Nobu's Japanese Restaurant

Recommends

geewoods

Joined 2 years ago

Best sushi in STL. I eat sushi every whwere I travel and I trravel professionally all over the world. After trying all the other recommended sushi joints since moving here a little over one month ago, I discovered the best in the area-- it is clearly Nobu. Where else can one get consistantly good uni, mirugai and toro?

Doesn't Recommend

Jfmf

Joined 3 years ago

One word.......disgusting. Save your time and money and skip Nobu's. I have been a long time sushi lover with a a discerning taste for maguro and sake, which are the mainstays of a good sushi restaurant. Always having a hard time finding good reasonably priced sushi in St. Louis, I was excited to see the good review in the post dispatch for Nobu's. I forgot that the life Sherpa and beer guy have absolutely no taste. The service was bad, the food was worse, and the menus, tables, and floors were sticky. The sushi was put together sloppily and almost every nigiri and roll fell apart. The maguro was light pink and greasy. If you want good sushi, go to miso or wasabi, those are the best in the area without driving to the burbs.

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SirDennis

Joined 5 years ago

Favorite Places in St Louis. What a wonderful place! Over the years I have taken family and friends to share this wonderful place. No matter how long I have been away...I have always been given a warm welcome back!

The food is outstanding, and my suggestion is to get there early...the tables fill fast. Wonderful place for families and great times.

A local favorite for so many. Thank you

Doesn't Recommend

SpqrxzSV

Joined 5 years ago

Building looks like an old IHOP, tastes like they haven't moved on. When we got there, we were offered a menu with no descriptions of the maki--which for California roll is fine, but many of them were not so self-explanatory. Turns out, descriptions weren't really needed as all the makis tasted the same: mushy and greasy (we spent a good amount of time trying to figure out which was which, as the waitress offered no explanation, and were still unsure). The service was also slow--it looked like there was only one sushi chef for a Friday night. The nigiri was also mushy, like it could be sifted through your teeth, which is not something I've ever experienced with sushi, and the rice would not stay together. Overall, it was pretty disappointing for such a well rated place, when the food tasted, at best, like grocery store sushi that you buy during lunch hour and hope doesn't give you a stomach ache.

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me_akemi

Joined 6 years ago

Best sushi!!. When I lived in STL, I worked down the street from Nobu's current location (Hey, I remember their old place on Delmar!) and ate there ~2 times A WEEK! I speak from significant knowledge because I am 1/2 Japanese (Mom is Japanese), lived in Japan for 4 years, worked in Japan briefly, and visited there several times...Nobu's is STILL my favorite Japanese restaurant, bar none! When I come (home) to STL, I always try to catch a meal there. I'm pleased and flattered that Nobu-san greets me with a big smile and says "welcome back!" I've taken my parents and family there many times and Nobu's has Mom's stamp of approval! I still treasure my Japanese tea cup and tea towels from Nobu's grand opening in the old I-Hop -- which is remarkably comfortable with a Japanese atmosphere. Their Tonkatsu (pork tenderloin) is my favorite (okay, it's almost as good as mine and Mom's but a heck of a lot easier!) -- after their sushi, and they have a great selection of other authentic dishes. So, check it out -- Tell Nobu-san "Konichi Wa" (Hello) and after the meal "Domo Arigato Gozaimasu. Kore wa, oishii desu!" (Thank you very much. This was very delicious!)

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py924

Joined 6 years ago

Great sushi, always packed. This place isn't to be mistaken as the more well-known Nobu's- an upscale, sushi restaurant in cities like Dallas, LA, and NYC. However, I decided to give it a try anyway and was pleased. The place is small and cozy, and you're likely to overhear other diners' conversations. The sushi was served fresh and delicious- they didn't give too much rice, so you could savor and appreciate the flavor of the fish. This place seems to always be busy, but the wait isn't bad on a weeknight.

