Nobu

An over-​priced place with dishes no better or fresher than Roy’s. So far the worst high end restaurant in Oahu that I have visited — price per portion is ~twice as much as Other 4 star restaurant in the island. Ordered beef, cod and sashimi salad and none of them is impressive. Don’t waste your time and wallet here.

This was my third time at a Nobu Matsuhisa restaurant, with the first being Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills, and second at Nobu Malibu. Both were excellent and Nobu Waikiki followed suit.
Started out with the Wagyu (A5) Nobu tacos, which were tiny, but delicious. I wish I ordered more.
I was torn between several items and the wait staff definitely was able to help out.
I was between steamed sea bass and sea bass umamiyaki. Once the waiter described the umamiyaki, I was sold and it did not disappoint.
Next came an order of Kurobuta pork belly, but the waiter suggested I order just half an order. It came with 4 pieces and was nicely presented. It tasted as good as it looked.
Last item from my initial order was the beef tobanyaki. I was between that and the beef yakimono. Again, the way it was described by the waiter had me sold. All I remember that it is cooked until it is medium rare/​medium, then placed in the pan with sake. That also did not disappoint (you see the theme here.)
I was still hungry so I decided to order an order of rock shrimp tempura, which I have had before at the Malibu location.
Lastly, I saved room for dessert and was torn between two Waikiki location only desserts, some type of crème brulee and cherry tobanyaki. I usually don’t order things with cherries (even though I like cherries), so I was leaning towards the crème brulee, but two of the wait staff mentioned it was their favorite dessert here. They haven’t let me down during my meal so I trusted them. I was so happy with their suggestion, it was perfect. However, now that I’ve tried it, I will opt for the crème brulee the next time I visit.

Me and my husband had such a great experience here. Our server, Derek, recommended the tasting menu, and I would definitely suggest it for people who are overwhelmed by the a la cart menu like we were. We both the signature tasting menu, which was $ 100 each, but it was totally worth it. The depth of the flavors were unlike anything I’ve tasted before. Our favorite course was the butterfish. It was so delicate and immediately melts in your mouth. They validate your parking and if you forget to bring your ticket inside just save your receipt to give to the parking attendant.

I love this place. 3^nd time here and the food was impeccable. I didn’t even think I liked raw fish. Guess I like theirs. Also got the lobster tempura and waygu beef on a hot rock and a shrimp salad with local greens. Just amazing. All of it.

I had high expectations for this place, due to the fact that Nobu Malibu, CA was a complete hit. This place how ever was not up to par. I did not enjoy my dining experience. The food wasn’t good to me! I wouldn’t come back to this location.

My stepmom and Dad dragged my sister and I here as they raved about the Miami location! I was completely blown away by everything about my meal form the cuisine and service, everything was perfectly orchestrated. My dad and stepmom tag-​teamed ordering as I had no idea and honestly how can you do Japanese cuisine wrong? We enjoyed the Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeño, King Crab Tempura with Amazu Ponzu, Lobster with Wasabi Pepper Sauce, and Scallop Tiradito along with dessert which by the time we got to I was so full I had to pass on it, but the Bento box dessert did look amazing!
The one dish that still sticks out in mind as I dined here over a month ago (shame on me for not writing a review earlier) was the King Crab Tempura. I am still completely blown away by this and I cannot wait to go back. Our server was amazing and had coursed everything out perfectly so there was no time waiting between courses and she did not just have all the food rung in and thrown on our table as I have seen in other restaurants. I wish I could remember her name, but it has escaped me. I must go back and search her out because I even noticed her behind the scenes orchestration of correction of runners and bus buys as they ran around the restaurant. I would highly recommend Nobu if you are craving some delicious King Crab and sashimi!

