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Went to Nokori to check it out end of last year, was impressed, but somehow keep forgetting to post the review. It was featured on KQED local station as an elegant late night hotel bar with izakaya style bites. Nokori is an elegant modern Japanese whisky bar nested inside the modern chic Sunnyvale TETRA Hotel (a stylish boutique hotel, right next to Marriott's AC). It opens late into midnight at times. A signature drink is the Japanese whisky highball. It offers well selected whiskey, and cocktails with shoju with Japanese / Asian inspired flavors. This place has great Japanese-style impeccable attention to details: crystal clear Japanese style ice , extra sparkling fizz for the high balls. Even the non-alcoholic highball is dozed with extra sparkling fizz. We enjoyed it. This location is in the heart of Silicon Valley among Google Cloud buildings and famous tech companies. The customers range from hotel goers, tech workers, Googlers, Bay Area startup people discussing IPOs (overheard during our visit) and apparently food writers (from KQED). It way exceeds the standard of a Marriott hotel bar, and is worth a dedicated visit. Park at the parking garage opposite side of the hotel, shares the same parking structure. It offers izakaya style menu, serves small bites, tapas / dishes in the style of Japanese drinking bars. There is a limit number of intimate counter spaces at the bar, but plenty of tables further away from the bar, a spanning view of the lobby and its modern designs. There's also a glass window view of the garden pathway (the winter Christmas decoration was visible from the window was quite pretty). The bar specializes in fancy Japanese whiskeys and highball cocktails, flavored with modern craft cocktail choices and some Japanese inspired choices - shiso, cucumber. We tried Torched Hokkaido Scallops, Nokori Chicken Karaage, Chowa Highball, Far East Side, Marsuret Brut. All pretty good. The cocktails are strong. A highball cocktail is basically whisky / shoju, soda water and ice. It is notable they have a soda pump (dispenser) so the bubbles (extra fizzy) are strong (great) and the ice is crystal clear - Japanese cocktail style beautiful, clear ice, melts slowly, tastes good. KQED explains that a highball is made of Japanese whisky soda water and ice. I have noticed the soda was extra extra fizzy and indeed KQED explains that it installed special Japanese soda dispensers. Even when I didn't know, I thought the drinks were excellently fizzy - for someone who likes sparkling water and fizzy drinks, it was immediately notable! And the ice is crystal clear Japanese style cocktail ice. This highball experience is impressive. We ordered the scallops, delicious, the sauce was miso but a bit too salty. The famous chicken karaage fried chicken is golden, light, crispy, needed a bit more seasoning, but it's hard to find good chicken kaarage that's not oily these days so I can definitely see why the food writers liked it. Overall the menu is worth a try. Love the design, ambience, the modern interiors, beautiful selection of whiskeys, reminds me a lot of Tokyo. They carry a good, high end selection of Japanese whiskeys, though I don't know much about it, I can see there are various vintages present, and some of them with a good age / vintage. There are also wines available, and sparkling by the glass. The non alcoholic options are also sophisticated
This is a cool whiskey themed bar on tha AC Hotel. I came for a small wine tasting, then was directed to the bar if I wanted to get a full glass of wine or to buy a bottle. So of course after tasting some nice wine, I made my way over. After talking with the bartenders, I learned of the theme. I've never seen so many whiskeys in one place! Lots from Japan too! Had to try an Old Fashion. So, the bartender was making one for another customer. He added extra to the Shaker, and served me a sample from it to make sure I liked it. So nice! And, it was delicious. All the bartenders were very friendly & talkative. And, as it is in a hotel that caters to international travelers, there lots of customers from around the world. I met one guy from England, then had a pleasant conversation with a guy from Seattle. Good vibes in this place!
We enjoyed the chill, quiet vibes at this bar inside the Tetra Hotel. Staff were friendly and eager to help. We ordered the hamburger, lobster Sando, and the Crudo. The hamburger came with a large portion of fries and lettuce, tomato onions, pickles. I ordered the hamburger well done, and it was still perfectly juicy, kudos to the chef! The lobster sander was beautifully presented in four cubes with a generous portion of mayonnaise. The only disappointment was the Crudo, the fish slices were very thick, and the sauce was overwhelming. Overall, it was a nice chill experience on a Sunday night. The hotel has a self park lot with free EV charging and the restaurant validates parking.
