Rumors Debunked: Nobu Isn’t Closing (It’s ‘Thriving’)

The rumor mill of Newport Beach can swirl mightier than a big swell at The Wedge. (Remember when a car mysteriously crashed into Cassidy’s? Or when Ho Sum Bistro shut down for a while? Things happen, we talk.)

So, when people started saying Nobu was going to shut down, we had to investigate.

A high-end sushi retreat, Nobu boasts an innovative new style of Japanese cuisine showcased at 22 restaurants around the world, including one that opened April 2017 in Lido Marina Village, Newport Beach. Though the investors of the Nobu empire are well-known (hello, Robert De Niro), its epicurean emperor is undoubtedly Chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa, the creative force behind a menu ripe with experimentation in texture, flavor profiles and fresh-fish deliciousness.

Since unlocking its bold, wooden doors Nobu Newport Beach has been coveted by fashionistas and foodies alike, a mainstay for sushi-craving celebrities who traveled south from Los Angeles as well as locals looking for a chic happy hour option or Friday night waterfront watering hole.

The restaurant serves lunch, dinner and an extravagant Sunday brunch, plus Wagyu Whiskey Wednesdays and a happy hour that runs Monday through Thursday, 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. Nobu Newport Beach also recently debuted its Cocktail Omakase Season 2, available only at the Grand Cordon Bar, a wood-wrapped little romantic number tucked into one corner of the sweeping outdoor patio, which delights at nighttime with its glittering views of boats gliding across Newport Bay. The food and cocktail-pairing experience is only available by reservation, Monday through Thursday for $85 per person.

The expanded offerings certainly don’t point toward a Nobu Newport Beach closing anytime soon, and neither does community involvement by chef Nobu himself, who is included on the talent roster for the upcoming Newport Beach Wine & Food Festival.

In fact, here’s the final (and most convincing) evidence Nobu Newport Beach is in it for the long haul: According to Casper Khamphouy, general manager at Nobu Newport Beach since it opened, Nobu is “open and thriving.”