Nobu Newport Beach

I greatly enjoyed my meal at Nobu. Great atmosphere and location right on the marina. Instead of choosing things in the menu, we had our server bring out dishes kind of like an image style and each dish she recommended was excellent! I also thoroughly enjoyed the cocktails as well. Great place for a group meal and didn't feel like we were rushed through our meal.

Good food, good ambiance and great service 👍

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food was great, the service was okay. Our server was very polite, but he took a while to take our order for drinks and then again took a good while to return to take our food order. But he did treat us very nicely along with the rest of the staff, typically I go to the Nobu in LA but this may be my new go to.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Terrible place to eat, would not recommend it.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Had the best time here. Food is a 10/10. I’ve been to a ton of Nobu’s across the world and this one ranks # 1. Chris was our server and he was so kind and great with his recommendations. The manager John was also very kind to me and my wife. Love this restaurant and it’s a must by to come through with in Newport Beach!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

It’s a Dump

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 2

If you want one of the total high-end, Sushi experiences, go here. If you want to be seen someplace amazing, go here. If you want amazing sushi, you might go somewhere else. Here, it’s about the atmosphere, the experience, and saying you went to Nobu. I’ve had sushi in Tokyo, at a little hole in the wall sushi shop, right after I returned with the proprietor from the fish market and bought his fish for the day. So I’m a little biased maybe. But I know that there’s some hole in the wall sushiya in the area that you can get better, more authentic sushi at, but it’s not the Nobu experience.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

We came to Nobu Newport Beach for a Friday night date and it did not disappoint. A generous gift card from one of our amazing clients gave us the perfect excuse to come back, and we’re so glad we did.

We walked up right at 5 PM with no reservation and were seated immediately. It was a beautiful day and we got a cozy table inside with an incredible view of the harbor through the window. The layout is really open and airy, with plenty of space between tables. Definitely not one of those spots where you feel crammed in. The vibe was relaxed but still had energy, thanks to a DJ spinning upbeat tunes that set a fun tone for the night.

Service was super friendly and attentive from the moment we sat down. We ordered a variety of dishes (photos incoming) and everything we tried was delicious, fresh, flavorful, and beautifully plated. We sipped on a couple cocktails, laughed a lot, and really just soaked in the whole experience. It felt elevated but not pretentious, which is hard to pull off.

That said, if you’re planning to come here, expect to pay a premium. The sushi is delicious and the presentation is a solid 10 out of 10, but you’re definitely paying for more than just the food. You’re paying for the real estate, the ambience, the harbor views, and the overall Nobu experience. It’s worth it for a special night, but definitely something to be aware of.

Parking was easy in the nearby structure. Nobu validated for one hour, but we ended up staying for two. Totally worth the extra few bucks. If you’re heading there during peak hours, it’s worth planning ahead for that.

All in all, it was a chill, delicious, and memorable night. Perfect for a special occasion or a spontaneous treat yourself kind of evening. We’ll definitely be back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

I came to Nobu Newport with clear intent: a solo dinner, taken slowly, with considered pacing and the kind of elegance you expect at this price point.

Instead, every course arrived in a near-simultaneous cascade. Cold dishes followed hot ones. Sashimi landed after lamb. It felt less like a well-planned dinner and more like a culinary relay race.

After the not-so-crispy salmon skin hand roll, I had planned to enjoy a second glass of Chardonnay with two remaining fish courses. But before the wine arrived, the lamb did — unannounced and entirely out of sequence. I ordered a Pinot Noir to adjust, but by then, the rhythm was already broken.

The food? Fine. The okra was genuinely excellent — the highlight, in fact. But even that came buried in a pile of plates served without pause or ceremony.

It’s less a luxury experience, more a metaphor for modern overwhelm. A meal trying so hard to impress, it forgets to breathe.

The staff were polite. The view was beautiful. But I didn’t stay for dessert — not because I was full, (so much as food overwhelmed by the cascade of food that ascended on me without pause) but because I’d had enough.

This wasn’t a slow, enjoyable dining experience. It was a rushed performance that missed its mark. Nobu has a reputation for refinement. This evening, it leaned more toward confusion.

Disappointing Experience—Twice!

I’ve been to Nobu Newport Beach twice in the past couple of weeks, and sadly, both visits were a letdown. The food simply wasn’t good—surprisingly bland and not at all what you’d expect from a Nobu. Compared to the Malibu location, which is consistently excellent, this one falls flat in both quality and execution.

But what really ruined this most recent lunch was the atmosphere—or lack thereof. A couple sat next to us with two toddlers who screamed, cried, and shrieked for nearly the entire hour and a half we were there. The parents made no effort to control them, and shockingly, no one from the staff stepped in or even acknowledged the disturbance. It made the entire experience miserable.

The service was friendly, but slow, and unfortunately not enough to make up for the overall chaos and subpar food.

It’s not entirely Nobu’s fault that inconsiderate people bring toddlers to a high-end restaurant on a weekday—but for the price point and the brand reputation, you expect better ambiance, better food, and some kind of standard. I won’t be returning to this location again.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 4

If you want a McDonald's hashbrown base with Von's quality fish for 5x the price go for it. We live locally and this was a very rough experience.

Good service - food was sub par.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 5

Top notch

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

Very disappointed from food and service..

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 1

Awesome atmosphere, awesome service team and cool space, but the food and price of the food did not match. Can’t be having fishy tasting fish, also other dishes were overly salty, good flavors but being so salty it overpowered the food. Could be a one off type of thing but it was at least 3 dishes, even the edamame! Especially for the price and the hype I would’ve thought it was going to be a bit more elevated, but unfortunately was left disappointed by the food. Amazing service though, super attentive and it seemed like they all had each others back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 5

Last night , I ordered hand roll spicy scallop:(, they brought me flat roll and was not much scallops in it & not spicy at all , they changed $13 for it , so disappointing, we ordered okra , it was so dry and some burn :( . But the service was excellent.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 5