Inside the Tetra hotel, Nokori is a high end bar and restaurant. We came for drinks on a Wednesday night and there weren't that many people. There was a large group and then there weren't a few tables of smaller 2-4 people group. We didn't order food, only a side of fries so can't really comment on their food. But drinks were reasonably priced for the ambiance. The wine I had was a generous pour. Ambiance was great- is hard to find a nice place for drinks in Sunnyvale. This place is large and airy, we will definitely come back to try their food.
TL;DR: ambience is great, drinks were meh and pricey, service was ok, make sure you validate your parking ticket! I had a dinner appointment in Sunnyvale on a Saturday evening so I was looking around for a pre-dinner drink spot. This bar has a lot of really stellar reviews so I was excited to check it out. Originally, I was hoping to go to the AC hotel gin bar and called the hotel to check if they were open and offering validated parking, and they said yes. However, when I arrived at the bar, they told me that the bartender wasn't working that day which was really confusing because I had only called about the bar 30 mins before. Nevertheless, they kindly redirected me to Nokori and told me to try their "fantastic" high balls. I love Japanese bars. This spot touts itself as one but I'm not entirely sure that's accurate though they do have a lot of Japanese whiskies available. It's located in the lobby area of the Tetra hotel which looks very new, and has a nice vibe and ambience - basically new and fancy. We sat at the bar and ordered our drinks. I had a bit of a sticker shock when I received the menu, $18 for a high ball?! This better blow my mind. I didn't order any food but I did see some other patrons who did. The cocktails were... Fine. They didn't impress me. I got one with gin and hibiscus, the other was a yuzu whisky cocktail. They were both kind of mild in flavor, with no real punch to them. The yuzu cocktail didn't have much of a yuzu flavor, and the highball didn't come with a fancy Japanese ice cube which I saw some other patrons getting so maybe I ordered the wrong thing. I usually get two drinks at any bar I go to so I can sample the variety available but I was done after one here. I read that parking can be exorbitant so make sure you get your parking ticket validated with the bartender!
Swanky bar with stunning cocktails. My friend and I ordered - east meets west cocktail: DIVINE, never has bourbon and honey and matcha and lemon tasted so good. Also generous size! - one of the plum based cocktails which was light and effervescent - furikake fries: yummy and a generous serving - lobster sando: so rich and tasty but you should split this as it's heavy - fried shrimp: yummy but only came with 3 pieces The drinks were incredible and I want to try more but most of the food besides the fries were not worth the price given serving size Logistics: - park in the hotel parking garage next door, but make sure to get the bar to validate your parking else it would have been $15 for 2.5 hours! - Don't confuse Nokori with the almost identical looking hotel bar next to the check in desk - walk across the breezeway to get here - indoor seating only - at least one vegetarian option available
What a pretty place to be! I think it's still new so it feels very empty, but the food and drinks were great. They have a decent selection of Japanese whiskeys, and if you're nice, the bartender even pours a tiny bit for you to taste before you commit. I highly recommend Nikka Coffey malt. Avoid some selections like Suntory Ao - they charge an arm and a leg here for a below average whiskey. Some are more worth it than others. This is what we ordered: Scallops: 4/5. Extremely fresh and tasty. A tad too salty and sweet but it was good! Crispy shrimp: 3/5. A bit too much sweet mayonnaise and batter. Lettuce wrap: 3.5/5. Not enough tofu or lettuce to balance it out. Shishito peppers: 4/5 if you like shishito! It's in a very light tempura batter. Would have been better with something to dip it in. Cocktails were on the sweeter side but they use good ingredients.
I never got to sample any of their cocktails but their Wagyu burger was amazing! We'd heard quite a bit about from others thru Yelp and decided to try for ourselves. If there is one food item on their menu that I would come back for regardless if I'm a guest at the Tetra or not - it would definitely be the Wagyu Burger. So good!
