Is Nobu's Most Expensive Sushi Worth It?
The omakase menu option at chef Nobu Matsuhisa's namesake sushi restaurants runs nearly $200 per head. With locations in Beverly Hills, Aspen, and NYC, his restaurants count celebs like Justin Bieber and the Kardashian-Jenner clan. That's expensive, but it's by no means the most expensive sushi in the world, let alone New York. We set out to answer whether Nobu is worth the price and how does the quality of Chef Nobu's menu compare to an average New York City sushi restaurant?
CNBC Make It compared an average sushi joint in the city to Nobu, where Chef Nobu showed us his spin on his favorite cheap rolls, as well as some of the pricier options on his menu.
My wife and I eat sushi for dinner about once a month which I admit isn't necessarily a cheap habit. My usual order at Taro, our go-to place in Brooklyn, is the edomae chirashi bowl which costs $30. It has variety of ten pieces of fish from mackerel to toro (fatty tuna cut from the belly of the fish) and uni (sea urchin) served on a bed of rice and seaweed. I find it a perfect balance between price and value. Our bill usually comes in under $80, tip included.
We avoid the more expensive restaurants like Nobu Downtown where a single piece of toro costs $17. A similar cut costs $8.50 at Taro. And Nobu Downtown is by no means the most expensive sushi restaurant in New York, not even close.
Dinner at the Hinoki Counter at Sushi Noz in Manhattan consists of a 6-course tasting menu and a selection of nigiri, a single piece of fish served on rice, for $300 per person. The beverage pairing costs an additional $175 per person. A two-hour dinner at Masa costs $595 per person, not including beverages and tax. Thankfully, gratuity is not accepted. The check average at Nobu Downtown is $135.
» Subscribe to CNBC Make It.: cnb.cx/2kxl2rf
About CNBC Make It.: CNBC Make It. is a new section of CNBC dedicated to making you smarter about managing your business, career, and money.
Connect with CNBC Make It. Online
Get the latest updates: www.cnbc.com/make-it
Find CNBC Make It. on Facebook: cnb.cx/LikeCNBCMakeIt
Find CNBC Make It. on Twitter: cnb.cx/FollowCNBCMakeIt
Find CNBC Make It. on Instagram: bit.ly/InstagramCNBCMakeIt
#CNBC
#CNBCMakeIt
#Nobu
Is Nobu's Most Expensive Sushi Worth It?
The doubled price is justified because Chef Nobu eats the other half you are paying. 🤣
🤣 🤣 🤣
hahaha took the sushi right out of my mouth!!
lmao
Headbanger's Kitchen literally lol
You probably get all of it if you bought it, he invited them so its free
Journalist looks like he’s legit about to breakout into tears
Marlin for real lol
*GOOD* nigiri sushi done right will do that to you.
That's the power of free food
Hahaha i was thinking the same thing
thought he would burst in tears too! :D
Guy eats one piece Guy:what about the other piece Nobu: THIS ONE FOR ME.
Lmao
I bet you are readin "THIS ONE FOR ME" in NOBU's coarse accent
🤣
he eats the whole anime
@@brackpersian I'm a terrible person.
“Product is better” “Also this $300,000 Richard Mille isn’t gonna pay for itself”
its a hublot
@@willieaung no its not🤣
@@henkka3931 its the spirit of big bang
@@henkka3931 it actually is a Hublot
@@henkka3931 you’re joking yourself, it’s hublot spirit of big bang
While the lobster costs only $20 to source, the preparation is labor intensive Chef: Before boiling, I put the stick. It’s made in few minutes.
Bonkers Videos Experience pays
he's downplaying it.
@@aca9876 can hear your a real professional with tremendous insights.. Really wonder why you havent opened your own lobster restaurant yet.. 😂😂
Precisely
😂😂😂😂
So here's a $17 Food cost breakdown: 20% food cost 50% overhead 30% payment for Nobu's Richard Mille
100% reason to remember the name But for real, nobu was first and made himself a brand. It's sad when I see videos like these because you don't salt and citrus fish unless it can't shine on it's own. You don't put caviar on good uni just because... Nobu is the junior version of Daniel Boulud of NYC, first to come but they made a name so they're here to stay even though there's a good dozen spots that top them consistently. 2:00 Ladies and gentlemen, that's wholesale ginger that comes from a bucket.
