weeks pregnant. We were on the rooftop and originally seated outdoors on patio furniture that was very low, with the chairs and the table the same the same height (maybe 1 foot off the ground). When we sat down, it was immediately apparent that there was no way my wife would be able to sit forward over her belly to eat off that table. The host had already disappeared, so I went back to the front to ask if we could be seated anywhere else. The host said nobody else would be seated for at least half an hour, so it would be a very long wait. I found that unlikely for a space of that size, but reservations are reservations. However, my walk back to our low table took me past a normal 4-top table occupied by a single person with only a drink. Since I was walking by, I stopped and said excuse me, my wife is pregnant and we are seated at a table that is too low for her--would you be willing to trade spots with us? He said it was no problem at all, he was happy to switch. So I led him to the low outdoor table and my party came over to the 4-top. Problem solved. Or so we thought. I told the waitress we had switched with that gentleman, and she said she'd have to check with the host to make sure it was ok but was confident it would be fine. The host walked by and I asked him if it was ok that we had switched tables. He said he'd have to check. After about 5 minutes of just standing around this now empty table, we took a seat and began looking at the menu. After about 5 more minutes of sitting there, the host came back and told us that we'd have to go to our original spot--even though both spots seated 4 people. The only explanation he gave was that someone had already been waiting for this table (contradicting what he'd told me when I asked up front). I asked whether the host could please ask, or allow me to ask, if the party who was to be seated at this table would be willing to switch spots with us, but the host refused and said we could not speak to any other guests, nor would he. Not only did this response make little sense, his demeanor was very rude. He acted as though I had personally insulted him by asking a man to trade tables--which the man was perfectly happy to do--and like it was not worth even attempting to accommodate a pregnant woman. So we went back to the original low table and considered whether my wife would even be able to eat there at all. We noticed there was a small side table next to our cluster of patio furniture, and it looked like it might be at a reasonable height for her if placed on top of part of the patio table we were seated around. We moved it up there to see if it would work and it did. So we decided to stay and order. After a few more minutes, the host reappeared to tell us we had broken another unwritten rule. He was, again, rude and seemed personally angry. I will admit that stacking a side table on the other table is not something I would normally do, but we are talking about simple, wooden outdoor patio furniture that gets rained on; nothing was being damaged or soiled, and this was literally the only way it seemed Nobu would allow my pregnant wife to actually eat there. The host said he would try to find another table, but repeated that, as he had told me up front, he did not think a table would open up anytime soon. At that point, we were left discussing whether we should just leave, because we did not feel at all welcome and it did not seem that your restaurant wanted our business. The service was slow, so another 5-10 minutes later, as our water was finally arriving, the host returned and said he had found a table for us after all. So we moved there and decided to see what all the hype was about. The food was good but nothing special, and the overall experience was very negative. We will not be back and would not recommend Nobu to anyone else. All sizzle and no steak--and terrible service.

Went for a birthday One of the best meals i have ever had service outstanding food amazing waiter-John couldn't have been more helpful spinach salad was best i have ever had each order was better than last as a bonus sat next to 2 Chicago bulls players will be back

Nobu always lives up to reputation of fresh and so good! Love it their miso soup is excellent and so is the lettuce with a bite of black cod . Enjoyed their caramalized banana dessert with ice cream . Service always attentive .

Dinner with business associates was curated by our server who was excellent! I gave her a price per person and let her work with the chef. Trying to think of a favorite dish…and can’t…it was all so excellent. Staff and coordination of courses was just remarkable. You don’t get any better than this. Thanks No u for a wonderful dining experience.

I took my wife to Nobu Chicago for her birthday. It was definitely a special meal. The yellowtail jalapeño is as excellent as was the black cod with miso. The baby corn was as flavorful as really good elote and the crispy rice and spicy tuna was memorable as well. One of my favorites was the Wagyu dumplings, I could have eaten 100 of those. My favorite dessert was the chocolate passion fruit parfait. Definitely worth a repeat. Our server, Brittany, was on point with all her recommendations and we were super grateful! A wonderful experience!

It's a ritual for me and my husband to dine at Nobu wherever we go if it's available and the Nobu Chicago did not disappoint! 100% Black Cod, Jalapeño Yellowtail, Spicy shrimps are a must

I had high expectations to begin with. Food was ok but expensive. Service was excellent! Chicago has better alternatives. Left wanting ...

The wife and I sat at the sushi bar and it was a fun lively experience with an amazing sushi chef and a few delicious rolls. Tell them what kind of ingredients you like and let them take it from there.

Beautiful Restuarant. We have travelled to many Nobu’s around the World, and I would have to say this restaurant falls short of my expectations of Nobu as a brand. The food is lacking somewhat. Beautifully decorated. Tons of staff. Very attentive…. However someone stole my friends wallet (confirmed by security cameras) from her purse on the back of her chair. No one ever wants to spend almost a thousand dollars on dinner and get your wallet stolen… definitely recommend you avoid this location. Extremely disappointed in this location.