My friend and I are whiskey connoisseurs. When we heard about a Japanese whiskey bar, we were naturally inclined to visit. Although we focus mostly on single malt Scotch, I have bought a few bottles of Japanese whiskies, especially Suntory Toki for making highballs. We were told that this place is usually quiet on Friday and Saturday nights because this hotel was mostly for business people (Google?) Nope, the place was almost full on a Friday night! We were lucky to have seats at the bar. The lady next to me said she read an article on SFGate that described this place. We were full from dinner so no food or munchies. We wanted to start with a clean tasting of Japanese whiskey so we got Kaiyo cask strength (53% ABV). Cask strength means no water was added to reduce the ABV percentage. The alcohol was definitely way more pronounced and I felt that it overpowered the whiskey. The flavor did remind me of Glenlivet Scotch. We then moved on to cocktails. As a home bartender, I was interested in the Asian-inspired cocktails they had. I ordered a Panda Fizz (Nikka Japanese vodka, pear, calpico, lemon, soda) but was disappointed. Vodka already didn't have much taste and the calpico (a Japanese flavored soda) dominated. I couldn't taste any peach but I did see a slice of lemon in my drink. I wouldn't order it again. My friend got the Far East Side (Nikka Japanese gin, shishito, dry vermouth, lime, mint, cucumber, soda). The gin was very faint, and the mint and cucumber were pronounced. He wasn't impressed with his drink either. Feeling disappointed, I was ready to leave, but I saw my friend's expression that he wanted... no, he NEEDED something else to redeem this experience. Always a good friend, I decided to get another drink with him. I ordered a Yuzu old fashioned. Old fashioned is my go-to drink. It's tried and true and hard to mess up. Indeed, that was my favorite drink. Perhaps I'd use a whiskey that's a bit stronger. I found yuzu marmalade on Amazon. Think I'd buy a jar from a Japanese supermarket to make my own. My friend got a Shot and a Beer. The shot was Nikka Days and the beer was a Peruvian lager called Lagarita. He quickly dumped the shot into the beer to consume it. He liked it, but felt something was missing. He asked for a lime wedge and that indeed gave it a little pop. With that extra dimension, it became a great drink. We saw this peculiar looking bottle that had a bell on it. We found out this was the bartender Sergio's favorite tequila called Clase Azul. It's a reposado tequila. It's smooth with sweet, spicy and salty notes at the same time. I'm not sure why tequila would taste salty, but this was my second reposado that had salty tastes. Given our experience in whiskies and cocktails, many of these drinks were not great. It was the company and the bartender that made the experience better. Not anxious to come back anytime soon, but perhaps I'd give this place another chance.
Found this hidden gem while out with the hubby and brother in law for a late eat. Didn't realize this was even located in Sunnyvale. It's in the Tetra hotel which by the way I didn't know existed either. Pretty upscale restaurant/bar with a luxury vibe. Perfect for happy hour and also just a quick bite to eat. A very casual environment with lots of Japanese Whiskey options and highball! Our server / bartender was super nice and very attentive. Kudos to him! I got the lobster sando while hubby and bro in law both got the wagyu burger (forgot to take a pic) My lobster sando was 10/10 for me. Cooked perfectly and the sandwich itself was not soggy! The lobster was delicious and the miso aioli paired well with it! I'd come back to try the other items on the menu. Definitely good spot to go on date nights!!!
I'd like to base my review on the service and the experience(snowglobes) because the food was just ok in my opinion but the hotel service was great. The fries were great, but my lobster sando and tempura shrimp tasted very plain. The hotel/restaurant staff were all very friendly though and I appreciated how they offered the free hot cocoa and smores at the fire pit area. The hot cocoa was actually very good. They added some spices or something to it. The whole experience was nice and cozy and the snow machine was a nice touch. Initially, I thought the snowglobe experience was being serviced with their other restaurant Adrestia and their food looked pretty good. We might be back to try Adrestia next time :)
I've been wanting to try Nokori for a long time because of all the tasty pictures. I was happy to finally try it here and was satisfied. Service is great. The bartender is a heavy pour. He recommended the yuzu highball and I was not disappointed. Take a look at the ice cube bars-- neat touch. Nokori has a great selection of Japanese whisky and Japanese bites. It's a bit pricy but there is a nice ambiance and cool aesthetic here with bar seating, music, and sports playing on the TV. Highly recommend this place! Tried: wagyu burger + fries chicken wing karaage yuzu highball crispy sesame shrimp Pro-tip: try the whiskey selection but don't forget to validate your parking ticket
Since it wasn't busy on a Sunday night, seating was offered in Adrestia for a more formal ambience. You are paying for a more upscale dining experience, so please keep that in mind when you see the prices on the menu. A few things I would like to call out which are impressive. The wait staff are very attentive and provide grade A service. The interior decor is modern and high end. These aren't cheap tables displayed in their dining area; furniture is very sturdy and their place setting is nice. Food - good but not spectacular. One dish I enjoyed above all else was the Lobster Sando. Bill came out to $180 (pre-tip) for 2. No cocktails, just a glass of beer. Consider this fine dining prices. Come here if you want to impress a date or a client. You will be treated with first class service and the interior is very nice. Remember, you are paying for the experience, thus the rating I gave reflects that. If you're a foodie, I'm sure you know of many cheaper places which serve stellar cuisine.