@@stiltzy1534 why wouldnt caviar be good w uni
@@2darkdragon it's probably great but lacks balance, looks like a sundae to wow clients
@@stiltzy1534 eh kinda subjective
That's actually a Hublot Spirt and costs significantly less than a RM. But I get your gist
Nobu: High price means good quality and limited. Reality: High price means crazy LA rent.
High price = high rent anywhere in the world
I PROMISE YOU, he is someone cousin, or son from high up in NBC. There's no way he got this gig on talent, skill, or looks.
He’s embarrassing. I feel bad for Chef Nobu
He looks like he is on a binder
😂
Quite mean and baseless, don't you think?
lol no, of course Nobu wants to be on TV it’s called marketing
Why the host always throw is head back while eating the sushi like he’s taking a shot?
so it dont drip on you while ur putting it in
big boy gustav but the sauce is
Cuz he got used to make shots rather than eat sushi I guess
icantwithchant looool
Yeah, he was talking $17 per shot/ per sushi
He gets invited to a personal meal with Nobu himself, treats him to lunch, than tells everyone to eat other sushi because theres no difference lol
He's just saying to eat the cheaper sushi at the expensive places like nobu because the care put into the 17$ piece and the 3$ piece are the same
and also that you'll still be hungry after $50 spent
@@SurfMastery-kz6je 16 cheap ones should be a good enough meal lol but if we're including tax and tip, you'd have to have like 13.
@@bsarioz the point is, unless you're pretty well off, its not really worth the price. You can easily have a pretty good meal for 30-50$ at most places. Its not worth it to pay 100$+ on a single meal unless you have a solid amount of disposable income. Basically this stuff is pretty much just for wealthier people and not worth the cost for anyone else. Maybe as a ONE time experience to see how it taste, but otherwise its just not worth it.
I thought the same thing, would have been super disrespectful. But after listening to the end a few times, I finally realized he's saying just eat the cheap sushi at Nobu.
Tiny piece of lobster tail = $3 **Ram a stick up the lobster's tail** Nobu: It is now $10.
I think its about the overall preparation and not just the lobster, but yea sort of overpriced
Like watching a penguin eat in front of the zoo keeper.
$17 a piece to pay for Nobo’s Richard Mille
Literally what I thought 😂
Its hublot anyway
lisa attan that’s an RM
Tuanicular google it’s a Hublot sprit of Big Bang.
@@apt62 correct, he probably got it for free because Hublot are publicity whores, cant imagine him buying a RM on his own.
Nobu is a place you spend $200 to eat just to go eat somewhere else because you're still hungry.
Sebastian Vertoua have you ever eaten at nobu?
@daAnder71 Maybe it depends on the person but usually it takes 12-13 pieces of sushi for me and people I know to get full. And 10 x 17 is $170. So yeah your spending almost $200 dollars to get full.
I always hungry after sushi meals
@@riotants4018 $10 per shushi ?! That is laughable. 13 sushi peices is just snack. Lol
Nobu’s prices are justified…sourcing and importing takes into affect the price of his product
See the Richard Mille on his wrist? That’s what you’re paying for 😂🤣🤣
Exactly! hello watch person ;)
I don’t know enough about watches but I know enough to the point where I know that’s an expensive watch
@@seankim184 its the price of a really really nice car
I think it is a Hublot spirit of Big Bang
Eating 1 on 1 with a chef like this seems like the ultimate culinary experience.
The interviewer eats like those pelicans you see that throws their head back when they eat.
LMAOOOOO
😁🤣🤣
Lool
Yeah! Could use some composure!
you’re never getting invited back for what you said at the end 😅😂
Why , What's wrong with what he said
I think he phrased himself poorly and caused confusion. He didn't mean "pick a cheaper restaurant". He meant that if you want to experience the high-end quality of Nobu but not spend a ton of money, pick their cheaper options on the menu because the quality is just as good.
@@potatomuzik you are delusional
@@rolandkennedy80 wtf, why?
@@potatomuzik you are literally crazy
How else is he going to pay for the Richard Mille on his wrist.
Hublot spirit of big bang ✌️
Every Japanese person I know laughs at sushi from the United States. They laugh at the preparation. They laugh at the price point. Sushi is very affordable in Japan...even the expensive sushi.
