Nobu DC - Washington, D.C.

My significant other and I thoroughly enjoyed the Nobu experience. Everything was superb; from the service to the food. Nobu is by far one of the best dining experiences in the DMV. I most certainly will be back....real soon.

Hmmmm. Not impressed after visiting the Nobu in LA. Had brunch reservations and got there a few min prior. Restaurant is closed until the exact time of the reservation 11:45am. It was raining and we waited the 5 min in the rain… They can’t open the doors to have people wait inside? Really? The restaurant was not busy. Waiter seemed pretty disinterested and didn’t explain the set brunch menu. I guess we were just supposed to know it. Was surprised when I asked questions. My son didn’t like coleslaw and asked to substitute fries (which is on the menu) instead. Seemed to be a problem and we were met with ‘there are no substitutes’. This ain’t an extensive menu mind you. I pressed the issue. It’s fries not caviar! They acquiesced for a $4 charge! I don’t like to be nickled and dimed for something so silly when I’m spending $65 for brunch. My daughter didn’t order the set menu and received her meal about 15 min prior to everyone else. She had tempura so it’s not like she could wait until the rest of us got our dishes. The food was ok. Nothing special that I need to go back for. This was just not the experience we had in LA. And again, the restaurant was NOT busy. The food and service was just not there to justify the cost of the meal. I won’t be back to the DC location but am willing to try others.

Inconsistent this time. The sticky rice arrived room temperature and the popcorn shrimp seems to decrease in portion each time. Not enough waiters. Normally our favorite restaurant. Next time will reconsider as it’s so expensive.

Nobu is my favorite restaurant, and a place I routinely turn to for business dinners. I eat at this Washington, DC location at least twice a month, and have been to other Nobus in Tokyo, Milan, and Palo Alto. My most recent experience in Washington, DC was not good, and I am surprised. I think every restaurant is entitled to one bad night, and I am hoping that that was the case here. Three of the dishes we ordered were simply not good (and I have never had even a single dish at Nobu previously that I wasn't highly impressed by). A cod dish smelled and tasted so bad that we were concerned the fish had spoiled. We each took one bite, set it aside, and told the waitress who picked up the entire dish. We still paid for it, which was a little disappointing. I will go back to Nobu, but perhaps will wait a few months before going back to this location. And if I go I will go by myself, because I don't want to be embarrased in front of guests again.

Nobu lived up to the hype. My wife and I went for a date night and it was some of the best sushi we’ve ever had. From the time we walked in, the service was excellent, and the food was first class all the way.