Want whisky? This is your spot! Whisky flights available with four different tiers ranging from $25 to $225. Lots of whisky based drink options as well as several beers on draft and select wines. Lots of specialty drinks too to tickle your fancy as yours truly isn't a big whisky drinker. Give me vodka or gin please. Anyway, ambiance is cool with several lounge tables to communal tables and bar seating. Bar bites from chicken karaage to agadashi tofu to burger! Can also order from the full menu of Adrestia, official restaurant of hotel. Service is friendly and efficient. Prices for drinks range from $14-20- going rate nowadays. Cheers to 2026! Let's go and make it epic and elite, friends! read more
Nice and spacious with lots of different types of seating: tables and chairs, couches and coffee tables, stools at the bar, high chairs at a shared long counter-like table. It had an upscale vibe, but it was in the lobby of a hotel! The menu was interesting -- Japanese whiskey cocktails mainly -- and some food items. If you ask, you can get a little dish of nuts as a complimentary snack with your cocktails. The cocktails were delicious, like the "East Meets West", with most cocktails ranging from $16-20. They have a separate menu for wine and champagne that they brought us awhile later. I think you may need to ask for that if they don't give that to you right away. The drinks were delicious and made pretty quickly, but if you expect table service at this lounge, you may be waiting a long time. We found that the best way to get drinks here is to go to the bar to order, and they can bring the drinks over (or you can wait for them, of course). For the price, I'd expect better service but you may need to go further than Sunnyvale. Overall I think Nokori is a decent bar lounge, and I love the niche is on Japanese whiskey. read more
6 days ago
Went to Nokori to check it out end of last year, was impressed, but somehow keep forgetting to post the review. It was featured on KQED local station as an elegant late night hotel bar with izakaya style bites. Nokori is an elegant modern Japanese whisky bar nested inside the modern chic Sunnyvale TETRA Hotel (a stylish boutique hotel, right next to Marriott's AC). It opens late into midnight at times. A signature drink is the Japanese whisky highball. It offers well selected whiskey, and cocktails with shoju with Japanese / Asian inspired flavors. This place has great Japanese-style impeccable attention to details: crystal clear Japanese style ice , extra sparkling fizz for the high balls. Even the non-alcoholic highball is dozed with extra sparkling fizz. We enjoyed it. This location is in the heart of Silicon Valley among Google Cloud buildings and famous tech companies. The customers range from hotel goers, tech workers, Googlers, Bay Area startup people discussing IPOs (overheard during our visit) and apparently food writers (from KQED). It way exceeds the standard of a Marriott hotel bar, and is worth a dedicated visit. Park at the parking garage opposite side of the hotel, shares the same parking structure. It offers izakaya style menu, serves small bites, tapas / dishes in the style of Japanese drinking bars. There is a limit number of intimate counter spaces at the bar, but plenty of tables further away from the bar, a spanning view of the lobby and its modern designs. There's also a glass window view of the garden pathway (the winter Christmas decoration was visible from the window was quite pretty). The bar specializes in fancy Japanese whiskeys and highball cocktails, flavored with modern craft cocktail choices and some Japanese inspired choices - shiso, cucumber. We tried Torched Hokkaido Scallops, Nokori Chicken Karaage, Chowa Highball, Far East Side, Marsuret Brut. All pretty good. The cocktails are strong. A highball cocktail is basically whisky / shoju, soda water and ice. It is notable they have a soda pump (dispenser) so the bubbles (extra fizzy) are strong (great) and the ice is crystal clear - Japanese cocktail style beautiful, clear ice, melts slowly, tastes good. KQED explains that a highball is made of Japanese whisky soda water and ice. I have noticed the soda was extra extra fizzy and indeed KQED explains that it installed special Japanese soda dispensers. Even when I didn't know, I thought the drinks were excellently fizzy - for someone who likes sparkling water and fizzy drinks, it was immediately notable! And the ice is crystal clear Japanese style cocktail ice. This highball experience is impressive. We ordered the scallops, delicious, the sauce was miso but a bit too salty. The famous chicken karaage fried chicken is golden, light, crispy, needed a bit more seasoning, but it's hard to find good chicken kaarage that's not oily these days so I can definitely see why the food writers liked it. Overall the menu is worth a try. Love the design, ambience, the modern interiors, beautiful selection of whiskeys, reminds me a lot of Tokyo. They carry a good, high end selection of Japanese whiskeys, though I don't know much about it, I can see there are various vintages present, and some of them with a good age / vintage. There are also wines available, and sparkling by the glass. The non alcoholic options are also sophisticated read more