My nephew, grandson and I enjoyed Dinner at the world famous Chef Nobu, Nobu's restaurant last Tuesday evening. The Japanese-Peruvian inspired cousine was spectacular and the restaurant's ambiance compared. Our first appetizer consisted of Nobu's signature dish, Black Cod with Miso and it certainly met my expectation as it was beyond fantastic, WOW, melt in your mouth deliciousness. We continued our appetizer course with edimame, shishito peppers, wagyu dumplings, and california rolls (I actually used chop sticks - ok I cheated and got the "child" ones....but hey I used chop sticks for the first time in my life). And THEN we had our main Entree course of spicy shrimp, sea bass with dry miso and steak tacos. We passed on dessert. Ya think!! WOW what an experience, Nobu does it up right for sure. It a 10 out of 10 for me.

I feel inclined to share my review. As regular patrons of Nobu, with visits to multiple locations worldwide, The service was slow, and we experienced delays in receiving our beverages. The Wagyu broth and beef were served cold, (very upsetting due to the price point) and we were not advised that eel was included in our dish. Something we would have NOT ordered. Wait times for drinks were long often exceeding 10 minutes. Our overall experience was disappointing . As a renowned establishment, Nobu did not meet our expectations at this location.

Iconic restaurant, which in Chicago has one of its baluards. Irreproachably well prepared food and of absolute freshness. Nina's extraordinary service. I highly recommend the sashimi.

Clearly not a place you eat at every night, unless you're a Rockefeller - but for special occasions this really is the place to go impress and be impressed. I'm not a seafood fan, but every dish we had (and we had a lot) we amazing. From the Toro Tartare with Caviar to their famous Black Cod with Miso it as delicious and satisfying. A sleeper on the menu is the Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna and if you're willing to try something from the land, I recommend the Wagyu Dumplings - also don't skip the sushi! As expected - the service was phenomenal.

Not impressed. Food was fine, so were drinks. But the atmosphere was basic. We had a table facing west, which would be fine, but the walls along the perimeter were too high to enjoy the view. So we looked at some plants that I’m sure will grow in, in time and a wooden planter. Could have been done so much better and nicer. Not worth the hype.

Went for our sons graduation lunch for a 2:00 reservation for 4. No tablecloth. Little kids running around at an adjoining table. Server spilled soy sauce onto my Louis Vuitton bag and I spent a good five minutes after my lunch arrived taking the stain out. No sooner did I start eating and she announces that we must chose our dessert now as the kitchen/bar closes at 3. It was a FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR LUNCH. Don’t take a 2:00 reservation for a $500 lunch unless you can serve me properly. We rushed down our lunch and left. Ruined the whole experience.

Such a disappointment. The whole place has so much potential but the staff and the clientele bring it down. The staff is rude and unprofessional. Especially security. I’m a 50 year old lawyer having dinner with my son do not bark at me. It was like being back at a trashy college bar. Despite a reservation we were made to wait 30 minutes when there were a dozen empty tables. The clientele was very low brow nursing one drink . Not the same crowd as the restaurant. Food was good but overall it’s not a classy place at all.

My niece and I met in Chicago for the Harry Styles concert. Other than that, our to do list only had Nobu on it. And it did not disappoint. Such a beautiful restaurant. And John David was seriously the best server I’ve ever had. So charismatic, funny and informative. He was the Cherry on top of a fabulous meal. Thank you so much and we will be back the next time we are in Chicago!

Sure the sushi is on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for. I love ahi tuna and WOW the tuna at Nobu Chicago is so fresh and has amazing flavor. I dislike tuna that is fishy and chewy and this was neither. My mom got the japanese whiskey and loved it. She said it was the best she has had so far. Definitely a nice spot for a date night or something with friends! drinks are cute & food is delicious.

Wife and I went for a nice dinner for a shared birthday weekend in the city. Stayed at Nobu hotel also. Reservations were easy as I think they offer guests special access, as they should. Arrived right on time and we were sat immediately. Service was excellent. Food was excellent. Wife had the signature cod dish and said one of the best things she has ever eaten. They recommend more of a family style but I am fish allergic. Only suggestions; wife’s soup (Miso) was cold when delivered. My crispy rice soup was excellent. Timing: we felt a little rushed. Once the food started coming it kept coming. Would have liked a bit more (even 2-3 minutes) delay between plates to better allow us to enjoy what we were currently working on. Definitely will return. My wife’s favorite restaurant in Chicago is now 2 places. Will be more instructive to the server next time.

It was the first time my daughter had visited Chicago and the meal was a late 60th birthday gift from her to me. We regularly eat at the various Nobu restaurants in London as a family and have also eaten at Nobu in Milan, New York and Cape Town. The overall experience in Chicago was the best against some very stiff competition. I had requested a quiet table and we were ushered to a perfectly located booth. Our server, Nina, was fantastic from start to finish. We are very familiar with the Nobu menu but Nina recommended the Tai Ume (seabass wrapped round apple) which was exceptional and is only available at Nobu in Chicago and Santa Monica. It's definitely worth trying and would feature near the top of our favourite Nobu dishes. The passionberry cheesecake, another Nobu Chicago speciality, is also well worth trying. At the end of the meal we did encounter an issue which was dealt with well thanks to Luke and his team. The response from a restaurant when things don't quite go to plan is a good measure of how well the place is run so many thanks to Nina for escalating the issue and Luke for his intervention. Thanks to Nina for making our experience so special. I will definitely return next time we visit Chicago.

The food here was outstanding. The server was very knowledgeable and helpful, and the overall experience was great. Had a wonderful evening. Our favorite dishes were the cod, and the spicy garlic scallops.