Well yeah I guess that would be true because in Japan it’s would probably be a lot easier to source fresh fish and source the correct ingredients
there is no cost of transporting fish from Japan to the States. And there is more expertise available at hand to prepare good sushi.
tell that to all those crazy 8 seater omakase restaurants in japan XD
Overfishing helps lower costs significantly. Fish is way too expensive in the U.S.
Haha yeah you can get toro for 3 bucks in japan
We all see what you're doing... kudos for having the balls to pitch a story idea that lets you expense a meal at Nobu. Can't wait to see what you come up with next... Is having a super model girlfriend as good as you think it'll be?
Nobu invited them to dine there, so it would have been free anyway.
Lmfao omg
I went thru a few of those supermodel girlfriends.. Not all it's cranked up to be...
You're kidding ?
VRBL !NSLT Lmao sure you did virgin
I cringe when he says edomae & Hokkaido 😅 I worked at Nobu & there's several restaurants that use the same fish suppliers around town. There's literally no fish that's labeled "sushi quality." A true sushi chef & connoisseur will realize freshest isn't exactly the best. Fish is equivalent to steak & the best flavors come out when carefully aged. Nobu utilizes super freezers which enables them to provide a longer shelf life & maintain quality control throughout the week. The answer is basically you pay more for the name/decor than the quality itself. Plus no fuck way kinmedai is $3 a piece literally anywhere
could you recommend any more reasonably priced sushi restaurants in LA?
Anthony it’s worth it. Masteros, not so much. I prefer Houston’s
forreal, i eat at nobu about once a month with friends. I always find that the fish does not taste fresh and sometimes even leads to stomach issues right after eating.
Alec G so Houston’s is better than mastros??
Stay Positive well, better is hard to deceive. Only go to masteros if you have an actually party. They have an Alaskan King Crab Gnocchi which is amazing. But steak and price wise, Houston’s does the job and you won’t feel as bad about yourself
This is a hot take apparently but I enjoyed the journalists genuine enthusiasm and respect for the chef. He was nervous to be around a legend but made sure to still say please and thank you and compliment his dish. But he wasn’t going to let that cool chef deter his opinion also, he gave honest good advice.
Went to Matsuhisa in 1990 on my honeymoon and have been going to his restaurants as much as I can for years since. Love them all!!!!
To anyone that hasn’t been to Nobu I highly recommend going at least once in your life. It’s an experience like no other! I use to not like sushi but once I tried Nobu it changed my opinion about sushi.
you should travel to japan, he is just famous, but not the best
I agree, but the sushi isn’t their only good food they have some amazing dishes
What did you order?
@@Sampsonlam_ramble_life sushi is just not that great in America so he stands out. Americans generally choose volume over quality so if you don't follow that trend, it's hard to survive. But the fish used is lower quality, the chefs are not trained to the same degree. Most rice is not even apprentice level in Japan.
A chef who is wearing Richard Mille, I can already tell how expensive his sushi is.
Kai Lin It’s a hublot spirit of Big Bang with the alligator strap. Around $30,000 used.
You seldom See videos like this. Gotta say this guy has done fantastic job. Really good video 👍
Journalist’s first bite: I want you use my words carefully rather than saying that’s so gewd! Two minutes later: tHat’S tHE bEsT tHinG i’Ve eVeR eAteN!
The preparation is so intensive... * Boil in water for 2 mins*
Hari S honestly it takes more preparations for it. The lobster was boiled for 2 minutes then it need to be chilled in ice water and have to be de-shell after that. The de-shelling part is the most difficult part
:)
@@hannachung97 woow .. that is sooooooooooooooooooooo hard and labor intensive .. smh
I AM SURE try de-shelling 100+ crab claws yourself. Make sure the meats are connected and not flaky :)
I AM SURE oh and finish it in 1 hour max.
Price is justified because of the shark skin grater hahaha
It’s kinda famous to use shark skin grater in Japan. You can get it around 15$!
Will Monster y’all realize the price of real wasabi is so much more expensive not the grater
because of the 4000 dollar 10 pound tuna .
casually wearing a Richard Mille while making sushi, this chef ballin
Ate there a few times I enjoy the food and the experience. If you’re worried about the cost or not financially able to it’s not worth the money. Their plates are small so you’re suppose to order a variety of plates so it’s easily $100-200 a person.