7 months ago
This is a cool whiskey themed bar on tha AC Hotel. I came for a small wine tasting, then was directed to the bar if I wanted to get a full glass of wine or to buy a bottle. So of course after tasting some nice wine, I made my way over. After talking with the bartenders, I learned of the theme. I've never seen so many whiskeys in one place! Lots from Japan too! Had to try an Old Fashion. So, the bartender was making one for another customer. He added extra to the Shaker, and served me a sample from it to make sure I liked it. So nice! And, it was delicious. All the bartenders were very friendly & talkative. And, as it is in a hotel that caters to international travelers, there lots of customers from around the world. I met one guy from England, then had a pleasant conversation with a guy from Seattle. Good vibes in this place! read more
We enjoyed the chill, quiet vibes at this bar inside the Tetra Hotel. Staff were friendly and eager to help. We ordered the hamburger, lobster Sando, and the Crudo. The hamburger came with a large portion of fries and lettuce, tomato onions, pickles. I ordered the hamburger well done, and it was still perfectly juicy, kudos to the chef! The lobster sander was beautifully presented in four cubes with a generous portion of mayonnaise. The only disappointment was the Crudo, the fish slices were very thick, and the sauce was overwhelming. Overall, it was a nice chill experience on a Sunday night. The hotel has a self park lot with free EV charging and the restaurant validates parking. read more
Inside the Tetra hotel, Nokori is a high end bar and restaurant. We came for drinks on a Wednesday night and there weren't that many people. There was a large group and then there weren't a few tables of smaller 2-4 people group. We didn't order food, only a side of fries so can't really comment on their food. But drinks were reasonably priced for the ambiance. The wine I had was a generous pour. Ambiance was great- is hard to find a nice place for drinks in Sunnyvale. This place is large and airy, we will definitely come back to try their food. read more
TL;DR: ambience is great, drinks were meh and pricey, service was ok, make sure you validate your parking ticket! I had a dinner appointment in Sunnyvale on a Saturday evening so I was looking around for a pre-dinner drink spot. This bar has a lot of really stellar reviews so I was excited to check it out. Originally, I was hoping to go to the AC hotel gin bar and called the hotel to check if they were open and offering validated parking, and they said yes. However, when I arrived at the bar, they told me that the bartender wasn't working that day which was really confusing because I had only called about the bar 30 mins before. Nevertheless, they kindly redirected me to Nokori and told me to try their "fantastic" high balls. I love Japanese bars. This spot touts itself as one but I'm not entirely sure that's accurate though they do have a lot of Japanese whiskies available. It's located in the lobby area of the Tetra hotel which looks very new, and has a nice vibe and ambience - basically new and fancy. We sat at the bar and ordered our drinks. I had a bit of a sticker shock when I received the menu, $18 for a high ball?! This better blow my mind. I didn't order any food but I did see some other patrons who did. The cocktails were... Fine. They didn't impress me. I got one with gin and hibiscus, the other was a yuzu whisky cocktail. They were both kind of mild in flavor, with no real punch to them. The yuzu cocktail didn't have much of a yuzu flavor, and the highball didn't come with a fancy Japanese ice cube which I saw some other patrons getting so maybe I ordered the wrong thing. I usually get two drinks at any bar I go to so I can sample the variety available but I was done after one here. I read that parking can be exorbitant so make sure you get your parking ticket validated with the bartender! read more
2 years ago
Swanky bar with stunning cocktails. My friend and I ordered - east meets west cocktail: DIVINE, never has bourbon and honey and matcha and lemon tasted so good. Also generous size! - one of the plum based cocktails which was light and effervescent - furikake fries: yummy and a generous serving - lobster sando: so rich and tasty but you should split this as it's heavy - fried shrimp: yummy but only came with 3 pieces The drinks were incredible and I want to try more but most of the food besides the fries were not worth the price given serving size Logistics: - park in the hotel parking garage next door, but make sure to get the bar to validate your parking else it would have been $15 for 2.5 hours! - Don't confuse Nokori with the almost identical looking hotel bar next to the check in desk - walk across the breezeway to get here - indoor seating only - at least one vegetarian option available read more
