Nobu — Restaurant in Atlantic City

Although we enjoyed the food at Nobu Atlantic City, and the new restaurant is quite nice with a good atmosphere, the overall experience left a lot to be desired, to the point that I would not return. Issues included:

-Service Overall: Our server was generally nice, and there were no major service issues, but I did feel that service was on the slow side and was a little amateurish. For example, no one ever bothered to remove menus after we ordered, and I had to actively ask for them to be taken midway through the meal. The staff never cleared basic things like the wrappers from chopsticks off the table, and they never cleaned the table itself at all between courses, which should be standard at this level of restaurant. Particularly with everything served as small plates to be shared, things are bound to fall on the table a little bit and need to be cleaned up.

-Corkage: We wanted to bring our own wine to avoid Nobu’s over-the-top wine markups, and we know this is permitted by paying a corkage fee at many Nobu locations. However, I called in advance to confirm it would be ok here. After being treated by a host as if I was asking something crazy (she had clearly never heard of corkage as a concept), I finally spoke with a manager who confirmed there was a $50 corkage fee per bottle. We ended up bringing a bottle of champagne, but the staff neither offered to open nor pour it for us (which would be standard), nor did they offer an ice bucket to keep it chilled (also standard), and it took quite a while to simply bring over glasses.

-Hidden Upcharges: The thing that actually really bothered us, however, was surreptitious up-charging from our server to run up our bill. We had 5 people, and she explained that most dishes are sized to serve 2-3. She offered to adjust sizing on dishes to make sure we’d have enough for everyone, which seemed considerate on the surface. I’ve had this happen at other restaurants, and it typically takes the form of something like a dish that would come with 4 pieces having a 5th piece added for a little extra. However, here, it was much more extortionate. For example, we ordered the creamy spicy crab and said everyone wanted to try it. Rather than giving us just a slightly larger portion, without disclosing it in advance, they ended up bringing out two whole dishes of the crab, which was too much food, at double the cost. We didn’t need to spend over $100 for one dish that we each just wanted a bite or two of. Had our server been clear on what the increased sizing would be, we would have declined. Similarly, for the miso cod, we ordered the standard sized dish for 3 of us to share. Our server recommended that we switch it to the cod butter lettuce, and made it sound like it would be the same amount of cod, just cut up and portioned into 6 pieces on top of lettuce. The suggestion sounded helpful, and we weren’t still looking at the menu to realize this meant we’d be doubling the cost of the cod. The lettuce cups are priced per piece, unlike the single larger piece of cod that was half the price and we could have cut ourselves. Even for something as simple as water, she only offered “still or sparkling”, without specifically offering tap water versus bottled, so we ended up with bottled water we didn’t want for a ridiculous $20 per bottle.

Despite generally liking the food (favorites were the yellowtail jalapeno, shrimp tempura with creamy sauce, chicken teriyaki, and all fresh fish for sashimi/nigiri), we left with a very bad taste in our mouths once we saw our final bill and how much we had been upcharged without knowing it. We’ve been to other Nobu restaurants and very much understand how things work, and are aware of the cost (although we did note that prices in AC were higher than even somewhere like Aspen, which seemed off). However, we've never felt like a server was actively working against us to overcharge us in the way that Nobu Atlantic City did. Our meal in AC was a poor value and not one we’ll be repeating, which is a shame, since we did enjoy the food and the...

Dined at Nobu AC with my partner and his best friend on Wednesday night for an early birthday celebration and had the absolute most enjoyable dining experience I’ve had in the longest time!

I’ve previously been to Nobu in Vegas and while it was delicious and memorable, this experience far surpassed it. When I made our reservation, I was looking for two things: vegetarian or vegan offerings, and fine dining fare without a stuffy environment. Nobu AC totally hit the mark and then some!

Everyone treated us so warmly from the moment we arrived—when we checked in, I wish I’d gotten the name of who seated us because she was so lovely!! My partner casually mentioned that sitting with a view of the game would be a plus, and instead she generously set us up at a super comfy lounge table with a perfect view of the game, and arranged for us to be served there. It was such a thoughtful gesture to begin the evening and made us feel really special (I’m sure this is also a perk of the off season and having a later reservation midweek, so be mindful/respectful of expectations if your res is on a Saturday night in July)!

Our server, Alexandra, was absolutely amazing—she was friendly in a natural way, super knowledgeable of the menu, and made great suggestions. We don’t drink, so I’m not unfamiliar with feeling an air of disappointment when that becomes known, but Alexandra did not seem to have any reaction at all which was incredibly refreshing, and showed us their offering of mocktails (which were delicious)! Since I’d tried the vegetarian tasting menu last year in Vegas, I was able to revisit some memorable favorites (the theatrical mushroom toban yaki is a MUST for mushroom lovers), as well as try some dishes that have now become new favorites (hello eggplant with miso and brussels sprouts)! Alexandra also treated us to the salted caramel brownie for dessert, complete with a lit candle for my partner’s upcoming birthday!

We left so happy, and so full, I have literally no complaints whatsoever! Highly recommend!! Thank you so much to...

My S.O. Was ranting and raving about this restaurant, in addition to having I guess a pre-mid life crisis, with a nostalgia based obsession about caviar.

The foods and drinks did not disappoint. The hospitality from walking in to leaving was top-tier in this day and age anyone including myself would easily cringe at spending $100. With tip somewhere around $800 was spent that night between two people. We both left satisfied catered and full. I know the chefs were pushed to the limit since we were ordering pretty much near closing. The waiter along with the accompanying support staff was top-notch. we both gave descriptions of the type of food we would like and every plate was great.

Had these mini taco platters that featured Wagu, caviar, and fish. I believe we ask for that plate to be re-ordered at least twice.

The seafood tasted fresh. I wasn’t expecting caviar as a garnish for the crab. The food amazing visually and my taste buds. It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Michelin rated restaurant, but this is definitely a runner up.

For me, I am a straight drinker. The selection of sake was great. I would recommend the devil killer. It didn’t just have a fancy name. It was a great quality sake that was incredibly smooth and subtle. I’m usually not a fan of room, temperature or cold sake, but this was great.

I would love to thank them for a great memorable night. I think this made up for the misstep of Ramsey’s pub a few days prior. we had about eight plates of food.

The ambience was great along with the music. The floor to ceiling glass, providing a beautiful night view of the boardwalk was something that I will remember about Atlantic City.

A place that I would usually just pass through or casually enjoy was definitely a I thought of revisiting because of Nobu and a bit of Harrah’s dayspa, pool and bar. Even if Caesars is not the place we stay definitely will come...