David Y.

Went for the brunch and found it overall just ok. - Hot plates section: The standout dish was easily the black cod - milky, tender, distinctly flavourful. - Sushi section: Overall quality was good though nothing really stood out. - Dessert section: The best part of the buffet. The matcha based desserts were excellent, the coffee panna cotta was outstanding, and the gelato soft serve was a delight to everyone. The place is beautiful. But given Nobu's reputation and the price they charged, was expecting just a bit more.

Jenn W.

Nobu's all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch ($110 per person, $55 for children 5-12 years old) is sprinkled throughout the second floor of the restaurant. As you're guided to your table, hot food and carving stations line the walkway, doing a great job of whetting your appetite. Front and centre in the bright dining room is the sushi bar, where a team of chefs continuously turns out maki and nigiri. Off in the corner sits the dessert table, with a ceviche and spicy cucumber salad ice bar tucked in for good measure. I appreciated how the food stations are spaced out. There's no dreaded bottleneck of diners waiting, nor that frantic urge to grab everything at once just to avoid lining up again. Chef Nobu Matsuhisa was one of the pioneers of Japanese-Peruvian cuisine back in the mid-90s. At the time, dishes like spicy tuna crispy rice and yellowtail crudo felt fresh and exciting, while miso black cod became a signature that kept people coming back. These are still dishes I enjoy, but decades later they've been copied endlessly, making what's served at Nobu feel far less groundbreaking than it once was. If you're going for the miso black cod, make sure you get it hot. My first bite, taken from a platter that had been sitting, was bland and slightly fishy. A second round, straight from a freshly placed tray, was noticeably better. It's tasty, but it didn't rank among the best miso cods I've had. The crispy rice station is a great idea in theory, but the execution falters. The wooden spoons make it awkward to scoop up the rice nuggets, and many of the serving utensils (spring-hinged chopsticks and oversized soup ladles) are poorly suited for a buffet. Thankfully, the soft-serve ice cream station sits right beside the crispy rice, so I grabbed a simple stainless steel teaspoon. It turned out to be the perfect tool for neatly dolloping finely chopped tuna, salmon, and mashed avocado onto each bite. The crispy rice itself would benefit from being thinner and longer for easier spreading and eating. Unsurprisingly, the sushi was underwhelming, even when taken from freshly dropped plates. The rice was bland and too cold, though at least the pieces were kept small, letting the fish take centre stage. All things considered, it's better than most buffet sushi, though I usually steer clear of buffet sushi stations altogether. Some of my favourite bites ended up being the unexpected ones. Nobu's Greek salad has a generous feta-to-vegetable ratio that leans salty but spooning it over the garden salad below helps balance things out nicely. This is a long review for the rest go to Gastro World.

Cherrie T.

Came to Nobu Restaurant to celebrate my birthday last week :) The ambiance was very nice, with high ceiling and stunning decor. Service was friendly, and I liked that our server cleaned the debris from table after each course. We opted in to try one of each: The Classic Omakase and The Festive Omakase, and we got to try a bit of everything! We did request for no added salt, though some dishes still turned out quite salty (both appetizers, salads, and the beef yakitori). On the other hand, the lobster, the cod fish and the wagyu were amazing! Nonetheless, it was still an enjoyable experience. I absolutely loved the Whiskey Cappuccino dessert at the end, presented in a cute Cappuccino cup with "Happy Birthday" written ^^ It was beyond delicious, and I'd 100% order it again :)

Geno P.