What a pretty place to be! I think it's still new so it feels very empty, but the food and drinks were great. They have a decent selection of Japanese whiskeys, and if you're nice, the bartender even pours a tiny bit for you to taste before you commit. I highly recommend Nikka Coffey malt. Avoid some selections like Suntory Ao - they charge an arm and a leg here for a below average whiskey. Some are more worth it than others. This is what we ordered: Scallops: 4/5. Extremely fresh and tasty. A tad too salty and sweet but it was good! Crispy shrimp: 3/5. A bit too much sweet mayonnaise and batter. Lettuce wrap: 3.5/5. Not enough tofu or lettuce to balance it out. Shishito peppers: 4/5 if you like shishito! It's in a very light tempura batter. Would have been better with something to dip it in. Cocktails were on the sweeter side but they use good ingredients. read more
I never got to sample any of their cocktails but their Wagyu burger was amazing! We'd heard quite a bit about from others thru Yelp and decided to try for ourselves. If there is one food item on their menu that I would come back for regardless if I'm a guest at the Tetra or not - it would definitely be the Wagyu Burger. So good! read more
My friend and I are whiskey connoisseurs. When we heard about a Japanese whiskey bar, we were naturally inclined to visit. Although we focus mostly on single malt Scotch, I have bought a few bottles of Japanese whiskies, especially Suntory Toki for making highballs. We were told that this place is usually quiet on Friday and Saturday nights because this hotel was mostly for business people (Google?) Nope, the place was almost full on a Friday night! We were lucky to have seats at the bar. The lady next to me said she read an article on SFGate that described this place. We were full from dinner so no food or munchies. We wanted to start with a clean tasting of Japanese whiskey so we got Kaiyo cask strength (53% ABV). Cask strength means no water was added to reduce the ABV percentage. The alcohol was definitely way more pronounced and I felt that it overpowered the whiskey. The flavor did remind me of Glenlivet Scotch. We then moved on to cocktails. As a home bartender, I was interested in the Asian-inspired cocktails they had. I ordered a Panda Fizz (Nikka Japanese vodka, pear, calpico, lemon, soda) but was disappointed. Vodka already didn't have much taste and the calpico (a Japanese flavored soda) dominated. I couldn't taste any peach but I did see a slice of lemon in my drink. I wouldn't order it again. My friend got the Far East Side (Nikka Japanese gin, shishito, dry vermouth, lime, mint, cucumber, soda). The gin was very faint, and the mint and cucumber were pronounced. He wasn't impressed with his drink either. Feeling disappointed, I was ready to leave, but I saw my friend's expression that he wanted... no, he NEEDED something else to redeem this experience. Always a good friend, I decided to get another drink with him. I ordered a Yuzu old fashioned. Old fashioned is my go-to drink. It's tried and true and hard to mess up. Indeed, that was my favorite drink. Perhaps I'd use a whiskey that's a bit stronger. I found yuzu marmalade on Amazon. Think I'd buy a jar from a Japanese supermarket to make my own. My friend got a Shot and a Beer. The shot was Nikka Days and the beer was a Peruvian lager called Lagarita. He quickly dumped the shot into the beer to consume it. He liked it, but felt something was missing. He asked for a lime wedge and that indeed gave it a little pop. With that extra dimension, it became a great drink. We saw this peculiar looking bottle that had a bell on it. We found out this was the bartender Sergio's favorite tequila called Clase Azul. It's a reposado tequila. It's smooth with sweet, spicy and salty notes at the same time. I'm not sure why tequila would taste salty, but this was my second reposado that had salty tastes. Given our experience in whiskies and cocktails, many of these drinks were not great. It was the company and the bartender that made the experience better. Not anxious to come back anytime soon, but perhaps I'd give this place another chance. read more
Found this hidden gem while out with the hubby and brother in law for a late eat. Didn't realize this was even located in Sunnyvale. It's in the Tetra hotel which by the way I didn't know existed either. Pretty upscale restaurant/bar with a luxury vibe. Perfect for happy hour and also just a quick bite to eat. A very casual environment with lots of Japanese Whiskey options and highball! Our server / bartender was super nice and very attentive. Kudos to him! I got the lobster sando while hubby and bro in law both got the wagyu burger (forgot to take a pic) My lobster sando was 10/10 for me. Cooked perfectly and the sandwich itself was not soggy! The lobster was delicious and the miso aioli paired well with it! I'd come back to try the other items on the menu. Definitely good spot to go on date nights!!! read more
