Nobu Hiro

Menu

Nobu Hiro offers a lunchtime sushi buffet from 11am to 2:30pm; Monday-Thursday it's $9.99, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Holidays it's $10.99. Their dinner buffet is $14.99 ($13.99 from 4:30pm-5:30pm).

Nobu has drastically improved their selection (now having similar variety to Fuji's). For the dinner buffet they added fried oysters, salmon teriyaki, tempura, gyoza, several hand rolls (including unagi and spicy salmon), fried bananas, smoked salmon nigiri, Hawaii roll, red rose roll, vegetable tempura roll, Sacramento King's roll, and rainbow roll, along with all their old favorites. In addition you may now order Sashimi (4 piece maximum, tuna, salmon, albacore, mackerel or yellow tail) and the pieces are very thick.

During lunch they serve tempura, chicken katsu, edamame and noodles at a table in the back corner, if you get tired of eating only sushi. They also have several specialty sushi rolls with cooked tempura batter in them.

Unfortunately Nobu Hiro was featured on channel 3's expose on sushi restaurants who do not serve the species of fish they advertise. Nobu's snapper nigiri was genetically analyzed to be tiliapia, a closely related fish that is at a minimum one sixth the price of red snapper. Red snapper is actually over fished, and some might argue that restaurants should not be serving this item anyway, due to the ecological consequences. However, if you want to avoid this trickery at a buffet you are out of luck, Fuji Chef was also caught doing the same. In fact, out of the eight sushi restaurants tested in Sacramento and Davis, Mikuni was the only one that actually gave red snapper.

Many people tend to agree that it is the freshest sushi buffet in Davis. The main attraction, which contributes to the perceived freshness, is that you order from their buffet menu directly to the sushi chef (or to the waitress if you are at a table). In addition, when it's busy, they'll also come around with plates of sushi like a dim sum place. However, a common theme of complaints over the years of reviews is related to service, ranging from slow and poor to outright rudeness. One waitress has even been dubbed and referred to several times as the "Sushi Nazi," a name given in reference to the "Soup Nazi" from an episode of Seinfeld, a tv sitcom.

Nobu Hiro was originally named Sushi Nobu, and many people still call it by this name. They had to rename shortly after opening due to a lawsuit from a restaurant of the same name in New York. Their advertisement has the word sushi over "Nobu", but both their menu and business card clearly state their name as being "NOBU HIRO Japanese Restaurant". Their advertisements still (as of 2005-09-30) say "Sushi Nobu" though. Visa and Mastercard accepted.

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• Reviews from 2005 ~ 20 comments.
  

• Reviews from 2006 ~ 26 comments.
  

• Reviews from 2007 ~ 38 comments.

2008-01-12 13:12:50   I went for a weekend lunch buffet and it was pretty busy but there wasn't any wait. The waitresses all seemed friendly enough, and the food was definitely on par with Fuji's, which is fine for me. The nigiri did have a good deal of rice, but, again, no more than Fuji. Having the sushi come by "dim sum" style is really great! There was plenty of variety and they seemed happy to bring anything else on the menu that wasn't already coming around. I'd definitely go back. —JonathanLawton

2008-03-10 20:56:20   The best all-you-can eat nigiri in Davis. I usually have 5 or 6 plates of Mackerel nigiri, it's fresh and good. I'll never go to Jusco again. —WilliamBeamish

2008-03-16 19:15:34   The sushi was good but the staff there can be very cold and unfriendly. —AlexN

2008-03-20 13:50:21   Definitely the best sushi place in Davis but there are MUCH MUCH better places in Sacramento (Nishiki Sushi!). Staff has always been friendly towards me from the sushi chefs all the way down to the waitresses. The lunch buffet is a good value but the dinner buffet is overpriced, especially since they only add a few things different then the lunch menu. Highly recommend the place if you're in a sushi mood and don't want to drive to Sacramento! —EvilHomer

2008-03-23 18:20:45   I go for their nigiri (which is way better than Fuji's). The rolls aren't so great (they add wayyy too much rice). —EmilyTung

2008-03-31 17:56:08   I've been here a few times and the sushi was okay. For the price, it was great. I never noticed the staff being rude in any way but then again people have pointed out that they are rude to asians. Coming from someone who has been in the food industry for several years just know that there are huge stereotypes when it comes to customers. Sad but true. I will be stereotyped if I go out with other girls (large girl parties give bad tips) and believe me everyone else will be stereotyped too. They may just be going by that and not trying to impress people just because they are white. —rebeccap

2008-04-06 18:06:40   It was a bit expensive especially since you're not allowed to waste any of the rice. I thought the service was pretty good though. They frequently ask if you want anything and they have a fresh selection of sashimi. —feichu-huya