I live in Japan and an amazing 12 piece sushi set here that crushes anything in the States would be about $15-20. You can go to places in tsukiji for lunch and go to $40 for the best sushi you've ever tasted.
I’ve been to Japan 🇯🇵 and what your saying is absolutely true.
@Kin Kan well dont just go for the sushi and then it will be a worthwhile addition to the trip
In my personal experience i honestly thought that this did not matter, however after tasting a high price tuna sushi i can honestly say that the flavor is far different compared to the cheaper ones. It tasted better (it felt more like an actual fish than meat) the texture was smooth and the sweetness of the fish mixed with the salty soysauce was out of this world
i'd be mad anxious with Nobu standing across from me, waiting for my reaction to each piece.
I ate at Nobu at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. It is far and away the best sushi I have ever tasted. Unbelievable.
2:52 I’ve never seen anybody eat sushi like that before... gave me goosebumps
Super cringe.
I never new justin Timberlake liked sushi
looks like the non famous cousin
Bearly got that in the last 2 minutes lol
Who cares 😕 ?
leprechaun gaming what u mean he don’t look at his face LOL
@Erik allan THANK YOU!
Sushi is one of those gifts to our palate that are worth spending on, provided the Chef is a real good one and the ingredients too. There are many expensive places that are just expensive but not different from comon ones.
“I do one bite too” 😭🖤
Food is about culture and it also tries the restaurant owner's conscience when it comes to raw food. Great food does not have to have a high price tag.
Nobu is a treat. We splurge a few times a year for it. There's also great sushi places for 1/4 the price.
It’s simple, you’re paying for food quality, ingredients/sourcing, creativity, labour/preparation, and the overall ambiance/experience at a place like Nobu. You can’t replicate that with your basic $30 sushi bowl you can get in a food court.
Your face while eating that toro nigiri is everything. Im convinced to pay the 17 bucks a piece 😆
In Japan you won’t see a sushi chef wearing a watch while making sushi... and 17USD for a piece of otoro from a farmed tuna? Give me a break
I bet american customers look at the watch and like 'oh that's why sushi is so good"
Yeah 'farmed' is not good
I mean he's the owner he prob just wore the watch for the video, I doubt he wears his watch all day making sushi.
Chef: what would you like? Me: just one golden eye snapper please.
At the place where I live you can get 2 one foot burritos for same amount of price as the golden eye snapper..
I'll would just get the uni cup n ask for check
@@marwan1521 depends upon what you want to consume.
Your normal sushi order looks already fancier than any sushi I usually get. I'd be happy with that xD
I’ve been gotten toro at a cheaper restaurant, but I was utterly disappointed. At Nobu, I got toro tartare, and my mind was blown away by the flavor.
I went to a place in LA. Seaweed handroll bar. I spent around 120 in total and I told them I would come here more often if it wasn’t so expensive. And they told me that they are affordable and cheaper than their competitors. I paid 17 for 2 pieces of toro and 35 for 2 pieces of a5 wagyu beef sushi. Both of those were the best things I’ve eaten. But they did have hand rolls that were way more affordable but I didn’t get that. And a wild mushroom miso soup that was to die for! Definitely want to go back when I have extra money to splurge on a meal
Speaking as someone who works in a high end sushi restaurant. None of y’all know what you’re talking about 😂
Capt Calder and the Breefcase the people in the video or the commentators
I’ve eaten at Nobu a dozen times and there are a lot more better sushi restaurants out there
GiuseppeM Have any suggestions for LA?
Dougtube Try Ajisai in West Hollywood, very small place need to make a reservation
Hey, someone's got to wash the dishes right?
Thank you for video 😍😍💜 I love it
People don’t understand you’re not paying for 5 minutes of work but his ability to do it in 5 minutes... truly amazing
And the 40+ years of experience
This also 10 dollar for a lobster nigiri that’s about how it it is at any sushi restaurant in charlotte and the yellowtail is even cheaper then all places here
Ah, a restaurant owner wearing a $500,000+ Richard Mille. We must be paying for quality and rarity.
katalysis its a hublot.
