"Nobu Matsuhisa's full Budapest menu, poured in a lounge — black cod and Wagyu sashimi for anyone closing a deal over sake."
About Nobu Bar
Nobu Bar is the lounge half of Nobu Budapest, the first Nobu in Central Europe, which opened inside the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus on Erzsébet tér in 2011. The bar shares chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa's kitchen, so the lounge menu is the restaurant menu — you can order yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño at a low table over a cocktail rather than committing to the dining room.
It is the most reliably international room in the city's luxury-dining scene, and a useful counterweight to Budapest's Hungarian fine-dining heavyweights like Onyx and Stand. Where those rooms are destinations, Nobu Bar is a tool: somewhere a deal, a date or an anniversary toast happens on neutral, polished ground.
The Kitchen
The kitchen runs the global Nobu canon. The black cod with miso — marinated three days in saikyo miso — is the dish to order if you have never eaten Nobu before; the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño and the yellowtail tartare with caviar are the cold classics. A dedicated section handles A5 Japanese Wagyu, priced around 45,000 HUF per 100 grams, and the sushi list is long and serious.
Tasting menus run from roughly 49,000 HUF for the Signature menu to 65,000 HUF for the Budapest menu; a 15% service charge is added. From the bar you can graze — a few pieces of nigiri, the rock-shrimp tempura, a cocktail — without the full prix-fixe outlay.
The Room
The lounge is dark wood, low seating and warm light, with the open kitchen's energy carrying over from the dining room next door. It is hotel-smart rather than showy: the kind of space where a business conversation does not have to compete with the design. Service is fluent in English, which is exactly why visiting executives default to it.
Sit at the bar for the sushi counter view, or take a corner table if the conversation is private. Either way the room reads as international five-star, not local institution — a deliberate contrast with Budapest's heritage rooms.
Best for Impressing Clients
Nobu Bar is built for impressing clients and closing a deal: a globally recognised name, a menu nobody will quibble with, and a lounge format that lets a meeting breathe over sashimi and sake. It also works for a polished first date or an anniversary drink without the commitment of the full tasting menu.
Not for
Not for travellers chasing distinctly Hungarian flavours, or anyone who finds the worldwide Nobu template too familiar to feel like a discovery.
Frequently Asked
Who is the chef behind Nobu Bar in Budapest?
Nobu Bar serves the menu of chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa, whose Japanese-Peruvian cooking defines the global Nobu group. Nobu Budapest, which the bar belongs to, opened in 2011 as the first Nobu in Central Europe inside the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus.
What should I order at Nobu Bar?
Order the black cod with miso and the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño — the two dishes that built Nobu's reputation. From the bar you can also graze on nigiri, rock-shrimp tempura and A5 Wagyu without taking the full tasting menu.
How much does Nobu Budapest cost?
Tasting menus run from about 49,000 HUF for the Signature menu to 65,000 HUF for the Budapest menu, with A5 Wagyu around 45,000 HUF per 100 grams. A 15% service charge is added. Ordering à la carte from the bar is the lower-cost route.
Where is Nobu Bar located?
Nobu Bar is inside the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus at Erzsébet tér 7-8 in District V, central Budapest, a short walk from Deák Ferenc tér.
Do I need a reservation for the bar?
The dining room should be booked, especially at weekends, but the bar takes walk-ins when seats are free — which is part of why it suits a spontaneous client drink or a pre-dinner meeting.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at Nobu Bar
Reserve via Nobu Budapest. Walk-ins welcome at the bar when seats are free.
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Practical Information
AddressErzsébet tér 7-8, 1051 Budapest
NeighbourhoodErzsébet tér, District V
CuisineJapanese-Peruvian
PriceTasting menus 49,000–65,000 HUF; A5 Wagyu ~45,000 HUF/100g; bar à la carte from ~22,900 HUF. +15% service.
Dress CodeSmart / business
SeatingLounge tables & sushi counter
ReservationRecommended, esp. weekends