2008-04-11 16:33:33   Very good quality considering that it's a 10 dollar buffet, but the selection is rather small. The rolls are tasty, but a little plain. The service can be pretty bad when they're busy, however. You'll be treated a little better if you get a bar seat, but even then some orders may never come. However, it's fine if you go in on a slower day - mainly the weekdays for lunch. In short, the quality is great, the selection is limited, and the service ranges from "okay" to "terrible." —BrandonWong

2008-04-15 00:14:58   I love this sushi place, the fish is so fresh, the sake is best. They add more roll on their menu, like dragon roll/ roll 69/red rose roll , they are pretty Good come here once a week , and i feel so lucky the sushi buffet cost you only $10 , as you know today every thing cost you more ,gasoline, food , fish, rice, and vegetables. they still did not increase the price, don't you feel lucky ? what more you can ask for ? I talked to a waitress worked here last Friday, I asked her" why so many customers feel sad about your bad services, and 90% people think your sushi is best, because i read many reviews on Davis wiki ?" she honor-sly told me " because our sushi buffet are different from Fuji's, they put everything on the sushi boat, and customers pick up everything they like by themselves , they don't have a menu for buffet ,so they don't need any services , you help yourself .at Nobu we are working 10 times harder than Fuji's waitress , because our all sushi made fresh, that's why you taste fish more fresher, i carried two tray's sushi bring to the every table and ask them what-else they want and have to remember everything they asked, then call the sushi chef to make it,then bring back to them. when busy lunch on weekend i can't remember so many orders at once and which sushi goes to which table, i already do my best, sometimes i bring the different sushi they ordered to the same table for 20 times ,maybe i missed one kind sushi they ordered, then they got really mad of me, at the end they don't tip me and said your services are sucks.sometime i feel my arm almost broke because of carrying of sushi for 3 hours. if you are in my position , do you want smile to a guy who ordered many times and you bring sushi to him for 10 times ,and he never tip you, what do you think ,i make tips for living .but most customers are very nice and friendly in davis." i told her i understand, and feel very sorry to hear this story which i never know, what a experience. —bob25

2008-04-17 00:05:31   I just wanted to add another blurb to the review I made above, the nigiri here is easily the best out of the three buffets and rivals some of the nigiri I've ordered at actual restaurants. If it were served colder, it would be incredible. As a huge fan of salmon nigiri, Nobu's is easily my sushi buffet of choice in Davis. —BrandonWong

2008-05-05 08:38:24   Good price. I love their Alaska roll, the waitress was extremely rude though. My husband and myself have a small child and when I ordered tea she refused to serve it to me because I had a small child. WTF? Who is the parent? Either way the food is good and at a good price but don't expect too much from the waitresses there. —miles001

2008-05-25 18:37:30   Yes, the Sushi Nazi exists, and she is a ridiculously horrible waitress. I took my family there (dad, mom, and sister) for the lunch buffet and had the misfortune to sit at a table. She basically threw plates at us, letting them clatter down as she passed them and wouldn't even look at us when she was giving us our orders. Its the same attitude people give when they pass by homeless people on the street. My dad was sitting at the edge of the table and I saw him almost drop a plate because of the way she tossed it. At this time the customers in the restaurant were all Asian.

5 minutes later, a white couple came in and she had a total personality change; she paid so much attention to them, laughing and interacting with them. The waitress definitely did not already know them because she was asking their names. Maybe it was because of this couple, but she passed out plates to us more nicely, yet continued to not look at us.

That was my worst experience, but Nobu is pretty decent. I've sat at the counter many times and the sushi chefs there are really nice. They pay attention to everyone at the counter and are pretty fast with the orders. Its actually really weird that they have 4 guys behind the counter and 1 waitress to get all of the other tables. Nobu would work way better if they had more waiters going around tables (preferably one of the 4 people at the counter). I will always spend my money here rather than on Fuji's because, in terms of sushi, Nobu is way better. Fuji's has the random non-sushi stuff down like soft shelled crab, but come to Nobu for the rolls.

Definitely get the alaska roll, its my favorite. —JonathanChee

2008-06-19 00:24:14   i came back sushi nobu yesterday for dinner, it is great and i feel so lucky they iust changed their dinner buffet menw, they add a lot of stuff on their menw,even sashimi (tuna or salmon or saba or hamachi or albacore)4pc only, i still happy because the nobu has the best fish in davis, they never serve sashimi in their buffet menw before. and they add free apptizers like gyoza, fried oyster, salmon teriyaki, mixed tempura, also some more special rolls like sacramento king roll , rainbow roll , hawaii roll . everything taste great, but i still like their salmon best , i ordered the 4pc salmon sashimi and the new rolls ,it is worth for this new price,(early bird 4:30 pm-5:30pm only $13.95. 5:30pm -9:00pm only $14.95 everyday, even fridy night ) over 50 item in their new menw, the servise is not that bad like other people said, sometime it is great. i tried the new restaurant called davis sushi bufft (name little funny) on 2nd st a few days ago , food is ok ,i just feel like it is a copy of another fuji chef, nothing new, not like sushi nobu they doing their own styles. —bob25