Yong Xiang it’s a richard Mille
@@alexuemura2353 it's a hublot spirit of big bang. Notice the 6 screws where as richard mille has lore than 6 screws.
It's a 30k Hublot. Not even close to RM
jae root hublot spirit of big bang white ceramic
So funny how the interviewer eats...its like he is just forcing himself to eat the sushi
The doubled price shushi is for affording the Richard Mille he’s wearing.
It's a poor mans Richard Mille, aka a hulbot spirit of the big bang haha
@@jalico3161 which is saying much because Richard mille itself is crap
Nobu is eating with him because he missed lunch😂
Can you guys sub to me 🙏 thanks
When u see the toro on the image that says $17, dollars. That O-toro. Thats literally the premium tuna belly cut. The half the price is most likely chu-toro, the most common toro, or medium grade belly tuna. The taste difference is huge. O-toro tuna literally taste like bacon but with tuna fat instead of pig.
lol, even in tokyo japan don't charge 17 dollars for one fatty tuna.
Yup I'm in Washington state there fish prices are a joke I can get 5 pounds of tuna for that price caught that morning
@@urmondaymorinin9838 so you contradict yourself most specie's of tuna have one albacore definitely does it doest even make it to market here if you want toro you have to go to a sushi place or straight to the dock
@@yakamarezlife Japanese wild tuna are much better quality, it is a bigger fish with more fat. American tuna is a lot different. But he used tuna from Spain, so i am not sure lol
@@tnductai the Japanese have no wild tuna from overfishing most of it imported from the us and Canada and Spain and Europe
NewbieLam he didnt specify what kind of toro it is. Plus its also imported from spain so not local. It could also be a rare type of tuna thats dying out like blue fin tuna. He said one entire fish he they sell is around $4000 and only 4 lbs of it can be used as toro
@5:24 cameraman must be an unpaid intern
Como suhiman eu fico maravilhado ao ver um mestre trabalhando ! É quase como se fosse mágica !
I’ve eaten at two different locations, and I luckily wasn’t the one paying. While the food was good, it definitely was not worth the price tag. For four of us, it came out to almost $2k. The highlight of the night for me was seeing Patrick Stewart hah. I think there are much better sushi places out there that aren’t as expensive
Celebs are reading the menu by the price! As more expensive, as better it must be.
You know you made it as sushi chef when your preparing the fish with a Richard Mille watch...
“The preparation is labor intensive.” The labor: “Before boil, I put the stick. It’s made in few minutes”
I love Nobu. My first experience was in Nobu Bev Hills. Never had food that drove my body to secrete dopamine and serotonin before - I came to the realization that good food is a drug for the soul. Not to mention, a big shout out to the godfather of miso basted cod!
That piece toro looks amazing, definitely worth it
Eating the more exotic stuff at places like Nobu is a novelty. You’re not supposed to fill yourself with toro, you’d feel unwell if you tried. Stuff like that is a side dish to other mains on their menu.
I really love true unbiased opinions
I don’t know if it’s as much about the price as finding a place that actually uses high-quality fresh ingredients, Because I’ve had four dollar rolls that were completely amazing and then some $12 rolls that work complete garbage
The fact that you're eating rolls says it all.
Daniel T Well some people aren’t going to spend 30 bucks on one piece of sushi
True
Looks great and would love to try but really .... a shark skin grater.. was that left over from a sharks fin soup or was it killed for the grater alone? Microplane graters have no feelings.
Nobu is one of my favorite restaurants. I eat here once a year as a treat. The trick is to go alone so you can enjoy what you order without having to share bc the portions are small. BTW...the Toro with Cavier is the best thing I have ever put in mouth.
You go to restaurants alone… why. Going to restaurants is part of talking to your friends, or networking
@@torresthemonster Yes. I go to restaurants alone sometimes. And sometimes I go with friends or family.
@@MookiePookieDookie Why don't u order double and split it if your with a friend
@@mtysky7279 Unfortunately, my friends don't have the palet or disposable income like me to enjoy luxury fine dining. The one time I went with my girlfriends, they all complained about the portion sizes and cost and blamed me for their unpleasant dining experience. Therefore, I go alone now and enjoy my me time. I usually pair this with a day at the spa or a day of retail therapy😉
I feel like he has mastered the art of "fake it till you make it"
this guys voice has me dead every time
Nobu's expensive sushi is only worth it because people are willing to pay for it. Just like the resort fees when you stay at Las Vegas. It's worth it because people are still paying for it eventhough they never use it.