I recently went to Nobu for their Sunday brunch, and I came away with mixed but overall positive feelings. The ambience and service were excellent. The restaurant is very clean, stylish, and polished, and the overall atmosphere feels upscale and refined without being intimidating. Service was attentive, professional, and smooth throughout the meal, which definitely elevated the experience and made the brunch feel special. As for the food, I would describe the quality as good, but not exceptional. The sushi was fresh, but the selection of fish was quite limited, especially for a Nobu brunch. Another issue for me was the rice-to-fish ratio -- the rice portions were noticeably large, to the point where I personally removed some of the rice while eating. The fish itself was fine, but nothing that truly stood out or justified the hype on its own. The black cod was the clear highlight and easily the best dish of the brunch -- rich, flavorful, and well executed. The carving station meats were tasty, and the desserts were solid, with enough variety and quality to end the meal on a positive note. That said, the pricing makes you pause. At around $110 per person plus tax and tip (roughly $150 per person total), it naturally raises the question: Is it worth it? From a pure food-quality perspective, I'm not fully convinced. The food was good, but not at a level that clearly justified the price on its own. However, when you factor in the excellent service, beautiful atmosphere, and overall dining experience, the pricing becomes more understandable. You're paying as much for the setting and service as you are for the food. Personally, I would choose Nobu's course menu over the Sunday brunch next time. I've had Nobu in Las Vegas, and the course dining experience there was far more memorable in terms of flavor and value. While I don't regret trying the Sunday brunch, it's not something I would repeat often. Overall, worth trying once for the experience -- just go in with realistic expectations, especially given the price.

Leyla V.

This place is more about the "vibes" than the actual food. We went to try Tanoshi happy hour in the lounge, and the atmosphere was nice with soft lighting. The drinks were strong and delicious, I decided to try their famous lychee elderflower martini, and my friend decided to try Nobu version of a gin and tonic (Roku Highball). The drinks are obviously overpriced, even for happy hour, with discounted prices comparable to regular prices elsewhere on King Street (not surprising but not worth the money either). The food was underwhelming to say the least. We tried the edamame, shrimp and their staple item, spicy tuna rice. The shrimp was average and lukewarm, and the edamame was okay. The tuna bites didn't taste fresh and the rice was stiff and chewy. Overall, it was nice to experience the place for its decor and the ambiance, but I wouldn't be in a rush to return for the food.

Kristen H.

We were in town for a birthday celebration and made a reservation in the bar. You can order from the bar menu or the complete restaurant menu if you sit here. We decided to order off the happy hour special menu so that it is more of a tasting menu... We were able to try nine different dishes and some delicious cocktails. Service was amazing. The interior is very dark ...black walls, low lighting and the staff wears black. They glide up to your table, Almost invisible to remove dirty plates and fill water glasses. We had fun asking their recommendations of favorite dishes and agreed with their choices as well Our least favorite was probably the beef waygu goyza and our most favorite may have been the salmon wrapped around the Asian pear.

Lux P.

Was so excited to hear about Nobu coming to Toronto! Got the chance to go out for a night out with friends and this place was magical. Classy, elegant and very well put together is how I would explain the aesthetic of this restaurant. The service was amazing and the servers were so kind! Now on to the food, the portion sizes are quite small but overall was delicious. I got to try the Salmon Sashimi, Chilean Sea Bass and Red Jalapeno Miso, and Spring Chicken Shiro Miso. The drinks were also beyond amazing totally recommend Lychee Elderflower Martini! 8/10 recommend!

Victor L.

Expected more from this restaurant given the name and location. We ordered a few things from the happy hour menu including yellowtail jalapeno, salmon nashi, tiradito, crispy rice tuna, and Japanese old fashioned. On the regular menu, we opted for sashimi sakad, toro scallion cut roll and Nobu old fashioned. The premium old fashioned was good and came with one huge ice block. The food and happy hoir drink was just ok.

Cin C.

We celebrated a birthday here and had a lovely time. Definitely a special occasion choice, as the price point is high, but the service, ambiance and creativity makes it worth it. The standout choices for me for the night was the lobster, the scallop maki and the Zen garden dessert. The lobsters were fully prepared and the sauce complemented it so well. We could have eaten a full portion. The maki had a lovely sesame aroma which really took you by surprise the moment you picked it up. Finally, the zen garden dessert was the showstopper. Such an interesting, delicious and innovative dessert. Amazing work by the pastry chefs!!

Lucia L.

Beautiful interior design! Lots of places to take pictures. Nobu is quite hyped in the States and I've tried to understand it and think I somewhat get it now. If you go to Nobu, you have to not look at the prices. Everything is overpriced, it will never make financial sense and that's just the situation. Even I draw the line somewhere tho so I would stay steer clear of ordering a la carte sashimi or sushi. If I'm paying that price, I would rather go to an omakase. Instead, go for the hot/cold dishes, tacos and their rolls. Their rolls size was actually quite generous. Everything we ordered was tasty. And of course the miso black cod is bigger than in the pictures and tastes so flavourful. Service was prompt and quick. I did wish the food came out quicker though.

