Nobu 57 (per JL suggestion)
- Thread starter robnotbob
- Start date
Having been, I'll disagree. Service is pretty bad, the room is big and feels pretty impersonal, the food is standard Nobu food, and the attitude of everyone, from bartenders to waitstaff to customers, is that the place is designed to make its money on the bar downstairs and upstairs is just there because it has to be. It's nice because it's easier to get a reservation, but I'd rather deal with the issues of going downtown.
I never ate at Nobu 57. But I have to say I was extremely dissapointed with the regular Nobu, after hearing such hype year after year. The service was terrible, the food was totally unimpressive, and the kids sitting at the table next to us were playing with their nintendos and being loud throughout the entire meal. Who brings a ten year old to Nobu?? I would have enjoyed the Red Lobster in Times Square more, I think.
bingo; wait for their new place in the Gramercy Park Hotel if you need to drop the case and impress yourself or others.
Nobu's best days were when they initially opened and offered food that no one else did. Most sushi places in town have now adapted and picked up enough of Nobu's menu that you can find black miso cod, creamy spicy shrimp, japalepno yellow tail, etc., in dozens of places now.
Nobu's best days were when they initially opened and offered food that no one else did. Most sushi places in town have now adapted and picked up enough of Nobu's menu that you can find black miso cod, creamy spicy shrimp, japalepno yellow tail, etc., in dozens of places now.
The best/worst thing about Nobu ND was the tight table spacing. Especially along the banquets. Couldn't get up to go to the bathroom without creating a stir. But, like most tight places in NYC, you'd be surprised of the genial nature of the guy/girl sitting next to you. I was with my wife once and she wanted to order the "boat" but I'm not a sushi eater and that was way too much, even for her. We ended up sharing it with the table next to us and they shared their wine. But I too prefer the scene at ND than trying to get into Nobu just to be seen.
Oh yeah, the table next to us was TV's Buffy and her husband.
Oh yeah, the table next to us was TV's Buffy and her husband.
Having over the years eaten at the original downtown location, the next door location, the midtown location, the miami location and the las vegas location, as a walk in, as an omakase eater at the sushi bar, with reservations, and as a VIP, I can say that this place does a good job of offering japanese new style food, decent sushi, and a great crowd/scene. Nothing you eat here is likely to be transcendent, and the service can vary wildly.
All that said, the 57 location was easily the worst of them. Bar is literally packed with young office suits and the chicks that follow them. They were attractive, but mob the place and make it impossible to get through. Tables are easy to come by because, as one of them explained to me, no one really goes there to eat, they go to drink downstairs at the bar.
All that said, the 57 location was easily the worst of them. Bar is literally packed with young office suits and the chicks that follow them. They were attractive, but mob the place and make it impossible to get through. Tables are easy to come by because, as one of them explained to me, no one really goes there to eat, they go to drink downstairs at the bar.