It sounds like you’ve never had good sushi or care about sushi. Las Vegas reference instant rip off. Peaceeee
@@arrangearrange nope. I've been to tokyo numerous times and eating at some of the very best sushi restaurants there. So i know what i'm talking about.
Ж right on my man sorry
200$ for an omakase is not expensive for the quality of fish you are getting. I would guess the profit margins are practically non-existent at that point. Any cheaper and it would almost have me worried. Compare it to other high end sushi restaurants in Japan where the omakase menu is about 300$ or Masa omakase in NYC that is 600$
I've been to Japan as well and unless you go to the fish market early in the morning (most of the time they only let Japanese people in), then you won't find that quality fish for the price.
The reporter is really killing me tilting his backwards and shoving the thing up his mouth. Look how the chef is eating it.
When something is so much more expensive than the same product at another location, it’s usually rent related.
Good idea had the journalist when he convinced its company to do this video
the journalists got invited. they said it at the start of the video.
@@runawayspringroll5288 so he didn't even had to do nothing...how lucky ;)
That was 1 long boring ad. Is it worth it? No. Its over-priced, but NBC isn't gonna say that. Great journalism.
He managed to open 40 restaurants that are all doing very well. Looks like the thousands of customers that eat at his restaurants would disagree with you
This video should be titled “white guy who knows nothing about sushi gets free lunch while making wild speculations”
Hahahaha
If I were to go to Nobu which means visiting the US I probably would make sure to bring enough to enjoy Chef Nobu’s master pieces. And Uni or Kina in my Country is my favourite as is CrayFish (lobsters relation)
There’s a lot here about the origin of ingredients ...but not much about distinguishing the taste between a less expensive Sushi vs top dollar. At the end of the day, it comes down to did I like the taste of what I ate and was it more than worth it. I think you pay more for brand noterietay and ambiance and not necessarily taste. As long my Sushi is fresh, prepared with care, and in a clean restaurant - I’m more than fine paying less. Value over glitz.
NObu is the thing 10 years ago, it must be struggling now to want to appear in a CNBC ad
Good job. It's refreshing to hear a diner talk money.
2:50 That one grain of rice he dropped was worth $1
Oh.... so this is an ad for Nobu. Thanks.
I work in a sushi restaurant and i prepare and clean uni a day which cost around 40$ a good 1 hour of work and i produce 500$ worth of uni and i am paid 11$ an hour in that restaurant.
Nobu is truly amazing
RM watch added value to the sushi as well. The host almost crying😂
He sure flex with that watch
THIS DUDE needs to be a little more professional. And why does he move his head back like that when he eats a piece as if he’s taking a shot of tequila
Because food will fall? Plenty of Japanese eat like that.
@@thastayapongsak4422 he's talking about the interviewer..
@@thastayapongsak4422 lol watch the footage first the chef isn't doing it the American is
Well, to be fair he was never going to say anything other than praise
Yeah I agree, kinda boring when they taste in front of the chef because they will never actually say it’s bad if they really think that
Seeing nobu wearing minas designs bracelets make me so proud
It is worth the money when I eat it, but not when I pay for it.
That's pretty accurate. In a way, it makes no sense to put a price tag on a feeling, so you end up with this ambivalent feeling.
His favorite words are" That's why, itsa so expensive" lol
nice bit of casual racism
@@LJTofficial usually when people are asked why they call something racist they ignore or don't have an answer. Let's see if you're any different. Why is it rascist?
His reaction to the Toro convinced me.
“I don’t wanna say OMG it’s so good hahaha”…. *2 minutes later in the video…* “OMG it’s so good hahaha”
Had Omakase dinner with my wife at Matsuhisa in BH. Spent $700 with tips and drinks. The best thing was not just the food but the chance meeting with Nobu himself and a great photo op?
5:25 when u have already achieved ur life goals, u start teaching the secrets.
I've never seen a chef wearing an RM. Respect
Yes Nobu is definitely worth it! Went to Nobu Sydney and omg i want to keep going back