These are reviews of Nobu Hiro from 2005. For more current reviews, visit the entry.
2005-02-09 19:05:00 Ate there for the first time. It was very excellent! The menu you can choose to order off is pretty extensive and the salmon was so fresh it felt like it was melting in my mouth. Yum. —PaulLanzi
2005-05-07 11:52:47 I went here months ago after it was renamed for the buffet. It had the worst service I’ve ever seen in Davis or Sacramento. Family run, which is fine of course, but they forgot everything, as well as being reallllly slow. One older couple got irritated when she kept bringing the wrong dishes repeatedly and asked if she even knew what they ordered (she didn't). People began to write their orders onto napkins and take them to the chef directly themselves. They’d take random sushi dishes that people asked for (cause the waitress would forget) and take them table to table rather then right to you. So if someone else liked what they saw, no food for you. 1 chef making sushi who kept watching tv. Food was good, but the experience was so awful, I doubt I’ll ever go back. —ES
2005-06-06 15:03:00 I had the same experience as ES above — Fuji Chef may have lower quality food, but at least the variety and service is pretty consistent. —CindySperry
This is a restaurant where you get what you pay for. The chefs are selective of who they give their orders to, so depending on whether you are "liked" by the staff determines if you get your sushi or not. I have had mixed experiences with this restaurant. The good thing is that they will make spicy tuna hand rolls during the buffet, but the bad news is that this might be the only thing worth going for. It does beat the line at Fuji Chef any day, except Sunday of course when Sushi Nobu isn't open. — RobertBaron
2005-06-09 20:13:17 They say they're open till 2:30pm, but they stop serving the buffet at 2:00pm. What the hell is that about? —BrianChen
- Sometimes after a painful meal you need thirty minutes just to be able to stand up. — RobertBaron
2005-06-09 23:00:21 Okay, I tried it again on Tuesday. I sat at the bar this time with a friend, and both service and quality were very much improved. I would actually rate this a little higher than Fuji Chef — much fresher, and service at the sushi bar itself is very prompt. —CindySperry
2005-06-10 12:37:36 when i ate here for the lunch buffet it was much better than fujis, especially their spicy tuna roll, which actually has chopped tuna in it. and yes i ate at the bar. i think the bar gets way better service, because they are ordering directly from the chef. Personally i like ordering the bento boxes for dinner $9.50 (your choice of 2: salmon sashimi, tuna sashimi, chicken teriyaki, salmon teriyaki, beef teriyaki, grilled mackrel, grilled squid, cucumber roll, tuna roll, california roll, mixed tempura, gyoza, all of which are served with miso soup, salad, rice, and sunomono). i usually get either salmon sashimi and grilled squid, or double salmon sashimi. the sashimi is cut really thick here compared to other places, which to me surprisingly makes it taste fresher than the other non-fancy japanese places ive been to. —MattHh
2005-07-27 23:10:50 Fuji Chef cannot compare to this place. Nobu's prices are cheaper and the quailty is WAY better. The salmon does melt in your mouth! That's my favorite. It's better if you get a seat by the bar during buffet hours because the service does become faster. This is the best sushi place in town. Fuji Chef is a waste of money and time (not worth waiting in line for). —MindyYang
2005-08-22 16:51:45 I went here on a day when it was particularly busy. The staff was terribly unorganized and it took a very long time for us to receive any of our orders. Also, there was no list for the people who were waiting in line and several people tried and succeeded in cutting in front of everyone. When we and others in line complained, the waitress simply shrugged and walked off. The food was good, but the service makes the wait at Fuji's seem worth it. —SharonPetersen
2005-08-22 16:55:45 I've actually been a regular there for some time, and have found it has many plusses and minuses. Yes, the service can suck, especially when its busy. The best thing is to go there when it is NOT buffet hours and order some of their truly awesome rolls. The Red Rose roll for the tuna folk (like myself) and the Davis Roll are particularly worth it. You'll find the quality is much better than anything else you can get in Davis, and when its not busy the service is down right awesome. —AdamYergovich
2005-09-14 20:19:53 prices have changed. nobu has adopted the fuji method of pricing, with mon-thurs $9.49 and fri-sun $9.99 —JeremyWong
- Fuji is $10.49 mon-thurs, so Nobu is still cheaper—MattHh
2005-10-04 14:24:22 Went there during the summer right right as they opened for the morning, sat at the bar, and both the food and service from the chefs was great. The woman waitressing the tables had a permanent scowl, which made me secretly snicker at the people sitting there. I would not want to go here when it was busy, but when it was not, it was definitely worth it. —AlexPomeranz
2005-10-09 14:10:30 Here's my two cents: PRO... Very fresh, tasty sushi. If you want to eat nigiri (basically a raw fish strip on rice), you just can't get a fresher taste. It's also rather novel to have everything made that instant. The included-in-the-price miso soup is pretty awesome too. CON... However, if you get that hankering for a Davis Roll or a bit of fried banana or something random, tough beans. Not nearly enough variety. BUT... it's all-you-can-eat sushi for dinner—hooray! —JulieEickhof
- fried bananas are offered during the lunch buffet, just not the dinner—MattHh
2005-10-13 16:11:49 This may be my favorite place to eat lunch in Davis. Nothing like stuffing your face with this stuff. As far as service is concerned, one of the chefs now recognizes Daniel Berliner and me, and sitting in front of him is great service. The yellowtail is great. YMMV of course, as this and Fuji Chef are the only Sushi I've ever had. Only eat Crazy Monkey Rolls at the beginning, when you're already full their incredibly rich flavor will make you feel sick. —LuisdelaTorre
2005-10-15 13:42:18 I ate there recently and love that lack of lines and the friendly waitstaff. Also, the Alaska roll and the Spider Roll are absolutely de-lish. The only problem is the location may be hard for people who are without transportation, as it is pretty far out there in East Davis. —ShayneErw
2005-12-02 17:52:32 nobu hiro beats the crap out of fuji in terms of freshness and quality. if you want quality over quantity, go to nobu hiro's. although i do miss the soft shell crab. —ArlenKwong
2005-12-13 10:30:01 DO NOT RECOMEND. The sushi wasn't anything special, the service was HORRIBLE. We were told that the dinner all-you-can-eat was not available (uhm, the sign says it's available!) AND the people next to us were having the all-you-can-eat. I had to ask the server twice for each item that came with my sashimi plate. They gave us the bill when we were not done ordering and not done eating. THEN it took them literally 17 minutes to come back with our credit card. I will NEVER eat here again, and I would NEVER recomend this place. —JenniferLaFever