2008-06-26 21:01:16   Love the new menu. Im never going back to fuji or Davis sushi buffet again. Now i can get sashimi and fried oysters along with their always freshest fish of the buffets. I actually think they have MORE variety than fujis now. If you like to stuff yourself for dinner benefit from the early bird deal and save yourself a dollar (you will still be full by the time you go to bed). —MattHh

2008-07-11 01:51:29   This is a great and nice japanese restaurant, I came here last week for dinner , I orderd fesh oyster (goose point), 7 pc sashimi and shrimp tempura as appetizer , also we odered two rolls later one Graduation roll& one mace roll, the food is excelent and fish is freshest i never had. so last night i came back here with my friend tina, we saw some students eating dinner buffet at bar, we decided to try the buffet and surprise us , there are so many items in the menu , include sashimi(thick), free apptizers , nigiri, special rolls and miso soup, such good deal only for $14.95 (early bird $13,95 from 4:30pm to 5:30pm), I tried many sushi buffet restaurant , sushi nobu 's fish is the best you can get for sushi buffet and all rolls are tasty, service is ok for a waitress handel 20 peoples at a time (she was working hard) but food is great, we give the restaurant A+ , personaly , i highly recomend this place for both regular dining or sushi buffet. —david49

2008-07-12 01:45:11   Definitely the best fish for sushi buffet,location is a little far from downtown , But the quality is worth to try,i think this is the best sushi place in Davis.nice server , great sushi chef, and the price is cheaper than others. —susan3939

2008-08-16 00:33:37   the best sushi in town, their sushi buffet get much better than before,the quality of the fish more important to me, i love this place for sure . good , very good sushi and good price. —helenaaaab

2008-09-08 19:50:03   the salmon is the best here , very good food and sushi . —joooooy

2008-10-08 18:37:38   The sushi served here at Nobu's is actually fairly fresh and tasty. If you are a simple sushi eater, then this place is definitely for you. If you are looking for some gourmet sushi, this isn't the right place. However, service has been great recently and the sushi has not failed to satisfy yet. —SprawlNBrawl

2008-10-14 21:16:43   Yeah I've been to this place. The sushi is so-so, but relatively speaking it's okay for it's price. The atmosphere might turn you off though. The Sushi Nazi walks around with plates of sushi that people just take off her arms. I suppose this is their version of the conveyor boats at Fuji's. Don't mind her little angry shouts and her grumpy hard exterior, deep down she's just a regular person. I didn't mind her but I assume people who are delicate might. In terms of food, it's alright, but Fuji's has more variety and presentation. You ask for a spider roll in Fuji's and they'll give you an artistic looking entire roll with sauce drawn on it, and you ask for the same in Nobu's and you'll get just four pieces on a little plate.

PS: I'll upload a picture of the Sushi Nazi soon enough. —polites

2008-10-15 01:22:34   i don't care other people how to say bad words to this place, i just love this restaurant and come here twice a week since 2006, i like their sushi and nice sushi chef, i have never had bad experience with server, she brought all the different plate sushi to my table , and always ask me want something else , not like other buffet you have to watting in line to grab a plate sushi, you serve yourself ,at nobu you pay buffet price and got regular dinning restaurant services , they bring everything to you what more you can ask for ? that's why i always tip them good . in my opinion, nobu made big mistake , for sushi buffet, they should put all the sushi on the sushi bar or on the table, customers can pick up by themself , so the server don't have to carry all the sushi to every table, customers will have no more complaint about the services. —polo

2008-10-19 19:48:10   For Davis, this is pretty good sushi. Other reviews said that the service was lacking, which made me and my group of friends hesitant to go. However, we experienced amazing service. We weren't even all sitting down and there was a platter of sushi in front of us. I have yet to sit at the bar. —BStitt

2008-12-13 14:51:58   I went to this place because of the good reviews here. As a Japanese and a sushi fan, I was very disappointed about the freshness and the quality of the fish even after considering the relatively affordable price. Salmon was ok, but tuna, hamachi, and unagi were not very good. Ebi(shrimp) was worst in my life and smelled so badly that my wife could not finish. Combined with the lack of service, it was one of my worst sushi dining experiences in the U.S. —Tomo

