Nobu Matsuhisa Didn’t Let Setbacks Stop Him
By Kelli Luu | 28 Apr, 2026

From early failures to global success, Nobu Matsuhisa played a huge role in elevating Japanese cuisine into a fine dining experience.

There are hundreds of luxury restaurant names all around the world, but only a few have become iconic in the fine dining industry. Before Nobu became one of those names, its founder went through years of setbacks. 

Nobu Matsuhisa was born in Saitama, Japan and was raised with his two older brothers by a single mother after his father died in a traffic collision when he was just eight years old. Nobu’s family traveled the world for nearly a decade and when he graduated from high school, he began working as a dishwasher at Matsue Sushi in Shinjuku. 

This is where Nobu spent years training to be a sushi master and in his early 20s, one of his regulars invited him to help open a Japanese restaurant in Peru. Nobu’s career took him to Lima, where he and his partner opened another Matsue in 1973. While in Peru, Nobu discovered ingredients that were completely different from what he would find in Japan, prompting him to incorporate Peruvian ingredients into his Japanese dishes. 

Unfortunately, Matsue closed after three years and Nobu tried opening another restaurant in Argentina, which ultimately failed, forcing him to relocate to Alaska. Nobu opened a restaurant on his own in Anchorage, but it was burned down in an electrical fire just two weeks after the grand opening. 

In 1977, Nobu moved to Los Angeles, worked at Japanese restaurants “Mitsuwa” and “Oshou”, and a decade later, opened his own called Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills. Nobu found success in LA as Japanese cuisine was beginning to attract attention, especially from Hollywood celebrities. Robert De Niro was one of Matsuhisa’s regulars and he convinced Nobu to expand the concept to New York. 

Nobu partnered with De Niro and film producer Meir Teper to open the very first Nobu in New York City, which quickly gained international recognition. Dinner at Nobu elevated Japanese cuisine by combining fine dining with cultural fusion and innovation. 

Today Nobu Matsuhisa oversees nearly 60 Nobu restaurants and 14 Matsuhisa locations across five continents. The brand also includes over 20 Nobu Hotels further cementing its place in the hospitality industry. Nobu himself primarily operates out of Los Angeles, where his empire began. And from those beginnings, he created a legacy that redefined how the world experiences Japanese cuisine.