The restaurant is very nice inside, sat us at a window table with a nice comfortable booth. Food was real food, I had tried their tacos as a appetizer. You have your choice of crab, lobster, tuna, salmon, and steak, we ordered 2 of each I would recommend crab and lobster tacos just because it’s a little bit more unique. Crab tempura was ok, mostly could taste batter instead of crab.
I would recommend this place if you’ve never been here before, just came to see what the hype was, not much people would fork out $ 500 for a dinner for 2

One of the best places in Honolulu, people who rate it low are idiots looking for platters, this place is quality and unique. The salmon caviar tartare was amazing and I have not had anything quite like it. The restaurant is super modern and a step above the tourist restaurants.
–Sashimi yellowtail — A
–Salmon caviar tartare — A+
–black miso cod — A+
–beef tobanyaki — A
–cherry tobanyaki dessert — A
(We rarely give straight A’s)

Came here with my other half for the first time, from the moment we entered the restaurant, we were greeted by the friendly workers.
Ryan our server was phenomenal and the rest of the employees. AMAZING SERVICE!!!
THE FOODS ARE ONOLICIOUS and can’t wait to go back and try the rest of the menu

Inventive, accommodating and luxurious living up to the Nobu name
Service/​Ambience: This being our 2^nd Nobu dinner (the 1^st was in Vegas), we immediately were struck by the ambience that was a toned down version of the Vegas restaurant. Modestly-​lit with a luxurious feel. If you stuck this restaurant in New York or Vegas, you would feel the need to be dressed well but since it was Waikiki, you had patrons dressed from the street all the way to a night on the town and everything in between. Service was efficient despite there being trainees there that night. Everyone did a solid job.
Food (I’m vegetarian, my fiancé is not): Knowing that Nobu accommodates vegetarians and any other food restriction, we were happy to come back and get the Omakase, one vegetarian and one regular. Each vegetarian course mirrored the regular one, which was a nice touch given that I usually (voluntarily) feel a bit left out of a fine-​dining experience. We had 9 courses, all were absolutely delicious. Everything came out on time so that we were not too rushed and everything came out at a perfect temperature. There wasn’t one bad course. Everything was adventurous, ingredients were balanced, there were clearly some things that were difficult to make well. One example was a wafer-​like exteriored sashimi. The vegetarian version had some sort of marinated vegetable that was incredible. The regular version had tuna sashimi, I believe. The outside was crisp, the inside had an incredible amount of flavor and sauce. The dessert was also delicious and not a throw-​away — basically Asian-​style bread pudding. If you’ve ever had an Asian-​style almond cookie, it was basically the cookie portion of that cut into 4 – 5 cubes with cherries (?) on top of each and a dollop of ice cream. Perfect mix of hot and cold.
Overall: Nobu is just an all-​around fine-​dining experience. There are locals who think it’s overpriced and overrated. I disagree. It’s beyond just great food here. It’s a special night. It’s also about the same price as Alan Wong’s. We’ve never had a bad experience at Nobu and will almost certainly come to one of his restaurants whenever they are within geographic reach.

Okay, bill was $ 600 and left $ 120 tip. Service was great. Cooked food was expensive but tasty. The $ 90 King Crab leg (yes one leg) with truffles was very very good. The Opah with foie gras good. Unbelievably, sushi totally sucked! WTF! You wanna charge $ 5.50 for one small piece of Hamachi sushi it better taste better than what I can get at Shirokiya. Also, ever taste uni that isn’t fresh? We had 5 pieces of that crap! Kumamoto oysters at $ 5 a piece was not fresh or maybe the sauces over powered the oyster. Anyway, if you order them, get the sauces on the side.

