These are reviews of Nobu Hiro from 2007. For more current reviews, visit the entry.
2007-01-07 13:01:06 Food isn't the greatest but its still good. Lately, their service has been sucking. Sometimes you don't get exactly what you requested during the buffet. —BeeBooBee
2007-01-11 14:58:35 I love this place. One of my close friends went there once and told me about it. I tried it once and since then I go about once a week. All the Chefs are nice to me, I really don't pay attention to the waiters much because they change quite often. I feel the people there are really genuine, too bad for the people who have had bad experiences. The sushi buffet is the best in Davis for sure. The food is average. If I am going to be putting raw fish in my mouth, quality is the most important thing, and this place has got it! —WillLiu
2007-02-09 11:02:59 This is a fine establishment, agreed, but Zen Toro, new in 2006, is now the best in Davis. —TimGinn
2007-02-19 18:28:38 I personally don't like eating sushi at 9am, and that's about how early you need to be at Fuji's to get a table. Nobu's is never crowded and their sushi is really good. They also have doughnuts. They're not good, but they have doughnuts there which is pretty intriguing. —KlareWhite
2007-02-21 14:00:05 They have a very limited selection of things to eat for the lunch buffet. Such things as the Red Rose Roll is only offered during other hours such as dinner. The buffet service is absolutely horrific. I have yet to sit at the bar, which is probably a lot better. Other than that, they are rude, they do not get your orders right, and they limit everything you eat, particularly if you're with friends. Apparently they don't want customers to come back. My friends and I have eaten there more times than we should've (4 times or so) and not once was it pleasent. Most recently my friend got into an argument with the waiter because the tip was charged on the bill and it wasn't written on the reciept. Eat here if you're desperate and live in East Davis. Otherwise, stay away. —CoreyPham
2007-02-21 15:27:30 Went here for the third time last weekend for the buffet. Got there at 11am to ensure a seat at the bar. Service was awesome, as the sushi chefs are friendly and responsive. Food was great. No complaints here. Sit at the bar. It's the way to go. —AlexPomeranz
2007-03-15 12:56:01 I really don't understand why so many people have had bad experiences here. Do you guys go looking for trouble or try to piss off the employees or something? I'm a regular and have been to nobu's a ton of times and have never witnessed any altercations between the staff and customers. Staff has always been friendly to me and given me my orders. Sushi is on point and decent, and I like how you don't have to come half an hour early to line up unlike Fujis. My only complaint is that Nobu's is small and everybody is seated too close together. —DonaldJaye
2007-03-21 15:49:39 My girlfriend and I decided to give this joint another chance, and we were pleasantly surprised. Food was delicious and service was great. Even though there was a line, we were seated at the bar in less than 10 minutes. It looks like they fired that douche bag waiter, and that was definitely a plus. —ArlenKwong
2007-03-21 15:51:59 Something I noticed that in the bath of mixed positive/negative reviews, in the past it was non-Asians who said this place was good and Asians who said they received poor service. I think it does have something to do with them wanting to please the non-Asian/white crowd, though it seems like it's changed. —ArlenKwong
2007-04-25 16:56:00 RUDE!!!!! Everyone I know calls it "The Sushi Nazi Experience" - you can eat during the "all you can eat" for a while, and then: NO MORE SUSHI FOR YOU! —DavisGradStudent
2007-05-02 12:54:25 Their food is good here including the sushi, but their selection is not as large as some other restaurants in Davis. Nontheless, their quality and service is good and price is fairly decent. —trambajuice
2007-05-02 23:39:56 Do not come here if you want a sushi buffet. Do come here if you want a rice buffet. The size of the rice get bigger and bigger as you order more food. It really is getting ridiculous. Furthermore, the Nazi waitress watches what you do with the rice like a hawk (no napkin or leave a bit behind on the plate trick). The quality of fish is good but they only give you a sliver of fish on top of your rice mountain. The service is horrible, and they stop bringing out fresh cooked food after 12ish. Once the waitress nazi lied to me and said they ran out of oranges when it was close to closing time. I asked the cashier and they got it right away for me. I have noticed that I tend to get worse service when I go with my asian friends and better service with my caucasian friends. Reverse racism? They claim their a buffet but they seem to get so upset with you if you keep asking for more food. I will never come here again. They may be cheaper but you get what you pay for in service. —basking
- 2007-05-08 23:42:35 basking, what do you expect, it seems like they just want to kiss ass to the whites, but lately I think it's been better, at least when I've gone. —ArlenKwong
2007-05-15 14:27:11 lol @ Sushi Nazi Experience, I have yet to experience this, and they give me my orders until I can't eat anymore. I do agree that on some days, they give you excessive amounts of rice. but service is always good when I go, and i'm pretty much a regular here. BTW, since race seems to be a highly discussed issue in this topic, I'm ASIAN if it matters. —DonaldJaye