I'd like to base my review on the service and the experience(snowglobes) because the food was just ok in my opinion but the hotel service was great. The fries were great, but my lobster sando and tempura shrimp tasted very plain. The hotel/restaurant staff were all very friendly though and I appreciated how they offered the free hot cocoa and smores at the fire pit area. The hot cocoa was actually very good. They added some spices or something to it. The whole experience was nice and cozy and the snow machine was a nice touch. Initially, I thought the snowglobe experience was being serviced with their other restaurant Adrestia and their food looked pretty good. We might be back to try Adrestia next time :) read more
I've been wanting to try Nokori for a long time because of all the tasty pictures. I was happy to finally try it here and was satisfied. Service is great. The bartender is a heavy pour. He recommended the yuzu highball and I was not disappointed. Take a look at the ice cube bars-- neat touch. Nokori has a great selection of Japanese whisky and Japanese bites. It's a bit pricy but there is a nice ambiance and cool aesthetic here with bar seating, music, and sports playing on the TV. Highly recommend this place! Tried: wagyu burger + fries chicken wing karaage yuzu highball crispy sesame shrimp Pro-tip: try the whiskey selection but don't forget to validate your parking ticket read more
2 years ago
Since it wasn't busy on a Sunday night, seating was offered in Adrestia for a more formal ambience. You are paying for a more upscale dining experience, so please keep that in mind when you see the prices on the menu. A few things I would like to call out which are impressive. The wait staff are very attentive and provide grade A service. The interior decor is modern and high end. These aren't cheap tables displayed in their dining area; furniture is very sturdy and their place setting is nice. Food - good but not spectacular. One dish I enjoyed above all else was the Lobster Sando. Bill came out to $180 (pre-tip) for 2. No cocktails, just a glass of beer. Consider this fine dining prices. Come here if you want to impress a date or a client. You will be treated with first class service and the interior is very nice. Remember, you are paying for the experience, thus the rating I gave reflects that. If you're a foodie, I'm sure you know of many cheaper places which serve stellar cuisine. read more
Always a good time! My friends and I came around 4pm so it was pretty quiet. Love the ambience and quick service, never any complaints when we come to grab drinks or food here. I will definitely try to stay at this hotel sometime in the future! read more
There aren't many bars that specialize in Japanese whiskey. In fact, I'm only aware of 1 other place that has a selection and it's down in San Jose. On another note, the best place in California that is close to a Japanese experience that is sasaya in Santa Monica. All in all, they didn't have Yamasaki 12/18 in stock. A bit sad but I get it. I had a tough time finding it in the US too. read more
Met up the a friend for a drink after work one evening. Nokori is a swanky Japanese bar apart of the Marriott Tetra hotel, but you don't have to be a guest to enjoy. You can park in the garage across from the building and the bartenders will validate your parking if you ask. Service was pretty laid back, which was nice because I was able to hold a conversation without constant interruptions. I didn't try any of the food this time but I delightfully sipped on a Yuzu highball. The flavors were nicely balanced and the artisanal ice was a nice addition. I'd consider returning to try other highballs and explore the food menu. read more
I've always been on the look out for upscale cocktail bars in the South Bay. Ironically, I would've never discovered Nokori if my previous pick had been open last Sunday. Fate would have it that Flora Los Altos shut down permanently the previous week without updating their website hours. I didn't know this at the time, but still felt like finding another spot for my friends would be a safer bet. Nokori looked promising based on the reviews and menu, so I went to audition it after work with my partner. As someone who chronically works late, I was particularly excited that they are open from 4pm to midnight, although keep in mind that their kitchen closes at 11pm. I thought Nokori would be in the AC Marriott at the corner of El Camino and Fair Oaks, but it was a different Sunnyvale location east of the 101 near Moffett Field at the Tetra Hotel, also owned by Marriott. There is a large self-parking garage across from the hotel. You wave your hand in front of a sensor to get your ticket. Don't forget take it with you to get it validated at the bar for free parking. The expansive lobby has the really cool look of a modern Japanese hotel. Really high vaulted ceilings with concrete columns and stained walnut partitions. Nokori is essentially just part of the lobby, with the seating and patrons creating the vibe. At 9pm, there were just a handful of patrons. They appeared to be guests of the hotel from Europe and China. As a musician and DJ, I usually recoil at the music selection of most bars, but Nokori had a well-curated playlist including