2008-12-21 20:21:52   I am Japanese too,i come here pretty offen, the quality of fish here is pretty good for all you can eat sushi, i like the salmon, hamachi, saba, and the special rolls are good too,i give them B+ . i am not agree with the guy who talk bad words above, if you don't like a person which you met , you can't judge or say so bad words to him, somebodyelse do like him .sorry i still come to nobu once a while, a lot people do too, because of their good food, sometimes, they are very busy, services might be sucks, but it can be ignored, i still love this place . —yukisan

• 2008-12-23 21:23:49   I did not say anything bad to anyone due to my personal feeling. I simply expressed my opinion about the quality of the food they provide, and I am not the only one who complained about the freshness of the fish. —Tomo

2009-02-09 01:14:58   VERY GOOD SUSHI BUFFET, SASHIMI IS FRESH AND DELICIOUS.THIS IS MY FIRST TIME AND I'LL BE BACK SOON. —william55

2009-02-10 10:41:38   Gross gross gross. Don't go to the lunch buffet. The food sits out and gets warm. The selection leaves much to be desired. The last time I went, I couldn't make it through 2 rolls. Just too unappetizing. —HannahReff

2009-02-10 15:43:37   They stopped doing the buffet and now make the lunchtime sushi to order. —JimStewart

2009-03-03 23:32:15   the quality of the sushi is good at sushi nobu, they add more item to their buffet menu, even the sashimi, i remember last year they don not have the sashimi on the buffet menu, but now you can order all sashimi for lunch or dinner buffet, the fish is fresh, it is my favour part.and the speciality rolls are nice like rgular dinner style, big change, i like it very much.for sushi buffet this is the good place to go . —jacklu

2009-04-02 13:43:12   Just called to confirm. Lunchtime buffet is still on. —ilswtlidie

2009-04-14 08:26:06   I just ate at this place last week, it's definitely 2-3x better than other sushi buffet restaurants. The roll tastes slightly better. BUT.THE.SALMON. is 100000x more delicious: it just melts in your mouth and by looking at it you know it has significantly lot more fat it's just..beautiful. and delicious. It's definitely the best salmon in Davis/Sac for its price. YOU WILL LOVE this place if you are a salmon lover, and even if you're just a casual sushi eater you will still love this place. And it's really great since they serve these salmon sashimi (and other sashimi) as buffet too! For the roll, I would recommend alaska roll as my first choice. OH BTW, VERY RECOMMENDED: SPICY SALMON HAND ROLL, VERY delicious for those salmon lovers. No, there is simply NO better hand roll than this, anywhere in Davis (or even North California? =p) for this price. Be careful though it's a bit spicy, so if you're not used to spicy stuff, you can ask the chef to reduce the amount of spicy sauce so it wont be as spicy.
Price is 10.99 lunch, I think it's cheaper than other sushi buffet rest so its a really good deal.
—chloroph

2009-05-10 15:16:58   Mediocre sushi, but slightly lower prices. The Sashimi seems fresh, more fresh than some of the sushi buffets but I wasn't so fond of their Ikura or Lion King Roll(It was a little bland). The salad that came with the lunch plate didn't seem very fresh though, I ended up not eating it. I tend to use this place as a backup for when I'm lower on cash and really want sushi or when the restaurants I like more are closed. —Michelleshueh

2009-07-22 15:42:30   I'm not a huge sushi fan, but my girlfriend is...we went there for lunch yesterday & I ordered the steak & mixed tempura plate...the steak was meh (kind of tough) but the ginger sauce it came with was very good & made up for it. the white rice was what I expected, but I was a little disappointed that the mixed tempura had one piece of shrimp & a bunch of vegetables...i guess I should have asked for them to specify what "mixed" meant. —mychalestrada

2009-07-24 02:03:02   I did not enjoy the buffet here. The food was not fresh and some of the buffet had been sitting out for God knows how many hours. It was also too small and crowded. People kept bumping into us and each other. To top it off, the staff wasn't very friendly. I prefer the Davis Sushi Buffet Restaurant! —sm0729

2009-07-27 23:58:06   I had sushi buffet at nobu today, the sashimi are realy good and the salmon is the best here,the rolls are made fresh and taste good.both my friend and me are agreed to come back here again. —GINGER3969

2009-08-15 21:35:01   Great food, and a more intimate and quiet dining experience. The chefs are very friendly, the service is excellent, and I would go back anytime. If you're adventurous, try the mirugai (live clam). There is nothing like the experience of "really" fresh food—especially when it moves when you poke it with a chopstick. For the squeamish, have a fair amount of sake before you order this. That should get rid of any hang-ups you have about this dish. —Darren22

2009-10-12 21:05:01   great food and good price here, the quality of the fish is what i want. —yong

2009-10-23 03:34:23   Sushi Nobu had by FAR the fastest service of any restaurant I've ever been to. I almost felt pressured to come up with more orders because the waitress kept coming back so often. The sushi was excellent and I will most definitely return here for my future sushi outings. —davisreviewer