2007-05-19 01:41:00 This place is horrible. I went there with my girlfriend on a Saturday and when the lady came by with the water, just tossed it on the table. I thought to myself, fine. They're busy, she's quick, it's alright. Then I politely asked her, excuse me, can please have two hot teas? She replied, yeah sure if I have time. I was furious, and even more furious when she brought boiling hot tea and tossed it on the table. My table was covered with boiling hot tea. I was furious. No, I was not furious, I was so mad that there is not a word to describe my madness. DO NOT EVER GO TO SUSHI NOBU! WE SHOULD ALL AVOID THEM UNTIL THEY ARE DRIVEN OUT OF BUSINESS. SPREAD THE WORD! SUSHI NOBU IS HORRIBLE. —Jackie
2007-05-19 15:16:54 This place is absolutely terrible. They have the worst presentation, sloppily thrown together and rushed out. Service is quick, which I attribute to the barren menu. It looks like someone with cerebral palsy had fun one day with imitation crab. One can hardly consider it sushi. The rice is pathetic, and if you're some artard who doesn't know, that is what sushi is really all about. The fish was relatively fresh I will say. The unagi however had the texture of latex, unribbed for our discomfort. —JustinLanska
2007-05-21 18:14:03 Last saturday was my first experience at Sushi Nobu. It was ridiculously crowded given the small space, and the waiters were extremely busy and a bit reluctant to bring food out, but they brought everything we wanted and kept bringing it until we could eat no more. Now, i'm no sushi expert, but the fish did seem pretty fresh and the sushi was delicious overall. As for all the negative comments....what do you expect from a $10 sushi buffet? be happy you stuffed yourself full of sushi for ten dollars! they are crammed with students wanting cheap sushi, and the service reflects this. just ignore it!!!! My friend and I ate 20 plates of sushi. i cant complain! oh yeah, i'm white. —boristheblade
2007-05-27 13:19:38 The fish is excelent and fresh for the price. Service is horrible... they should fire the rude waitress!!! —SuBnorMal
2007-06-01 10:33:27 I have been going to this restaurant since they opened, and they are definitely the best sushi in town. Yes, sometimes the waitresses are not on the ball, but they always get it right eventually, and always with a smile. I really love these guys. They really are very nice. The best idea is to wait for a bar seat. Then you get exactly what you want fast. You haters should be glad that there actually is a nice sushi place in this town with quality sushi, good prices, and no lines!!! —KatHa
2007-06-03 16:34:26 Went here with a group of about 15 people. No waiting in line at all, and the staff let a few of the early arrivals hold the table for the rest of us (try that at some other sushi buffets in town). The sushi was of very good quality, the wait staff was prompt and courteous, and they filled us up! I didn't see any evidence of "nazi waitresses" here. And as far as 'racial profiling' goes in the sushi world, our group was about 70% Asian, and the wait staff served all equally (with smiles, even), so I really don't think race matters here (nor should it matter anywhere)—two thumbs up for this lunch spot! —Buzz
2007-07-11 17:20:38 I came here to try out the buffet but did not like it AT ALL. The waiter who brought us our sushi had a pretty mean attitude toward my group of friends and me. The rice in the sushi that we ordered tasted dry and old. Will not return. —JoeLow
2007-07-17 23:22:52 A friend and I went to Nobu last week to try the dinner buffet and was disappointed by the food. The rolls were extremely paded with rice and tasted very plain. I felt the food was not fresh. Service was good because we sat at the bar, but the food was bad. My friend also did not like the food. —JohnWong
2007-07-22 18:22:51 I really like this restaurant. The food is good for the price. They give you a lot. They dishes are also unique and flavorful. I would say that the style is not too traditional, however. The one downside is service. You get MUCH better service at the bar than the tables. —AlexandraDeGrange
2007-07-25 23:29:42 Service is horrible. Workers are very rude. For the buffet, rolls taste bland and are full of rice. Not sure how the rolls are. Pricing is reasonable and...at least you don't have to wait in a crazy line..unlike fujis... —jaredfromsubway
2007-07-27 19:19:55 This place isn't as bad as people say; the food is somewhat fresh, being room temperature and all. Sitting at the bar will gaurantee the best sushi experience. Sitting at the tables, however.. that's another story. Overall, the workers there are cunt-like. One of the waitresses with the bad perm is a bitch. But the main man person who rings you up is adorable. And you get to pay seperatley too! Yay.. Overall: B- —JasonMasino
2007-07-28 04:08:34 raw food is not supposed to be held at room temperature —JohnWong
2007-08-13 20:28:57 I ate at the tables for the first time a few weeks ago, and the service is definitely not as good as at the bar. The sushi chefs are awesome — the waitresses are not. The "sushi nazi" (as Emily Blake calls her) is well named — she doesn't smile, doesn't talk, and just has a cold demeanor. She's not mean, but she's very impersonal, and it doesn't come off well. One of the members of our group was so intimidated that she wanted to ask for miso soup but couldn't bring herself to do it. It made me laugh. Just don't take her seriously and don't sweat it, and you'll be fine. —AlexPomeranz
2007-08-30 18:52:46 This place is way better than Fuji's. I'm not getting up at 9 in the morning to wait in a fat line for so-so sushi. Nobu is always very welcoming and when you request something they make it immediately.. most of the time. So good. —KlareWhite
2007-09-25 19:20:00 This is the BEST sushi buffet I have been to in AGES!