Recommends

epicure2

Joined 6 years ago

Always fresh. I eat at Nobu's approximately once a month and am never disappointed. The sushi is always very fresh, and there is some non standard fare such as amberjack, Japanese snapper, giant and orange clam, and traveler. And I won't eat sea urchin any where else. For those who prefer cooked food, the tempura is very good and the spyder roll (tempura fried soft shell crab) is excellent.The selection of sake is not extensive but very good: get the premium and enjoy cold as the Japanese do: two trips to Japan and I wish it was served here in the small square wooden boxes they use there.

There is open table seating and the sushi bar, which is where I usually sit. I call ahead for a table when taking a group, and have used the room past the sushi bar for a group of 12. If you arrive by 6-6:30 most week nights (sorry, no experience on weekends) walk in seating is available.

The service is usually very efficient, though Nobu (he does all the shushi and sashimi) can get backed up with an influx of several tables at once. Usual time in/out dinner for two with sake: 45 to 75 minutes.

I eat shushi in several US cities on a regular basis and Nobu's shares the top spot with a couple of others, and is certainly in first place in Saint Louis.

Doesn't Recommend

mdvinstl8

Joined 8 years ago

They call that sushi???. My girlfriend & I went to Nobus for the first time last night. For reference, I lived in a rural area of Japan for three years so I would say that, while Im not Japanese, I know a lot about Japanese food.

We received eda-mame for starters, & they were over-boiled, soggy, & bland. We ordered the yakitori (pieces of chicken marinated in teriyaki sauce & grilled on a skewer.) The chunks of chicken were too big (about 1" cubes), & the sauce only coated the outside of the meat--no marination.

The absolute shock, however, was the sushi! The packed rice underneath the fish was absolutely rediculous--both in portion & shape. I flipped over each peice & confirmed they were all the same. I'd say each piece of fish was about 1" wide and 3-4" long. The rice underneath, however, was 3/4" wide by 1"-1.5" long!! It was like Nobu had run low on rice & was trying to ration. On top of that, Nobu's charges around $2.50-4.00/piece. I felt like I'd been taken to the cleaners! Finally, the rice itself was bland & dry.

I called over the sushi chef's wife/waitress & calmly voiced my disappointment. She stated that this is just Nobu's style of sushi-- that he used minimal rice to keep customers from getting "too full". She said that he had worked in Ginza and Kobe, & insinuated that I probably just didn't know good sushi. She said she was sorry that I didn't like it, but that this was simply their style. (As a note: I've had sushi at top restaurants in both Ginza and Kobe, & I assure you this is not a regional thing.)

If you go to Nobu's, be prepared to pay a lot, to not be filled-up, & to wish you'd picked another St. Louis sushi restaurant instead! I will NEVER go back!

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chirochef

Joined 8 years ago

Former chef speaks. I apprenticed to a Japansese chef and was in the restaurant business for years. I have heard complaints abut Nobu's, but have personally found Nobu's to be consistantly wonderful. The rice is always spot on, the fish as fresh as you'll find in St. Louis, the service friendly. It is one of the top three sushi bars in the city. I have had meals as good elsewhere, but I've never had better. It may help that most of my meals have been a lunch, but that's true of almost all my sushi meals.

Nobu himself is just a a marvel to watch. Quiet with a winning smile, exceedingly efficient and smooth -- and he knows food.

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Come north for the freshest, tastiest sushi in the city.. The Scene
The look doesn't match the taste at Nobu. It's considered one of St. Louis' nicer restaurants, but the ambience is nonexistent. Furthermore, the management has crammed the maximum number of tables into the dining area, so be prepared to have your conversations overheard.



The Food
Nobu's prides itself on the freshness of its fish, and it's got good reason to brag. Nobu's offers standard sushi such as maguro (tuna), ebi (shrimp) and sake (salmon) as well as some more adventuresome types like awabi (abalone), hirame (fluke) and aoyagi (orange clam). There's also a good variety of makimono (rolled sushi), of which we recommend the ume shiso roll containing sour plums and shiso leaves, which taste like a delicious cross between basil and mint.

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