Robert De Niro and Nobu Matsuhisa Will Open a Second Hotel in London

Legendary Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa and his business partner, the actor and entrepreneur Robert De Niro, have announced that they will open a second Nobu hotel in London, in the spring of next year.

The group will open in Portman Square, in Marylebone, at a location close to the two original Nobu properties in west London, and on the opposite side of town from the most recent Nobu opening in London. In the summer of 2017, Nobu and De Niro opened in the hip east end Shoreditch neighbourhood, and have since admitted the comparative challenges of moving into new territory. Last year the chef told Big Hospitality said it had been a “challenge.”

Grace Dent, as critic for the Evening Standard Magazine, reviewed the restaurant in Shoreditch, taking the view that it did not represent good value for money. After spending £278 in under two hours, she asked whether it was worth visiting such a “silly” restaurant designed for “affluent tourists”?

Ahead of the second London hotel opening, Nobu’s website included the following information in a “just announced” section this morning.

Nobu Hotel is set in Portman Square W1, steps from Mayfair’s vibrant restaurants and independent boutiques and on the edge of Soho’s world-famous theatres in the heart of London’s West End. The 239-guest rooms and suites, together with a Nobu restaurant, ballroom and meeting facilities are being conceptualized by London-based architecture and interior design firm, David Collins Studio, in conjunction with Make Architects.

The first Nobu restaurant — a brand which is synonymous with high end Japanese cuisine, glitzy locations, and celebrities — opened in New York City in 1994. There are now over 40 Nobu restaurant locations globally, including three in London; the growing number of hotel properties is currently at 16 globally.