- Service was great
- Courteous waiters and waitresses
- They always asked me if I wanted more rolls
- The food and selection was perfect
- Very kind sushi chefs
Needless to say, I highly recommend it! —AnnaF
2007-11-01 08:24:20 All you can eat salmon and yellowtail nigri, you can't go wrong with that. If you go there often enough, they give you more than the typical 2 pieces! Great for all you can eat and no line. —FeralFeline
2007-11-02 15:56:23 Nobu has the best, freshest sushi anywhere in Davis or Sacramento. Sunny, the owner, is a great sushi chef, and extremely friendly. His wife, here often referred to as "sushi nazi" is a darling too if you're not an annoying customer, and it's not ridiculously busy, like some days at lunch buffet. I admit I'm biased because my girlfriend and I are regulars and the entire staff knows our "usual" and the owner and his wife often come to chat with us. The sashimi is to die for, and the best rolls are the crazy monkey, the graduation roll, and the alaska roll. They get fresh fish every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so those are the days to go for freshest fish. Usually the shiro maguro, the sake, and the hamachi are amazing. The sake is always nice and bright orange and so deliciously buttery tasting, and the shiro maguro absolutely melts in your mouth, you don't even have to chew most of the time. I think their miso is also better then every other sushi place I've been to in Davis and Sac. I have NEVER had a problem with their service, even before they got to know us, and I've been going for five years, since before Sunny owned the place and was just head chef. Yes, their menu is small, but what they lack in variety they make up for in absolute quality. Every time I experiment with a new sushi place I've heard is good I'm thoroughly disappointed and regret not coming to Nobu. They never freeze their fish, but they store it in a refrigerator and it is never older than two days. Here's my typical experience on a Monday or Friday night at Nobu. We walk in the door, sit down where ever we want and within 2 minutes we have hot tea and miso soup. We usually get the deluxe shashimi platter ($14.95) and a crazy monkey roll ($6.95), which fills up two sushi lover's stomachs and tastes orgasmic all the way through the meal. I'd recommend you don't come, because I'm tired of my favorite sushi place being too crowded ;) BTW, they are Chinese for the most part, but that doesn't mean they don't know raw fish. —norcalmatt
2007-11-02 21:34:30 I went here with a large group and they treated us fine. They asked that people getting the buffet sit in one group, and that caused some shifting in seating arrangements, but it wasn't a problem. They gave us free tea since our group ate a lot, too. :) —TaniaG
2007-11-04 16:15:29 I was just commenting this morning that it would be nice if they expanded their buffet menu a bit, and sure enough, when I got there, they had! They added about 4 or 5 new specialty rolls, most of which have tempura shrimp in them. The highlight (in my opinion) was the dragon roll, but the roll 69 was also good (salmon with a spicy sauce). —AlexPomeranz
2007-11-09 13:01:35 My boyfriend, who is not a student, and I have gone on Thursday nights for their buffet. Never once have they asked to see our student ids or anything of the sort. I should note that we are also not of the typical student age. Service at the bar was wonderful and sushi was pretty good. I have never had any problems with this place. —lemurific
2007-11-12 20:46:35 Tasty tasty —KenichiSan
2007-11-12 20:49:07 they were really nice and kept trying to make us rolls all morning long. tried lots of new things- almost all tasty. didn't care for some of the sauces on some of the fancier rolls, but no biggie, wipe off the sauces and it is still delicious. —KenichiSan
2007-12-03 02:55:17 WTF is wrong with the waitress's attitude? Sushi is lacking compared to jusco and fujis. 10% gratuity on a shitty ass attitude and less than mediocre service? WTF is wrong with this place? UNAGI does not have seaweed and unagi sauce. Its only eel and rice. wtf. NEVER GO HERE unless you want to waste your money.btw overpriced as hell —KaiWan
2007-12-12 12:50:07 This is an addition to a previous review. I came here for a dinner buffet with a friend. We were seated at the bar, and I don't know if it was because it wasn't too busy that evening, but the chefs were extremely attentive. We were asked every minute if we need or wanted anything. They made things fresh and on the spot. The fish, as always, is probably the freshest in Davis. The variety of nigiri was delicious. The rolls are kind of boring, but they're a nice change of pace. I guess because it wasn't all frantic, it was pretty great service. No crazy waitresses who gave us dirty looks or anything. Come here and eat 10000 pieces of nigiri, it's pretty worth it. —CoreyPham
