Nobu Malibu

10/30/2008 Posted by milla97

If you're a sushi novice, pick somewhere else to dine like Katsu-ya or some other Hollywood smash and grab fish place. But if you're into wild delicious flavors, high-quality product, and attentive service try Nobu Malibu. Yaman, our server, was so funny and truly made our experience unique and fun. Even people who weren't our waiters were helping us out explaining all of the dishes and getting us our food. They make every table feel like a celebrity - especially since we were sitting next to Cindy Crawford! Try the newstyle, yellowtail with jalepeno, and the ribye. And don't forget to ask for Yaman - He's the best! Great for business dinners - not so with romantic dates.

Pros: Service, Food

Cons: Limited and poor wine list, poor ambience.

10/11/2008 Posted by missj07

It's frustrating to read the reviews on here with people comparing Nobu to other sushi restaurants, because the experience is not meant to be like other sushi restaurants. If you are looking for a standard sushi dinner, don't go here because you will miss out on the whole point and feel like the restaurant did not live up to your expectations. If you want to enjoy a meal at Nobu, I recommend the following: 1. sit at the sushi bar. You don't need a reservation and it's much more interactive, you get the best food and the sushi chefs are the nicest around. (unless you have more than three people, then a table is more appropriate). 2. ask your waiter and sushi chef for recommendations. There are many daily specials that are not on the menu, some of which are the best dishes they make (ie: king crab tempura, seared scallops with truffle). The waiters know what is good, and they will steer you through a meal you will love. 3. If you do make a reservation, call ahead and if they are full put yourself on the waiting list, more often than not they will call you back. 4. Be prepared to spend money. Resign yourself to it and just accept that it will run you $100-$150 a person for a great dinner. 3. Don't go for the first time on Valentine's Day. (that rule applies to ANY restaurant!) I have never had a bad meal at Nobu Malibu, the kitchen is always consistent and some of the best staff work at this location. Treat them with respect and they will do the same. Go for a good time (not to gawk at celebrities) and to enjoy some innovative cuisine that has since been copied all over Los Angeles. Go for the original.

Pros: the original innovative Japanese cuisine, always consistent, friendly

Cons: sometimes really loud and tables are close together

10/03/2008 Posted by NOBUmatsushida

You know i'm a local here in Malibu and every so often I have to remind myself of why I dont bother going here. Service? Really quite lousy. Food? Definitely lousy. Decor? A joke. You have to wonder why this thing is even on the map. Honestly I cant figure out why this place is such a hot spot because the food is lousy, the decor is non-existent, and the waiters are amateur. Compare to Sage Room, T d Noi or Geoffry's. Its in some half assed parking lot, some half assed non-decor, half assed waiters half assed food. I think this place is great for people who have no appreciation of fine dining but are under the false impression of receiving it once having been here. Its a joke. Nobu is a joke. Starting from its back of the parkinglot location. A JOKE.

Pros: The myth of THE Place to See and Be seen.

Cons: EVERTHING: Food, Decor, Service - awful

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06/08/2008 Posted by VelvetHands

I love sushi. However, at Nobu's, the servings are small and overpriced. Yes, it is fresh and there are different tastes but if you are celebrity struck, then this is the restaurant to go to see and be seen. You are paying for a celebrity hangout, basically, because I was disappointed with the sushi. There are much better sushi restaurants than this one. The waitstaff were attentive, except for two. One seemed to have a bad attitude when we were seated. Also, towards the end of our dinner, my husband had gone to the restroom and I was trying to decide what to have next and a waitstaff person came up, folded my husband's napkin and asked if I was finished. Did it look like I'm was finished-when we're finished, we will ask for the check. I guess in serving celebrities, the waitstaff get certain attitudes. Maybe they need to go to Customer Service class and understand how to treat a paying customer. I'm not impressed with this restaurant and probably won't go back.