Nobu Nobu Nobu Nobu Nobu Nobu *future voice*
Wasn’t expecting much since I just recently went to Nobu Malibu and was not impressed by it… butttttttttttt Nobu Waikiki was on another level. Made reservations for 8pm on a Saturday and it was sooo packed.
We were debating between the regular menu and the Omakase menu, but decided to do regular since I like to stick to raw fish as opposed to hot/​cooked dishes at Japanese joints. Our server (I wish I remembered her named, ugh) was SOOO great! She helped us order a lot of items and none of the dishes disappointed.
Ordered:
x Bigeye & bluefin toro tartar with caviar — This dish is small, but it is jam-​packed with flavor and velvety texture. The ponzu-​ish sauce it came with was REALLY good and complimented the toro perfectly. Pricey for what it is, but I’d order it again.
x Spicy seafood soup — Generous amounts of seafood and a very light broth to wash down the food.
x Scallop Sashimi Tiradito — Second favorite dish of the night. I’m not a huge fan of raw scallops but this was was SOOO GOOD! It was so soft and melted like butter. This dish wasnt drenched in sauce but was bursting with flavor. The cilantro is a MUST! ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend.
x Whitefish Sashimi New Style — Ok, seriously I don’t know what the heck white fish is, but it is DA BOMB​.COM. When the dish arrived, I thought the green onions cuts were too big for the dish, but after my first bite I was like «oh, this i why they do that». SOO GOOD!
x Custom Abalone Sashimi — Hands down my favorite of the night. I was seriously mind-​blown by the flavors that came from this dish, and the abalone had the best texture ever! I don’t know what the name of this is, but I have a picture of it below.
x Sushi: Sea Urchin Sashimi Style (in spoons), kampachi, toro, yellowtail, king crab, and seared salmon, toro and yellowtail handroll. Everything was SOOOO delicious. We were surprised by how delicious and fresh all the nigiri was. The uni wasn’t fishy at all at the seaweed they used for the handrolls were the best I’ve ever had.
x Hokusetsu Onigoroshi «Devil Killer» Sake — light bodied, crisp, dry with a spicy finish. I thought it was very smooth and complimented our meal very well. Highly recommend.
Everything we ordered was A+++++++. If you don’t know what to order, just go down my list and you will NOT be disappointed.
Best meal while we were in Hawaii and our experience here made it an even more special night: o)

Evening in perfection!
Beautiful space: check! Great and friendly service: check! Tasty food: check check. Got it all!
This space is so pretty. Spacious, dark and stunning. Date night, girls nights and friends night worthy spot. The menu is kind of massive but kind of night. One can do omakase starting around $ 100 per person or do a la carte and try everything. Kitchen is pretty open and you can see everything! Love that part.
Staffs: perfection. Every server was nicer than the next! We changed seats from little corner table to massive booth without any problem. Our waiter followed to make sure we were taken care of! Such nice service!
Drinks: love the drinks! Nice, unique and flavorful. I love tequila and I was recommended the legend. It’s a spicy, refreshing cocktail with a kick. Perfect slice of pepper lied on top of my massive ice cube. Made the mistake of eating it: wooooooo. I wasn’t prepared for that spice! Totally delish!
Also had their champagne lilikoi cocktail and whisky cocktail! Yumm Yumm! They are around $ 14-​$ 15 but well worth the price!
Now the food~ where to begin! So many delicious things! They are not cheap by any means but you know that you’re getting quality fresh ingredients. Some things are worth a splurge: especially if they are things that you put in your body. That’s what I believe anyway!
Lobster tacos ~ tiny shells, lobster chunks, citrus yuzu sauce. They are mini bite size and $ 7 a pop! I had two but you could easily have 10 of these!
Oysters ~ love the mignonette on top! Kumamotos I believe.
Seafood salad ~ sunomono! Refreshing mix of raw and cooked seafood! Love this. But then again I’m a fan of this dish in most places.
Butter fish ~ bite size lettuce wraps yumminess. Again: price is per piece. You can have a good 5 – 8!
Spicy tuna roll ~ good
House special roll ~ great! I’m not a fan of sushi rolls, I prefer sashimi or nigiri but this was tasty!
Miso came with silky tofu! Yummm! Also got to try some tako and few other items I can’t recall! Oh and the clams! A ton of good food without feeling full up to your brain! And they have wagyu! Fluffy, buttery, sinful wagyu! Price per ounce but again: worth it!
Last but not least is my favorite Nobu dish: hamachi crudo! It’s just too good to pass it up!
Service was fast, friendly and good. The place was packed but also emptied out fast. At least the dining room did. Definitely a treat eating here but it’s not that much more than what you’d spend at a nice dinner! And the drinks are so delish! Now I just need another excuse to come back try everything else!!! Hmm that hamachi though!