Jahleel C.

Located downtown near the CN Tower on Mercer right beside its named hotel. It's my first time in a Nobu restaurant, knowing that it's on the high end side, I had high expectations. Venue: When we entered the restaurant we were greeted with a lot of staff. We came quite late (about an hour) because of all the traffic but was still accommodated with kindness and respect. There were two hostesses and about 3 security it appears. They got our coats. We headed upstairs and were greeted with two other hostesses to seat us. There were bar seats and the dining area. Place is quite large and spacious. We were seated at a booth area which is a plus. Service: Honestly there were so many staff and all were absolutely amazing. They had Japanese staff as well so it was nice to hear some Japanese here. Despite my sister and I being happy with our alcohol, they were so kind to us. Food: Obviously expensive. We ordered a lot of food and drinks. Bill was on the heavier side just under 2k. The nigiri was really good. I just feel like the otoro could've more on the buttery "melt in your mouth" feel including the uni. The scallop i found not as good as I expected. The nigiri was not bad, but maybe this is because I love and go to omakase a lot. Everything else was quite delicious and I truly enjoyed it. I would certainly come here again!

Carmen G.

Came for my partners holiday party with high expectations, some were met, some were questionable. Here goes: Let's start off with service. All the servers were really great and attentive. Always there when my drink was getting low and ready to take the order for my next one. The only odd experience of it all was when we were leaving. The moment we stepped into the elevator from the second floor to leave, custom ordered florals in hand from the holiday party, there was a staff member that ran after us to stop the elevators from closing. Asking if we were taking their florals from the restaurant. Definitely a weird accusation, since this was a big private holiday party, felt like they should have known better with what belongs to the restaurant vs. what was brought in externally from the customers. Was not a great way to end the night for us from Nobu. Aside from this, let's get into the food portion of things. Yellowtail Jalapeno 5/5 - A great starter that is light and refreshing. Would get this again. Tuna sashimi salad 5/5 - Refreshing and great for sharing. Liked the little pieces of tuna sashimi added to the salad. Assorted sushi and rolls 2/5 - Don't think I would come here with high expectations of the sushi and rolls being that great. The fish was okay, not necessarily melt in your mouth type of freshness. Could probably skip on this. Black cod miso 5/5 - What Nobu is known for and all about (aside from crispy tuna rice). This was a solid 5/5 with perfectly cooked miso cod. Flakey, buttery, packed with miso flavour. AAA beef tenderloin 5/5 - Tender, delicious, came with an au jus that was the perfect pairing to the meat. Topped with something crispy that added great texture and contrast. Think our piece of meat came a tad bit overcooked than medium rare. Would've been absolutely perfect if it was a little more raw. Buttermilk donuts 4/5 - It's nothing special but was a good sweet end to the meal. Overall, the dining experience was good. Food mostly was good other than the sushi and rolls. Great for a special occassion or date night out.

Nicole T.

Went to Nobu for my husband's birthday and everything was great. Below is what we ordered: - Miso black cod - their signature dish and a must try. It lives up to the hype for sure and was actually alot bigger than what I expected! I heard that portions were small so I was expecting a small piece but it was actually a very reasonable size! Miso black cod is typically more expensive anyway so I think this was actually good value. - Yellowtail jalapeno - this was really good but also a really small portion. At $42 for six pieces, its basically $7 per piece. Although this was really good and worth trying at least once, if we were to return we wouldn't order again due to the high price. - Rock shrimp tempura - this is a good filler dish as its filling and a good portion however we thought it was pretty average and compareable to other restaurants. - Crispy rice with spicy tuna - We loved this! The combination was just so good and the tuna was really high quality. It isn't that spicy. - Wagyu dumplings - we thought these were just okay/average. Could pass next time - Toro and scallion maki - this was really good, the tuna was really fresh, however the rice was a little too soft/mushy.