Chubby Nori | Philadelphia — Restaurant in Philadelphia

New Review: March 14, 2025 I've been back three times since the first time I came here (old review below) during their soft opening. Generally the other times were still on par except for the portions and some fish quality dropping a bit. I truly cannot express how much management and training affect a location's reputation. Tonight, our party came in spurts because some folks were late (less than 15 minutes though). The waiter told my husband that he would have to wait a bit until our entire party was present before we can order more so we only got to order 5 rolls first. His excuse was the restaurant was very busy, but the place wasn't packed (at least 4 empty big tables and multiple seats empty at the sushi bar). The service was excruciatingly slower than usual, took almost 2 hours for the full dining experience. This was fine IF the guy had been more attentive and refilling our tea and water as often as we'd hoped. We ended up waiting longer than needed at the end because there was one roll missing, and only after asking our waiter about it did he inform us they were actually out of blue crab... When it came to the bill the guy took off 2 orders of house sake as a way to make up for the poor service. However, he proceeded to show me only the final price on the iPad and then the screen went to the tip. HERE'S WHERE I'M PISSED. Apparently parties of 5 or more automatically get 20% tip added. The iPad only mentioned the word "Tip", not "extra tip". So, here it defaulted between 15%, 20%, and 22%. I basically double tipped for a sub par dining experience that was plagued by poor wait staff performance. The subpar food quality and portions truly didn't help either. All in all I don't think I'll ever come back here. This was just an absolutely awful dining experience.

Old Review: 5 stars I rarely LOVE a place on the first try but this restaurant truly deserves five stars. The hand rolls we had were absolutely delicious. Each roll was prepared very carefully with consideration to the taste and freshness of the ingredients. My top 3 favorites have to be the miso butter cod, spicy scallop, eel. If you have a chance to be in Philly Chinatown you have to...

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📍 Chubby Nori - Philadelphia, PA ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Food:

Miso Butter Cod – Insanely buttery and creamy—the homemade miso butter cream was incredible! – The black cod was unbelievably fresh, marinated for 72 hours. – I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this—I don’t usually go for cod, but this was exceptional. – An absolute must-order!

Toro Mushroom – A mild yet delightful hand roll. – The fresh fish, crispy seaweed, and perfectly seasoned rice paired beautifully with the mushrooms. – One of Jonathan’s favorites!

Spicy Tuna – Spicy tuna is always a go-to for me, and this hand roll did not disappoint. – Super fresh, crispy, and just the right amount of spice. – A must-try for any spicy tuna lover!

KBBQ Wagyu – I’m not usually a huge Wagyu fanatic, but the A5 Miyazaki Wagyu here was fresh, tender, and perfectly marbled. – The thick, slightly spicy ssamjang sauce added a great depth of flavor. – Loved the touch of sesame seeds!

Truffle Avocado – The fresh, creamy avocado balanced beautifully with the mild truffle flavor. – Slightly crunchy from the crispy fried sweet potato—such a fun texture!

Mango Salmon – The salmon was unbelievably fresh. – The combination of mango salsa and spicy mayo was perfect—not overly spicy, just flavorful. – Another must-order!

Eel – A more mild roll featuring kabayaki (eel) sauce with a slightly smoky flavor. – High quality, but probably my least favorite of the night—just a smidge too fishy for me. – Jonathan really enjoyed this one, though!

I was invited to have dinner here, so I brought my boyfriend along. We both absolutely love sushi and Japanese food, but we had never been to a hand roll-focused restaurant like this before. They let us try a variety of rolls, and honestly, each one was incredible.

One thing I regret? Not realizing they had a make-your-own sauce bar until we had already finished! I will definitely be trying that out next time.

This spot is absolutely worth a visit—there’s a reason why their Google reviews are currently at 4.9 stars. Highly recommend checking it out!

Date...

I wanted to update my review since I've been at Chubby Nori more times since they first opened. I've eaten here once with a group of friends, twice on dates, and twice dining alone.

My partner and I enjoy the chawanmushi and salmon cups. I still love the taste and texture of both, and both had a pleasant and not overpowering taste to start off the meal. Later, the restaurant removed the ikura gel from the chawanmushi. The gel wasn't replaced with anything else, so I was a tad disappointed.

Whenever I'm here, I get at least the Scallop handroll, the Salmon handroll, and the Miso Butter Cod handroll. The amount of fish-to-rice in each roll has stayed fairly generous since opening, and the flavors in each one really mesh well together. The Spicy Salmon / Spicy Scallop are pretty good also. The Truffle Avocado is the best out of the "vegetarian" handrolls.

During my most recent visit, the restaurant wasn't pacing my handrolls well. I got my second roll almost immediately after the first, which didn't give me time to slow down and enjoy the food before the nori got soggy. The waiter got concerned and advised me to eat the handrolls while they were still fresh, and I explained the situation. Also, it was a bit odd that the Miso Butter Cod was served almost right away tonight, when we are usually told that the cod takes a while because they have to warm it up. I felt like I was being pushed out this visit (~25 minute visit). I came in shortly after they opened for the night, when there weren't many people yet.

That being said, I still love this place and recommend that you give it a try. I will be returning since the handrolls are some of the best in Philly, and also easily accessible...