I been to the Nobu in Las Vegas (Caesar’s Palace) and had such an amazing meal. Honestly, no other restaurant can really top my omakase experience than Nobu. I always find myself saying… «Not as good as Nobu»… «Nobu was still better». As I am visiting Hawaii, how can I not visit the Nobu here???
Once again, an AMAZING, OUT OF THIS WORLD, CANNOT BEAT meal. There were four pricing on the omakase tasting. And of course, I got the chef’s premium tasting costing $ 220 per person before tax, tips, and alcohol. You get to try so many varieties from appetizers, sushi nigiris, items from the grill and dessert. It got a lil rich with the wagyu beef in the end along with other items that can be a bit heavy. But it’s tasting… You’re there to try a variety of items for that evening. Second visit here, I got the lower tasting and the amount and taste was just right. You won’t feel overwhelmed or bloated. Another great meal.

Completely nice but with New York prices. The Waikiki omakasi (tasting menu) was good but little lacking on local flavors and fish. Dessert was a total all miss. Attentive service. I sat at the sushi bar for some entertainment but the seats were too low to see the magic in the making.

Best dining experience I ever had!
Yes, Nobu is extremely pricey, the kind of pricey where I could only afford to go like 1−2x a year lol. But, I went on a staycation and won 2 nights at the Waikiki Parc and decided hey, might as well splurge! I read great reviews about Nobu on Unilocal and from my close friend that it was amazing and have been wanting to try this place out for a while, so before even entering, I was already excited!
We made reservations around 5:30ish or so, and got seated promptly. Lemme tell ya’ this, the service was BEYOND exemplary! This was my first time to a really high-​end restaurant so I didn’t really know what to expect in terms of service and such.
Our waiter, which sadly I can’t remember his name, made quite a few recommendations that was perfect for our first meal here. He also timed each and every dish that came out to a tee so that there wouldn’t be these «lingering» periods where we’re waiting on our food. Not only did he time our food, but he arranged all of our dishes to come out in a way that the flavors would not collide and instead coincide with one another.
Our meal started off with Oysters w/​3 Sauces. Oh my gosh, it was the cutest oysters I’ve ever eaten. The oysters were these tiny, delicate, sweet oysters that could be eaten in a bite, and it was served with different sauces that really enhance each oyster.
The second dish that came out was the Monkfish Pâté w/​Caviar. The Monkfish Pâté was out of this world. The dish was a perfect combination of the sweet creaminess of the Monkfish Pâté paired with a not-​so-​heavy sweet & sour sauce and topped off with lightly salted caviar. My description does no justice to how it actually tastes, but this is a definite must-​try. I ended off that dish with the little green fruit with the palate cleanser, which really helped since my partner didn’t eat as much as I did, I ended up over-​savoring myself lol.
Next dish: Wagyu & Lobster Tacos. I personally enjoyed the Wagyu over Lobster tacos. I just, it was just great. Just try it okay? These were the cutest tacos I ever had.
Next dish: Scallop Sashimi New Style w/​Uni (as requested). THIS WAS MY FAVORITE DISH OF THE NIGHT. I could literally eat like 10 of those and never get sick of it! If you love scallop and you love uni, pairing BOTH together will blow your mind, because it blew my mind! The sauce that tied it all together was perfect. It was out of this world. If you get the Scallop Sashimi, please, request Uni on top because its so worth it.
Next dish: Steak (I don’t remember which one it was). It was good, just good. It was served with bonito flakes and grilled vegetables. Not too memorable, I’d probably opt out for another steak dish next time.
Last dish: I can’t remember the name, but it was a custard dish (if you love custard as much as I do, you’ll love this one). It was a light cream custard covered in a light chocolate coating with matcha crumble over the top sitting on top of a darker chocolate sauce. Best dessert I ever had, hands-​down.
Overall, food was 5/​5, service was 5/​5, décor ⁵⁄₅. It was amazing. It was SO amazing that I literally came back the night after! The second night I came here, our waiter recommended we try some «Off The Menu Items» which were Uni Tacos (since he remembered how much I love Uni and I love tacos), which was another one of my favorite dishes from here. Nobu Waikiki is a definite restaurant I’ll recommend to all my friends and family. This will not be the last time you’ll see me Nobu! I’ll be back soon!