Pros: Some waitstaff are customer service oriented, Celebrity hangout, fresh sushi

Cons: Too expensive, small amounts of sushi

06/04/2008 Posted by joy523

Our family loves sushi & have frequented many establishments for many years throughout the world, so we decide to take our daughter in law there for her birthday--there were six of us. This was our first time to Nobu. I had heard it was pricey, but good, AND IT WAS!!! Best to order in stages and eat family style--first cold dishes, soup, hot dishes, then sashimi/sushi, dessert. Black cod w/miso, yellow tail w/ jalapenos, shrimp with lobster and lemon grass all were culinary treats (signature dishes)--these specialties went beyond my expectations. Web site states not suitable for children, not accurate. If your children like Japanese cuisine good place to go because noisy which allows children to be themselves and have fun too. Food was served quickly. SO WHY FOUR STARS IF FOOD YUMMY--the waiter. He was obnoxious and patronizing treating us like we were imbeciles of Japanese food and on occasion grimaced or sighed when we asked about an item. He forgot our reorder drinks and one hot dish order as well. We ordered sea eel he brought us sea urchin. I asked when it arrived what it was--so he could acknowledge the error. Instead of apologizing and saying he would replace it with the correct item--he literally grabbed the plate--and proceeded to talk with the manager who was 2 feet from our table--consequently, we could hear everything discussed. He blamed us telling manager it was our fault, we didn't know what we were ordering. Excuse me, but sea eel is one of our favorite dishes. Okay he had to cover his error, but don't talk about patrons in front of them. We told him to cancel the order for sea eel. Since this was the end of our meal, the incident left us with a bad taste. They put the tip into the bill of 5 or more, which was probably fortunate for him--because he really was a two-bit watier. We spent over $700.00 for the six of us (no alcohol)--but the food was worth it--we will probably go again and be sure we do not have this waiter.

03/10/2008 Posted by dolphen1

I've been to all of the incarnations of Nobu in Malibu over the years. Delicious, fresh and deceivingly complex rolls make this a Japanese restaurant you don't want to miss. A definite standout in the small collection of Malibu eateries.

Pros: Great sushi rolls and other fresh creations.

Cons: $$$$ and sometimes smallish proportions.

02/11/2008 Posted by VenusCafe

Another reviewer's statement to the contrary, Nobu IS the best food in Malibu, maybe the best on PCH! The sushi is good, but perhaps better does exist; however nothing tops their Tiradito, which is fluke levitating in citrus, with a Peruvian touch (aji panca or aji amarillo) and their hot items, like the Lobster and Shrimp with shiitakes and china peas, and the Black Miso Cod are outstanding. If the reviewers explore beyond *sushi* items, they all might award Nobu five stars instead of parsing out those 3 and 4 stars. Still, my five stars rating goes beyond the food! This place is just great FUN! The servers love celebs, but we have never been short changed by the wait staff; they are attentive to us unknowns too. We definitely have great times there. It's ALWAYS fun to go to Nobu. and it isn't JUST the celebs. We have been seated next to 'Rocky' Stallone, the Pinkett-Smith family, Loni Anderson, Pierce Brosnan and Lindsey-Lo, while Sharon Osborne sat next to us, at a table full of black athletes, and they all kibitzed with my 12 year old, which sent him home beaming. A consistently fun place is pretty much a rarity, but Nobu is dat place. Bring bucks.

Pros: The easy parking, theTiradito, the Shrimp/Lobster dish, the celebs, the fun of it all

Cons: The time limit on tables, the noise level and the difficulty with reservations.

01/31/2008 Posted by finedine2008

After hearing so much about Nobu Malibu, and after trying so many other Japanese fusion restaurants, I decided to pay this restaurant a visit, with high hopes that the food would be extremely magnificant since so many Japanese restaurants opened following Nobu's footsteps and learning from Nobu's menu. With that said, I have to be fair. The Japanese dishes are great at Nobu but based on what I have heard and what the dishes are priced at, I felt a slight disappointment when the dishes came. The staffs were quite nice to us, contrary to what other reviews have said, or maybe I was just lucky to get that. Anyway, go to Nobu only for the sake of trying it once and be able to tell others you have been to Nobu. For similar style Japanese dishes, you can always go somewhere else.

01/23/2008 Posted by abd1350

I was expecting a lot more when I went to Nobu. Being a sushi lover though, I will eat almost anything, and would much rather pay less. Sushi is sushi, and I felt as if the items were a tad overpriced, and the service was not fabulous. However, it is beautiful inside and I did get my money's worth - spotted Cindy Crawford, her husband Rande Gerber AND Pierce Brosnan all in the same night!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

01/16/2008 Posted by omimaedilbi

The food is absolutely delicious and served in a timely fashion. However, the staff is NOT as welcoming as you'd expect such a beautiful place to have. The prices, though high, are not unreasonable considering the quality of the food and beautiful place settings. But, the service does not do the atmosphere justice which ironically leaves the customer dissatisfied with out any intension to stay for any other reason then that of placing the first order.