Little Dragon, Dot Allison, and I even used Shazam on a couple tracks by Porches and Parcels. The bartender and servers were friendly but were often tied up behind the bar serving drinks. I was most intrigued by the Wagyu Burger and their vast selection of highballs. There are so many high balls on the menu that the next page of cocktails is labeled "Not Highball". They also have an extensive list of Japanese whiskeys from Yamazaki, Nikka, Toki, Kaiyo, Hakushu and their most expensive selection, a 21 year-old Hibiki. As I have quite a few Japanese whiskeys in my bar cabinet including the Hibiki 12, 18 and 21, I was more interested in trying their cocktails. On the first visit, I tried the Yuzu Highball. It was somewhat watery and light on flavor. I didn't really get much of the carbonation of the soda, so it just tasted like a dab of whiskey with a lot of water and a hint of yuzu. Personally, I'd rather have a small glass where the flavor of the whiskey isn't so diluted in the water and a huge block of ice. The much anticipated Wagyu Burger was mind blowingly good! The patty was cooked a bit more well than the medium rare that I had requested, but the Tomarashi cheese helped to saturate my tastebuds. The pickles are very lightly fermented, almost more like cucumbers. The brioche is elegantly toasted, fluffy inside and slightly oily. The burger was dripping all over the place, I needed all three of the napkins to keep my hands somewhat clean. But I really enjoyed the burger, it was stellar and one of the best I've experienced in the Bay Area. A cut above a burger from a good place like Gott's. The French Fries are perfectly fried; fried and crispy all the way through with a convenient side of ketchup for dipping. My partner ordered the Chicken Wing Karaage, which was nicely breaded and fried with a nice spicy Shichimi mayo to dip in. Me and my friends returned the following day. I discovered the "Not Highballs" cocktail menu that I hadn't seen the night before. I tried the Midnight in Tokyo, which was much more flavorful and balanced between the vodka, ume wine, lime and sumo citrus. It wasn't watered down like the highballs. I look forward to trying other cocktails from the Not Highballs page. Having tried the excellent Wagyu Burger, I wanted to try the Grilled Lobster Sando. It came plated with four quartered pieces of toasted milk bread with melted Togarashi cheese and furikake seasoning. The flavor was enjoyable albeit a bit too reminiscent of ocean saltwater, but the texture was a bit odd. It was interesting how solid clumps of lobster were essentially floating in a bunch of shredded lobster. Some of those pickles, lettuce or fennel might help to absorb some of the cheese and aioli to give it some balance and crunch. My well-meaning friends attempted to save some of their Wagyu Burgers for their spouses, but ultimately failed to leave more than insignificant scraps. I honestly can't fault them, and I think their partners will understand why it happened when they can try it themselves. My friends and I had a great time and throughly enjoyed the food, cocktails and ambience of Nokori. It's a gem in an otherwise non-descript part of town. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
My husband and I stumbled upon the Tetra hotel a couple of years ago and had an amazing experience! One of our fondest memories was the bar. Today we went back and it was even better than before. I have never had a more perfect ice cube. We absolutely love whiskey and everything Japan. This bar makes us feel like we are in Japan again. We traveled from LA just to be here and the two gentlemen bartenders were amazing tonight (9/6/24). I look forward to coming back again soon! read more
4 years ago
Best Wagyu beef burger & whisky spot in town, nestled inside TC (Marriott). Ample parking. Great service read more
3 years ago
4 years ago
We decided to do a Staycation, and this restaurant was downstairs from our hotel at Tetra (super nice, I'll do a separate review) I ordered the Pork Belly tacos, my first time eating pork belly, give that a 9/10 My bf had the WAGYU burger 9/10 And omg the little gem salad is my favorite!! 10/10. I'm not big on mix drinks, but we still ordered some. This is a very nice restaurant, very elegant. We will def return.! read more
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5 years ago
New Japanese whisky bar in the Tetra hotel. Very nice environment and it has a great selection of Japanese whiskey. The chicken wing karaage is so crispy and tasty. I like the details they put in the place. The ice they use is super clear and it is a bar shape, so it fits in the glass perfectly. Impressive. read more
4 years ago
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More info about Nokori
400 W Java Dr
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Directions
(408) 734-2300
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Visit Website
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sjcva-tetra-hotel-autograph-collection/dining/
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2 years ago