¹¹⁄₂₀₁₅: Great décor, vibe, and service at Nobu’s!!! Super über enjoyed Restaurant Week Menu (see pics). Everything was made fresh and full of taste. The wagyu beef was so tender — amazing! The trio seafood sampler was the bomb! I will return just to have the crab leg with that awesome sauce! We will definitely return.
Update review: 1÷7÷16 — Went back tonight for a birthday — different wait staff we had Sean who was very knowledgable on which foods we should try and in what order to help cleanse the palette and appreciate the dishes even that much more! Impeccable service and attention to detail — the food — I’m speechless — hands down drop the mic — off the hook — presentation and taste unreal — absolutely amazing. The most memorable birthday thus far. Thank you Nobu!!!

If you are looking for a chance to spoil yourself, Nobu is definitely high on the list of places to do it! We went here during Restaurant Week and ordered their special tasting menu with the addition of chef’s choice of sushi and miso soup.
Our waiter was very attentive and helpful when we asked for recommendations, although as the place filled up we didn’t see him as much. There were a lot of servers to bring out and clear the diahea, but maybe they need a few additional waiters when they are so busy.
Our favorite dishes were the Wagyu short rib and scallop phyllo amazing ponzu. Both dishes were cooked to perfection. The Wagyu beef was so buttery soft with an excellent sauve that tasted like demiglace. I’m still amazed at how they cooked the scallop just right in phyllo dough, with the amazing ponzu sauce that complemented it so well. I’ll never be able to eat scallops again without reminiscing about this one!
The king salmon sashimi and ahi poke with hearts of palm were also very good. Although the king crab with black truffle crust and roasted oyster were tasty, I would order the scallop dish again instead of these 2 dishes.
The toro nigiri was the best I’ve ever eaten! It was so good I had to close my eyes while I ate it! The big-​eye shrimp nigiri was okay, but couldn’t compare after the toro. We were pleasantly surprised by the large chunks of ahi in the spicy tuna rolls, and the overall freshness and quality of all of the seafood. My son who loves ikura said the one here was as good as the kind he had in Japan!
The dessert was like a deconstructed apple pie, with caramelized apples topped with tiny crunchy snickerdoodle cookies (I prefer chewy), jasmine rice ice cream, and decorated with blueberries rolled in gold foil. It was light and refreshing, but if I get the chance to return, I’m getting the flourless Vallrhona chocolate cake for sure!
Thank you Nobu for a memorable meal.

First time here and I love it! Nobu Waikiki is located right across from the Halekulani Hotel. Seriously just valet park your car and walk across the street and there it is!
When you walk in the entrance, there is a bar and a few tables that you can sit at. Really good for when you need to wait for your reservation. Just sit and eat or sit at the bar and drink a bit. Of course I had my Sapporo to get me started.
Then you will get seated at your table. Like any good Japanese restaurant, they all greet you with «Irrashaimase!», which means Welcome in Japanese.
The menu has a lot of appetizing items, but I was there for restaurant week. And man oh man the menu was great. Check out my pics because words can hardly describe it. Maybe two words, freaking DELICIOUS!
The service there was amazing as well. Between each course, if your plate has some leftover sauce or something, they’ll replace it with a new one. That surprised me actually for I’ve never had an experience like that.
Overall, Nobu Waikiki was the bomb. Best date night the wife and I had in such a long time. Seriously check out my pics on the food. It’s amazing.

Came hungry from Trump tower event, got service right away at the bar. The champagne cocktail was delicious, and well services right in front of us. The bartenders are very nice and friendly. We got our food in right away.
The bar areas was dimly lit, romantic and beautiful. The food came out fast and the waitress took the time to explain the dishes and the ingredients.
The monk fish liver pâté with caviar was well paired with plum sauce. The scallop cut roll was so creamy and delicious.
It was a great experience!