Nobu Ushers in a New Era of Silicon Valley Swagger

Nobu Palo Alto opens its doors tomorrow, bringing forth an era of potential coolness to the denizens of Silicon Valley. It’s the first — and for now, only — Bay Area outpost of chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s sushi restaurant known for its vibrant, clubby scene. Located in the bottom of the Epiphany Hotel, it’s prime real estate for entrepreneurs in search of power lunch with which to woo investors.

According to chef Matsuhisa, Palo Alto’s entrepreneurial nature is part of the reason for opening there. No doubt his partnership with Larry Ellison, Oracle founder and owner of the Epiphany Hotel, was also a strong consideration for taking over the space formerly occupied by Lure + Till. PA Hotel Holdings, a company managed by Ellison’s Lawrence Investments, purchased the 86-room hotel and the ground floor commercial lease for a record $71.6 million in September 2015.

“Many of our customers have been asking for a Nobu in the Bay area for years,” said Matsuhisa. “When this space became available, we were really excited because it is very intimate and allows us to create a special experience for our Palo Alto guests.”

Steven Freeman

Henry Hargreaves

That experience includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and special in-room dining options available only to guests of the hotel. The restaurant itself is a smaller version of the massive Nobus found in hotspots like New York, featuring a cozy dining room and bar, plus a covered patio. However, like its siblings, the Palo Alto menu will eventually include regional flavors from executive chef We Seeun and executive sushi chef Kihyun Seol. “We are creating some additional dishes that we think might match the ingredients that we can find here in Northern California,” said Nobu USA executive chef Gregorio Stephenson. “The team is looking forward to experimenting a little bit more.”

Kevin Scott

The restaurant is also planning for demand from the tech elite whose offices are nearby, including Google and Facebook. Brian Leon, Nobu’s West Coast head of operations, told Eater that the team is anticipating catering to the business crowd. “We know the community here has different needs, hosting meetings and talks and we want to be able to provide food and service to those types of events as well.”

Does that mean Zuck will be ordering in platters of black cod with miso and yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño? Perhaps Nobu tacos are more his style. Check out all the options on the menus below.

Nobu Palo Alto will be open daily for breakfast from 7:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., and lunch from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.; select seating will be avaiable in the bar and lounge from 3:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. Dinner starts daily at 6:00 p.m., with the last seating at 10:00 p.m. Sunday - Thursday and 11:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.